Thamalakane River Lodge

3.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Thamalakane River Lodge

Food and drink
Comfort Chalet, 1 Bedroom, River View
Bar (on property)
1 bedroom, in-room safe, desk, free WiFi
View from property

Reviews

8.4 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Pool
    Pool
  • Spa
    Spa
  • Bar
    Bar
  • Breakfast included
    Breakfast included
  • Laundry
    Laundry
  • Free WiFi
    Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
Sexaxa Ward, Maun
  • Maun Wildlife Educational Park
    21 min drive
  • Nhabe Museum
    22 min drive
  • Maun Gardens
    22 min drive
  • Maun (MUB)
    22 min drive

Room options

Comfort Chalet, 1 Bedroom, River View

  • 40 sq m
  • River view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

Family Twin Room, 2 Bedrooms

  • 100 sq m
  • River view
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed and 2 Twin Beds

Similar properties

About the area

Maun

With a stay at Thamalakane River Lodge in Maun, you'll be 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Okavango Delta and 11.7 mi (18.9 km) from Maun Wildlife Educational Park. .This lodge is 11.8 mi (19 km) from Maun Environmental Education Centre and 12 mi (19.2 km) from Nhabe Museum.

What's nearby

  • Maun Wildlife Educational Park - 21 min drive - 18.9 km
  • Maun Environmental Education Centre - 22 min drive - 19.0 km
  • Nhabe Museum - 22 min drive - 19.3 km
  • Maun Gardens - 22 min drive - 19.9 km

Getting around

  • Maun (MUB) - 22 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Crocodile Camp Bar - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Sports Bar - ‬15 min drive

About this property

Thamalakane River Lodge

Riverfront lodge with 2 outdoor pools and free breakfast
Thamalakane River Lodge offers 26 accommodations with safes and complimentary bottled water. Rooms open to furnished patios. This Maun lodge provides complimentary wireless Internet access, with a speed of 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices). Rooms have partially open bathrooms. Additionally, rooms include complimentary toiletries and ceiling fans. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.
2 outdoor swimming pools are on site.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in the onsite spa services. Services include massages and manicures and pedicures.
Make yourself at home in one of the 26 guestrooms. Rooms have private furnished patios. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Conveniences include safes and desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Pamper yourself with onsite massages or take in the view from a terrace and a garden. This lodge also features complimentary wireless internet access, gift shops/newsstands, and wedding services. Guests can get around on the shuttle (surcharge), which operates within 20 km.
Grab a bite to eat at the lodge's poolside restaurant, which features a bar/lounge and a garden view. A complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast is served daily from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM.
Featured amenities include multilingual staff, luggage storage, and laundry facilities. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available on request), and free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast is served each morning between 6:30 AM and 10:30 AM.
Onsite venue - This poolside restaurant specializes in local and international cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests can order drinks at the bar and enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting).

Languages

Afrikaans, English, German, Portuguese

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices)
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Free secured, uncovered self-parking on site
  • Free secured, uncovered extended parking on site
  • Motorhome/coach/lorry parking (free) on site
  • Return airport shuttle (surcharge) from 6:00 AM to 5:30 AM
  • Airport shuttle on request
  • Local area shuttle (surcharge) up to 20 km

Food and drink

  • Free cooked-to-order breakfast available daily 6:30 AM–10:30 AM
  • 1 restaurant
  • 1 bar

Things to do

  • 2 outdoor pools
  • Boat tours
  • Helicopter/aeroplane tours
  • Horse riding/hire
  • Spa services

Family friendly

  • 2 outdoor pools
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • Front-desk safe
  • Gift shop/newsstand

Guest services

  • Daily housekeeping
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Multilingual staff
  • Tour/ticket assistance
  • Turndown service
  • Wedding services

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Terrace

Spa

  • Manicures and pedicures
  • Massages

Accessibility

  • If you have any requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • This property does not have any lifts
  • Front entrance ramp
  • Step-free path to entrance
  • Wheelchair-accessible lounge
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant

More

  • Designated smoking areas
  • Mosquito nets

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets
  • Ceiling fan

Bathroom

  • Bathroom (partially open)
  • Free toiletries
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water

More

  • Desk
  • Guidebooks/recommendations
  • Safe
  • Turndown service

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2 PM; Check-in end time: 7 PM
Early check-in subject to availability
Late check-in subject to availability
Late check-in fee for check-in between 10:00 PM and midnight
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM
A late check-out fee will be charged

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 48 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The front desk is open daily from 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 7 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
2 children, up to the age of 2 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • Airport shuttle transfer per adult: BWP 220 (one-way)
  • Transfer service fee per child: BWP 100 (one-way), from 12 to 16 years old
  • Administrative fee: BWP 10 per person, per night

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: BWP 220 per person (one-way)
  • Airport shuttle fee per child: BWP 100 (one-way), (from 12 to 16 years old)
  • Late check-in fee for check-in between 10:00 PM and midnight
  • A late check-out fee will be charged

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Thamalakane River Lodge Maun
Thamalakane River Lodge
Thamalakane River Maun
Thamalakane River
Chobe River Lodge
Thamalakane River Lodge Maun
Thamalakane River Lodge Lodge
Thamalakane River Lodge Lodge Maun

Thamalakane River Lodge Reviews

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 12 out of 25 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 6 out of 25 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 25 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 25 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 25 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Douglas

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Maun us very hot, it ran 38C - 40C during our 4 days there. The cabins badly need air conditioning.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed two nights to sleep in & relax after two weeks on safari. Nice, private bungalos on the river. Perfect choice for kicking back. Be sure to arrange airport shuttle pickup before you arrive or it could be an hour or more wait. We would stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Maureen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This lodge is lovely and peaceful, and each room has a great view of the river. The meals were good and they have a lovely dining area that overlooks the river as well. The staff were very helpful, kind and professional. A delayed flight caused me to have to change my booking at the last minute and the response from the lodge was very understanding. I missed a night's stay and I really wish I'd been able to stay that extra night. It's a lovely location, a bit of a drive outside of Maun but on the route to Moremi, which was convenient for me.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Preston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Solid stay
Wonderful service. enjoyable stay. Rooms are rustic as you would expect.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

6/10 Okay

Maureen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful setting, but Activities limited in March
Thamalakane is in a great location on the river where the staff are very nice. Mainly 2 things let it down for us (we visited in March 2019), the Activities listed on the website and provided by the lodge on email are not available at this time of year. The water levels are so low that around 50% of activities simply cannot be undertaken, so NO boat trips into the delta or sundowners on the river. WE did manage a Moroko trip (small canoe - but even this was dragged out to supply the full hour -with around only 200 metres of travel form the lodge). The lodge should advise these activities are not available due to seasonality to avoid disappointment. Then secondly there are only fans in the rooms and in 36 degrees air conditioning is really a must. The lodge was very quiet when we visited which meant that buffet meals were not available and the A la Carte menu was very limited.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mauin sanctuary.
Great place. Out of the hussle and bustle of Maun.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ingrid B L

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Pauline

Liked: Cleanliness
Not have expectation on the staff
Had a really bad experience at first, as the staff was not at all helpful to advice us in booking activities due to the weather (rain), they were not solution oriented. They offered a super expensive activity. We were not happy and it almost turned into a drama, then finally they found solution we were happy with and apologize with a free bottle of wine. Food is not good at all. It's ok to stay there as the price is ok (for Okavango Delta) but look for a local agent for the activities.

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Maun location. Wonderful staff, great restaurant

6/10 Okay

Piet, Atlanta, GA, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Basic, but clean.
Hotels in Northern Botswana aren't really comparable to western hotels, especially U.S. Thatched roof masonry detached hut. Nice view of river. Restaurant and food were pretty typical. Make sure you use mosquito nets for both beds, they aren't just an exotic decoration. Not much sound privacy, easy to hear conversations in adjacent huts. General hotel amenities, pool, bar, etc. were nice. Pool kind of small. Thatch and masonry insulative to even out temperature variation (high 40's to 80's). Better than tent like hotels we stayed in.

10/10 Excellent

Tamas, Budapest

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect location around the Okavango Delta
Absolutely good value for money, overwhelmingly friendly owners, great services, great chalets, nice food and stunning atmosphere. Full heartedly recommending!!!

6/10 Okay

Linda, London

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Bar & Restaurant Closed Early
Although we appreciated the free transfer to the airport, it did not make up for the fact that the food and beverage team went home an hour early because it was quiet. We had said that we would be coming back but they clearly didn't care. The receptionist was very friendly but had not called our airport taxi, as requested, then tried to charge us three times as much to use the hotel shuttle. She did provide it for free in the end.

6/10 Okay

Udo

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Daniel

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gemütlicher Aufenthalt!
Sehr freundliche Bedingung und nettes Personal. Das Essen war ebenfalls sehr gut. Zu dieser Jahreszeit sollte ein Zimmer mit Klimaanlage gebucht werden.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Einfache, aber schöne Unterkunft direkt am Fluß. Babbler 2 mit tollem Ausblick. Gutes Essen. Leider keine AC und Kühlschrank.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Personnel super accueillant et sympathique. Nous pouvons le conseiller à tout le monde vraiment très bien situé au bord de la rivière.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lodge an toller Lage
Nachdem wir nun Wochen im Busch unterwegs waren war die Lodge unser erster Platz zurück in der normalen Welt. Die Lage ist ausserordentlich, alles ist sehr schön eingerichtet, wir hatten ein Häuschen mit eigenem Pool, der zwar etwas warm war, aber immerhin. Frühstück und Essen sind sehr gut, das Personal sehr hilfsbereit. Wir erhielten auch Zugang zu Strom für unseren Camper, alles wirklich sehr nett. Die angebotene Flussfahrt war sehr schön, bei schöner Abendstimmung. Da gehen wir sicher wieder hin.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2018

6/10 Okay

Werner

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Gut für 1-2 Tage
Schön gelegen, freundlich, aber überteuert. Sehr unterschiedliche Zimmerkategorien, geht bei Buchung nicht hervor

10/10 Excellent

Marco

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Geniale Lodge
Super Preis/Leistungsverhältnis. Sehr freundliches Personal und feines Essen. Sunset Bootstour startet direkt ab der Lodge mit eigenem Boot. Es war einfach alles perfekt, würde sofort wieder buchen.