Tailor-made safaris and travel to Southern Africa
KWANDO
Kwando is an enormous private concession, covering over half a million acres in the northern wilderness of Botswana, and incorporating some 50 miles of river-frontage along the beautiful Kwando River. The Kwando River, lifeblood of the Linyanti, Savuti, and Chobe systems, rises with the Okavango River in the Angolan Highlands. These two important rivers flow side by side for over 600 miles, bringing life to this vast wilderness.
Stretching southwards from the banks of the Kwando River, the concession itself encompasses pristine wetlands, riverine forest, open flood plains, grasslands, and Mopane woodland. This is a remote area, criss-crossed by centuries-old migratory trails of elephant, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest which move unhindered between the Okavango Delta to the south, Chobe National Park to the east, and the open African wilderness to the north.
Kwando is most noted for its huge elephant and buffalo herds, boasting one of the highest concentrations of these large mammals in Africa. Predators are abundant with large numbers of lion, wild dog, hyaena, leopard, and cheetah, as well as many of the smaller predators and plains game (including zebra and giraffe). The Kwando River teems with hippos and crocodiles, and over 320 species of bird have been recorded on the concession.
Kwando boasts two exceptional camps in dramatically different settings. Lagoon Camp lies on the shady banks of the Kwando River among tall and ancient African ebony and marula trees, under the watchful gaze of the resident hippos. There are only six luxury tents at Lagoon Camp. Each is tastefully decorated and charming in its simplicity. Nevertheless, all needs are catered for with lovely en-suite bathrooms fitted in teak, baskets with all the toiletries you may require, and snacks in little glass jars on your bedside tables. Each tent has a balcony with comfortable chairs from which to soak up the riverine ambience.
Lebala Camp is the ultimate in style and luxury. Its eight extraordinarily beautiful and spacious tents are built on raised teak decks and have been specially designed to offer maximum comfort and privacy. The tents have an entrance foyer with a reading and writing area, crisp white hand-embroidered linen on the beds, en-suite bathrooms with Victorian claw-foot bathtubs, and "his and hers" wash basins set in a long teak commode. The bathrooms lead out to a wonderful reed-enclosed open air shower. Each tent has its own sun deck which affords endless vistas across the vast plains.
Activities at the two lodges involve game-drives, nature walks, boat cruises (at Lagoon Lodge), and fishing for Tiger fish and Bream. Game-drives are conducted in specially adapted open safari vehicles, carrying a maximum of six guests. Being a private concession, only guests at the Kwando Lodges are allowed access to this land.
On all activities, guests are accompanied by specialist guides and trackers, who are there to ensure that your encounters with Africa's wilderness and wildlife are interesting, informative, and safe; the guides at Kwando are the among the best that we have encountered in Botswana. Being on private land outside the National Parks, Kwando is not restricted by an Park rules, allowing for the tracking of animals off-road as well as night game drives.
The cuisine at both camps is excellent - we think the best in Botswana, with very generous portions of both food and drink. For example, one night at Lagoon Camp we enjoyed a starter of filo pastry packages filled with mushrooms and cheese. For main course we had roast lamb fragrant with fresh rosemary, roasted potatoes and sugared gem squash. For dessert there was a perfectly balanced tart-sweet lemon meringue pie.
Kwando is one of the largest, most remote, and most untouched privately-run wildlife areas in Africa. It forms part of one of the greatest eco-systems on earth, covering the whole of northern Botswana and incorporating the Okavango Delta, Chobe, Savuti, and the Linyanti Swamps. Furthermore, it offers two very exclusive and tastefully decorated camps, between them accommodating a maximum of only 28 guests on half a million acres! In our opinion, Kwando offers an unmatched combination of wilderness, wildlife, and elegant, stylish accommodation; it has to rate as one of Africa's very best safari camps.
To find out more about the Kwando Camps, or to make a reservation, call on
27-11-463-7889 or email us.
LIYATSHWA SAFARIS PORTFOLIO - Greater Chobe Region
Photo credits: Kwando