Top 7 Unique Stays in Botswana
Written by Courtney Drysdale
From the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to the Okavango Delta, the distinctive Kalahari and wildlife-rich Chobe Region, Botswana is full of unique stays that offer truly unforgettable safari experiences ranging from Big 5 game drives to relaxing mokoro excursions. Whether you’re looking for a luxurious lodge, an adventure camp, a river escape on a barge or a mobile tented camp, Botswana has you covered. With so many unique stays to choose from, it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. To help you make your decision, here is our list of the top 7 unique stays in Botswana:
Located in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, San Camp is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the breathtaking Makgadikgadi scenery. The stylish canvas tents offer 360-degree views of the moonlike surface of the white salt pans and provide a tranquil atmosphere for relaxation. After a long day of exploring, enjoy a three-course meal at the mess tent and a sweet treat at the tea tent.
Sustainability
As a bonus to a fantastic location, staying at San Camp directly supports various Natural Selection initiatives centred on conservation and community upliftment. This camp, which was put together with the help of knowledge passed down by the local Zu/’hoasi San people, can also be completely deconstructed to return the landscape to the state it was.
What to look out for:
Guests can explore the surrounding wilderness on a bush walk with the Zu/’hoasi San people and learn about this truly unique area, or go and meet the habituated meerkat colony. Then experience an unbeatable sunset on the pans and thereafter an uninterrupted starry sky.
For a truly unique safari experience, look no further than Savuti Under Canvas by &Beyond in the Chobe Region. This mobile camp takes lux to a new level with a private butler standing by to assist with anything you may need. With its stunning scenery and exceptional wildlife, including a famed mega pride of elephant-hunting lions, the Savute Under Canvas Camp is the perfect place to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature. Unwind in the dining tent with a bar and feast on Pan-African cuisine prepared over an open fire and enjoyed under the starry African sky next to a roaring fire.
Sustainability:
As a camp that is always moving, Savute Under Canvas offers a unique and sustainable safari experience, with no electricity and instead solar-powered lights, as well as bucket showers and meals cooked over coals. Here, a true, low-impact adventure awaits.
What to look out for:
Explore Gubatsa Hills, home to ancient San rock paintings, and take in the view of the expansive Savute plains. Don't miss the avenue of ancient baobab trees at the edge of the plains.
For an exclusive and unforgettable safari experience, check out the Skybeds in the Khwai Private Reserve. This unique camp only accommodates 6 guests on 5-metre high wooden platforms. Every Skybed has its own mosquito net, dining area, and serene privacy to enjoy the open sky. Guests can watch wild dogs, lions, elephants, and hyenas as they all make their way to the nearby waterhole. Skybeds can only be booked in combination with a stay at Hyena Pan, Tuludi, Sable Alley and Little Sable in Khwai Private Reserve.
Sustainability:
While staying at the Skybeds, guests directly support initiatives within the Khwai Private Reserve, such as anti-poaching, community upliftment and sustainable grass harvesting.
What to look out for:
A one-of-a-kind chance to sleep out under a starry African sky, listening to the sounds of the bush around you, on platforms overlooking a wildlife-drawing waterhole.
Located in the heart of the Okavango Delta on a remote island, Jao Camp by Wilderness is the perfect place to explore the Delta’s many wonders. Settled amongst riverine forests and lush floodplains, Jao offers a luxuriously wild experience with plenty of opportunities to see wildlife, from enormous elephants to the tiny painted reed frog. The camp blends into the environment thanks to a clever structural design that uses natural and recycled materials such as wood, glass and steel.
Sustainability:
As the camp rests in such a wildlife-rich area, Wilderness has multiple conservation efforts in place to ensure that this pristine wilderness stays just as it is.
What to look out for:
Track lions across the floodplain or witness huge herds of hundreds of buffalo pass through. Unwind on a sleepout on a star bed under a blanket of the milky way.
The Okavango Spirit winds its way along the enchanting waterways of the Delta’s remote Panhandle area in northern Botswana. Guests stay on a charming houseboat with full wifi, featuring en-suite cabins with sliding glass doors leading to the perfect spot for sundowners. Wildlife is teeming, with hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, and up to 200 species of birds to look out for.
Sustainability:
By opting for the Okavango Spirit experience, guests directly support the Mmogo Coexistence Programme, a Natural Selection conservation initiative focused on mitigating human-wildlife conflict.
What to look out for:
Experience a truly unique safari from the water and get up close to plenty of wildlife, from watching families of elephants taking a dip to catching crafty crocodiles’ glistening scales in the sunlight.
A luxurious safari camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Abu is the perfect place for a honeymoon or a getaway with loved ones. Surrounded by dynamic and seasonal habitats, visitors can look out for wildlife on foot or on a game drive, keeping a keen eye open for multiple predators such as lions and hyenas.
Sustainability:
Those at Abu Camp and Wilderness are dedicated to protecting the once-threatened Abu elephant herd through conservation projects that are actively restoring the Delta's floodplains, grasslands, and woodlands to their natural state and allowing the majestic elephants to roam freely.
What to look out for:
For a truly unique experience, Abu offers a breathtaking star bed to sleep under the night sky. A secluded outdoor copper bath also offers relaxation with an unforgettable view.
Deep in the Okavango Delta lies Pelo Camp, an adventure camp that is perfect for a remote, pristine, and utterly charming safari experience. Pelo is Setswana for ‘heart’ — an appropriate name for this ultra-sustainable camp that sits on a remote heart-shaped island in the Okavango Delta. Pelo is a must-visit location for bird lovers, with Pel’s fishing owls, jacanas, and black herons to seek out.
Sustainability:
Pelo runs on 100% solar power and proudly only used natural materials in their camp, as well as offering carbon-neutral activities.
What to look out for:
Keep an eye out for elephants, the sitatunga and other wildlife as you explore the winding Delta waterways on a traditional mokoro (dugout canoe) and the plains by foot or on a game drive.
Discover untouched luxury in Botswana
With so many unique — and sustainable — stays to choose from, it’s time to make your next holiday unforgettable. Check out our trips, or pop us a message on Instagram to learn more.