Desert & Delta Safaris: Chobe Game Lodge through the years

Chobe Game Lodge Through The Years

On the event of our 25 Anniversary since reopening, we decided it might be quite an enlightening and fun exercise to take a look back through the years. How the lodge looked in the good old Eighties and how it has changed and grown, keeping up with new trends and guest expectations into the first decade of the millennium. Every month we will be doing a feature on an aspect of the lodge ranging from the lodge façade and entrance through to the rooms, public areas and swimming pool as well as all the extra touches that have been added since 1983

This month’s focus is on one of the Jewels of the lodge, our sparkling new Rock Pool and stunning surrounding Landscaping that came into being in April this year. This replaced the really old fashioned and weather worn pool that had served our guests so well in the past. We managed to obtain a few historical photographs depicting what the pool looked like originally and then more as we progressed through the ages. The original lodge was in a very sad state and the pool took a lot of tender loving care and hard work to once again make it usable. However as anybody who knows Chobe Game Lodge and our Managing Director Mr. Jonathan Gibson this would be a task that would not defeat him.

The pictures above depict what the pool and environment looked like after the Bush War prior to refurbishment.

The above state of affairs did not last long and soon there was a bright, sparkling refurbished pool which served both local and international guests well for many years. Of course the furnishings and landscape were updated on a regular basis, however glancing through pictures from previous years it is still outstanding to see plastic chairs and loungers which at that stage were really considered quite modern.

The decision was eventually made that as much as everybody was attached to this grand old lady the time for a new an updated model had arrived. Much planning and attention to detail went into this and the process from start to finish took approximately two years. Initially sourcing the correct contractor, the land surveying that had to be done as well as the logistics of importing the relevant building material and last but not least obtaining work permits for the contractor and staff-No easy task at the best of times. Eventually everything was in place and the building began, the process lasted approximately 6 weeks and cost P675000. Despite all the obstacles such as the long hours and extreme conditions, all the efforts eventually bore fruit and the phenomenal project had come to an end. The new rock pool is a spectacle to behold, not only is it a stunning and gorgeous sight but the landscaping that has been done is aesthetically pleasing and pleasantly charming. The furnishings that have been purchased definitely complement this new feature and the environment.