Picture perfect landscapes, fantastic game viewing and quintessential water safari activities all come together in this excellent itinerary. Staying in intimate, authentic and charming camps and enjoying a host of activities, this itinerary offers a beautifully balanced safari experience. Over 8 nights you explore three different areas, the exclusive Selinda Private Reserve, the famous Duba private concession and the deep waters of the Okavango. The incredible game viewing of the Selinda and Duba reserves has featured in a number of Nat Geo documentaries and these camps were created by their filmmakers. The safari ends at on an idyllic little island deep in the Delta, a chance to slow the safari down and enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the Okavango.
This 8 night itinerary begins with 3 nights at Selinda Explorers Camp on the private Selinda Reserve followed by 3 nights at Duba Explorers Camp, on a private concession in the Okavango Delta, ending with 2 nights at a classic water camp in the heart of the Okavango. Importantly, Setari offers water activities year round due to the deep water channels surrounding it. The perfect peaceful end to an exciting Botswana safari. All three camps have a great sense of place, a down to earth warm and welcoming atmosphere and plenty of character.
Selinda and Duba are beautiful and game rich areas – famously captured in a series of stunning and award winning Nat Geo documentaries by the founders- Beverly and Derek Joubert. The explorer camps here perfectly capture the sense of adventure which is innate to safari and they are styled to blend in perfectly to their surroundings. Being based on private reserves allows greater flexibility on activities. As well as game drives and boating, walking safaris are possible and off-roading is also permitted, which allows for more effective tracking and close up sightings. Night drives are also permitted.
The Selinda reserve is vast, beautiful and rich in wildlife. And yet one of the least visited areas, a hidden gem known mostly to keen safari goers and those attracted by some of the most famous luxury camps. This is 320k acre reserve is shared by just 3 camps, making it an incredibly exclusive safari experience. The north-eastern corners of the reserve are some of the most beautiful in Botswana, lovely grass plains are dotted with palm tree islands and fringed with tall forests. The reserve is named after the Selinda Spillway, an ephemeral channel which occasionally connects the Linyanti and Okavango delta areas in times of high flood. The game viewing is especially exciting in the dry season, when plains game are plentiful and predator sightings frequent. Lion, leopard and hyena are commonly seen here. Activities include day and night drives, guided walks are also very much part of the experience here.
Moving to the north west Okavango, to the private Duba Concession, an extremely scenic and game lively corner of the Okavango. Picture perfect Okavango scenery with tall palm trees, lush waterways and open grass plains make a stunning backdrop to some of the Okavango’s best game viewing.
This area is famous for the lion and buffalo interactions, beautifully captured in a series of Nat geo films – most notable ‘Relentless Enemies’ . Unusually, the lions here often hunt during the day, taking on the mighty buffalo herds delivering exciting game viewing. Over the years the dynamics of the pride have changed and these sightings are less frequent. This is no bad thing, the less dominating lion numbers have allowed other predators in and now leopard are frequently seen, and wild dog too. As the flood waters arrive and islands form across the concession it is not uncommon to see lions swimming between the higher grounds – a true Okavango safari sighting!
The itinerary ends at Setari camp – a quintessential Okavango water camp which allows for a change of gear. Importantly, Setari is able to offer year round water activities due to its excellent location at the base of the panhandle. This is a slower safari, where the boating, mokoro and walking activities on offer do not need a crack of dawn wake up call. This is a chance to reveal in the peaceful beauty of the Okavango for a final few days before returning home.
A fantastic safari for those safari purists for whom luxury is measured by the game viewing, the location, the lack of crowds and the guiding – in this sense, a classic luxury safari awaits.
Various offers are available throughout the year for this itinerary, please speak to us for the latest information.