Meno a Kwena

The Lodge

The safari never stops at Meno a Kwena, a hidden gem of a camp perched on a rocky clifftop above the Boteti River in Botswana. With a glittering roster of activities, including day trips to the Makgadikgadi Pans, guided walks with the San bushmen and wildlife-watching boat trips, there's plenty to get your teeth into. But sometimes, the best game viewing is where you least expect it, and at Meno, it’s right in front you. From their lofty position, the ten tents look down on a menagerie of animals at the water below, from herds of majestic elephant, to dazzles of nomadic zebra – all you need to do is sit back, and take it all in.

Just 90 minutes by road from Maun, Meno is a good option if you’re travelling as a group, or with little ones (or even big ones!). The real treat at Menois is the connection with nature; when an elephant provides your alarm call in the morning, and you can game view straight from your private veranda, nothing else really matters.

The Rooms

Menoa Kwena is stylish but not stuffy and prides itself on a more simplistic take. It has 10 classic tents perched on a 100-foot high clifftop overlooking the river and offering some of the best ‘armchair’ game viewing we’ve ever seen. Each is classically styled, with locally-woven fabrics mixed with colonial-style furniture, and splashes of colour across the fittings. The canvas lounge and dining tents are piled high with books and trinkets, and decorated with old-world artefacts. All the rooms have fully-equipped en-suite bathrooms, and there are two family units, both with inter-leading tents (one with three beds for children, one with 2 beds), perfect for the kids.

Landscape

Meno a Kwena is located on tribal land on the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (MPNP), overlooking the exceptionally beautiful Boteti River. Boteti is the only permanent water source in the area, attracting a rich array of resident game and a procession of migratory wanderers. Meno sits almost exactly halfway between the Okavango Delta region and the drier southern regions. Head into the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where baobabs stand like sentinels above the shimmering expanses of crusted salt, or discover Nxai Pan National Park, its endless landscapes dotted with umbrella acacias and clumps of mopane woodland.

When to visit?

Meno a Kwena is open all year round, and almost every month heralds a different highlight. During the dry season, from April to October, the Boteti River is the only source of water for miles around, and hundreds of animals, predators and prey, assemble on the banks, making for truly remarkable game viewing – and you don’t even have to leave camp! April is the culmination of Africa’s second largest mammal migration, and the wildebeest and zebra join the resident wildlife at the river in their masses. In the Makgadikgadi, the lunar-like salt flats glint in the sunlight and a haze shimmers above the ground. This is the desert in its most iconic state, and a jaw-droppingly magical sight.

As the clouds gather and the rains begin to fall in the wet season, the Makgadikgadi is transformed into a blanket of glittering, green grass. The beasties of the migration begin their journey back to the salt pans lured by the promise of nutrients, and to breed in the fertile environment. In fact, the entire area is transformed into a Garden of Eden that has to be seen to be believed.

The Story

Meno a Kwena is a place that’s steeped in history and who's name literally translates as “teeth of the crocodile”. The camp was used by legendary explorers and crocodile hunters, back in the days when there were no vehicle trails across the Kalahari. Over the years, it’s been carefully refurbished, but the old-world charm and rustic quirkiness is as present as ever. You’ll find a roof fashioned from an old parachute, a lounge jam-packed with knick-knacks and trinkets from decades of travel, and an enormous crocodile skull to name but a few! This is a camp with heart, soul and a real flavour of Botswana.