Aerial view of Selinda Camp.
Courtesy of Great Plains Conservation
This is a very special four part blog post which provides reviews of the Selinda Reserve, Selinda Camp, and Zarafa Camp. I'll be providing new information as I can, but here's what you can expect from this series of blog posts:
- Part I: Selinda Reserve Accommodation Overview
- Part II: Selinda Camp Review
- Part III: Zarafa Camp Review
- Part IV: Selinda Reserve Summary and Wrap-up
Selinda Reserve Accommodations Overview
As I mentioned in my previous blog post from my visit to the Selinda Reserve, nowhere else in Botswana has the environment and the accommodation changed so much in the last couple of years.
The Selinda Reserve area has long been known for its beauty and formerly housed two camps, Selinda Camp and Zibadianja Camp that were rustic, known for hard core game viewing and amongst the better values in Botswana. Legendary filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert head a small partnership that purchased the camps and in 2007 launched completely rebuilt camps to a new standard and style quite contrasting with the former camps. Though the camps are part of the Great Plains Conservation portfolio the camps are currently marketed by the well known Wilderness Safaris and the standards and daily operations are very similar to other Wilderness products.
Selinda Camp is roughly on par with the other Wilderness 5 paw camps, though it would be at the top for luxury in that category. Zibadianja Camp was re-located to a larger area to hold the enormous and ultra-luxurious tents that are the pinnacle of Botswana luxury, one of the small handful of 6 paw level camps, and was subsequently renamed Zarafa Camp.
Selinda Camp manager Ishmael pilots a powerboat on the Selinda Spillway.
© Bill Given
Activities
Due to the influx of water in the Selinda Reserve a diversity of activities is now a real strength. While they still offer day and night game drives it is also possible to do walks, power boating, canoeing (including a multi-day adventure camping paddle), and fishing (fly-fishing for those who bring their own rod) making it a very good location for active travelers wanting to do more than just game drives. There are photographic hides located by water resources and it is also possible to arrange a sleepout on an elevated platform with just a mattress and mosquito net for a sensational wilderness experience if you are willing to give up a night in your tent.
Open sided Land Cruisers are used at Selinda Camp and Zarafa Camp.
© Bill Given
Game drives are conducted in open sided land cruisers that contain bucket seats. I like the bucket seats and consider it more comfortable, especially when off road, compared to bench seats. The canopy is a little low for those sitting in the back row which can make viewing animals in trees or flight a bit difficult at some angles.
Selinda Reserve Wildlife Tracking
One major shortcoming is in the Selinda Reserve they do not use trackers on game drives, this is consistent with all Wilderness Safaris camps in Botswana. I believe this lessens the game drive experience as Botswana’s sandy substrate allows for dynamic active tracking of animals, especially predators. I have also found that having a tracker that can concentrate on spotting animals and working the spotlight at night leads to better results than having a guide try to drive, communicate with clients, and do all the other tasks and in the case of getting stuck or having a tire puncture things go much quicker with a staff of 2. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the tracker position is one of the higher compensated jobs in a safari camp and lasting conservation depends upon maximum benefits reaching the local communities.
The Selinda Reserve camps are very interested in strengthening their relationship with the river bushman community of Gudigwa where I have a number of ties and I have recommended that a great way to do that and improve their product at the same time would be to employee bushmen as trackers. Selinda operations folks have been in good communication with me and seem interested in this idea so I’m hopeful that in the future there may well be trackers sitting on the front of the vehicle.
Selinda Camp vs. Zarafa Camp
The activities which I just mentioned in the Selinda reserve are the same regardless of which camp you choose to stay at. I'll be covering Selinda Camp and Zarafa Camp in the next two blog posts. You'll find that the difference between the camps is the level of luxury: luxury vs. opulent luxury.