Botswana

Mababe

Discover a unique pulse and energy on the plains of Botswana, with a visceral safari unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.


As wild as it gets

Imagine a place where you can witness lion kills every day, perhaps even multiple times a day. A place where you can fly over the same buffalo herd for a solid ten minutes, the spectacle stretching the breadth of the horizon. Where you’ll be dazzled by the zebra migration, creating a world of black and white. A place where you will stay at the only lodge in 50,000 hectares. Now stop imagining. Welcome to Mababe.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Mababe at a glance

The Mababe Depression marsh fills in the summer season, creating a wetland of some 2,600 hectares. This progressively disappears in the dry season, although never completely, with permanent water feeding nutrient-rich grasslands, welcoming great herds. Here it’s not uncommon to see vast buffalo herds, tsessebe in their hundreds, and large prides of lions following in their wake.

Key Facts

Mababe key facts

Fly west to east, following the Nqogha and Khwai channels, across the palm-dotted floodplains of the Delta, over riparian forest to acacia woodland, and finally large swathes of mopane, which abruptly gives way to the shoreline of an ancient lake. And on the other side - one of the most unique ecosystems in Botswana: the great expanse and immense grasslands of the legendary Mababe Depression.

GEOGRAPHIC SIZE

503 km²

BIRD SPECIES

+/- 100

MAMMAL SPECIES

+/- 400

BEST TIME TO VISIT

All year round

WILDERNESS CAMPS

1

Habitats

Wildlife

Weather

THINGS TO DO

Mababe experiences

Go on a game drive by day or night, following lions as they push buffalo to the waterline. Spend hours at the sunken hide, eye-to-toe with a breeding herd of elephants. Take a walk, quiet as a field mouse, as you spot some of Africa’s rarest birds.

MAP

Explore our camp in Mababe

In the plains of Botswana lies Mababe, an incredibly productive region which isn't visited by many. Mababe is situated in this remote and wild place, where predators follow in the wake of abundant wildlife herds.

Go to Destination map

FAQ

General

JOURNAL

Mababe featured stories

Mababe may be new to the Wilderness collection, but set as it is between Wilderness’ exceptional safari areas in the Linyanti and Okavango Delta regions of Botswana, it already has its fair share of stories.
SEE ALL STORIES

Raw and wild at the new Wilderness Mokete

Discover Julian’s 5-day adventure at our new camp Wilderness Mokete, located in Botswana, a lion str...

Read more

Julian Carter-Manning

08.03.2024

Unforgettable Family Dining Adventures

Discover unique family dining experiences at our Botswana safari camps; from Little Mak camp pizza t...

Read more

Wilderness Blogger

08.08.2023

Wilderness Traveller Types Family

A family vacation in wild Botswana

Get closer to your loved ones on a family safari in Botswana.

Read more

Lauren Dold

07.08.2023

Let’s plan your next journey

Ready?

When we say we’re there every step of the way, we mean it, literally. From planning the perfect circuit, to private inter-camp transfers on Wilderness Air, and easing you through Customs. We’re with you on the ground, at your side, 24-7, from start to finish. Ready to take the road less travelled? Contact our Travel Designers to plan an unforgettable journey.