DECEPTION VALLEY LODGE

Deception Valley Lodge is located on the northern-eastern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve on one of the largest privately owned game reserves in Botswana and exists of a staggering 43.000 hectare pristine Kalahari bushveld.

One of the highlights of Deception Valley Lodge is the rare opportunity to meet and explore this remarkable environment with Bushman Guides of the Naru-speaking San tribe. The San people were the first people of Africa, they are direct descendants of the first people ever lived on earth.

Experience safaris and walks accompanied by the Bushman

Morning and afternoon game drives take place in open 4X4 game vehicles and are led by professional guides as well as Bushman trackers. You have the chance to see a variety of different species, amongst them e.g. the magnificent black maned Kalahari lion, cheetah, leopard and wild dog as well as giraffe, elephant, blue wildebeest, gemsbok,springbok, ostrich, zebra and kudu. Quite often we also have sightings of the elusive brown hyena, pangolin, aardvark and aardwolf. Night safaris reveal nocturnal species such as porcupine, honey badger, spotted genet and springhare. Exploring the bush on foot, while your Bushman guide will teach you about their hunting and survival skills. You will also learn all about the culture and crafts of the San people, who over the centuries have adapted their lives to survive in the most inhospitable environment of them all.

Location

The remote and isolated location of this owner runned Lodge offers total privacy on 43.000 hectare in the vastness of the beautifully rugged Kalahari, even though Maun is only 30 minutes away by air from Deception Valley Lodge own private air strip. The hands-on owners ensure guests have a comfortable, relaxed stay in an area with abundant wildlife, ancient Bushman culture, stunning stargazing and rewarding safaris.

Accommodation

Deception Valley Lodge offers excellent service at the facilities that ensure a comfortable and relaxing stay. With a superb location overlooking the waterhole, each of the 8 very spacious suites has a bedroom, separate lounge area, en-suite bathroom and outdoor shower. The lodge has a swimming pool, multiple indoor and outdoor areas in which to relax or enjoy your meal.

Explore our website and take a glimpse of the beauty Deception Valley Lodge has to offer. Feel free to contact us for any questions!

What do they say about us?

The five nights/six days I spent at DVL was the best part of my 2.5 week visit to Botswana. The staff members were great, and a special thanks goes to Knowledge, the guide there, for making the game drives memorable and enjoyable. In such a vast wilderness with only one truck out in the bush, I was worried we wouldn’t see much, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. With some help from the ladies at the lodge, Knowledge found the lion pride on two separate days and allowed us to spend a good amount of time with the lionesses, cubs and males on both days..

Kristin H
6/28/2019

this lodge is so confortable, the staff was perfect with us : always smiling and taking care of us. the food is good, the wine too thanks to Peter ! We didn t get to see much wildlife so I had the feeling that sometimes, when we got lucky enough to see an animal, we were very insistent on pursuing it ! great expérience in the Kalahari though, easy access from Maun by road with a 4x4.

JillLaureen
6/16/2019

We loved every minute of our stay at DVL.
The lodge and chalets are luxurious, beautifully presented, comfortable and private.
The relaxing and genial atmosphere created by Peter and Jani was a real pleasure to experience.
The food by Jani was a real African treat which included bush meat (from sustainable sources).
Our guide Knowledge certainly lived up to his name, widespread, indepth information about flora and fauna. His passion for birds was obvious. He was also great company both on game drives and at dinner.
We would highly recommend Dececption Valley Lodge to anyone.

Joe M
4/29/2019

I enjoyed every second of my time at Deception Valley Lodge - there was never a dull moment.
The sights,sounds,and wonderful atmosphere will be with me forever.
Many thanks to Pete, Janie, Bart, Bram and all the dedicated staff for making it such an enjoyable and memorable visit,
I can't wait to come again to see the all the new improvements that are in progress to make the lodge even more luxurious.
I highly recommend this experience to everyone who enjoys wildlife, great food and being totally spoiled.

Peter H
3/19/2019

We fully reccommend this accomodation in central Kalahari. Cuisine is really tasty, served kudu steaks, oryx meat ane really tasty desserts. Rooms are stylish and staff very helpfull. Thanks for everything.

svejnoha
3/08/2019

This lodge is definitely the best one we have visited whilst in Botswana, because of a combination of things. The guide Knowledge was amazing, he knew everything and was friendly and caring, super enthusiastic about the Kalahari. The owners were hard working friendly people taking...More

MichielvanD
10/21/2018

Authentieke Safari. Zeer fijne Lodge en heel vriendelijke mensen. Ook een aanrader voor vegetariërs. Het eten is boven verwachting. Ik heb de Kalahari is haar originele vorm mogen ervaren. Deze Lodge is een pareltje.

Maestro001
10/05/2018

Many thanks to Janie, Peter and staff at Deception Valley Lodge for a wonderful safari experience. The kitchen, pool and sleeping lodges luxuriously take care of the personal creature comforts and DVL offers enhanced wildlife viewing. Being a private game reserve, viewing does not have...More

petecho
9/25/2018

Do yourself a favor and visit Deception Valley Lodge! This was the first of four stops on our African adventure, and every other place we went we kept saying, "Man, I miss DVL! I wish we were back there!" Every thing about DVL was a...More

magickateball
9/12/2018

This is the place I’d return if I could go to only one wildlife reserve in southern Africa. New managers Peter and Janie create a welcoming atmosphere and host delicious shared meals, all of which leads to congenial conversation with other guests. The lodge is...More

Nancy D
9/06/2018