Welcome to the Selinda Reserve - an enormous 300,000 acre private wildlife reserve located in the remotest reaches of northern Botswana - selinda, selinda reserve, okavango delta, safari, botswana, walking safari, zarafa camp, national geographic, exclusive game reserve, luxury, pristine wildlife, elephants, lions, the big 5, motswiri, Zibadianja, camp, game drives, linyanti, chobe, private, walking trails, wild dog, spillway, savute, dereck and beverly joubert, colin bell

At Zarafa the intimacy of the camp's size allows for an extremely private all round experience hosted by Stuart, Tessa and Rose, while you are guided by Dukes and Steven.

Drives usually start at dawn and take a small break for brunch and possibly a siesta in the heat of the day unless there is something extraordinary happening in the bush. In the afternoon we like to get out as it cools and to make best use of the "softening" light.

As this is a private concession we are not restricted by park rules, so walks and night drives can be arranged.

Wildlife in this area varies slightly from that at Selinda in that this camp is very close to the lagoon and the source of the Savute Channel. The view from camp is breathtaking and at the lagoon itself huge schools of hippo gather and crocodiles slide into the water as you approach scaring off water birds in great variety and abundance. While you are tucked into your bed at night, you will be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the lagoon's hippos.

"Now this, my friends, is Africa!"

- Paul Harris as he stepped off the plane for the first time at Selinda and was surrounded by a herd of elephants. -

Elephant are common around Zarafa Camp, with densities during the dry season on a par with those of the Chobe National Park. At the peak of our dry winter months, we have counted around 9000 elephants in The Selinda Reserve.

The lions that hunt hippos (the "surfing lions") are part of what has made this region famous. Their skill at hunting these huge animals is legendary. There is also the chance for the "spotted predators". The open plains are ideal habitat for cheetah while leopard viewing is rewarding when they are encountered.

One of Africa's most endangered predators, the Wild Dog, is usually resident and the Selinda pack frequently dens in close proximity to our camps.

Other common species include: buffalo (that sometimes congregate in huge herds numbering many thousand), giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, hyena, a variety of antelope including red lechwe, and the chance to spot a number of nocturnal species on our night drives.

Photographic Credits: Dana Allen, Dook, Colin Bell, Beverly Joubert