Botswana
These game reserves also offer some of the most luxurious safari lodges to be found anywhere in Africa and the number of visitors is strictly limited by law.
It is for all these reasons that some people consider Botswana to be the ultimate safari destination.
You will find below a list of our preferred lodges in Botswana.
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Abu Camp, set in a pristine pocket of riverine forest, is situated in a vast private reserve of 180 000 hectares (400 000 acres) in the heart of the Okavango Delta.
Named after a very special bull elephant, Abu was the original base camp Africa's first elephant back safaris were pioneered in the Delta 17 years ago. Today the camp is located in a grove of magnificent hardwood trees on the edge of a large lagoon with a resident school of hippo.
An imaginative use of canvas and pole has created a unique style of tent which has been called Afro-Bedouin, high, wide and airy and blending in well with the natural surroundings. Each of the six en-suite accommodation units has its own distinctive furnishings and fittings, many of them antique, imparting an air of opulence amid the bush setting. Each tent has its own private elevated teak deck sculpted around one of the lofty sycomore figs or jackalberry trees.
Well-lit pathways link the tents with the main lounge and dining area, again high vaulted tenting opening out onto a tiered teak decking surrounding a giant termite mound, one of the characteristic sights of the Okavango Delta. The lounge is replete with comfortable antique furnishings and boasts an absorbing library of field guides and illustrated volumes on wildlife. A well-stocked bar provides drinks and cocktails for post-safari sundowners around a camp fire while most of the meals are taken al fresco on the deck. Nearby a secluded plunge pool enables guests to cool off and relax.
With its shady trees and views overlooking the tranquil lagoon, Abu Camp is a haven of peace and seclusion.
Abu is unique in that it allows guests to interact with the resident elephant herd, meeting each individual and beginning to understand the complex behaviour of the largest land mammal on Earth. Guests are invited to become part of the elephant herd during their stay and may watch them being fed in the evenings, enjoy the frolics of the babies and accompanying them on foot as they move through the bush. These elephant encounters provide magical moments and being with them allows a closer approach to other animals than is able to be achieved when simply walking as an obvious human figure.
Abu also offers morning and afternoon game drives, night drives and nature walks to view the abundance of fauna and flora in the area. During the seasonal floods, guests are invited to take to the waters in the mokoros, the traditional poled craft used in the Delta.
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Declared a National Park in 1967, Chobe was the first National Park in Botswana. It is home to one of the largest concentrations of elephant on the African continent.
Surrounded by wildlife management areas and reserves that allow game to roam freely, the 11 700 km² (4 500 square mile) reserve is located in the far north of Botswana, bordering on the Chobe River. Home to the entire Big Five, Chobe is particularly well known for its large herds of elephant and buffalo, as well as the two antelope that cannot be encountered anywhere else in Botswana, the puku and the Chobe bushbuck.
Chobe offers both dry savanna and permanent swamp, in addition to the vast floodplains along the river. Dense teak woodland provides thick cover in the northeast parts of the reserve.The burgeoning elephant population has been responsible for removing the riverine forest that formerly fringed the Chobe, opening up this habitat for other herbivores and the carnivores that prey on them. Watching the elephant families drink and bathe in the river is an unforgettable sight, all the more impressive when herds of buffalo, rafts of hippo and gigantic Nile crocodiles are part of the scene. Lion and spotted hyena are frequently seen on the floodplains, where red lechwe, puku, zebra, sable and roan come out to graze.
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One of the Okavango Delta's most remote camps, Duba Plains is a small, intimate camp on a tree-filled island in a private 30 000-hectare concession known as the Kwedi Reserve.
Accommodation is made up of six roomy tents with an en-suite bathroom, an outside shower, and a veranda overlooking the floodplain. The thatch-roofed lounge, dining room and bar areas are raised on platforms along with a swimming pool, all providing a beautiful view.
Apart from good numbers of lion and buffalo, herds of elephant feed on the islands and hippo concentrate in deeper channels. Tsessebe and blue wildebeest dot the plains, while red lechwe are found on the wetter floodplain fringe.
Duba Plains is known for the titanic clashes between buffalo and lion, and so a classic game drive is one that tracks down the truly enormous buffalo herd to see if any lions are also headed in that direction. Aside from this interaction the age-old conflict between lion and spotted hyaena is also a point of interest. Birdlife is abundant and impressive, with many Okavango Delta specials such as Rosy-throated Longclaw, Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane being found in the area.
A variety of activities include day and night game drives, often tracking the buffaloherd or various lion prides around the concession and leisurely nature walks. Mokoro trips are also possible in times of good floods - usually only between May and September.
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In the central region of the concession, vast open floodplains provide some of the most stunning scenery Botswana has to offer. Jao Camp lies in the southern side of the plains, an area with beautiful islands fringed with riverine forests.
Jao Camp has nine spacious, beautiful tents, each individually handcrafted. Built on raised decks, each has a private sala for afternoon siestas and offers wonderful views of the spectacular surrounding floodplains of Botswana. In addition to the lounge and dining area, there are two plunge pools and an outdoor boma for dining under the stars, complemented by wines from an excellent wine cellar. Jao Camp also has a salon where a wide range of massage therapies are offered.
Mokoros, boat trips, fishing, nature walks, day and night game drives and birding are usually on offer all year round due to the abundance of wildlife in Botswana. During an unusually high flood season, game drives begin by boating out to a nearby Hunda Island where the vehicles are waiting, and the drive begins from there. Huge herds of red lechwe can be seen, followed by their primary predator - prides of lion. Other game typical of Botswana include elephant, buffalo, leopard, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest, hippo and crocodile. Many bird species are resident such as Meyer's Parrot, African Harrier Hawk, Black egret, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Hamerkop and Black Crake being some of the avian treasures found at Jao Camp.
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Adjacent to the world renowned Kruger National Park, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve is famed for its intimate wildlife encounters, particularly leopard viewing. Home to a host of wildlife, including the Big Five, Sabi Sand is part of a conservation area that covers over two million hectares (almost five million acres), an area equivalent to the state of New Jersey and larger than some independent countries.
With no boundary fences between the reserve and the Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand benefits from the great diversity of wildlife found in one of the richest wilderness areas on the African continent along with the additional benefits experienced on a private game reserve. Daily and nightly game drives led by highly trained rangers and trackers allow for intimate game experiences from the comfort of your open safari vehicle.
Game drives traverse an area of 6 300 hectares (15 700 acres) and strict vehicle limits at sightings ensure the exclusivity of your game viewing experience. Off-road driving ensures that you have the best possible view of any exceptional sighting and rangers are constantly in touch with each other to keep track of animal movements.
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Mombo Camp, on the northern tip of Chief's Island within the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta, is built under large shady trees and overlooks an open floodplain. This area boasts enormous concentrations of plains game and large predators - lions in particular - providing what is arguably the best big game viewing in Botswana.
Accommodation comprises nine spacious tents raised up to two meters off the ground, with breathtaking views over the plains; the sala, long veranda and lounge area all take advantage of such vistas.
Large concentrations of plains game occur in front of the camp and guests may view a variety of animals without even leaving the veranda. One often finds animals wandering past, right under the rooms!
Activities at Mombo Camp mainly comprise morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles. These drives explore the savannah and floodplains and are exciting with prolific sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, spotted hyaena, southern giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and large buffalo herds. Black and white rhino have been reintroduced with outstanding success to the area (albeit most are further away from camp), thanks to the Botswana Rhino Reintroduction Programme.
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Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp is set in a private concession of 8 000 hectares (19 800 acres) to the southeast of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve in the centre of one of the most unique regions in the world, the Okavango Delta. Renowned for its lush waterways and abundant wildlife, the Okavango is home to a number of aquatic and land species.
Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango River is a unique natural phenomenon - flowing more than 1 000 km (620 miles) from its source in Angola, this river disappears beneath the sands of Botswana, creating a lush inland delta in the midst of this otherwise arid country. The Okavango Delta is in a constant state of flux, expanding and contracting according to the rainy season. While some parts of the Delta remain permanently flooded, others only experience high water levels from May to September, when rainwaters from Angola reach the outer stretches of the Okavango.
Covering approximately one third of the Delta, permanent swamp areas are lush and green, with groves of wild date palm, papyrus and water lilies growing around deep lagoons lined with riverine forest. Seasonal swamps, on the other hand, contain a network of small channels cutting their way through papyrus and reed beds to create islands of all shapes and sizes. Nxabega is located in riverine forest on the channels and lagoons of the southern, seasonal part of the Delta.
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Savute, a remote and wild corner of the Chobe National Park, is situated south of the Chobe River. This is an area of open savanna grassland through which a seasonal river used to spill out into a marsh. It last flowed in the 1980s. Today, the channel and marsh are usually dry except after heavy rains, but several artificial waterholes offer breathtaking wildlife viewing. The landscape of Savute, with its almost desert-like feeling, is strikingly different from the lush Chobe riverfront. Sizable numbers of elephant bulls are invariably present at Savute and close encounters with these great pachyderms are commonplace. In the wet season, large herds of zebra and tsessebe feed on the Savute plains.
During the rainy season, Savute is home to the annual zebra migration, which peaks in January and February when the zebra and wildebeest congregate in vast numbers to graze on the sweeter grasses brought on by the rains. It is not uncommon to also catch sight of leopard, cheetah and African wild dog.
Savute also supports the greatest concentration of the king of all beasts - the lion. Savute is also a famous battleground for lion and spotted hyena whose ongoing fight for dominance has been captured in the brilliant National Geographic documentary film Eternal Enemies filmed by Deryck and Beverly Joubert.
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Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp is set in a private wilderness concession of 25 000 hectares (61 800 acres) to the southeast of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve in the centre of one of the most unique regions in the world, the Okavango Delta. Renowned for its lush waterways and abundant wildlife, the Okavango is home to a number of aquatic and land species.
Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango River is a unique natural phenomenon - flowing more than 1 000 km (620 miles) from its source in Angola, this river disappears beneath the sands of Botswana, creating a lush inland delta in the midst of this otherwise arid country. The Okavango Delta is in a constant state of flux, expanding and contracting according to the rainy season. While some parts of the Delta remain permanently flooded, others only experience high water levels from May to September, when rainwaters from Angola reach the outer stretches of the Okavango.
Covering approximately one third of the Delta, permanent swamp areas are lush and green, with groves of wild date palm, papyrus and water lilies growing around deep lagoons lined with riverine forest. Seasonal swamps, on the other hand, contain a network of small channels cutting their way through papyrus and reed beds to create islands of all shapes and sizes. Xaranna is located on the channels and lagoons of the southern, seasonal part of the Delta.
