The Kwando River forms the eastern boundary of the reserve with 50 kilometers of exclusive permanent river frontage, full of crocs and hippos.
Just to confuse you, the Kwando River acquires several other names as it flows through Botswana. It becomes the Linyanti River and then the Chobe River - names that will become familiar to anyone planning a Botswana safari. They are all the same river, just at different places along is course.
Getting There
Lebala is most easily accessed by light aircraft from whichever lodge you have been staying at previously or from Kasane Airport - the gateway to Chobe, or Maun Airport - the gateway into the Okavango. You can also fly in from Livingstone (Zambia) or Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). The aircraft can pick you up and drop you off at the next lodge too, unless it is within easy driving distance, as with Lebala's sister lodge, Lagoon Camp.
Small 6-seater aeroplanes are the best way of getting from one lodge to the other in the Okavango Delta as many lodges are hemmed in by water. These aircraft zip in and out with no more bother than stopping at a railway station and you get an in-flight safari at the same time.
The guests arrive near a massive sausage tree and amble over a winding seasonal waterway, using an elevated walkway into the peaceful lounge and bar area under thatch. The path continues through the thatched dinning area, onto the pathways leading to their personal hideaway and tent. The camp has been built and designed with two main purposes in mind: (1) privacy of the guest experience (2) ease of management so that the staff can concentrate on their guests.
