BOTSWANA
THREE WILDERNESS SAFARIS CAMPS
1. TUBU TREE CAMP. Eight treehouse-style tents in the western Okavango Delta. The bar is built around a marula tree. Great leopard sightings. From $903 per person per night.
2. VUMBURA PLAINS. 14 wooden lodge rooms with private plunge pools in the northern Okavango Delta. Good all-round game. From $1,242 per person per night.
3. DUMATAU. Ten canvas tent-style rooms and public areas face the Linyanti River, where elephants swim across.
Good for wild dog. From $903 per person per night.
WILDERNESS-SAFARIS.COM
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dinner, the lamp lit up a hippo mother and tiny baby, waiting for us to pass so they could make their way to the water.
LUXURIOUS LODGES
The camps themselves manage to combine luxury with making you feel close to nature – but not uncomfortably so. All have similar attributes but feel different, like disparate siblings. Tubu Tree and DumaTau are Classic Camps – deluxe, spacious, and full of character. Vumbura Plains is one of Wilderness Safaris’ Premier Camps, so the luxury style is swanky rather than rustic (see box, opposite). Camp accommodation ranges from tented structures to solid wooden lodges, but all offer incredible views over the landscapes from private
decks. Public areas always include a lounge, dining area, bar, and pool. Food is excellent, and almost constant, from a hearty pre-game drive breakfast to a vast brunch, daily afternoon tea, sundowners and then dinner. Rates at both Premier and Classic camps include accommodation, all meals, activities, drinks (except some brands) and even laundry. The standard of service offered by Wilderness Safaris’ guides beggars belief – they’re not just experts on wildlife, but on the needs of safari tourists too. Woefully underdressed on our first
game drive of the trip, we were handed warm ponchos almost before we started to shiver, and hot chocolate with Amarula was thrust into our hands as we arrived
back to camp. The next morning, hot-water bottles were left on our seats in the jeep to ward off the pre-sunrise chill. If clients have special interests or requests, guides will move heaven and earth trying to comply. Towards the end of our final drive at Vumbura Plains, a guest mentioned they hadn’t yet seen a cheetah. Our guide Ban merely nodded, and continued with the drive. But 15 minutes later there it was, just as requested, a cheetah, sitting sleepily under a tree. And, we had it all to ourselves. Our fellow guests were purring, rather than growling, as we headed back to camp.
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WILDERNESS-SAFARIS.COM
september 2015 — 53
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