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Saguni Safari Lodge
The lodge that borrowed its name from the whole of Khwai.
From our guest surveys — how we gather evidence
Named for the whole of Khwai
Saguni is the San name for Khwai itself — “an area with an abundance of game and spectacular sights” — and the lodge that borrowed the district's name sits in a fittingly generous spot: an island of old riparian trees, the kind that talk in the wind at night, looking over the Mbudi Lagoon. The lodge runs bigger and more sociable than the river's small camps — a custom-built common area opening onto a central deck and fire pit, two bars with the better one aimed straight down the lagoon, a pool with loungers under umbrellas, and a boma set to the water channel for dinners under the sky.
The hosting is the repeated surprise in guest accounts: afternoon tea, proper courses at dinner, and a warmth that runs through everything — polish where you'd expect it least, on a river better known for canvas and lamplight.
Two ways to sleep here
Saguni is the rare camp on this river with a choice of rooms — the same classic canvas comfort in two positions, under the canopy or on the water. All are raised and en-suite — double vanities, indoor showers built for post-drive dust, mesh walls that keep the room part of the world it looks at — each with a private viewing deck, and at night the island is the show: hippo work the margins below the tents, and the mesh lets every ounce of it through.
Forest Tent
Set back under the old riparian trees, where the shade runs deep and the canopy's birdsong does the waking. The quieter, greener seat in the house — classic canvas in the cool of the island's interior.
Luxury River Tent
The plum positions on the waterfront — the Sable River doing its rounds a few metres off the veranda, lechwe picking through the shallows and a fish eagle staking the morning's claim. Room for a child under twelve on a stretcher bed.
Khwai's abundance, as promised
The name sets the bar and the ground clears it: drives through the Khwai Conservancy run among elephant and buffalo herds, tsessebe and giraffe on the open ground, red lechwe and waterbuck at the water's edge, with lion, wild dog and spotted hyena working the lot. Night drives are available for the after-dark shift, and mokoro trips pole the Delta's channels at water level when the season allows. Guides here draw consistent praise for reading the ground — and each other — across the whole conservancy.
Drives into Moremi Game Reserve itself can be added as an optional extra — the reserve gate is close, and the deeper mopane country beyond it makes a full-day outing.
Saguni's included drives work the conservancy; game drives inside Moremi Game Reserve are an optional extra, and laundry is limited to a couple of items per stay. The conservancy ground itself wants for nothing — but if reserve-proper drives daily are the plan, budget for them or base inside the reserve.
Saguni is the San name for the Khwai area itself — “an abundance of game and spectacular sights” — so the lodge didn't invent a promise; it borrowed the district's oldest description and built beneath it.
An island in Moremi East
Saguni stands on a treed island over the Mbudi Lagoon — part of the Sable River system — in the Khwai area east of Moremi Game Reserve. Light aircraft from Maun land at Khwai Airstrip, with a road transfer to the lodge.
What it costs.
Rates are per person per night, based on two guests travelling together (sharing).
| Season | Forest tent | Luxury river tent |
|---|---|---|
| 01 January – 30 April | 01 January – 30 AprilUS$ 500 | 01 January – 30 AprilUS$ 660 |
| 01 May – 31 October | 01 May – 31 OctoberUS$ 719 | 01 May – 31 OctoberUS$ 929 |
| 01 November – 31 December | 01 November – 31 DecemberUS$ 545 | 01 November – 31 DecemberUS$ 719 |
Comfort in the thick of it
Saguni's offer is straightforward: the game-rich heart of Khwai, watched from a lodge that runs to real comfort — pool, lagoon bar, waterfront river tents — with the warmth of a big, well-run house. For travellers who want Khwai's abundance without giving up the pool, the courses at dinner or the lagoon bar, it is the settled, sociable answer.
Is this for you
- ✓You want Khwai's game with lodge comforts — pool, proper beds, courses at dinner
- ✓A lagoon view from the bar sounds like the right end to a drive
- ✓You'd rather add Moremi drives by choice than pay for them by default
Attentiveness of the host, guide, and staff was excellent. The experience felt very intimate because there were very few people staying at the lodge. The facility was beautiful and comfortable. Highlight of the trip.
Tell us your dates and we'll build the journey around Saguni — flights, nights, and whether to add the Moremi drives.
The fine print.
- —All meals
- —Selected local-brand drinks and soft drinks
- —Two scheduled safari activities daily
- —Return Khwai airstrip transfers
- —Limited laundry (two items per stay)
- —Flights to and from Khwai Airstrip
- —Premium-brand drinks
- —Optional game drives into Moremi Game Reserve
- —Travel and medical insurance
- —Gratuities and items of a personal nature
Children from six years are welcome; under-12s join safari activities at the discretion of the manager or guide. Forest tents take two adults, and the river tents can add a child under twelve on a stretcher bed.
By light aircraft from Maun to Khwai Airstrip, then a road transfer to the lodge.
Night drives and mokoro trips depend on conditions and water levels, and the island is unfenced — hippo graze the margins at night, and staff walk you to your tent after dark.