Seba Camp is situated on the stunning Abu Concession nestled in amongst majestic hardwood trees, in the Okavango Delta. The camp overlooks a perennial lagoon and is surrounded by open grassland, offering wildlife encounters from land and water-based activities. This camp caters well for families, with two out of the eight luxury tents designed for families with their own plunge pools and sandpit. Seba Camp runs on 100% solar power, to help ensure a light environmental footprint. Built in 2006, the camo has been nominated for Best Hotel in Travel + Leisure 2021 awards with each tent in the camp celebrating a different ethnic group of Botswana through its authentic, colourful décor. Wilderness Safaris was founded in Botswana in 1983 and is dedicated to the conservation of the magnificent biodiversity of the Okavango Delta.
Seba Camp, Botswana
Abu Concession is around 180,000 hectares and is in one of the most productive areas of the Okavango Delta. Floodplains, channels and palm islands are just some examples of the diverse landscape that the surrounding area has to offer. There is a large elephant population in this area of the Delta, making sightings more than likely. The camp is surrounded by riverine vegetation and grassland creating a rich eco system of local wildlife. Guests can fly into Abu airstrip, from here the camp is only a 5 minute drive away
- Located in the diverse Abu Concession
- Classic safari experience, game drives with experienced guides are available
- Luxury tents, welcoming feel
- Variety of water and land excursions
- Family friendly
- Have a refreshing dip in the sparkling swimming pool
- 100% solar powered
All tented rooms are elevated allowing for the private viewing decks to have an uninterrupted view over the breathtaking lagoon. All the tents are individually and authentically furnished, with wooden features and large comfy beds, complete with mosquito netting. Rooms come with a complimentary laundry service and a tea and coffee station for when guests want to relax after an afternoons activities. All tents have ensuite bathrooms with an indoor shower and dressing gowns, towels and toiletries (including Mosquito repellant) is provided.
The family tents, whilst being decorated similarly, are significantly larger than the other rooms. There are two bedrooms, which are linked by an enclosed corridor with toys included. There is a large lounge/play area and the larger of the family tents has its own plunge pool for the family to enjoy and a hidden sandpit. Both family tents come complete with two bathrooms, including an indoor shower as well as a bath.
Food is available from the open-sided dining area in the main section of camp. Authentic wooden tables and chairs set guests right in the heart of the African safari experience. In the same area as dining, there is a bar, complete with outstanding views of the lagoon where guests can keep an eye out for the resident hippo bloat or elephants stopping by for a drink.
See the animals at their most active and natural on a day or nighttime game drive, available from Seba Camp. Around this area there is a large elephant population and a growing number of game, including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and impala to name a few.
Follow animal tracks on foot with a guide and see animals close up at eye level There is no better way to feel at one with the delta than to explore it on foot!
Glide effortlessly down the clear waterways of the delta in a traditional Mokoro or boat ride, either way allows you to get up close and personal to some of the 380 different species of bird in the area and you may even see a tiny reed frog clinging to some papyrus. Catch-and-Release fishing is also available, the Okavango Delta being home to 71 different species of fish including tigerfish and catfish.
Helicopter trips are available, for a once in a lifetime undisturbed view of the delta. If you Choose to go in the morning or evening, you’ll bare witness to brilliant light illuminating the delta in golden tones.
As with all other Wilderness Safaris’ camps, Seba Camp is 100% solar powered, with all their electricity and hot water provided through solar panels and inverters. As well as solar power, the camp treats its waste water in an Above Ground Sewage Plant “ensuring that the water is clean before being allowed to enter the natural environment.” The camp is monitored against strict environmental standards and only eco-friendly chemicals and detergents are used.
Wilderness Safaris have a commitment to community engagement in the areas surrounding their camps. Through community employment, Wilderness Safaris currently have more than 100 staff members from local communities throughout their camps, and with the average staff member supporting 7 other people each, 700 further people benefit. Community partnerships can also help to protect and conserve the land. Wilderness Safaris Damaraland Camp is located in the Torra Conservancy, and through community work and ecotourism they protect around 350 hectares of land within the Torra Conservancy.
As a result of this protected land the wildlife is prospering and “‘problem animals’ are now seen as a resource that can bring money into the community via ecotourism.” Partnered with Pack for a Purpose Wilderness Safaris keep travellers up-to-date with information regarding any supplies needed for community projects such as book bags, pencils, markers and pens for local school children. Wilderness Safaris partner properties all follow the sustainability ethos of conservation, culture, commerce and community.
Wilderness Safaris created their own Trust in 2003, this is an independent entity that fund-raises for money to be put into various conservation projects. This engages with projects which can be beyond the scope of the areas in which Wilderness Safaris operate, ensuring that “conservation is a driving force in reaching more people, wildlife and places.” The Jao Concession and the University of Botswana have created a committee hoping to “encourage better engagement between local communities and the Jao Concession, specifically regarding curbing poaching and overfishing.”
25 different projects are funded by the Trust annually, the past 10 years seeing the Trust fund more than 100 different projects that were in 8 different countries in Africa. Whilst Wilderness Safaris contributes to these projects logistically, the Trust “is involved financially in the projects, supporting research, habitat management and community upliftment.”
Wilderness Safaris works in partnership with Save the Rhino Trust and three separate Namibian conservancies to help conserve and protect the rare species of the desert-adapted black rhino. These rhinos play a vital role in shaping the landscape of Africa, by grazing lawns and vegetation they help protect plant biodiversity and keep the plains hospitable to other herbivore species. Without them, whole ecosystems would begin to die out.
Wilderness Safaris Desert Rhino Camp works specifically in partnership with Save the Rhino Trust and acts as rhino monitoring post, as well as a camp, to help increase rhino security in an otherwise unmonitored area. Due to an increase in recruitment, Wilderness Safaris and their partners have “dramatically and sustainably increased the range of desert-adapted black rhino in the north-west.”
This is an educational programme created by Wilderness Safaris which aims to educate and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders by teaching them life skills and environmental issues. This programme aims to “create a network of learning sanctuaries that uplifts and cares for our children and conserves the planet.” Great numbers of children are involved in these programmes, 2,500 children attend rural, school-based clubs per year; more than 300 children per year are granted a scholarship which pays for their education and Wilderness Safaris and their partner destination host annual camps, which more than 500 children attend.
Wilderness Safaris partner properties all work under the sustainability ethos of conservation, culture, commerce and community. Pack for a Purpose is one of the community projects that Wilderness Safaris has partnered with, it is “a non-profit organisation that provides travellers with up-to-date information about required supplies for community-based projects.” With no one inhabiting these rural areas of Africa accurate recordings of species could not be undertaken.
Wilderness Safaris are present throughout the whole year which allows them to provide not just financial support but also logistical support to anti-poaching initiatives. Due to their presence wildlife numbers have increased dramatically with elephant, lechwe and puku growing markedly. The emphasis on ecotourism is changing lives “camps and lodges bring employment and training, opportunities for growth and travel, and exposure to another world.”
Wilderness Safaris serves to protect and conserve the land in which they operate. The continent of Africa is unique, with over 1000 different mammal species and fauna and humans living side by side. With a commitment to ecotourism, they are helping to conserve biodiversity. Currently, Wilderness Safaris helps to protect over 2.5million hectares of African wilderness and in 2015 they were awarded a medal by the government of Botswana for Meritorious Service to the country.
One of the ways they try to protect the environment is by making sure their camps have a light footprint. Trying to achieve “purposeful luxury” their camps are all built with environmentally-sensitive architecture. Understanding the fragility of the wilderness they operate in, they make sure they minimise any negative impact they might have on the environment and the camps are thoughtfully placed in locations where they don’t take away from the wilderness of the area.
With animals and humans living side by side there is a risk of human-wildlife conflict, and Wilderness Safaris seek to address this issue. The Skeleton Coast has seen its desert-adapted lion population grow considerably in the past 15 years. Lion mortalities are declining as attitudes in the community are changing due in part to Wilderness Safaris’ help. A research centre was built at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp for their Desert Lion Project, and the attention gained from an acclaimed documentary have helped local communities and guests understand the importance of the desert-adapted lions and a greater understanding has allowed rural communities to live peacefully with the lions.
On all Wilderness Safari camps there is a campaign to encourage the use of reusable water bottlers
Seba Camp is a family friendly camp, with special activities designed to interest children