SAVUTI CAMP

Overflow from the Zambezi and Chobe rivers and slight tectonic shifts account for its transformations, as local wildlife adapt to the ever-changing balance of water and grasslands, framed by riverine forest. These days the channel flows past the camp, more than 8 kilometres from its source. Depending on when you visit, magnificent land-and boat-based game viewing are yours.

Just six large, raised en-suite tents, all with front-row views of the channel, comprise Savuti Camp, along with an expansive thatched dining and common area largely open to the bush. Earthy tones enhance the sense of calm, and immersion in nature. There’s a small pool for refreshment; a firepit for evening stories; and elevated wooden decks extending out over the channel bed – ensuring remarkable wildlife sightings and encounters.

Follow in the ancient tracks of Africa’s great plains game – giraffe, zebra, eland and speciality antelope such as roan and sable – as they roam through the game-rich grassland of the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. Where predators abound, lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs among them. Watch dust clouds swirl behind seemingly endless buffalo or elephant herds, moving towards the water to quench their thirst or cross the channel, often thrillingly close. Ease into a nature walk, focusing on the smaller creatures and birdlife, some of Botswana's 559 recorded avian species.

Exploration awaits at every turn. Sleep out in a Star Bed near a romantic lagoon, enjoy seasonal boating, guided walks and catch-and-release fishing. When the water’s low, get intimate with wildlife from the camp’s log-pile hide. Helicopter over the Linyanti, for a Google Earth view of the waterways threading through the savannah, and all the life they sustain.