Luxury

Kwetsani Camp

Existing as one of the most remote camps in the whole of the Okavango, Kwetsani Camp benefits from a unique location, situated on an elongated island covered by palm, mangosteen and fig trees. Activities at Kwetsani Camp are largely determined by seasonally fluctuating water levels, offering a host of land and water-based safari activities such as water bound excursions and land-based game viewing. During times of high water, guests are granted the opportunity to boat to Hunda Island for a variety of game viewing activities, complete with alfresco picnics and communal catering. Accommodation is comprised of five luxury en-suite units, elevated on raised decks with a variety of modern furnishings and amenities. The main area includes a dining room and lounge area situated under a cool thatched roof, leading onto an expansive wooden deck that overlooks an enormous floodplain often frequented by indigenous game. The centrally located plunge pool makes for the perfect midday dip while watching the animals below, in addition to the in-camp bar where you’re free to enjoy a wide selection of all-inclusive beverages.

Your adventure begins the second you arrive in camp as you are greeted by open arms, friendly faces and a host of complimentary refreshments. Your 5-star luxury accommodation is sure to impress, with a host of lavish features and furnishings to compliment your stay. A total of five en-suite units comprises the collective accommodation at Kwetsani Camp – 4 double bedded suites and one king size bedded suite, ensuring an intimate stay with only a small number of guests at any given time. Amenities such mosquito nets, indoor and outdoor shower facilities, en-suite bathrooms and complimentary internet access serve to heighten the overall guest experience.

Feel the ultimate sense of adventure as you venture out into the wilds of delta lands in open 4×4 safari vehicles for guided day and night game drives – with private vehicles available for hire, or embark on foot for a more intimate, leisurely stroll across the merging eco systems of the Okavango. Take to winding delta channels in a traditional style African dug-out canoe (Mokoro) or in a motorised boat for an unforgettable taste of the ultimate marine safari adventure. Or even take to the skies with a scenic helicopter flight and witness the Okavango like you’ve never seen before. The potential for a unique and atmospheric fishing experience attracts many patrons year-round, much the same with avid birders and nature enthusiasts.

Take a guided tour around one of the closely situated villages for an authentic taste of the Botswanan day to day life in what is a truly enlightening experience. Kwetsani Camp’s dedicated team of chefs and catering staff work tirelessly to provide sumptuous, high quality cuiseen for all guests, with three set meals served each day with a host of lite bites and snacks in-between. Families with children age 12 years and older are warmly welcomed, though children as young as 8 years old are welcome in instances of a single party camp bookings. Prepare yourself for an adventure like no other, and don’t forget to bring a camera.

Cultural Tours

Enrich yourself in the customs and culture of closely situated villages for an authentic insight into the real Botswanan day to day life. Set forth from Kwetsani Camp with guide and friends alike for the opportunity to meet and engage with locals, providing an enlightening experience for those who seek a memorable and impactful out-of-lodge adventure. Activities include hut building, basket weaving, fishing, meeting village elders and local children, as well as opportunities to browse the local market, bakery and churches present.

Scenic Helicopter Flights

Experience the Okavango Delta like never before with this once in a lifetime Kwetsani helicopter safari. View the breath-taking expanse of inaccessible lakes and islands – remote and otherwise unseen, as well as the abundance of roaming wildlife that can be seen passing beneath your feet. This experience will allow you to truly absorb the full magnitude and beauty of Okavango Delta from high above the sky, covering a considerably larger expanse than what is possible with conventional land-based safari. Scenic helicopter safaris are accessible via external location and come at additional fees.

Catch and Release Fishing

Catch and release fishing is one of the many additional activities offered at Kwetsani Camp. Situated within the Jao Concession, the surrounding wetlands, lagoons and delta channels, rich in tilapia and spotted and silver catfish result in ideal conditions for avid fishers to cast a line and unwind amidst the backdrop of the Okavango landscape. Avid fly-fishers are advised to supply their own equipment.

Mokoro Excursions

Indulge in a tranquil, culturally enlightening water-bound excursion that sees you silently glide across open delta channels in a traditional style African dugout canoe (mokoro) as you pass scores of aquatic creatures and vegetation. Drifting calmly onward will reveal intricate waterlilies, papyrus grasses, brightly coloured frogs, kingfishers and dragonflies, including predator and prey alike that rear in close to feed on the reeds and drink from river waters.

Motorised Boating

Set sail for open delta channels with Kwetsani style motorised boat excursions. This enthralling marine safari adventure facilitates a host of inherent activities such as game viewing, birding and the chance to sample exotic barge cuisines while in the company of your private guide and friends. Observe the abundance of life around you as you calmly traverse delta waters in search of exotic game and staple safari spectacles in hard-bottom aluminium boats. Life jackets provided.

Bird Watching

Birding at Kwetsani Camp is a unique and insightful experience that attracts wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers alike from all around the world. Over 450 species make for a unique and unparalleled viewing experience. Knowledgeable guides, familiar with the many indigenous birds and their beckoning calls will familiarise you by pointing out different species as you progress. Some of the rarer avian species include the illusive Pel’s fishing owl, endangered wattled crane and the majestic African fish eagle.

Guided Game Walks

Guided game walks allow you to take in the sights and sounds of the Okavango at a more intimate and leisurely pace than is applicable with other modes of safari game viewing. Seasoned guides will lead you safely through the undisturbed delta flat and wetlands while brushing elbows with scores of exotic, thriving game populations. Guided walks allow you to get up -close-and-personal with meandering elephants, frolicking zebra and all the big cats indigenous to the Jao Concession, culminating in a unique and insightful safari experience.

Day & Night Game Drives

Guided game drives provide the opportunity to traverse expansive delta lands in open 4×4 safari vehicles. Thriving game populations within the Jao Concession make for ample wildlife viewing potential as you travel across open landscapes and merging eco systems. Lion, leopard, lechwe and tsessebe are among some of the major attractions that entice guests year-round, as well as the larger safari staples such as elephant, hippopotamus and buffalo, as do herds of giraffe, frolicking zebra, kudu and wild dog. During times of high water, Kwetsani offers boating excursions to Hunda Island for external game drives, complete with a picnic for a full-day excursion.

Kwetsani Camp offers intrinsic game viewing activities exclusive to the private concession itself. With the opportunity to rent private 4×4 safari vehicles and embark into the night with spotlight lit drives, Kwetsani Camp puts you at the wheel for a bespoke safari adventure like no other.

Sustainable/Eco Tourism

Wilderness Safaris aim is that if the camps ever needed to be moved they could do so without leaving an imprint on the land. All Wilderness Safari camps are built in the most eco-friendly way possible. To reduce their carbon footprint and to help them become carbon neutral in their operations, they invest in new technologies to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

The 4 Cs

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.”

Children In The Wilderness

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.”

The Wilderness Wildlife Trust

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.”

Rhino Conservation Projects

Both the black and white rhino were declared locally extinct in Botswana in the early 1990s. Since then, Wilderness Safaris have partnered with the Botswana government and other NGOs to reintroduce and establish healthy, breeding populations of black and white rhino in the Okavango Delta. Wilderness Safaris helped to restore these rhinos to the wild “in the largest cross-border move ever completed.”

Careers for Local People

Wilderness Safaris employs an ensemble of local workers and tradespeople for use in the construction of its facilities and maintenance, as well as the sourcing and training of national citizens to serve the role of guides and in-camp staff. It is essential to impart a positive effect on not only the environment, but on the people and communities that without whom, sustainable tourism would be but an empty proposition. There are few people more qualified to provide the ultimate safari experience than the locals themselves, and as such, Wilderness Safaris recognises the importance of providing local people with opportunities and employment, stressing careers as opposed to jobs – giving back to the communities who have given so much.