Things to do in Botswana

Hear hippos graze beneath your suite at Camp Okavango

The camp offers far-reaching views across the floodplains and waterways, with wildlife often passing by…

By Sue Ricketts

Owner of Target Africa

When California-born Jessie Niel came to Botswana in the 1980s, she fell in love with the Okavango Delta. She spent six months every year in the country and eventually decided she needed her own base, so she built Camp Okavango, and then Camp Moremi shortly afterwards.

Today’s Camp Okavango, rebuilt in 2016, is unrecognisable from the original camp, but Jessie’s legacy remains.

The elevated camp overlooks the floodplains and channels of the Delta, with each of its 11 tented rooms linked by a raised wooden walkway. It offers far-reaching views across the floodplains and waterways, with wildlife often passing by. There’s a hide at the end of a wooden pier for birdwatching or spotting passing elephants and other game, and a swimming pool on the raised deck to maximise views.

The main building consists of an open lounge and bar area under a thatched roof, with a separate dining room leading onto a paved patio where a fire is lit in the evenings. All of its rooms are spacious with large, private decks and big en-suite bathrooms, and décor is inspired by nature with dark wooden floors and furnishings and colourful touches. There’s also a beautiful family suite for guests travelling with children.

Guests don’t go hungry here. The day starts with a continental breakfast, and after a two-hour morning walk, brunch is served with hot and cold options. Later on there’s an afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes, and in the evening there’s a three-course à la carte dinner with plenty of healthy menu options, plus a selection of wines from South Africa.

The lodge puts a big focus on sustainability. It’s fully solar-powered and wastewater is used for the gardens. All of the staff are from Botswana, and through Desert & Delta Safaris’ CARES program, a number of community initiatives and wildlife projects are also supported.

It’s the location that really stands out here though. Hippos, crocodiles, elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, leopards and buffalo all call the area home, and there’s plenty of colourful birdlife too.

Guests often hear hippos grazing underneath their raised suites at night, when they leave the water to seek out the grass in the lodge grounds. Some guests like to sit in the viewing area and sketch the landscape. Walking safaris, motorboat cruises and mokoro (canoe) trips take visitors out to take in the surroundings, and there are optional, open-door helicopter rides for those wanting to see this extraordinary landscape from a perspective like no other. It’s an unforgettable experience and it was one of the highlights of my time in Botswana.

Available in these itineraries…

Itinerary

Best of Botswana and Victoria Falls
by Adele Jones

Length11 Days

Price range£6,895 - £9,675pp

Alfred & Sue Ricketts

Sue has worked as the UK Sales Representative for Desert & Delta Safaris for 18 years under her company Target Africa, which she launched in 2003 after working as a Product Manager for Jetsave and Southern Africa Travel. She has visited all of the operator’s nine properties and is drawn back to Botswana every year by the people.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Louise, who's travelled extensively in Botswana. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - the rangers who'll ensure you'll spot the best wildlife in Chobe, the village chiefs who'll give you an insight into local life and the helicopter pilots who can land you on an island in the Delta never visited by humans before.

Louise Dean

Africa Expert for Alfred&

When it comes to Africa, Louise is well versed. She’s flown into an empty Namibian beach to eat lunch on the aircraft wing, experienced Tanzania’s Great Wildebeest migration and listened to stories of the Anglo-Zulu War on the battlefields where it happened over a centennial ago. While she’s witnessed vast, incredible game including the last two northern white rhinos, it’s the people who she finds most inspiring; the native Maasai women whose lives are deeply rooted within the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and the local guides - resilient, highly knowledgeable, and ever smiling.
Harrison Mangwegape

Guide at Camp Xakanaxa

Harry was born in the Botswanan village of Thamaga, near capital Gaborone. He loved wildlife growing up and trained at the Okavango Guiding School in Maun to pursue his passion. He started working as a guide at Desert & Delta’s Savute Safari Lodge in 2010 and later joined Leroo La Tau in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, before moving to Camp Xakanaxa.
Keitumetse 'KT' Mogale

Guide at Camp Okavango

Keitumetse has been guiding for 12 years. He grew up in the village of Mogotho in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a tracker. He now leads walking safaris and game drives at Camp Okavango and enjoys sharing his stories with guests from all over the world.
Florence Kagiso

Senior Guide at Chobe Game Lodge

Florence grew up in a farming family in the Okavango Delta and has been a guide at Chobe Game Lodge for 17 years. When she joined in 2004, she was the first female guide at the camp - she now mentors a team of 17 women. Her work was recognised in National Geographic Traveller’s recent Reader Awards 2021, where she won The Innovator award.
Andrew Baker

Founder and Managing Director of Helicopter Horizons

Andrew grew up in Zimbabwe before moving to the US to train as a pilot. Botswana had always held a place in his heart, so he began his aviation career as a fixed wing pilot in the Okavango Delta. He founded Helicopter Horizons in 2004, offering photographic flights - without doors - for organisations such as the BBC and National Geographic. The company now offer scenic flights for tourists in the Okavango Delta, Linyanti region and the Makgadikgadi Pans, as well as transfers between safari camps.
Ollie Maitapiso

Guide at Leroo La Tau

Ollie grew up in the village of Xaxaba in the Okavango Delta and began his career as a trainee poler in 1999, taking guests out on mokoro trips. He started guiding in 2004 and joined Camp Xakanaxa in the Moremi Game Reserve in 2007, before moving to Leroo La Tau in 2014.