Eagle Island Lodge, a Belmond Safari, is Africa’s ultimate water-focused and experiential lodge. Style meets sustainability at this luxurious sanctuary in the heart of Botswana’s UNESCO-recognised Okavango Delta. Here, safari living has been refined to an art. Light-filled tented rooms boast private plunge pools and oversized beds. A wide array of wildlife activities ranges from mokoro canoe rides, motorised boat tours and sunset barge cruises to exhilarating helicopter and horseback tours and guided nature walks. Sundowners at the bar may be enlivened by the fish eagle’s whistle. Barbecued specialities around the campfire make for enchanted evenings.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
This was the final destination of the three Belmond Safari locations we visited and as soon as we arrived we were blown away by the welcoming choir, and the view of the main entrance overlooking the hippo-filled lagoon beyond. Just like the other two locations, all of the team were very friendly and kind and and this helped us settle in very quickly. The lodges were designed and finished to a very high quality and again were very comfortable and well appointed (again with separate indoor and outdoor showers). Each lodge had a private (unheated) plunge pool which was great for a quick dip in the heat of the day and we enjoyed families of baboon chilling out on our sundeck. The fish eagle bar, on the edge of the lagoon, is indeed an incredible location for sunset.
Our very friendly and knowledgable guide was Kops, who took us out in the motorboat to explore the shallow channels where we were chased by hippo and spotted crocodile, buffalo and water monitors. The game drives gave us the grim spectacle of one of yesterday's buffalo being eaten by the local lions with cubs, along with viewings of zebra, elephant, giraffe, leopard and a fleeting glimpse of a cheetah. Thanks also to Gasty and CaptainD for our very peaceful mokoro ride where we were blessed with a herd of giraffe cross the lagoon in front of us! Our last evening finished with surprise sundowners set out by Kops and the team - thank you!
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Lodges have plenty of universal plug sockets.
Very safe, but do take care of the resident...
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We were lucky enough to score a set of rooms at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge and had a wonderful stay. The property offers spectacular wild life sightings in a beautiful setting including the resident warthog George. Our guide candy was perfect and a highlight was visiting the local village and spending time with the local people.
The lodge itself is quite chic with beautiful rooms which are modern, set up smartly and quite large.
The staff is very special and go out of their way to give you whatever you desire. Lee and Dums run a fantastic kitchen offering multiple delicious selections with each meal. Magda, Mary, Fortune and Ratiis a kind are servers who make each meal a delight. Gee runs the bar and makes a terrific old fashioned.
The show is run by Baker whose sense of humor is priceless and attention to detail remarkable.
A big tusker visited our room area every night shaking a palm tree for fruit. It was pretty cool and even George was scared!
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Claudia Rodrigues, General Manager at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 14 Sept 2024
Greetings from Eagle Island Lodge! Thank you kindly for sharing your amazing feedback with us, it was our pleasure hosting you and we are happy you enjoyed our wonderful natural environment and wildlife. Wishing you adventurous travels ahead! Warm regards, The Eagle Island Lodge Family
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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
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Claudia Rodrigues, General Manager at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 14 Sept 2024
Greetings from Eagle Island Lodge! Thank you kindly for sharing your amazing feedback with us, it was our pleasure hosting you and we are happy you enjoyed our wonderful natural environment and wildlife. Wishing you adventurous travels ahead! Warm regards, The Eagle Island Lodge Family
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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.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Claudia Rodrigues, General Manager at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 30 Dec 2024
Greetings from Eagle Island Lodge! Thank you kindly for sharing your amazing feedback with us, it was our pleasure hosting you and we are happy you enjoyed our wonderful natural environment and wildlife. Thank you also for bringing some shortcomings to our attention, we will certainly work on correcting these with our teams. Wishing you adventurous travels ahead and a fabulous 2025! Warm regards, The Eagle Island Lodge Family
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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!
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Belmond Eagle Island Lodge is outstanding! Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Baker is so very kind and inviting. I didn't feel well on arrival to the camp and Baker along with others checked on me and provided me with a tasty drink to settle my stomach. He even sent me on my way with ginger ale for the flight to our next stay at Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, where I was greeted with a ginger ale on arrival! Thank you Baker for your care and concern!
The Lodge is absolutely stunning! The location right on the floodplain is just magical. Sitting on the patio outside the room, you can see so many animals, elephants, antelope, Warthog (George) and listen to the Hippos, just to name a few. The rooms are fabulous as well! We loved the main lodge, dinning area and the sunset bar! I definitely understand how the bar has been ranked 5 times as the best sunset spot in the world! The food was fantastic as well!
I can't say enough about OT! We did the river boat tour and were able to see so many amazing things! OT took us on a night game drive and Walking Safari- both were such different experiences that allowed us to see the camp in different ways. OT is so knowledgeable and his ability to see things and take in the surroundings is like a 6th sense. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!
The Mokoro Canoe trip with Captain D. was such a great experience as well. Captain D was so informative. Being so close to the water and taking in all of the sights, sounds and smells really gives you another perspective. We had so much fun in our short time with Captain D.
Thank you to EVERYONE at Belmond Eagle Island Lodge! We hope to see you again soon!
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Date of stay: September 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Inge Dykman, Owner at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 08 Oct 2022
Dear Courtneyb702, Thank you so much for your business and sharing this positive and heartwarming review with us. We truly welcome and appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your comments about OT and Captain D - we will ensure that they receive this feedback, we agree that they are exceptional and a great asset to the Belmond Team. We hope to welcome you back in the future! Best wishes Inge Dykman Area Marketing Manager
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Can’t recommend highly enough. Stayed here with my wife for 3 nights. The staff couldn’t be more welcoming, friendly and professional. Able to balance intimacy without being overbearing. The food was excellent. Enough variation with quality to match. Okavanga Gin on tap with a good range of South African red and white wines. My wife who is a vegetarian was well catered for. The room was of a very high standard, the best of the 3 lodges in Botswana we visited. The “piece de resistance” of the trip was of course the safaris. With only 3 jeeps allowed in this area (all belonging to Belmond) this does feel very exclusive. Our guide was the most knowledgeable of the trip. Whilst some patience is required for the game spotting you are very well rewarded with lifetime memories. Special mention must go to the manager of this Lodge who despite a glitch in our travel arrangements made us feel totally relaxed and resolved all the ongoing changes to our itinerary in sync with our travel company Trailfinders.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Close to the Eagle bar
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Response from Inge Dykman, Owner at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 29 Sept 2022
Dear Gerry, Thank you for the positive review and feedback, we are elated to see that you enjoyed your stay and experience with us. We will share your feedback and comments with the team and glad to see that you were accommodated, despite the glitch in arrangements. We hope to welcome you back soon! Warm wishes Inge Dykman Area Marketing Manager
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Not sure what is going on at Eagle Island but man was it in disrepair, or a state of apathy, when we were there in December. While I get the vibe that maybe you leave nature to do its thing, it still would be nice if it didn't look like a tsunami had come through the place. Branches, debris, animal dung everywhere. Since there's been a drought the whole place looks dry and unkempt. Go ahead and just clear out a little of the sticks and yard trash to make the place look a little more cared for. The Fish Bar was a complete wreck. Broken glass, cigarette butts, beer cans, baboon poop on the ledges, furniture overturned. Looks like no one had been out there in ages. Management, when asked, said guests had eaten out there the night before and left their stuff. No way. There was no sign of life, no sign of a bar being open, no sign that anyone had been around in a while. To cut back on plastic there is a large plastic water bottle from which you fill the supplied canteens. Never had water it in. Instead the staff poured small plastic water bottles into said canteen. Pointless really. Food took 45 minutes and there was no one eating but us. No water around the camp to view the wildlife--not the camp;sfault but a point to note that in December you aren't getting the Okavango experience. Lastly tents are too close to one another and have not been designed for privacy. While you're in your plunge pool your guest can see you. While you're in your bed you can just look into your neighbor's tent. My minibar still had a half-drunk bottle of someone's wine. Nothing was replenished so there wasn't much to drink out of the bar. All in all it was a very strange experience and one I will never repeat. Great game drive though.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from LouisePheiffer, Manager at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 24 Jan 2020
Dear Fandog4155, We are so disappointed to read your review of our recent safari at Eagle Island Lodge. Your review was shared with the management team to look into all your points raised as this is most certainly not our service standard. The baboons are known for causing quite the commotion at the Fish Eagle Bar when they pass by, they do enjoy using it as their jungle gym at times, but sounds like they had a proper party! We strive to offer our guests a memorable safari experience in the Botswana wilderness and we are so sorry that you left with a less than memorable experience and thank you for your compliment on your good game drive. Warm regards, Louise
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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.
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Date of stay: October 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Louise Pheiffer, Marketing at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 29 Oct 2020
Dear tebogomapitse92, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your wonderful review. After such a long closure, it was so wonderful to welcome guests back to our lodges. We are delighted that you were so well taken care of by the team. Your images on social media is so beautiful, thank you for taking the time to share these memories with your friends and also to fellow travelellers on Trip Advisor. We are also hopeful that the floods will return (hopefully even stronger) than this year, and we can show you the water wonderland in all her glory... Until we see you again. Warmest regards, Louise
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Returned after 5 days at this beautiful safari lodge. It is a stunning location and we feel very grateful for the experience. The hospitality from all the staff was outstanding. Special shout-outs to Baker and Rachel who run the lodge, who made us feel so welcome. The food is lovely and we loved the afternoon tea. The rooms were beautifully appointed and the view from the terrace over the savannah was awesome. Like the dining area/bar, you could sit here for hours watching animals walk across, sometimes very close. Turning to the safari drives, these were clearly the highlight of the holiday and we were lucky to have OT as our guide. He is so friendly and could not do enough for us. He also had an uncanny ability to find animals including an epic afternoon when we followed two adult lions for some distance until we found their newly born cubs. Thank you to everyone for a truly memorable holiday.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Don’t over-pack as the lodge does a daily washing turnaround.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Gabriella Wiseman, Marketing at Eagle Island Lodge A Belmond Safari
Responded 10 Jul 2023
Dear Culture48567490486, Thank you for your heartfelt review of our safari lodge. Our entire staff takes pride in providing outstanding hospitality, and we appreciate your special shout-outs to Baker and Rachel, who made you feel incredibly welcome. We're glad that you enjoyed the lovely food and the delightful afternoon tea and thrilled to know that the safari drives were the highlight of your holiday. It sounds like you had an incredible encounter with the adult lions and their newborn cubs. Thank you for choosing our lodge for your holiday, and we are grateful for the opportunity to create truly memorable experiences for you. We hope to welcome you back in the future for more adventures in the wild. Best regards, The Eagle Island Team
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Hello, thank you for your questions. We do sometimes turn the generators off during the night, but if you have a specific request to keep it on for you, we will most certainly do so.
Guests will often stay for 2-3 nights per lodge, as each of our lodges are located in a different eco system, so it's a good way to experience the different parts of Botswana. The flight time between the lodges are approx 30-40 minutes. These flights are so scenic, and you will enjoy seeing the landscape and wildlife from the air. The flights are also air-conditioned once airborne.
Hope to welcome you at our lodges in the near future.
Warm regards
Louise
Dear Patty,
Thank you for your inquiry. The guides do rotate between the lodges, and currently Tsile is at Belmond Khwai River Lodge at the moment, but we do have brilliant guides at the the lodge, ask for Kenny if you enjoyed Tsile, think you will enjoy his guiding style.
We are looking forward to welcome you back to Botswana for your second visit!
Warm regards
Louise
There are more places to choose from in the Okavango Delta area.
PRICE RANGE
R 85,846 - R 86,290 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
eagle island camp by orient-express hotel okavango delta
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Belmond Safaris
LOCATION
BotswanaNorth-West DistrictOkavango Delta
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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