Grassland Lodge Ghanzi Botswana

Grassland Safari Lodge (Central Kalahari GR, Botswana) is a little world of wonders. See a wide variety of Kalahari animals and bird species on 4WD game drives, on horseback, or simply gaze out at the numerous species attracted to our own waterhole in front of the lodge.

email: ghanzi@go.botswanatravelservice.com

Accommodation at Grassland Lodge Ghanzi

Enjoy memorable moments in the company of the area’s endemic San bushmen. Learn how they hunt for food including meat, vegetables and nuts; make medicines; traditional dances and ceremonies; build their homes and even how they play games together.

Enjoy a safe and leisurely horse ride inside our large concession, with rides lasting anywhere from one hour to three days.

Learn of our rescue work with lions, leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs in the Kalahari region’s farmlands.

See first hand how rogue and orphaned animals are saved from almost certain death, before being moved to more suitable locations, thereby protecting them and conserving the future of their species.

And you’ll find our eight stylish double chalets are luxurious, relaxing and comfortable.

Location:

Grassland Safari Lodge is located on the western edge of the Central Kalahari GR, some 80km northeast of the connurbation of Ghanzi.

Travelling from Europe or USA, we recommend you fly into Republic of South Africa and from there, Air Botswana flies to Maun, Gaborone, and Windhoek. From these destinations chartered flights can be arranged to the town of Ghanzi.

The transfer from Ghanzi to Grassland Safari Lodge is available .We do have our own airstrip and can help you arrange charter flights directly into our camp if you so choose.

Whilst Grassland Safari Lodge may not be the easiest place in the world to get to, we believe its well worth every second of the journey for the unique experiences you will have once you are here!

Accommodation:

At Grassland, you will be amazed by the comfortable chalets, dining facilities, and hospitable staff. Grassland has eight extremely well furnished chalets, each with their own en-suite bathrooms, beds, fans, closets, and dressing table.
Each facility has constant hot water and your laundry is done daily at no extra costs. We can accommodate up to 16 guests in these chalets and have a family suite as well.
We have two beautiful main buildings that contain both an outdoor and indoor dining room.

Our meals are extraordinary, well prepared, and a far cry above most other safari outfits. We provide 3 meals a day, snacks, mid-day tea and dessert, cold drinks, wine, and a fully stocked bar for evening nightcaps. Another unique aspect of our camp is our large swimming pool. Guests can enjoy taking a soothing swim after a long day of game drives and cultural walks.
Likewise, guests often enjoy sitting by the bricked fire pit and watch as hundreds of animals come in at dusk to feed at the large illuminated water pan - a mere 50 yards away.

Activities:

There's never a dull moment at Grassland Lodge! Guests are free to take life at their own pace and soak up the unique atmosphere of the lodge, but you'll always find there's something different to do. Because of the lodge's unusual location, many of the activities offered are either exclusively available at Grassland or will be sufficiently different from anywhere else, to make the experience truly memorable.

Activities include:

Cultural actvities, with the local bush men
Having been brought up through childhood alongside the local bushmen, your host, Neeltjie Bower, has a close affinity with these fascinating people. A shared love of all things natural is apparent from the outset.

Guests at Grassland Safari Lodge are able to take advantage of this special relationship, as Neeltjie is able to introduce you to the local people, who are all too willing to give you an insight into their world and give guests a true bushman experience. Communicating in Naro (a bushman language which some refer to as "clicks", because of the curious clicking sounds made with the tongue) there is an obvious close bond between the local people and Neeltjie.

Real-life activities include looking for food and medicines amongst the many different types of plants and trees that grow in the region (and you will be astounded by the wealth of resources around you at any one time).
The bushman will show you how they hunt for meat, make fires, prepare their food and build their nomadic homes. They will also show you some of their interesting past-times and communal games, which all have benefits towards maintaining fitness and health or improving essential skills.

A highlight is to see the bushmen perform one of the many story-telling or ceremonial dances.
The entire bushman experience at Grasslands is authentic and charming. Guests sometimes find it difficult to leave, because of the genuine warmth of the welcome and hospitality offered by the bushmen.

Predator Protection Project:
As Grassland Safari Lodge is situated on the western side of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, on the western, northern and southern sides of our game area, we are surrounded by cattle ranches.

Predators move from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to these cattle areas on a very regular basis – it offers easy prey and a reliable source of water.
Sadly, farmers in Botswana are allowed to shoot predators at random, to protect their valuable livestock. We have therefore decided to work hand in hand with the Department of Wildlife and save these predators.

Problem predators are captured and kept in semi-captivity at Grassland Safari Lodge in 11 ha camps and we are currently working on a solution to save these predators.
The purpose of temporarily housing these predators, is not only to save them from certain death, but also to educate visitors about their dilemma and highlight that projects like this can help improve the gene pool of Botswana’s predators.

Guests at Grassland Safari Lodge are permitted to see these animals at no extra charge.
In this way we can save threatened species such as cheetah and wild dog from extinction. The predators are fed on donkey meat, bought from local people all over Botswana.This has the added advantage of supporting the local communities. Unfortunately, donkeys are hugely over-populated in Botswana and pose a serious threat to road safety.

At the moment Grassland Safaris has lions, wild dogs, leopard and cheetah. Our intention is to re-introduce these predators back into the wild, as well as to breed the wild dogs and cheetahs.

Horse Riding & Horse Safaris:
Grassland Safari Lodge offers a riding safari suitable for everyone, from experienced horsemen to complete novices. Rides can be of any length from one hour to three days - so there's something for everyone.

On horseback, not only do you gain a different perspective on your environment, but also the game animals are less wary of the horse, so you are able to get much closer to the widlife. The horses are fully trained and well used to being ridden, plus they are also very familiar with the local terrain.

On longer rides, guests are often accompanied by the local bushmen who will point out interesting features and plants, adding to the experience.

Game Viewing More:

Because of our unique location, immense land size, and proper management, you are likely to see more Kalahari game at Grassland Safari Lodge than at any other safari lodge.

On game drives, big herds of strictly Kalahari Game can be seen. Experience the famous Kalahari sunset with the silhouette of herds of eland, gemsbok and blue wildebeest!

Several of the smaller species such as duiker and steenbok are also present within our protected area..

During night drives you are likely to see nocturnal animals like porcupine, aardvark, brown hyena and much more.
And the sight of the brilliant stars in the Kalahari night sky with the cool desert breeze is a sensuous experience not to be missed!

Moremi and the Okavango Delta:

Because your host, Neeltjie de Graaff-Bower is a highly experienced and qualified guide, Grassland Safaris are also able to offer highly personalised and tailored safaris into Moremi GR and the Okavango Delta.

Learn of our rescue work with lions, leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs in the Kalahari region’s farmlands. See first hand how rogue and orphaned animals are saved from almost certain death, before being moved to more suitable locations, thereby protecting them and conserving the future of their species.