Your safari beings on arrival in Maun, the gateway to Botswana’s northern wilderness. A scenic 45-minute flight transfers you from Maun to Selinda’s airfield provides a superb aerial introduction to the wilderness. You guide meets you on arrival, taking you on a game drive to Selinda Camp. This exclusive and authentic safari camp on the banks of the Selinda spillway offers only nine lavish guest tents built on raised decks under cool thatch canopies. Your private verandah offers panoramic views across the palm-studded floodplains – a quintessential delta vista. Your suite’s open-air bathroom is flooded with natural light and features a charming stone bath with a view, of course!
The reserve is famous for its large herds of elephant and buffalo, as well as predators like leopard and wild dog. The seasonal spillway meandering through the landscape is a magnet for wildlife, providing the only reliable surface water outside the annual summers rains. Traditional 4x4 games drives offer close encounters with the herds and allow you to venture deep into the reserve. Guided nature walks provide a more intimate perspective on this untamed landscape, as do the serene mokoro (dug-out canoe) trips. A skilled poler steers your canoe along the delta’s papyrus-lined waterways, allowing you to soak up the cool, freshness and get close to the reserve’s superb birdlife. Game viewing from the water provides a unique perspective –elephant often drink and wallow in the shallows ignoring your presence a safe distance away on the water.
Your day begins early on safari, when wildlife is still active and game viewing is at its best. You set out with your guide after a light breakfast to explore on a game drive. You may come across breakfasting antelope or meet a pack wild dogs trotting back to their den after a successful night’s hunting. You return to camp for a welcome brunch in the thatched-roof, open-air dining room – the perfect conclusion to a thrilling morning. The heat of the day is given over to siesta – relax and recharge in your private living room or enjoy a glass of wine on your verandah. After a delectable high tea, you are refreshed and ready for your afternoon excursion – a guided nature walk or mokoro trip, perhaps. A late afternoon walk introduces you to the secret language of spoor and scat, insects and plants.
However you spend the afternoon, the breathtaking African sunset is best admired over convivial sundowners around the communal campfire. Selinda is known for its excellent cuisine and a sumptuous three-course, candlelit dinner awaits. Bring your day to a perfect end with a nightcap on the Star Deck, or a thrilling night drive, seeking out creatures like porcupine, springhare and leopard in the beam of your guide’s spotlight.