Wildlife filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert offer a divine mix of simplicity and decadence at Duba Plains. The area is famed for the lion and buffalo interactions featured in “Relentless Enemies” but offers so much more. Each game drive is an adventure, crossing deep water in swamp-cruising vehicles behind lions that don’t mind getting wet or hunting during the day. Not your average camp or wildlife experience by a long shot!
The only hotel inside Chobe National Park, Chobe Game Lodge has seen more than its fair share of famous faces – most infamously hosting Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton for their second wedding. Go on safari without leaving the lodge – the elevated boardwalk overlooks buffalo and elephant-filled floodplains with hidden corners for lazy siestas or dinner by candlelight. Explore the park with the Chobe Angels, Botswana’s only all-female guiding team.
At Mombo, the wildlife experience comes first and this is Botswana’s best concession for it. This is not about luxury (though you’ll find that here too!) but huge concentrations of plains game and their predators. The camp’s reputation precedes it. You’ll find all types around the dinner table, from those who saved for ten years to get there, to repeat guests visiting annually – united in the search for the ultimate safari.
Situated in a pristine wilderness area, Selinda Camp on the banks where the Selinda Spillway merges with the Linyanti River. Covering a private 130,000-hectare reserve, Selinda is known for its rich wildlife, with notable highlights including large elephant herds, regular sightings of the Selinda pack of African wild dogs, and the renowned Selinda lion pride, which gained recognition in the National Geographic film "Birth of a Pride" by Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
It’s easy to think of deserts and salt pans as being ‘barren’ and ‘empty’. Well, the guides at Jack’s couldn’t prove you more wrong. This environment has all sorts of secrets – from making fire with Bushmen to walking with meerkats - just waiting to be discovered. And wait until you see the stars...
Camping on a private mobile safari with Botswana’s most experienced guides will get you the most from the Central Kalahari. It may cost a bit more, but it’s worth it. Our favourites include Brent and Grant Reed - well-known birding and reptile specialists; a charismatic character; Johnny Ramsden and Thuto Moutloatse who know the Kalahari like the backs of their hands. If you’ve got cash to spare then Roger Dugmore’s your man, a real safari character with spades of knowledge providing an old-school bush adventure.
This colonial hotel is very aptly referred to as the Grand Old Dame of Victoria Falls. Take a step back in time and enjoy the old-world charm of cool white buildings, high polished floors, quiet hallways and rolling lawns. Take high tea on the terrace for clear views across to the Victoria Falls Bridge and the spray of the falls beyond.
If you like small, intimate camps then Little Makalolo is the way to go. There are only six tents – if you’re a large group or family travelling together, you might even want to book the whole place for yourselves! Your eco footprint is lightened by extensive solar power for lighting and heating, and definitely plan at least one night in the raised star-bed.
The owner run Vundu is exactly as a classic bush camp should be – spacious cool tented chalets under thatch that are simply comfortable. The camp is well known for excellent guiding and a prime location within Mana Pools National Park. When you’re not walking, birdwatching or canoeing down the Zambezi, hop in the game-drive vehicle and go in search of Mana Pools’ famous elephants that stand on their hind legs to get the freshest pods and leaves.
The first photographic safari camp in Zambia, Nsefu has a charm and warmth that speaks of its history, not to mention the prime location in the Nsefu sector of the South Luangwa. Accommodation is in the original 1950’s traditional thatched rondavel chalets, upgraded with modern conveniences (including and air cooling system over the bed). The main area is delightful in its simplicity, offering a social atmosphere with good old fashioned communal dining and an informal lounge and bar.
Named after a famous lion that used to dominate the area, Old Mondoro is a no-frills, back-to-basics camp. Some tents overlook the Zambezi River while others have views of one of its verdant channels that is a sanctuary for frogs and birds. Meals are taken around the fire on the river’s edge, which only heightens the brilliant sense of true adventure you get here..
Londolozi may be synonymous with over-the-top luxury but Varty Camp keeps things simpler and more in the style of when it was first created, in the 1930s. This doesn’t mean that modern conveniences are eschewed (to the contrary) but that the sense of history and legacy have been preserved. Oh, and the wildlife is probably even better than it was in the Thirties!
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