Deception Valley Lodge

This is a really nice lodge for a safari in the northern part of the Kalahari. The facilities are top notch with a nice historic building feel. The only drawback with the rooms is that there is no indoor shower, only an outdoor shower which is a little rough in the winter. The food was good and served at a shared table that seated all of the guests. The staff and guides were professional. There were two guides on each game drive - a registered guide and an indigenous San guide. There is also an option for a San cultural encounter, if you'd like to learn more about the original inhabitants of the area. There is a water hole across from the main lodge that attracts a lot of wildlife, including lions both of the mornings we were there. There was also a porcupine that liked to hang out near the pool in early evening. There are some drawbacks in terms of wildlife. There is a lot of tall brush and grass, which can hinder some wildlife viewing. The wildlife in general seemed more skittish, perhaps because there are so few guests/trucks in the area for them to get used to. Some of the animals common to other parts of the Kalahari are not present here (meerkats, flamingos, ostrich, springbok, sociable weavers, wild dogs, wildebeest). Others that were present we did not see (white rhino, any predator except lions, most antelope except kudu and impala).

It’s a beautiful small lodge with only 10 luxury rooms (with an outdoor shower). The main area has a great terrasse with a close view on the waterwhole, where we could see elephants, lions, kudu’s and a lot more.|Arriving at the lodge, the whole staff welcomed us with traditional music. The staff and the guides were very friendly and helpful. We stayed for 2 nights. The game drives were already planned, so we didn’t have to organise anything, it was an all inclusive package. We learned a lot from our guide. |The food was delicious. Breakfast and Dinner was served at a big table with all the other guests. Great for sharing experiences.|We felt like being part of the « Deception Valley Lodge Family ». It was a marvellous stay.

This lodge offers simple luxury and a beautiful setting with delicious food and a peaceful and relaxing environment. . The game drives and lion viewings were great and stopping for tea in thd bush was a treat. While there, my companion had a health emergency. From customizing meals, to serving him in his room to organizing an air evacuation, things could not have gone smoother under the circumstances. They improvised a stretcher, got a crew to transport him to the waiting helicopter, and made arrangements for travel for me the next day. They followed up on his care. I do hope I can go back one day. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about flora, fauna, and stars. I highly recommend treating yourself to a few days of relaxation and game drives at DVL. You won't be sorry.

We stayed for two nights, staff, accommodation, and safari drives were amazing.|Would love to return as it was so relaxing.

We, a family of 4 (Two Children aged 10 & +13 years) stayed at Deception Valley Lodge at the beginning of October for 3 nights, and we had an absolutely amazing time there!|We got picked up by Knowledge our guide at the air Strip, and received a very warm welcome. On our way to the lodge, we already saw a lot of animals, like zebra, wildebeest, oryx… |The lodge and the room were lovely so much more then we had expected. The food was also very nice, sometimes the portions where a bit to big, but that is just us, we aren’t big eaters. |The view from the deck was great, as there is a waterhole, and a lot of animals come and drink there during day and night. It was our bush TV!|The cultural walk was very interesting, incredible how the San People were able to live in the Kalahari!|But the very best were the drives with Knowledge and his San tracker (unfortunately I can’t remember his name). It was absolutely amazing to see how they were able to track and see all kinds of animals. We even saw a pack of wild dogs, which was the animals I wanted to see most, lions feeding, a cheeky honey badger, eland, lots of kudu and many, many more! Also, Knowledge was great in answering all our questions about the animals and the nature of the Kalahari. We learned a lot!|A Big Thank you to everybody at Deception Valley for this amazing stay, hopefully we will be back sometimes in the future.

Never in my 25+ years of traveling have I experienced a lodge like this: A beautiful place in a remote area that has it all! Great massages, beautiful rooms, amazing food (sometimes served under the African sky) and dedicated guides who will show you all the wildlife that there is and educate you along the way.||But what made this place special is a heartfelt hospitality that is rarely to be seen in hotels these days. You really meet as strangers and leave as friends there. ||Highly, highly recommended.

Fabulous accompaniment to our 9 day camping trip in Botswana. The lodge was so comfortable. Everybody was so welcoming and kind, professional but relaxed. The food was exceptional. Our guide, Knowledge, went above and beyond the call of duty (please don't do that again!). Knowledge and our tracker, Chota, ensured we had the best game viewing. The new manager, Tembo, was extremely attentive to all of our needs, along with the front of house team, Mario and Kisha. The accommodation was spotless.|Anyone thinking of going to Botswana or who have been before, I would highly recommend including the Kalahari, and in particular Deception Valley Lodge. I have travelled in Africa extensively and this place is something special.

A well-named lodge. I'm French. Deception, in French, means disappointment.||||The accommodations are good, a little showy, but nice. The wood, leather and copper decoration make you feel a century back (Doctor Livingstone, I presume?). The rooms are outstanding. The personnel is fine. If you just want to stay in the hotel, you'll be fine.||||Problem is tours.||||Their main guide is - well, not good.||||Too bossy, and, well, downright rude : yep, diner with all the guests, and the guide and his aide spent the whole diner talking to each other, in their own language nobody could understand. Both nights we were there. What am I, furniture ? Rude, no other term.||||Tours : well, for that price, I don't expect to be 8 tourists in one land rover (max possible capacity). Which means you get to see the wildlife, framed by the heads of the two tourists sitting in front of you. And if the lion is on the other side of the car, well, you'll have to rely on hearsay. Damn, for the price we're paying, they could take out two cars. Three abreast looks like coach class in a very busy airplane, when you're seated in the middle of the middle row. After the first tour, I made a request for a second car. Well, I'm just a paying customer, that obviously gives me no say in the matter.||||What most turned me off : he did the two things all our other guides told us they would NEVER do. Reminder, this is not DisneyWorld, the animals live there, you don't. We want to keep disruption at a minimal. So there is two things a decent guide would NEVER do :||- if the animals (whomever they would be) look uncomfortable with your presence and move away, YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THEM. EVER.||- you do not make animal sounds to attract their attention, for a better photo shoot. If they want to look at you, you're lucky, if they don't, well, you'll just have to do with a bum shot. You get the pictures they will give you. We're intruders. Try to make your presence as little perturbation as possible.||||Yep, you get my drift. Those rules don't apply in Deception Lodge.||||In short, the most expensive stay of our two week trek. And, by far, the most disappointing one. There are much better ways to spend much less money.