Okavango Delta
Shinde Camp
Located within the Shinde private concession, the camp offers an enviable mix of both land and water activities. It is nestled under the shade of ancient jackal berry, water fig and knob thorn trees and built in a remote and exclusive setting on the edge of the permanent waters of the northern Okavango Delta. Shinde Camp is surrounded by clear waterways teeming with birdlife and game, and offers a wide variety of activities all year round.
The camp consists of eight large safari tents on timber decking furnished in elegant African style and featuring open gauze windows and en-suite bathrooms with a separate toilet. The main lodge, known as the ‘tree house’, is a multi-tiered structure with the dining room joined by stairs and wheelchair-friendly ramps to several lounging areas, each offering different aspects across the delta.
The boma area at the foot of the lodge provides a meeting point for afternoon tea and a venue for stargazing in the evenings while enjoying a drink around the campfire. Shinde also features a curio shop and a swimming pool. Within the camp is the Shinde Enclave, a perfect choice for a family or small group. The enclave is a camp within a camp, and offers guests their own private deck, dining facilities and an exclusive host/guide.
Activities at Shinde include: game drives in open 4×4 safari vehicles which offer some of the finest dry land game viewing in Botswana with regular sightings of lion and leopard; exploring the water ways in a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe); guided nature walks and night drives; motor boating and sunset cruises. It is also possible to enjoy a longer outing by motorboat to the Gadikwe lagoons in the Moremi Game Reserve to view breeding colonies of herons, egrets, pelicans and storks (August to December). For fishing enthusiasts, Shinde provides basic fishing equipment to try your luck with tiger fish, bream, pike and catfish during the season.
Facilities
Tented rooms, open-air fire, swimming pool, dining room, bar and lounge.
Local Wildlife
Predators, including lion, cheetah, leopard and wild dog. Elephants, giraffe, zebra, sitatunga, lechwe, impala, hippos. The area is also great for birding and you can visit the great heronries of the Godikwe Lagoon from here.
Optional Activities
Game drives, night drives, walking safaris and mokoro excursions included on a shared basis.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
Take advantage of the wonderful picnic lunches offered by the lodge and spend a whole day out on safari or on the water.
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.
