Okavango Delta
Chitabe Camp
Famed for its quality and number of sightings, Chitabe is situated on a beautiful island in the Okavango Delta, in a private game reserve bordered on three sides by the Moremi Game Reserve. The range of habitats in the area is diverse, largely woodland and riverine areas opening up to grasslands and seasonally flooded plains.
The camp consists of eight elegantly styled safari tents, built on wooden platforms. Each tent has en suite facilities and an additional outdoor shower for a bathing experience under the stars. A dining room, bar and lounge area are linked by raised walkways, and the lofty decks provide superb views across the floodplains. The camp also offers a small swimming pool in which to relax during the hot days
Explore the area on morning and afternoon game drives, the evening drive usually returning after dark to try spotting nocturnal animals such as genet, civet, serval, porcupine and possibly aardwolf. Other wildlife seen in the area includes elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, cheetah as well as wild dog.
Chitabe is considered unique even in the Okavango Delta in that it harbours such a wide variety of habitats within close proximity, ranging from classic Okavango scenery from illala palms dotting floodplains to open savannah and acacia woodlands. A finger of perennial swamp extends into the Chitabe Concession, which is mainly dominated by seasonally flooded tracts which transform over fifty percent of the concession’s dry floodplains into a lush oasis when the annual floodwaters meander through. All this gives rise to a surprising diversity of species which allows Chitabe to offer guests a wide range of excellent game viewing and birding experiences.
Facilities
Tented rooms, outdoor showers, swimming pool, dining room, bar and lounge.
Local Wildlife
A great range of plains animals and particularly well known for its predators including lions, leopards, cheetah, wild dog, genet, civet, serval and aardwolf.
Optional Activities
Game drives, night drives and walking safaris included on a shared basis.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
Many of the carnivores here hunt at night. Take advantage of the night safaris to see genets, civets and – with luck – hunting leopards and serval cats.
If you have any questions regarding our Botswana tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to thank all at Reef and Rainforest for arranging so superbly yet another exceptional wildlife experience. As you are aware our ‘expeditions’ tend to be species led and this year’s brief was to observe and photograph the ‘Three Big Cats of Africa’ in a truly wild setting (i.e. no fences). Your recommended destination, Botswana, did not let us down, in fact the whole trip proved an outstanding success in all aspects.
We stayed in three camps (three nights in each) across the Okavango Delta and surrounding area, each provided a different environment which ensured our aims were met. Each camp was run to a very high standard, was extremely comfortable and provided excellent meals. The quality of guiding and tracking in all our camps was of the highest standard. As Botswana manages its natural resources so well all the camps were small (no more than 18 guests) ensuring a very intimate safari experience in pristine wild African habitat.
I am delighted to report our big cat objectives were realised. All observations were lengthy and offered excellent photographic opportunities. However, unexpectedly, the highlight of our spectacular trip turned out to be sightings of two separate packs of African Painted Dogs. We visited two dens, the first had a very healthy number of adult dogs, approximately fifteen and eighteen pups. The second had seven adult dogs and sixteen pups. At Lebala we had the privilege of spending a prolonged period of time following the pack of dogs as they hunted, an experience we will never forget.
When one also considers the significant mammal and bird species we observed, Botswana is truly a must visit destination for the wildlife enthusiast. Incidentally we also observed three serval and two African wild cats. We also thoroughly enjoyed our few days at Victoria Falls, possibly the most spectacular waterfall in the world, the hotel in Zimbabwe was excellent. Viewing the falls from the Zambian side and also the helicopter flight are both well worth doing.
This was our third consecutive trip with Reef and Rainforest, and I would be very surprised if there is not a fourth being planned very soon. Thank you all once again.
