Gweta Lodge

We checked into GWETA lodge and asked for a Salt Pan tour from the reception. Lady at the reception said the tour was fully booked then we asked for a guide at a fee. She said no guides available but if we want we can follow their salt pan tour vehicle if we want as a self drive. We agreed and start following.Then the safari driver said in case on the drive if we come across Mere cats we need to pay him which we had to agree since we didn't know how to go back. Next day when we came to settle the bill we found out that the lodge charged 990 Pula per person same as full safari tour using their vehicle. She kept on asking for a full tour fee using their safari vehicle which we denied vehemently. Finally she said pay her 2000 Pula so she will change the invoice. I was lodging in room 23 and upon check in I was told the breakfast included even the chef who came to get our orders for the next day breakfast confirmed same for my surprise the same lady charged for the breakfast. I was so exhausted arguing for the tour didn't want to argue and I paid for the breakfast. Make sure you get everything in writing since the employees at Gweta lodge are irresponsible.

What a disappointment. The staff were so unprofessional and uncaring about us. Such a surprise when all the other lodges we stayed in this part of Africa were fantastic. Rooms were basic and there had obviously been no maintenance for years with fans not working, half the lights didn’t work and the toilet was stained brown! Not too welcoming! On a positive note, breakfast and dinner were very good.

What an amazing experience we had! Gweta Lodge itself, is under new management and they are in the process of fixing up most of the unfavourable things I had read in previous reviews. The owner, Pelo, is such a lovely man, super friendly and always checking to make sure you have what you need. You can tell he cares about his place and the people that stay over. Our chalets were clean and had new mosquito nets. Water in the showers is an on-and-off issue but they are in the process of having the pipes fixed or replaced. The food was delicious, the staff friendly and attentive. There are many places to sit and relax, and a fully stocked bar. The MOST AMAZING thing, however, was our overnight trip to the pans. They drive you out there, where everything is already set up for you. We were provided with food and drinks, a huge bonfire, and warm bedrolls (it was freezing out there at this time of year!) It is an experience that words cannot do justice.

Terrible experience with Gweta Lodge. We love the southern African region and decided to search for new experiences here, so found a possibility to sleep in salt pans and started to look around where we could accomplish it. We chose to use Gweta Lodge, they had to pick us up from one of Maun hotels. Communication was extremely rough with them, but we agreed on pick-up time and details eventually. Worst was pick-up day, we waited for 2 hours with no communication with us, when Gweta lodge “manager” called to the hotel where we are staying and said that the driver isn’t reachable, that's why no one picked us up. Worst thing is that I was calling them multiple times and they were not picking up the phone. Eventually, they said they will arrange another pick-up, which looked sketchy as we wouldn’t be able to reach the lodge till the salt pan expedition start time. The driver came and he was so weird, he wasn’t even talking with us and trying to force us to get to his car, we couldn’t trust this person. It felt like he was planning to rob us. We contacted the lodge and said that we won’t go. They agreed to pay a refund, but this was the last thing we heard, they didn't refund and we are still waiting for about a month. So I think this lodge is just a scam, my recommendation is never go here. Stay safe and pick another lodge which will be a little bit more expensive, don’t make our mistake!

The staff were super friendly and extremely helpful with helping us plan our onward travel through botswanna. This included discussing buses and helping us book the okange delta for straight after new year. The tour they run to the meerkats was an amazing experience.