Okavango Delta Safari Camps | Natural Habitat Adventures

Jacana Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Jacana Camp lies within a private reserve in the northwestern part of the Okavango Delta and is bordered on the east by the Moremi Game Reserve. Lying in the very heart of the delta, the reserve captures all the wonder of the Okavango. Narrow water channels cut through papyrus and reed beds in the permanent delta to the north and east of the reserve, providing the perfect environment for the elusive sitatunga, a water-adapted antelope, and the rare Pel's fishing owl. Jacana Camp is built on a thickly forested palm island, many of which dot the area and invite exploration. Vast, open floodplains also provide epic vistas and desirable wildlife habitat. Jacana is a water-oriented location that offers mokoro (dugout canoe), boat and walking safaris year-round. Day and night game drives are also available, depending on receding water levels in the delta. All the big game are found in the area, including elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo.

Jacana’s five Meru-style tents are built on wooden decks to capitalize on the view across the plains. Each tent has an en suite bathroom that is enclosed, plus an additional attached outside shower and clawfoot bathtub looking out across the floodplain. The camp has a plunge pool for cooling off in the midday sun, and the main dining area is on an elevated platform between two magnificent sycamore fig trees, surrounded by a dense grove of wild date palms. Guests may relax in the cozy bar and lounge or around the open fire pit area under the stars.

Chitabe Main Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Chitabe is an elegant 16-bed tented camp on an island in the Okavango Delta, set within an enormous private reserve bordered on three sides by the Moremi Game Reserve. The reserve offers a superb variety of habitats, which include waterways and marshlands, dry acacia and mopane woodland, riverine areas, open grasslands and seasonally flooded plains. A variety of wildlife is on view: elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, and all the plains game including zebra, impala and red lechwe. Wild dogs are also known to frequent the area.

The camp is situated on one of the most inviting islands in the delta, surrounded by ancient ebony, leadwood and sausage trees. Eight spacious Meru-style tents are built on elevated wooden decks beneath a lush canopy of indigenous trees. Each tented room features sophisticated furnishings and en suite facilities with flush toilets, shower, and basin with hot and cold running water. There is an outdoor shower for those who prefer to shower under the sky and stars. The dining area, lounge and pub are also on raised decks with views over the surrounding floodplains. Attractive raised walkways connect each tented room with the main lounge and living area. Activities here center on day and night game drives, guided walks and spectacular birdwatching.

Duba Expedition Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Duba Expedition Camp is one of the Okavango Delta's most remote camps, located in the furthest reaches of the delta in an exceptionally private 77,000-acre reserve. The area is the famous setting of many wildlife documentaries by National Geographic filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert. The camp is built on an island shaded by large ebony, fig and garcinia trees and surrounded by expansive plains that flood seasonally -- usually from about May to early October, depending on the annual rains in central Africa. Since Duba has access to large islands, floodplains and marshes, the camp offers a diversity of experiences. Duba's real treat is its exclusivity, and it is particularly suited for those who wish a remote and isolated wilderness experience. Duba Plains is small and intimate, accommodating just 12 guests in six large tented rooms, each with an en suite bathroom with separate shower and flush toilet as well as a veranda overlooking the floodplain. The intimate central lounge and dining area sit beneath marquis canvas atop a large raised deck with 360-degree views of the wilderness beyond. Before dinner, guests can enjoy a beverage and swap stories around the campfire under the stars.

The wildlife at Duba Plains is extensive and fascinating, as the vast, open grasslands are often isolated from the mainland by deep waterways. Red lechwe, greater kudu, buffalo, elephant, tsessebe and warthog dot the savannah, and hippo concentrate in the deeper channels. There are frequently productive hyena dens in the area that offer delightful hyena cub viewing. Leopard reside on the forested islands, and most of the Okavango Delta's birdlife is found in the area. Birding "specials" like wattled crane and Pel's fishing owl are also highights. Guests may choose between day and night game drives in open 4x4 vehicles and boating excursions, typically available April through September depending on water levels.

Kwetsani Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Kwetsani is located on the large, elongated Kwetsani Island in the Okavango Delta, surrounded by enormous open plains. It is a small and intimate 10-bed luxury camp built on raised wooden decks above lush ground vegetation. The five spacious and lavish "treehouse" chalets have thatched roofs and canvas-and-pole walls. The rooms have an open, airy feel with superb views of the surrounding plains. The dining room, lounge and pub area is shaded beneath cool thatch, a perfect place to relax and watch the sunset. The pool sits below the camp with a great view over the grassy waterways, where bathers often enjoy excellent displays of plains game.

The area around Kwetsani contains a wide range of habitats, from heavily wooded tracts and open floodplains on thick Kalahari soils to permanent waterways and lily-filled lagoons with resident hippo, sitatunga antelope and crocodile. Lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah, tsessebe and lechwe are among the major game attractions. Nocturnal animals such as porcupine, aardwolf, serval, large spotted genet and lesser bushbaby may be observed on nighttime game drives.

Kwetsani offers superb land and water activities, with much of the focus determined by water levels from the region's annual flood. There are also two platform hides in the concession from which to observe wildlife. Guests explore the varied landscapes on day and night game drives, walks, and mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions.

Little Vumbura

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Little Vumbura rests on an island in a private reserve bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta. Attractive palms shading the camp lend the environs a relaxed, tropical feel and often entice elephants onto the island. Just six spacious tents, each with en suite facilities, provide secluded accommodations for guests. The dining room and pub, under canvas, are built in and around the existing trees, to create a setting in harmony with the natural environment. Other highlights include a refreshing swimming pool and an outdoor dining area built on wooden decking over the floodplains, creating a truly memorable setting for dinners under the stars.

Little Vumbura offers both water- and land-based activities, given its proximity to scenic waterways and the Okavango's outermost open savannas. The water levels around the camp change each year depending on the volume of the annual floods and will determine what wildlife is in the region at any given time. The variety of wildlife around Little Vumbura is always stunning, however. Along with the many predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, Little Vumbura is home to other wetland and savanna species such as red lechwe, waterbuck, sable, kudu, wildebeest and tsessebe, as well as hippo and crocodile. Guests who enjoy birding will love the combination of acacia and dry woodland species. Little Vumbura offers mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions, walks, boating, and game drives. Night drives are possible nearly all year, but may be restricted for a few months if extremely high flood levels occur.

Tubu Tree Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Tubu Tree Camp is located in one of the largest areas of permanently dry land in the Okavango Delta. The camp is surrounded by a diverse mix of habitats, from lush grasses to mopane forests and dry Kalahari sandveld, ensuring excellent game viewing with a broad mix of species. Eight traditional canvas tents are built on raised wooden platforms to enhance the views over the scenic plains. In addition to an elegantly appointed bedroom, each tent has a private deck and en suite bathroom facilities with an outdoor shower open to the African sky. Guests enjoy meals in the main dining area or outdoor pub under the shade of a large marula tree. The pool and lounge area provide inviting spaces for relaxing, after explorations beyond the camp.

Activities at Tubu Tree vary throughout the year. During the winter months, when the floodwaters have poured down from Angola to their fullest extent, the floodplains fill and water activities are available. From roughly May to September, when the region is in flood, guests may enjoy boating, fishing and mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions. Day and night game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, and guided game walks, are also available year-round. An additional highlight is a visit to one or both of the wildlife-viewing hides in the concession.

Jao Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Jao Camp is located on a large remote island in a private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The varied habitats surrounding the camp range from waterways and lagoons to dry Kalahari grasslands and open floodplains. This premier-level camp has won awards for its unusual design that incorporates local construction materials. Nine spacious tents on raised platforms overlook the plains and are shaded by large trees. Each tent has an indoor and outdoor shower, plush sitting area and a private outdoor sala, or veranda, for relaxing during the heat of the day. Jao Camp has two plunge pools, a gym and spa with massage services, and a sheltered outdoor boma for dining under the stars.

Huge herds of red lechwe live near the camp, followed by their primary predator – prides of lion. Other local wildlife includes elephant, buffalo, leopard, tsessebe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo and crocodile. Many intriguing bird species are resident, too, such as Meyer's parrot, African Harrier hawk, black egret, coppery-tailed coucal, malachite kingfisher, hamerkop and black crake. Jao Camp offers both land and water safari experiences, depending on flood levels. Other options include fishing, visits to a game-viewing hide, and guided bush walks.

Vumbura Plains Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Vumbura Plains is a luxury tented camp in a private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the extreme north of the Okavango Delta, overlooking a vast floodplain. The camp, protected beneath a canopy of cool, shady trees, actually consists of two separate areas linked by raised boardwalks. Each individual camp has seven rooms, with its own dining, lounge and bar area, for the ultimate in secluded intimacy. All rooms are raised above the ground on wooden platforms, with walkways connecting them to the main living areas. Each luxurious room has a large, comfortable bedroom, a lounge, a sala (verdanda), private plunge pool, and en-suite facilities with shower, flush toilet and an outdoor shower under the stars. The main dining, lounge and pub area is also on raised decking and tucked beneath a shady canopy of indigenous trees, with a wonderful vista across the floodplains.

The Vumbura Reserve offers both land and water activities in an enormous region of varied habitats and a great diversity of wildlife. Vumbura is likely the only area in the Okavango where it is possible to see red lechwe (an antelope that inhabits the fringes of the waterways) and sable antelope (an antelope that enjoys the dry countryside) on the same game drive. Sighting are also frequent of lion, leopard, elephant, cheetah and buffalo, along with all the plains animals, providing an outstanding all-around wildlife experience in a remote sector of the delta. Guests who enjoy birding will love the combination of all the Okavango water "specials" with acacia and dry woodland species. Vumbura offers mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions, walks, boating, and day and night game drives.

Mombo Camp

Location
Okavango Delta, Botswana

Mombo Camp is located in the private Mombo Concession, on the northern tip of Chief’s Island within the Moremi Game Reserve. The area boasts enormous concentrations of plains game and predators and offers some of the very best wildlife viewing in Botswana. On a daily basis, large concentrations of game frequent the front of the camp, offering exciting views without even leaving your personal veranda. In fact, it’s not unusual to find animals wandering directly through camp at nearly any time of day, and the surrounding floodplains teem with game year-round.

Built beneath large, shady trees, Mombo’s nine oversized en suite tents are raised on wooden walkways above the ground, providing excellent views of the plains. Each tent has a long veranda, spacious bedroom and sitting area, and en suite bathroom complete with indoor and outdoor showers. The camp's main living and dining areas are under thatch, while the outdoor boma adds traditional atmosphere for dinner served under the stars. The camp has two plunge pools for soaking and a gym to work off the excellent meals.

Activities at Mombo include morning and afternoon wildlife drives in open 4x4 vehicles to explore the savanna and floodplains. Common sightings include lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, spotted hyena, southern giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra and large buffalo herds. Black and white rhino have been successfully reintroduced to the region; however it still remains a rare treat to catch a glimpse of these shy creatures.