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8 reasons to camp at Chobe’s Toro Safari Lodge

27/3/2013

13 Comments

 
Toro Safari Lodge, Chobe, Botswana
Choosing a place to camp at Chobe National Park in Botswana isn’t as easy as you might think, as I showed in my previous  blog. We may have hit on Toro Safari Lodge purely by luck or default, but we were more than happy, as it turned out. Here’s why.

Update: Note that Toro Safari Lodge no longer exists. The facility has been taken over and now trades as Big 5 Chobe Lodge. It still has camping and on a visit in May 2016 I noted that the chalets were being renovated. We went back in May 2019 and enjoyed the peace and quiet once again. You can book for this lodge through Temba, tel +27 21 8550395.
1. The campsite is about 12km east of Kasane and less ‘in town’ than Chobe Safari Lodge. Although this does make for a slightly longer drive to the park, which is on the other side of Kasane, we felt it was a small price to pay for the peace we enjoyed.

2. Yes, we did hear a barking dog one night, but we also heard hippos most nights, which more than made up for it. Our campsite was even visited by a nagapie (bushbaby) leaping through the trees.

3. Although the campsite itself isn’t on the river, you only have to take a short walk to the main reception/restaurant complex to find some nice green grass to sit on to watch the sun set over the river.
Toro Safari Lodge, Chobe, Botswana
Sunset on the Chobe River
4. Although the campsite is all sand, without a blade of grass (admittedly in the dry season), it is hard sand so not as messy as ‘soft sand’ sites. In terms of comparison, both Ihaha (inside the national park) and Chobe Safari Lodge camp sites are on sand too; in truth, there’s not much choice around Chobe.

5. We loved the luxury of having our own private thatched kitchen/bathroom hut right there next to our site. It was great not to have to plan our shower time, and not to have to shower after someone else had already made the floor a sopping mess.

6. We were impressed with the maintenance and care of the campsite. Every morning a member of staff came by to check that everything was okay. I did have a small niggle one day and it was resolved within five minutes. That’s pretty special. 
Toro Safari Lodge campsite, Chobe, Botswana
7. If you’re tired of braaing, it’s a short walk to the main lodge’s restaurant. We treated ourselves to dinner one night and both our meals were delicious (which is more than I can say for a lunch we had at Chobe Safari Lodge, where my order was muddled and my husband’s steak was as tough as an old boot).

8. There’s an Internet café so you can keep tabs on friends, family, work, whatever you need to.

More about Botswana

Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
13 Comments
Steve Anderson
3/5/2014 04:57:36 am

Hi Roxanne - thanks for your VERY helpful snippets pertaining to camping at Toro. Do you recall through whom you made your camping reservation? I've come across two agents but am guessing / hoping it will be cheaper to book through Toro itself, but ..have not yet had my e-mail replied to, and the phone just rings and rings. Any suggestions? Also, we don't have a 4x4. Will that be a prob?

Reply
Roxanne link
3/5/2014 01:46:25 pm

Steve, not having a 4x4 isn't a problem for Toro, but there are some short deep sand sections in Chobe that may be a problem if you're not used to driving in sand. There's usually someone happy to help out though. Also, you can go on a guided drive in a 4x4 and I'd recommend a trip along the river to get close to game.
As far as I remember the place we booked Toro through was a Somerset West number. I think the website might be called Temba... Yup, www.temba.co.za and tel (0) 21 8550395. Good luck!

Reply
Steve
3/5/2014 03:13:27 pm

Fantastic. Many thanks, Roxanne

Thys Basson link
4/6/2014 01:27:20 am

Hi, Roxanne
I am planning to take tourists to Kasane in July.
Accomodation is a problem.I have looked at Toro Lodge, but the reviews on Tripadvisor are so bad, I decided not to even try Toro.
What is the situation there now? It seems that nothing has been done over the last year or so to better there services. Do you know how its going there now?
Thank you

Reply
Roxanne link
4/6/2014 10:57:53 am

That's sad to hear, Thys. When we were there in late 2012 it was fabulous and we were chuffed. I have no way of knowing what has happened there since.

Have you tried Senyati? See my blog post, including the comments: http://www.roxannereid.co.za/blog/how-to-choose-a-campsite-at-chobe-botswana

Alternatively, I suggest you join www.safaritalk.net and ask your question on their forums. You'll find a huge number of people who have been to Kasane more recently than me and are willing to help.

Reply
Roxanne
15/1/2016 12:41:59 pm

Update 15 January 2016
According to my source: "Toro lodge is closed and will likely not re-open ... they currently are operating as a activity base where only activities can be booked, no accommodation."

Reply
Margaret Reid
14/7/2017 07:21:08 am

I have stayed there a couple of times. I wish to make a booking for next year for six adults and three camp sites two nights 15 and 16th October 2018. How do I do that ?

Reply
Roxanne
14/7/2017 10:23:55 am

Hi Margaret, see my reply to your comment below.

Reply
Roxanne
14/7/2017 10:33:00 am

Remember that the place is under new management and a new name, Margaret, so follow the link to Big 5 Chobe Lodge in the blog post above, where I also give you the telephone number to phone to make a booking.

Margaret Reid
14/7/2017 07:28:03 am

I wish to find a Camsite in Kasane for October 2018

Reply
Roxanne
14/7/2017 10:21:57 am

Hi Margaret, I suggest you follow the first first link at the top of this blog post to read about various campsites in Kasane, their pros and cons. But you will have to follow up with each individually; I'm just a travel writer, not an agent, so I can't help you book a campsite.

Reply
Thys Basson link
14/7/2017 06:26:56 pm

My favourite camping site is Chobe Safari Lodge, definitely worth the while to try it. Not expensive and very clean.

Reply
Roxanne
14/7/2017 08:17:29 pm

Thanks for your vote, Thys. For us, the fact that they wouldn't make a booking when we tried about 4 years ago was a turn-off.


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    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
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    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
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