Selinda Camp guest tent interior
Courtesy of Great Plains Conservation
This is the second in a four part blog post which provides reviews of the Selinda Reserve, Selinda Camp, and Zarafa Camp. Here are the other blog posts from this series:
Selinda Camp Review
It is hard to believe Selinda Camp is just the second most luxurious camp in the Selinda Reserve as it rates near the top of the luxury levels that I have ever experienced.
Selinda Camp's common lounge and dining areas are expansive with leather furniture and terrific views of the Selinda spillway and adjacent flood plains. There is a deck for dining under the stars as well as dining under the roof. Food and service was very good at Selinda Camp, at a level that matches the luxury surroundings. There is a walk-in chilled wine cellar to please wine and luxury aficionados. Guests at Selinda Camp can enjoy their wine while wandering through a gallery of Beverly Joubert’s photographs as well as an extensive curio shop above. There is also a swimming pool, though unlike many camps where the pools look out to the plains and allow you to see animals this one is tucked in behind the central lounge surrounded by a wooden pole fence so offers no experience beyond normal pool relaxation.
Small portion of the dining and central lounge area
© Bill Given
Selinda Camp Staff
I was pleasantly surprised to find an all local staff, headed up by the very outgoing Ishmael, a qualified guide who hails from nearby Kasane. Selinda Camp staff provides a very refined experience but the local flavor does bring a more relaxed and friendly vibe than I often find at the high end of luxury camps - making a nice balance.
After dinner, the Selinda Camp staff has a musical throw down that is good fun, especially if you can summon up some dancing skills after stuffing yourself with gourmet eats. I had requested Steve K. as a guide since I knew his reputation from days at Kwando Camps, he was a very good guide but also is a vibrant personality that adds to the great camp culture.
Soaking tub that is the feature of the bathroom suite
© Bill Given
Accommodations at Selinda Camp
There are nine spacious guest tents at Selinda Camp, though only eight are used at a time limiting guest occupancy to 16 unless a private group of 18 books the entire camp. The tents have similar superb views as the lounge complex with big views over the spillway. Tents are the typical canvas wall and thatch roofed construction on a raised platform (about 5 feet off the ground) but rather than tent zippers they have sliding screen doors.
Inside, Selinda Camp tents are very luxuriously appointed with comfortable beds and fine linens under mosquito nets, a ceiling fan, and there are chairs and a writing desk. One convenient feature is an inverter plug system that allows you to easily charge all of your batteries. The size is on par with other luxury tented camps but then there is an additional set of sliding doors at the rear of the tent that opens into an extremely spacious bathroom area featuring a large stone soaking bath tub, a shower, and flush toilet. All the little touches are present at Selinda Camp such as bath robes, slippers, bath products but also things like animal checklists, maps and both bird and mammal guides, which is an extremely nice touch.
Each tent has bird and mammal field guides, a map and animal checklist.
© Bill Given
Selinda Camp Summary
My overall feeling is Selinda Camp is for people looking for a luxurious safari camp in a beautiful setting that offers a full diversity of activities. Pricewise, Selinda Camp is on par or less than all the other Wilderness Safaris camps, the top Kwando Camps, &Beyond Camps and others so its higher luxury than most at a relatively good price (still expensive) and within Selinda Reserve it has a rack rate 37% less than Zarafa Camp for the same activities and area. I am a big believer in the value of using the lower cost camp when the activities are the same unless there are significant differences in accommodation. Here there actually is a significant difference in the accommodation but as Selinda Camp is a very high luxury level it’s going to be the best choice for most people wanting to visit the Selinda Concession.