Leroo La Tau

wildlife along the ephemeral Boteti River

Leroo La Tau is a decent quality lodge, set in an excellent position high above the Boteti River on the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi National Park in central Botswana.

The main building is a substantial structure of block-work under thatch, in a sweeping curve with its open inner face looking east towards the river. At one end there is the main dining area. Beyond that is a small lounge and library on a first floor mezzanine, with the main lounge and bar areas at the far end.

Out front manicured gardens include a decent swimming pool and a campfire area, both with sweeping views over the river. A short flight of steps leads to an excellent riverside hide, from which it is often possible to view elephants and zebras, especially during the late dry season months of Jul-Nov.

One aspect which we always appreciate is the amount of wildlife which comes into camp. Here the most common sightings are the cheeky vervet monkeys and various smaller antelopes. Across the river you may well see zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes and hippos.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Leroo La Tau is in 12 substantial rooms which are nicely spaced along the ridge above the river and accessed along a network of brickwork pathways. Each room has a large and small bed, both shrouded by large mosquito nets. Beyond that is a large bathroom with conventionally plumbed basins, shower and toilet. The rooms are fronted by large glass doors which slide open to provide access to a lovely private verandah with views across the water.

Activities

Leroo La Tau provides the following guided activities …

• Vehicle safari
• Motorboat safari
• Village visits
• Bushman walks

When it comes to trip durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, often in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

Longer trips may include a camp in one of the desert areas, such as here in Makgadikgadi, in order to provide variation and contrast.

Most guests choose to stay at one lodge in Makgadikgadi, usually for 3-4 nights.

Seasonality

The area has converse seasons to the main safari areas of the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront.

During the May-Nov dry season, safari is focused on the desert experiences including quad-biking onto the pans, Bushman and palaeontological walks, visits to a habituated meerkat colony and game-viewing focused on a widely dispersed population of real desert specialists.

During the May-Jun transition season, temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night.

During the Oct-Nov late dry season and early green season, temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains.

The Dec-Apr green season means the desert experiences take something of a back seat, in favour of more intense wildlife viewing, as summer rain showers cause very impressive clustering of migratory wildlife in the area.

It is the Dec-Feb green season period which threatens the greatest chance of more prolonged cloud and rain.

Getting there

Leroo La Tau is usually accessed by light aircraft into the nearby Motopi Airstrip, which has daily flights to and from the main airport at Maun, for connections to camps throughout the Okavango Delta and Linyanti Waterfront areas, as well as long haul flights to Johannesburg.

The airstrip is alongside the main sealed road about 6 km west and the drive along the dusty track into camp takes around 20 minutes.

It is also possible to access the camp by private road transfer from Maun, a journey of around 2 hours, a journey of around 120 km, largely along good sealed roads. Although this is not aesthetically as good as flying in, it can work out a good deal lower cost.

usually visited in combination with the Okavango Delta area