Pristine Wilderness at its finest: An up-close safari journey

Contemporary. Luxurious. Exceptional, year-round game-viewing. Your introduction to Botswana begins in the savannah plains, along one of the main channels that feeds the iconic Okavango Delta. The grasslands that surround Wilderness Vumbura Plains teem with dry- and wetland specialist wildlife: impala, sable, red lechwe, buffalo, elephant. Predators follow. Leopards, lions, and packs of wild dog thrive on the diversity of prey. In the capable hands of our knowledgeable guides, get front-row seats to the action. On morning and afternoon game drives, mokoro expeditions through the channels and guided walks, encounters are thrilling, up-close, unforgettable.

Vumbura Plains’ 14 spacious suites face the view, designed to maximise immersion into the magical Okavango Delta. Inside, the stories and people of this land come to life through artwork and custom-designed pieces.

Exclusive encounters. Up-close action. When it comes to mega-herds, there’s no place like Mababe. On your helicopter ride in, fly over vast herds, zebra and buffalo by the thousand, a rare and wondrous spectacle. Within Mababe, a unique distal lake is the only water source for hundreds of miles to the east, north and south, attracting mega-herds of zebra and buffalo, smaller herds of other plains game and a plethora of predators. Watch them stalk, hunt, chase; up-close and with no one else in sight. In the vast 50,000ha expanse of the wild Mababe area, Wilderness Mokete stands alone.

As unique as the wildlife in this region, Mokete safaris are unconventional. With exclusive use of the land, time is dictated not by the clock, but by nature. There’s no reason to leave a sighting. Lions may hunt in the morning or the afternoon, or under cover of darkness; no matter the hour, if exciting predator-prey interaction begins to unfold, stay for the action.

In camp, close encounters continue. Spend an afternoon in the sunken hide, toe-level with the herds of elephants that come to slake their thirst at the waterhole. Smell their earthy, musty scent, hear their trunks slurp water, feel their great, rolling rumbles as they communicate with one another; it doesn’t get closer than that.

Venture where few have gone before. A limited-edition camp open for two-and-a-half years only, pioneering Wilderness Mokete puts only canvas between guests and nature in nine tented suites accommodating 18 people. An immersive, once-in a lifetime experience.