Eagle Island Lodge, a Belmond Safari

We enjoyed our 3-day stay at the Eagle Island Lodge, although we had a few minor issues that made it less than perfect. EIL has its own dirt airstrip that’s about 300 yards/meters from the lodge itself. When our plane landed to drop us off, there was nobody there to...

We enjoyed our 3-day stay at the Eagle Island Lodge, although we had a few minor issues that made it less than perfect. EIL has its own dirt airstrip that’s about 300 yards/meters from the lodge itself. When our plane landed to drop us off, there was nobody there to meet us. The airplane crew can’t leave us there on our own in big game territory, so we had to wait about 10 minutes until a vehicle finally drove out to meet us. The location and setting of EIL is perfect. We were there in the dry season, but one of the few flowing rivers was close by, so from our deck we saw many large animals walking along the river. Elephants, vervet monkeys, and baboons regularly walked right up to our cabin, and some animals drank from the plunge pool on our deck. The size and layout of our room was nice, but in some ways it was a bit dated. Our AC system was marginal at best and could not overcome the outdoor heat. Even though the hotel staff left it set at 18°C (~64°F), the temperature would get to 27-28°C (~81°F) in the day, and about 24°C (75°F) by morning after running all night. The staff did offer to move us to another room, but by then we only had one night left, so we declined. Although we never saw a mosquito, there were a few small bugs or beetles that occasionally got into our bed, despite the fact that our bed was surrounded by mosquito netting. On our last morning, I noticed a small crack, maybe 6mm or ¼” wide, between the floorboards and inside boundary of the netting. Not a big deal, but staff should have noticed that and fixed it. The staff tries very hard, maybe too hard, to do everything for you. We had very limited time for a quick bite before the morning game drives, and it would have been nice to have self-serve coffee and maybe some pastry or fruit set out for the taking. Instead, we ended up waiting a few minutes for a server to come to the table, we’d order a coffee and a croissant or something similar. Several minutes later they would bring out our coffee and a few minutes after that a big plate of fruit and pastry, most of which went to waste. By the time we were served, it was time to go. While they wanted to give us a full-service experience, what we needed was a “grab and go” option. Lunch and dinner were fine since we were never in a rush. Our very best game drive was at EIL, in that we got to see a mating pair of lions collaborate to stalk, kill, and devour a warthog, all of which we got it all on video. The images are amazing, although a bit gruesome. Our driver was taking a lot of his own pictures however, so the audio picked up his non-stop camera clicks.

A very special retreat! Truly once in a lifetime experience and we are so glad we chose Belmond! Stunning property location, gorgeous room and decor. Very quiet, and air conditioned. The staff could not have been more accommodating and lovely.Gomes was our game drive guide and he had all the...

A very special retreat! Truly once in a lifetime experience and we are so glad we chose Belmond! Stunning property location, gorgeous room and decor. Very quiet, and air conditioned. The staff could not have been more accommodating and lovely.Gomes was our game drive guide and he had all the answers to our questions and found us everything we always had dreamed of seeing. Elephants were all over the back of the property. Chief was very helpful, and Natalie our cleaning lady did a wonderful job twice a day. We loved the afternoon tea before our afternoon game drive. We highly recommend this property!

Our safari tour company, Abercrombie and Kent, booked this camp for us. The camp is beautiful and staff welcoming and kind. Each meal was specially prepared to be nutritious and delicious. We really enjoyed the game drives with DK. Her female energy was welcome after travelling with men all week....

Our safari tour company, Abercrombie and Kent, booked this camp for us. The camp is beautiful and staff welcoming and kind. Each meal was specially prepared to be nutritious and delicious. We really enjoyed the game drives with DK. Her female energy was welcome after travelling with men all week. DK's calm kept the lid-on-the-pot even with a stampede headed our way and lions in the camp at night. Game drives highlighted with watching wild dogs hunt and lions stalk their prey. The rooms were beautiful and the turn-down service included lighting which highlighted the sculptured wall behind the bed - so beautiful and romantic! Although we enjoyed the last meal in our tent hyenas tried to get in and when they couldn't they tore up the cushions on our deck! This was the last stay on our 10-day safari and this camp took all the pressures off with air conditioning, private plunge pool, serene room (except for night with hyenas on the deck!) and kind and attentive staff. The highlight meal was a safari lunch complete with chef in whites, a full bar and fantastic food set up with white tablecloths in the shade of a big tree - magnificent!

As South Africans who have often done safaris, this was the best experience ever! The lodge is beautifully appointed, the food is excellent, the staff are truly professional, helpful, caring and very kind. The fact that we saw a pride of 9 lions and a bit later on the same...

As South Africans who have often done safaris, this was the best experience ever! The lodge is beautifully appointed, the food is excellent, the staff are truly professional, helpful, caring and very kind. The fact that we saw a pride of 9 lions and a bit later on the same drive, came upon them after they had killed a Reedbuck, was a first for us. It was amazing to hear their roars as they tucked into their prey! We also saw a leopard cub waiting for her mom to come back from her hunt. A little later we saw the mom surveying the savannah nearby to take food back to her cub. "Mr Handsome" elephant who came to drink water at our tent's plunge pool was another highlight. I thanked him for honoring us either his presence. So majestic! All in all an awesome, sublime experience and we'll definitely be back. Everyone at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge made us feel welcome and special and they just can't do enough for one. We felt like Rock stars! We'll definitely be back! Lynn & Peter Kastner

This was our first stop on our 6-night ‘Grand Tour of Botswana’ package. From the staff that met us at Maun airport, to everyone at the lodge, and especially our amazing guide Jimmy - we could not have asked for a better first stop on our vacation. We stayed in...

This was our first stop on our 6-night ‘Grand Tour of Botswana’ package. From the staff that met us at Maun airport, to everyone at the lodge, and especially our amazing guide Jimmy - we could not have asked for a better first stop on our vacation. We stayed in room #12 and loved having the elephant bath area right in front of our lodge. The baboons were a bit naughty and threw our balcony furniture around everyday, but that didn’t stop us from watching the elephants right in front of us. As this was our first time on a safari vacation, the resident elephants came much closer to us than I had expected and left me absolutely in awe. Laundry and housekeeping service was excellent. The chef always did a nice job planning the menu and i never had a hard time finding something that I wanted to try. Although a little salty at times, overall the food was good. We enjoyed pretty much every activity while there - the Mokoro safari, night drive, game drives, lunch on the barge with a ride down the delta. The thing that stood out to us most, was that although it was peak season and all 12 rooms occupied, we never saw another safari car while out! We only saw people at meal times. Everything was seamless from the time we arrived to when we had to depart to our next lodge. Truly enjoyed our time at Eagle Island Lodge and can’t recommend Belmond Safaris enough!

Wow, Wow, Wow. What a trip. From start to finish this place was amazing. Great Food, fantastic accommodation with plunge pool on the desking, and the safaris were excellent. We came home one night from safari to find a baby impala at our front door. The next morning a bull...

Wow, Wow, Wow. What a trip. From start to finish this place was amazing. Great Food, fantastic accommodation with plunge pool on the desking, and the safaris were excellent. We came home one night from safari to find a baby impala at our front door. The next morning a bull elephant was wandering through past our cabin. So much excitement.

We were amazed with the Eagle Island lodge! The Accommodations are excellent. The service is outstanding. The food is fabulous. The staff is wonderful. We would like to especially note that Isaac, the chief guide, is one of the best guides we have ever had in our 40 years of...

We were amazed with the Eagle Island lodge! The Accommodations are excellent. The service is outstanding. The food is fabulous. The staff is wonderful. We would like to especially note that Isaac, the chief guide, is one of the best guides we have ever had in our 40 years of travel. Isaac is so knowledgeable and fun. We did a helicopter ride with a champagne break, which was out of this world. The perspective from the helicopter provided a very interesting view of all of the animals and the river. We highly recommend the Belmont Eagle Island Lodge! Book your adventure now!

Though Covid has greatly affected most tourists companies in Botswana, Belmond Eagle Island Lodge opened its doors for me and my partner basically meaning that we had the entire lodge to ourselves for 3 days. Straight from being picked up by Moses (our trusted guide) at the Airport we were...

Though Covid has greatly affected most tourists companies in Botswana, Belmond Eagle Island Lodge opened its doors for me and my partner basically meaning that we had the entire lodge to ourselves for 3 days. Straight from being picked up by Moses (our trusted guide) at the Airport we were welcomed with drinks and a light lunch for the journey ahead. On welcome to the lodge and for the duration of our stay, the staff were warm, highly attentive, informative, professional and bloody amazing. It takes a lot to keep staff motivated however, Belmond has been able to keep its staff happy and this is evident in their behavior. Food was amazing,generous and it always something new. They even organized a private3 course dinner in our tent one night. Moses was amazing and helped us spot two leopards in less than an hour during an evening drive(id never seen a leopard before in my life) and we also found a pride of 12 lions one morning. Tilly, Loedwyk(his new name is Uyapo) we’re attentive and never too far away , Rati and Madiga also took care of us and we enjoyed quite a number of laughs tigger. The Chef was highly accommodating and on two occasions made us chocolate cake and eggs Benedict even though they weren’t on the menu. Our Mekoro guide(Phillip) allowed me to take some of the most amazing photos. All I can say is, as a Motswana who got to experience a safari for the first time, I am really proud of this establishment and the standards it is maintaining in Botswana. Hopefully I can visit again when the floods return. Thank you.

We spent 3nights at the Eagle Island Lodge and it was perfect! The staff make you feel like you are part of the family and our Game Driver, Goms, was phenomenal. The accommodation was luxurious with a handmade touch, the food was delicious and the game viewing was spectacular. We...

We spent 3nights at the Eagle Island Lodge and it was perfect! The staff make you feel like you are part of the family and our Game Driver, Goms, was phenomenal. The accommodation was luxurious with a handmade touch, the food was delicious and the game viewing was spectacular. We would highly recommend the Eagle Island Lodge!