Wilderness Linyanti Tented Camp

Savuti Camp is situated in the private Linyanti Concession along the Savute Channel. This famous watercourse stopped flowing between 1980 and 2008, when a shift in the land once more brought deep, clear waters to this parched patch of the Botswanan bush.

There are just seven large tents at this intimate camp, including a family unit that is raised off the ground. Outside the thatched dining area, a small pool and large viewing area with fire pit extend outwards on raised wooden decks, providing a wonderful view over the channel and its prolific wildlife.

The area is renowned for its very large elephant population which can reach especially high densities during the dry winter months. Alongside abundant plains game, species such as roan and sable antelope, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyaena, black-backed jackal and wild dog may also be encountered. This area can also be excellent for the rarely-seen aardvark and aardwolf, and birding is spectacular.

Guests can explore the area on morning and afternoon game drives in open Land Rovers, as well as on night drives to spot rare nocturnal. Nature walks accompanied by a qualified guide can be arranged, as can night out on the elevated hide with a star bed – a truly unforgettable experience. Depending on water levels, boat trips and catch and release fishing are also available.

The Selinda Adventure Trail is a four day adventure along a 40km (20 mile) stretch of the Selinda Spillway in the private 320,000-acre Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana – the waterway linking Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Linyanti and Kwando water systems.

This is the ideal setting for Botswana’s leading canoeing and walking safari, hosting just eight guests on each departure. The Trail harks back to the spirit of safaris of old, when days were spent on impromptu exploration and each night was spent camping along the banks of a river.

The safari consists of relatively easy paddling, pure walking safari, or a mixture of the two, all governed by the availability of water in the Selinda Spillway, with three nights in impromptu fly camps along the way.

Your stops are not pre-arranged. You begin each day at the break of dawn. Whilst paddling, you encounter wildlife along the Spillway’s banks, and disembark your canoes to enjoy walks, looking for tracks and signs. After brunch and a siesta at midday you continue onward through the afternoon and arrive at your campsite before dark.

This area is well known for elephant, buffalo, sable, roan, wild dog and it is possible to encounter predators and a variety of other species en route. The Spillway is also a birding paradise but has relatively few hippos or crocodiles, making for a relaxing journey.

Perched above the Zibadianja Lagoon, Zarafa Dhow Suites is an understatedly opulent retreat, exclusive for your family or group of friends. Oozing old-world elegance, this award-winning private tented villa echoes the 1920’s style of Zarafa’s main camp – but on a more personal scale.

A lavish lounge and dining room, filled with deep leather sofas and beautiful campaign furniture, sits at the centre of the property and is bookended by two sumptuous suites. Inspired by the unique flavour of Eastern Africa, the rooms are dressed with ancient Zanzibari doors, fireplaces and grand cropper baths overlooking the lagoon and untouched wilderness.

Drink in these elevated bushland views, spotting the resident wild dogs, big cats and elephants, with your suite’s professional Canon camera and Swarovski binoculars. Then, get up close to the incredible wildlife on game drives and bush walks with your expert guide, bush picnics, afternoon tea and canapés. Dining here is first-class, at Relais & Chateaux standard, and most magical when enjoyed under the vast expanse of African stars.

Set away in a pristine location on the Selinda Spillway’s banks, this camp offers a chance for a different type of safari experience. Getting out of the vehicle, and onto ground and water with guided walks and canoeing, connects you with Africa, the motherland. This is by no means at the expense of wildlife, which remains prolific and regularly spotted. Couple Selinda Explorers with more traditional safari camps, and it’s a stellar combination for all types of travellers.

The camp is in the Selinda Reserve whose position in the Selinda Spillway, which flows from east to west through the concession and linking the far reaches of the Okavango Delta in the south with the Linyanti systems in the east, means that you have access to both places and their wildlife with the exclusivity of the reserve to boot.

It’s easy to miss the inconspicuous Selinda Explorers Camp. This is not an ostentatious place, but rather somewhere to get back to the nitty-gritty and focus on small details. The camp’s atmosphere of authenticity coupled with a bohemian flair makes it a relaxed place to unwind and stay a while. The canvas main area is simple, but shaded and cool, providing a place to rendezvous, contemplate and have a jolly good laugh. Dinner is served under the stars or in the dining area but always wholesome, tasty and cooked over open fire. It is this same fire that then becomes our nightcap spot – an aperitif, Amarula on ice or a nice herbal tea.

Selinda Explorers is an authentic tented camp drawing on traditions of the classic East African safari with beautifully detailed campaign style furniture made from recycled hard woods, and soft furnishings from Zanzibar and the East. Consisting of only four luxury guest tents, each with their own adjoining en-suite, private open air ‘bustani bathroom’ with explorer themed hot water bucket showers and flush porcelain toilets. Each tent overlooks the Selinda Spillway with a private verandah.

There will be limited power available. The tents will have individual solar panels to power lights. Charging of batteries can be done in the main area and through an inverter system. Power is supplied to the main area through the main solar power supply.