Safari
Nzuri's
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After reviewing our Botswana page, below,
please feel free to drop us an email at: mail@safarinzuri.com If you would let
us know your party's size; your goals and expectations for your safari; when
you'd like to visit Botswana; and whether you'd prefer an exclusive tented
safari (somewhat more expensive) or some of Botswana's most highly regarded
small, permanent camps (somewhat less expensive), we would be glad to provide
you with particular guide or camp materials that should best meet your
requirements.
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Safari Nzuri relies on Wilderness Safaris to take our clients deep
into the wild heart of the
The Okavango Delta, Moremi and Linyanti reserves, and
Safari Season
Like most of southern
Drawbacks
Maun, the gateway to the
For those who want a
serious education in the Kalahari, we recommend Jack's Camp and its sister
camp, San Camp, as a special end to any
And, of course, Safari Nzuri is prepared to arrange your privately-guided custom
safari just about anywhere in this region, with one of Botswana's top private
guides and as much logistical support and staffing as your needs require.
Please ask us about this extraordinary service.
A Note on Wilderness Safaris
Wilderness Safaris is one
of
Jao, Mombo and Little Mombo,
Vumbura Plains, Xigera and Savuti Camps all made Condé
Nast’s
, most recent Gold List, which is considered to be “the ultimate annotated guide to the world's
finest properties and cruise lines Jao Camp and Mombo/Little Mombo
featured as two of the three places in the category ‘Best by Location for
Africa’ (both receiving perfect scores of 100), as well as in ‘Best Activities
in Africa,’ with scores of 98.4 and 96.4 respectively. Vumbura
Plains was one of three Best by Design in
Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best
Hotels lists the top 500 properties in the world, which are voted for by its
readers. In the 2010 World’s Best,
Wilderness Safaris' Northern Botswana Camps
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To the right: whether browsing or grazing, visitors are likely to see
ample elephant throughout the northern Botswana game region.
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Most first-time visitors to
northern Botswana will split their time between "water camps" and
"land camps." "Water camps" are those located in or
bordering the more permanent portions of the Okavango Delta. Here is where
you'll take makoro canoes through the papyrus,
amongst the prolific birdlife of the Delta proper, and of course the hippo and
croc. Water-adapted wildlife like the lechwe is
common in around these camps, and plains game often appears in surprisingly
large numbers. The remaining safari time is spent in "land camps," in
the adjoining Moremi, Linyanti
or Chobe areas where great herds of elephant are
commonplace, all manner of antelope are common, and packs of African wild
hunting dog compete with lion, cheetah and hyena.
The camps are connected by
small plane service, with each camp having access to its own air strip. Most of
these camps are located on private reserves adjoining the larger government
reserves, so that game walking and night drives, as well as makoro
canoeing and day game drives, are available to the active guests.
Below is a
thumbnail sketch of
Wilderness Safaris' camps. For a
beautifully-illustrated and comprehensive guide of each Wilderness Safaris’
camps, and a detailed description of camp location, activities and amenities,
please do visit Wilderness Safaris’ website at www.wilderness-safaris.com. Retrace your steps back to Safari Nzuri for camp pricing and availability.
Here are the camps:
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Hippo
herds choke the shorelines of the Okavango and the Savuti
channel
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The
Water Camps
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A leopard
cub greets his mother at Kwetsani Camp.
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Kwetsani
Camp is a water
camp during the high water period of May-September (the peak tourism season).
It is in intimate 10-bed luxury camp where guests track game by makoro and explore neighboring islands on foot. Come
October, the Okavango’s flood waters recede, new grasses sprout, and prey
antelope like lechwe and impala invade Kwetsani’s environs.
The predators quickly follow, and this makes Kwetsani
an excellent place for viewing lion, cheetah and leopard.
Duba
Plains is one of
the Okavango Delta's most remote camps and is located in the furthermost
reaches of the Delta. There are six luxury tents here. Large herds of buffalo
are the lions' main prey, and lechwe and sable
antelope graze on the adjoining savannah. Leopard inhabit nearby islands.
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Navigating
papyrus channels in the Okavango in a makoro canoe.
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Jacana
Camp is true water
camp, with only eight guests staying deep in the water maze of the permanent
Delta. The camp is in one of the most densely populated areas for both the rare
sitatunga, and lechwe.
Birdlife in this aquatic environment is, of course, exceptional.
Jao
Camp is situated on
a private reserve adjoining the Moremi Game Reserve.
This is also a 16-bed luxury tented camp, and from May to late September the
canoeing is excellent in crystal clear Delta waters. Despite its water
emphasis, lion, cheetah and leopard are all plentiful.
Vumbura
Camp and Little Vumbura
Camp are both located on a private reserve in a transition area between
water and land. The former accommodates 16, the latter only 10. Little Vumbura is surrounded by water on an ancient ebony island,
while Vumbura treats its guests to luxury accomodations on a land mass that supports fine sable
antelope populations, as well as the full range of predators--from cheetah and
lion to hunting dog.
Xigera
Camp opened a new
16-bed camp in May, 2000. It is situated on
The
Land Camps
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Cheetah
are quite common in the Linyanti and Savuti areas
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Chitabe
Camp and Chitabe Lediba Camp
are located in an exclusive private photographic reserve alongside Moremi. Chitabe welcomes 16
guests in luxury; Chitabe Lediba
half that many in a remote wilderness setting. The ebony, leadwood
and sausage tree island on which the camps are located is well-regarded for its
wild hunting dog, and also support lion, leopard and cheetah. Night drives are
routine here as well.
Duma
Tau Camp is located in the Linyanti
Reserve. The eight canvas room camp overlooks an enormous lagoon, and it is
renowned for its elephant. Virtually all the region's land game frequents this
area of the Linyanti, including all major predators
and rarer antelope such as sable, roan and eland. Hippo watching by pontoon,
and observations from the camps hides, compliment the rewarding game drives in
this game-rich environment.
Kings
Pool Camp is
another Linyanti camp, this 10-tent luxury camp
bordering
Linyanti
Tented Camp is
located east of Kings Pool and thus quite close to Chobe's
borders. This outpost camp accommodates no more than eight in an area known for
its enormous elephant herds. Sable and roan antelope are here too, as are lion,
leopard and wild dog. There are also marshes with lechwe
and sitatunga, making this camp diverse as well as
abundant. It is an actively diverse camp, with game walks and canoe safaris
complimenting the day and night game drives.
Mombo
Camp and Little Mombo Camp
are the flagship camps of Wilderness Safaris, and maybe northern
Savuti
Camp lies in the Linyanti's southern area. The eight-guest lodge is situated
in an area especially known for its predators, and it is very isolated, giving
is few guests the feel of old
The Cost of Wilderness Safaris' Camps
As guests usually combine
at least one "water" and one or more "land" camps,
Wilderness Safaris offers multiple-camp packages that include air transfers
from Maun, and between camps, and return to either Maun or Kasane. For example, the
high season cost of a six-night stay at an Okavango water camp (2 nights);a Moremi land camp (2 nights) and a Linyanti
land camp (2 nights), inclusive of air from and to Maun,
would be $6988/person (double accommodations). These costs, of course, are
inclusive, including (in this example) four small plane transfers to and among
the camps. There is a $929/person/night surcharge for staying at Mombo, with much smaller surcharges for the luxury camps Jao, Kings Pool, Duba Plains and Vumbura Plains (frankly, all of Wilderness’ Camps are
luxury camps, and except for the extraordinary wildlife at Mombo
and Little Mombo, you’ll find yourself amply pampered
at Wilderness’ non-surcharged classic camps). High season runs from June
1—November 30. A suggestion: travel in early June or December, and save about
$1600/person on the 6-night package just described. These are 2010 rates, and,
like most camps, are subject to single supplements for travelers exploring
alone. Discounted rates apply to stays
of 7 nights or longer.
Camp prices also decline
with stays of at least seven nights in any combination of Botwana
Wilderness Safaris camps.
Wilderness Safaris’ Set Departures
In 2010, Wilderness Safaris
will be offering a number of set departures—itineraries that explore a variety
of
·
Migration
Routes. The 9-day Migration
Routes takes the time to explore the contrasts, extremes and continually moving
game of northern Botswana: from the mokoro trails of the Xigera area of the
Okavango, to Lechwe Island Camp in the Okavango, to the Savuti Marsh and then
Linyanti Trails Camp, and then ends at Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls and
Chundukwa along the Zambezi River. The
cost of this safari is $4310/person, double accommodations shared. No more than 8 travelers can join these
frequently-scheduled set departure safaris.
; and
·
The
Great Wilderness Journey. This more extensive exploration of
the Delta and surrounding areas offers six nights’ safari at two Okavango Delta
Camps; followed by three days’ exploration of the game-rich Linyanti reserve;
then ending at Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls and Toka Leya, Zambia. The cost is $7467/person, double
accommodations shared.
Selinda Camp
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In
Botswana's better small camps--the ones, like Selinda,
that operate in their own concession areas with the freedom to act on a
lark--one can pretty much suit one's fancy, including setting up lunch with the
local hippo.
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Jack's
Camp
Our clients frequently ask
to add the great Kalahari Desert to their Botswana safari. For that, we've got
one rock-sure suggestion:
16-bed Jack's Camp and
12-bed San Camp are unique in that they are the only permanent camps to offer a
chance to explore and understand the Kalahari Desert. The camps' concession
adjoins the Makgadikgadi National Park with its
endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands. Behind camp are the huge salt pans
of the Makgadikgadi.
Jack's Camp was originally established in the 1960's by
the late Jack Bousfield, who lived there for many
years preceding his unfortunate death in an aircraft accident. The owners have
now completely refurbished the Camp in a traditional East African 40's safari
style. Authentic, but comfortable and stylish, including many thoughtful and
unique details. There are roomy,
classically styled tents with private bucket showers and flush loos that are set into a palm grove, creating an oasis of
civilization in what can be the harshest of stark environments. A visit to the
area is essential for anyone interested in evolution and the origins and
explanation of the Okavango Delta and Botswana’s big picture.
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Who knows
what will happen during a meerkat photo shoot at
Jack’s Camp
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Jack’s Camp is quite well
known for its meerkat viewing. A camp naturalist spends each night with a
large family of meerkats, and radio’s their pre-dawn
location each day. Camp guests then
visit the meerkats as they emerge from their den, and
watch their morning feeding routine. It
is Africa at its comical best, with the meerkats
scurrying about in complete disregard of the visitors.
Jack’s Camp is also a
complete desert experience focusing on species unique to the area such as
gemsbok, brown hyeana and springbok, as well as the
geology, archaeology and anthropology of the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi.
Jack's and San Camp are the only places where Guests usually see the rare and
elusive brown hyeana in the whole of Africa.
Many of the camp's guides
are fully qualified zoologists/geologists, often working on their doctoral
program.
The Makgadikgadi
is one of the most important wetland sites remaining in
In the dry season, the camp
uses four wheel drive quad bikes to cover the countryside. You can take game
walks with bushman trackers, visit remote area dwellings, trek to any number of
archeological sites, and fly camp during longer stays. A three-night minimum is
requested--enough time to get civilization out of your system, and acclimate to
the adventure of being truly alone in the Kalahari.
We are still awaiting rates
for 2010.
Chobe and Your African
Dream Come True
16-bed Chobe
Chilwero Camp is the only small private camp in
Abu's Camp is a once-in-several-lifetimes
experience. The camp owns its own 1/2 million acre concession abutting Moremi, and wildlife viewing is done on the backs of
African elephant. 2010 rates are $8631/person for a 3-night stay, inclusive of
air fare from any
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