A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented camp

Where you’ll stay

Where to Stay on a Botswana Safari

Water, land and mixed camps in the Delta, river lodges and houseboats on the Chobe, desert lodges in the Kalahari and mobile camps that move with your route. We match the specific camp to your dates and availability.

Comfort levels

Four Comfort Levels

  1. ComfortWell-run lodges and classic camps with genuine warmth — excellent guiding without the extras.
  2. PremiumSpacious, characterful camps in prime locations, with exceptional service and food.
  3. LuxuryRefined camps and lodges — often with plunge pools, fine dining and the very best positions.
  4. Ultra-LuxuryExclusive-use reserves and a handful of suites: privacy, space and complete flexibility.
Area
Comfort level
Collection

30 stay styles

Comfort

Victoria Falls · town

Poolside Small Hotel · Falls Town

Boutique hotel

A small, relaxed hotel in the town of Victoria Falls makes an easy night or two on the Zimbabwe side, with restaurants, curio markets and activity pick-ups close by. It is also a practical starting point for the road to Kasane, about 80 km away through the Kazungula border post.

  • Pool for the hot hours after a morning in the spray
  • Short drive, or a longer walk, to the rainforest entrance
  • Family rooms at many
  • Convenient for an early road transfer to Kasane

Ideal for: Families and travelers who want a simple, friendly base at the falls before crossing into Botswana

Premium

Victoria Falls · walk to the rainforest

Period Hotel above the Gorge

Heritage hotel

Hotels in this style belong to an older age of travel, with wide verandas, formal gardens and a view down the gorge toward the bridge and the rising spray. You can walk to the rainforest entrance in the cool of the morning and be back on the terrace for lunch before the transfer to Botswana.

  • Terrace dining with gorge and bridge views
  • Garden path toward the rainforest entrance
  • Large pool in landscaped grounds
  • Interconnecting rooms at some

Ideal for: Couples and families who want a sense of history, with the falls within walking distance

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourLuxury

Victoria Falls · upper Zambezi

Quiet Zambezi Suites Upstream

Lodge

A few kilometres upstream of the falls, lodges of this kind face the broad, island-dotted upper Zambezi, where hippos call at night and elephants sometimes wade between the islands. They make a calm landing after long-haul flights, or a slow last stop after a Botswana safari, with the rainforest a short drive away.

  • River-facing suites, many with plunge pools
  • Sunset boat trips from the lodge
  • Private transfers to the falls and the Kazungula border
  • Spa treatments at many

Ideal for: Honeymooners who want a river setting and privacy on either side of their safari

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourComfort

Chobe Riverfront · Kasane

Kasane Waterfront Family Lodge

Lodge

Set on the Chobe River in Kasane, these well-run lodges put the national-park gate about 10 km from your room and a boat jetty at the foot of the garden. Rooms are straightforward, the pool fills the hot middle of the day, and afternoon boat safaris often leave straight from the lodge, which makes this an easy base for families.

  • Own jetty for river safaris at many
  • Pool and shaded lawns
  • Family rooms and interconnecting options
  • Short drive to Kasane airport and the park gate

Ideal for: Families and first-time visitors who want Chobe’s boats and drives with a pool between outings

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourPremium

Chobe Riverfront · Kasane riverbank

Boutique Riverbank Lodge · Kasane

Lodge

Smaller and more personal than the town’s larger hotels, these riverbank lodges keep room numbers low and boats reserved for their own guests. Photographers can book a small boat for low-angle elephant work in the golden hour, then edit by a pool that looks straight onto the river.

  • River-view rooms with private decks
  • Small boats for private or photographic outings
  • Pool overlooking the Chobe
  • Drives timed for the park gate’s opening

Ideal for: Couples and photographers who want a quieter Kasane base with good boats

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourLuxury

Chobe Riverfront · river-view, in or beside the park

Floodplain-View Luxury Lodge · Chobe

Lodge

The most sought-after Chobe stays sit inside the national park or on the rise just beyond it, looking across the floodplain toward Namibia. Being so close shortens the run to the river, so morning drives can reach the water before the vehicles from town arrive, and suites are generous, with private decks and sometimes plunge pools.

  • Suites with river or floodplain views
  • Private boat and drive options
  • Plunge pools at some
  • Spa and fine dining at many

Ideal for: Honeymooners, photographers and travelers finishing a long safari on a high note

Sunset silhouettes over Lake KaribaPremium

Chobe River · houseboat

Floating River Suites · Chobe

Houseboat

A houseboat swaps the game-drive vehicle for a slow, floating base on the Chobe, with a handful of cabins, a sundeck and small tender boats that take you close to elephants and hippos along the banks. Boats moor overnight at permitted spots, some on the Namibian side of the river, so the exact mooring and border formalities are details we confirm when we plan.

  • En-suite cabins with river views
  • Tender boats for close, low-angle viewing
  • Meals and sundowners on the upper deck
  • Stays of two or three nights on board

Ideal for: Couples and photographers who want every waking hour on the water

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campComfort

Khwai · community concession

Village-Trust Tented Camp · Khwai

Tented camp

In the Khwai community area, across the river that forms Moremi’s northern edge, simpler tented camps share the same floodplains and wildlife as the reserve at a gentler price level. Because this is community land rather than a reserve, night drives and guided walks are commonly offered, and the fees you pay help support the village trust.

  • Classic en-suite safari tents
  • Night drives and walks where the community area allows
  • Floodplain views at some
  • Reached by light aircraft or on a road-based route

Ideal for: Families and value-minded travelers who want night drives and walks without a private-concession price

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Khwai · on the Khwai River

Hippo-Pool Canvas Camp · Khwai River

Tented camp

Tents here line the Khwai River itself, where hippos grunt in the pools below the deck and elephants cross between the community area and Moremi. When the river runs high enough, guides pole mokoros along its reedy margins; when it drops, drives along the banks can turn up leopards and, in some seasons, wild dogs in the riverine woodland.

  • River-facing tents with private verandas
  • Mokoro on the Khwai River when water allows
  • Night drives and guided walks
  • Quiet river viewpoints or hides at some

Ideal for: Photographers and couples who want river life on the doorstep and night drives in the same stay

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Khwai · private lease

Private-Lease Luxury Camp · Khwai

Tented camp

A few camps hold private leases within the Khwai area, giving them their own stretch of land away from the busier public tracks beside the river. Expect large, stylish tents, a vehicle for your party on request and the freedom to head out after dark with a spotlight in search of aardwolf, genet and leopard.

  • A handful of widely spaced luxury tents
  • Night drives and walks on the lease area
  • Photographic vehicles at some
  • Plunge pools at many

Ideal for: Couples and photographers who want Khwai’s wildlife with more space and fewer vehicles

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Moremi · Xakanaxa lagoons

Lagoon-Edge Luxury Camp · Moremi

Tented camp

Deep in Moremi, where the Xakanaxa lagoons meet mopane woodland and open floodplain, a small number of camps combine boat trips on the lagoons with drives through some of the reserve’s best predator country. Reserve rules keep drives to daylight and to the tracks, but you start and end each day well inside the park, far from the gates.

  • Lagoon boat trips when water levels allow
  • Daytime drives on Moremi’s tracks
  • Large tents facing the lagoon or floodplain
  • Birding among papyrus and waterlilies

Ideal for: Travelers who want land and water in one stay inside Moremi

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campUltra-Luxury

Moremi · Chief's Island

Predator-Country Ultra Camp · Chief’s Island

Tented camp

Chief’s Island, once a royal hunting ground and added to Moremi in the 1970s, is home to a handful of Botswana’s most celebrated camps on private leases. Tents here are closer to suites, with plunge pools and outdoor showers, and the daytime game viewing on the surrounding floodplains is among the most concentrated in the Delta, though reserve rules mean no night drives or walks.

  • Suite-sized tents with plunge pools
  • Floodplain drives with very few other vehicles
  • Private vehicle and guide at many
  • Spa, gym or wine cellar at some

Ideal for: Honeymooners and photographers for whom the density of daytime wildlife matters most

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campComfort

Okavango Delta · community concession

Community-Concession Delta Camp

Tented camp

Comfort-level Delta camps usually sit in community-run concessions toward the southern and eastern fringes of the Delta, closer to Maun, so the bush flight is short. The focus is the water: mokoro trips with polers from nearby villages, island walks and quiet evenings by the fire, with fewer frills than the private-concession camps further in.

  • Simple en-suite tents or chalets
  • Mokoro trips with polers from local communities
  • Guided island walks
  • Short flights from Maun

Ideal for: Families and first-time Delta visitors who want mokoro and island walks at a lighter price level

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Okavango Delta · permanent channels

Papyrus-Channel Water Camp

Tented camp

Water camps stand on islands along the Delta’s permanent channels, where the water stays deep enough for boats all year and there are few roads or none. Days pass in a mokoro or motorboat among papyrus, lily pads and reed frogs, with walks on nearby islands; game drives are limited or absent, and that is exactly the point.

  • Mokoro and motorboat outings in every season
  • Island walks with your guide
  • Tents raised on decks above the water’s edge
  • Birding for fish eagles, kingfishers and herons

Ideal for: Travelers who want the Okavango’s water world at its purest

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Okavango Delta · private concession, land & water

Land-and-Water Delta Camp

Tented camp

Mixed camps sit where dry land meets permanent water, so each day you can choose between a game drive and a mokoro or boat trip, and often do both. On a private concession they also run night drives and walks, which makes this the most versatile style in the Delta and a sound choice for a first visit or a family.

  • Game drives and water activities from one camp
  • Night drives and walks on the concession
  • Family tents at some
  • Activities that shift with the flood level

Ideal for: First-time visitors and families who want variety without changing camp

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Okavango Delta · central Delta islands

Palm-Island Luxury Water Camp

Tented camp

In the central Delta, luxury water camps are built on palm-shaded islands ringed by channels and floodplain, and are reached only by air. Suites open onto wide decks with plunge pools, and the rhythm is a mokoro at dawn, a long lunch and a boat out to a lagoon for sundowners as the reed frogs tune up.

  • Suites with plunge pools and outdoor showers
  • Mokoro and boat outings for your party alone
  • Island walks with a guide
  • Access by light aircraft only

Ideal for: Honeymooners and couples who want the Delta’s water world with real comfort

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Okavango Delta · northern private concessions

Northern-Concession Luxury Camp

Tented camp

The northern Delta’s private concessions, where permanent water meets drier mopane country, are known for strong predator viewing, and each is shared by only a few small camps. Guides can leave the track to follow a hunting pack where the concession permits, run night drives and walks, and switch to the water in the flood months, while many camps welcome families with dedicated family tents.

  • Off-road driving where the concession permits
  • Night drives and guided walks
  • Seasonal mokoro and boat trips
  • Family tents and private vehicles at many

Ideal for: Photographers, families with older children and anyone who wants the full range of Delta activities

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourUltra-Luxury

Okavango Delta · private concession

Exclusive Floodplain Water Lodge

Lodge

At the very top of the Delta’s range, a few lodges on private concessions pair contemporary architecture with a front-row view of the floodplain: glass-fronted suites, a private pool on every deck and enough staff to plan each day around you. Boats, mokoros and drives run by season and water level, and some can arrange helicopter flights from their own landing pad.

  • Suites with private plunge pools
  • Private guide and vehicle at many
  • Water and land activities by season
  • Spa, wine cellar and personal host at some

Ideal for: Honeymooners and travelers who want the most refined stay the Delta offers

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Savuti · Savuti Channel

Channel-Edge Luxury Camp · Savuti

Tented camp

The few camps around Savuti overlook the Savuti Channel, a waterway that has dried up and flowed again several times over the past century, leaving dead trees standing along its bed. Savuti lies inside Chobe National Park, so drives keep to the tracks and end at dusk, but resident lions, hyenas and cheetahs make for intense daytime viewing, and waterholes near camp often draw elephants in the dry months.

  • Tents overlooking the channel or a waterhole
  • Daytime drives to the Savuti Marsh
  • Resident predators close to camp
  • Short flights to the Linyanti or Kasane

Ideal for: Photographers and predator enthusiasts adding a dry-country chapter to a Delta trip

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Linyanti · private concession

Linyanti Classic Concession Camp

Tented camp

A classic tented camp on one of the Linyanti’s private concessions gives you the region’s great draw, dry-season herds of elephant and buffalo gathering at the permanent water, without the top-end finishes. Drives can continue after dark and leave the track where the concession allows, and the camps are small enough that you rarely meet another vehicle.

  • Traditional en-suite tents on the waterfront
  • Night drives and off-road tracking
  • Boat trips on the Linyanti when water allows
  • Small, personal camp atmosphere

Ideal for: Experienced safari travelers who value wildlife and wilderness over lavish touches

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Linyanti, Selinda & Kwando · private concessions

Riverine Concession Luxury Camp

Tented camp

Across the Linyanti, Selinda and Kwando concessions, luxury camps sit beside lagoons, the Selinda Spillway or the Kwando River, each concession shared by very few guests. Space brings freedom here: walks with a qualified guide, spotlit night drives and off-road tracking of lions or wild dogs where the concession allows, with elephants crossing the channels in front of camp in the dry months.

  • Few tents on a large private concession
  • Walks, night drives and off-road tracking
  • Boating or mokoro on the channels in season
  • Hides or sleep-out decks at some

Ideal for: Couples and photographers who want privacy, predators and the full range of concession activities

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campUltra-Luxury

Linyanti · private concession

Exclusive Linyanti Marsh Camp

Tented camp

The most exclusive Linyanti camps look over the river’s marshes and channels from suites with private pools, on concessions of more than a thousand square kilometres shared with very few other guests. With a vehicle kept for you, you can sit with an elephant herd crossing the river for as long as the light holds, then dine under the stars on your deck.

  • Suites with private plunge pools
  • Private vehicle and guide at many
  • Night drives and walks on the concession
  • Bush dinners and sleep-out decks at some

Ideal for: Honeymooners and seasoned travelers who want seclusion, service and outstanding dry-season game

Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourComfort

Makgadikgadi · Gweta & the pans' edge

Palm-Grove Lodge · Gweta

Lodge

Near the village of Gweta, on the northern side of the pans, relaxed lodges among palms and baobabs make an easy base for meerkat visits, quad-bike trips onto the dry salt and walks with San guides. Rooms and chalets are simple and full of character, and a pool takes the edge off hot Kalahari afternoons.

  • Chalets or rooms with en-suite bathrooms
  • Meerkat and quad-bike outings in the dry season
  • Pool and bar beneath the palms
  • Easy access from the Nata–Maun road

Ideal for: Families and road-trippers who want the pans’ activities at a relaxed price level

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Makgadikgadi · Boteti River

Boteti Riverbank Zebra Camp

Tented camp

On the banks of the Boteti River, the western boundary of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, tented camps face one of the dry season’s great spectacles: large herds of zebra coming down to drink once the grasslands dry out. A pool on the deck makes the hot months easy, and outings to the meerkats and the open pans are usually on offer.

  • River-view tents with outdoor showers
  • Ground-level hide at the waterline at some
  • Excursions to meerkats and the pans
  • Pool overlooking the river

Ideal for: Photographers and dry-season travelers who want the zebra from a comfortable, pool-cooled camp

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Makgadikgadi · edge of Ntwetwe Pan

Ntwetwe Pan-Edge Luxury Camp

Tented camp

On the grassy fringe of Ntwetwe Pan, a small number of luxury camps pair old-school safari style, all rugs, campaign furniture and canvas, with the pans’ signature activities: habituated meerkats, walks with San guides, quad bikes onto the salt and nights sleeping out beneath the sky. The emptiness is the luxury, above all in the dry winter, when the pans are white and firm.

  • Large tents with period furnishings
  • San-guided walks and meerkat mornings
  • Quad biking and sleep-outs in the dry season
  • Pool or shaded cooling areas for hot afternoons

Ideal for: Couples and families who want the full pans experience with exceptional comfort

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Central Kalahari · northern reserve

Fossil-Valley Tented Camp · Central Kalahari

Tented camp

In the northern Central Kalahari, tented camps look over the fossil river valleys and pans that fill with springbok, gemsbok and wildebeest after good summer rains. Camps are few in a reserve of about 52,800 km², so days often pass without another vehicle, and nights bring a dense sky of stars and the calls of jackals and lions.

  • Tents facing a pan or fossil valley
  • Game drives through the northern valleys
  • Walks with San guides at some
  • At its best after good rains, typically December–April

Ideal for: Travelers who want solitude and the Kalahari’s desert-adapted wildlife

Luxury

Central Kalahari · Deception Valley area

Kalahari Luxury Desert Lodge

Desert lodge

Close to Deception Valley, desert lodges of this kind combine suites of thatch, canvas or glass with plunge pools and long views over the grassland. The valley, well known for research on brown hyenas, draws herds and predators after the rains, while in the dry months the appeal lies in the silence, the San-guided walks and the sheer scale of the land.

  • Suites with plunge pools
  • Game drives in Deception Valley and nearby pans
  • San-guided nature walks
  • Stargazing from the deck

Ideal for: Couples who want the Kalahari’s quiet and space with a lodge’s comforts

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsComfort

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

Classic Dome-Tent Mobile Safari

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

A private mobile safari is the original way to travel in northern Botswana: your guide drives you through Moremi, Khwai and Savuti while a small crew goes ahead to pitch camp at pre-booked public campsites. At this level the tents are walk-in domes with camp beds, bucket showers and toilet tents are shared, and dinner is cooked over the fire.

  • Walk-in dome tents with camp beds and bedding
  • Shared bucket-shower and toilet tents
  • Fireside meals cooked by the camp crew
  • One private guide from start to finish

Ideal for: Adventurous travelers happy with simple comforts in return for being deep in the bush

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsPremium

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

En-Suite Mobile Camp

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

The same moving safari with more comfort: every walk-in tent has its own attached bucket shower and toilet, proper beds and a small veranda. The crew sets up ahead of you at each campsite, so after the afternoon drive you arrive to lanterns already lit, hot water for the shower and a table laid beside the fire.

  • Walk-in tents with en-suite bucket showers and toilets
  • Beds made up with linen and duvets
  • Camp crew and cook travelling ahead of you
  • Same private guide and vehicle throughout

Ideal for: Couples and families who want the freedom of a mobile safari with private bathrooms

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsLuxury

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

Luxury Private Mobile Camp

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

At the top end, a mobile camp becomes a private travelling lodge: spacious furnished tents with en-suite bathrooms, a dining and lounge tent, fine linen and a chef who cooks over the coals. One guide stays with you from Moremi to Savuti, and the camp is set up for your party alone, so the campsite, the pace and the dinner table are all your own.

  • Large furnished tents with en-suite facilities
  • Private dining and lounge tent
  • Chef-prepared meals by the fire
  • Exclusive to your party

Ideal for: Honeymooners and private groups who want wilderness camping without giving up comfort

Where you’ll stay

How We Choose Your Camps

  1. We shortlist camps for location first — where the wildlife and experiences will be on your dates.

  2. Then we match the comfort level, room types and atmosphere to your party.

  3. Every property we recommend comes from our vetted partner network.

  4. Your proposal names each camp, with photos, before you confirm anything.

Wetland channels of Moremi Game Reserve

Tell Us Your Month

Share when you can travel, who is coming and what you most hope to see in Botswana. A specialist will shape a private route around it and walk you through every choice before anything is booked.

Plan My Botswana Safari