7 Reasons Wilderness Chitabe offers an exceptional Okavango safari

But it’s not only nature shaping Chitabe. It’s the people, the guides, and the experiences that bring this landscape to life. 

Here are 7 reasons the wildlife experience at Chitabe is not only unforgettable – it’s an exceptional safari.

Chitabe is staggeringly full of life. The density and diversity of animals here is unique even for Okavango Delta safaris, with consistent sightings of elephants, buffalo, giraffe, and numerous prey species. This abundance of prey, in turn, supports an unusually high concentration of predators — from lions and leopards to wild dogs and cheetahs. So, what makes Chitabe so productive?

    
In the Okavango Delta, where seasonal rainfall transforms dry grasslands into wetlands and floodplains, location is everything. For some camps, it’s the difference between opening and closing for the season. But for Chitabe, situated in the south-eastern reaches of the Delta, location is what makes the wildlife experience so reliably out of this world.

The Chitabe Concession – 22,000 hectares (more than 50,000 acres) of land bordered by the renowned Moremi Game Reserve – is flanked by two water channels. These channels, more dependable than seasonal pans, provide essential water during the dry season, attracting a steady stream of wildlife to their edges.

As Head of Sales (Americas) and former safari guide Craig Glatthaar explains, “Unlike a braided river, these are single, meandering channels, with very few subsidiary offshoots. That means wildlife is not dispersed, and tends to congregate along the channel edge”.

And it’s not just the water that draws them in.

Driving through Chitabe is like flipping through the pages of an ecological storybook. Blink, and you may find yourself in an entirely new landscape – each a unique habitat for classic Okavango Delta wildlife.

 
Moving east from camp towards the Gomoti River, the land begins to reveal its astonishing diversity. Dry woodlands with acacia and mopane trees – home to giraffe, kudu, and hidden leopards – give way to open grasslands, where elephants and buffalo roam and cheetah hunt in the dry season. In the wet season, red lechwe and birds like wattled cranes and long-toed lapwings gather along the seasonal waters.

Travelling west, the landscape shifts again. As you approach the more permanent waters of the Santantadibe River, the air becomes more humid, and the ground greener. Papyrus-lined channels, riverine woodlands and islands provide habitat for hippos, reedbuck, and waterbirds like the rare slaty egret.

What makes Chitabe’s landscape fascinating isn’t just the distinct habitats, but the transitions between them. In the short distances between woodlands and floodplains, you’ll find the greatest variety of wildlife. These transition zones or ecotones – where two ecosystems overlap – support species from both habitats. The result? Awe-inspiring wildlife sightings. Denser birdlife. Unexpected encounters.  

 
As Dave Hamman explains, these varying habitats can be seen right from camp, too. “Chitabe camp is located in the middle of this myriad of diversity. So as soon as one leaves on a game drive, you can see the variations in the landscape – which also means that the game sightings are often close to camp, as well”. 

Chitabe’s rich mosaic of habitats, ecotones, availability of water and cover create the ideal conditions for Africa’s most powerful predators.

Chitabe is a true stronghold for predators – not just by luck, but by ecological design. 

Surrounded by water and marsh on three sides, and bordered to the northeast by game reserve, Chitabe’s structure naturally limits dispersal. Animals can leave — but few need to. With water, shade, and food available year-round, there’s little pressure to move on. And when prey stay, so do the predators.

For predators, this means opportunity. Movement becomes more predictable. Encounters, more frequent. And for the lions, leopards, wild dogs and cheetahs that call this place home, it creates a terrain where every bend holds a potential hunt. Animals cross paths more often. Territories press up against each other. Tensions simmer.

And with so many apex predators operating in one space, dramatic interactions are not just possible – they’re likely.

As Dave recalls, “Some of our guests witnessed a pair of leopards mating in a tree with a carcass in it. Then a lioness climbed the tree, dropped the carcass and chased the leopards off. No sooner had that happened when two male lions arrived and stole the carcass from the lioness”   

“One of my favourite sightings was lions chasing a cheetah off its kill, only to be driven off by a clan of hyenas moments later”, recounts Craig. 

These are the moments Chitabe is known for – the kind that unfold naturally when the landscape itself is working behind the scenes, shaping the rhythm of life.

Chitabe’s unique location doesn’t just create dramatic sightings — it sustains them. Even as conditions shift across the Delta, this land consistently bristles with wildlife, creating a spectacular year-round safari in Botswana. 

 
When water sources elsewhere in the Delta becomes scarce, the channels at Chitabe consistently attract wildlife. When high water levels make other areas inaccessible, Chitabe’s central ground is dry – becoming a refuge for wildlife. 

“Many concessions are either/or. Anything changes in the environment and sightings drop off. But Chitabe is year-round. Flanked by the two channels, Chitabe benefits from the seasonal rainfall which brings much-needed concentrated rains to the area. And when the rains from Angola come down 6 months later, the terrain receives another boost of vitality”. – Dave

Although wildlife densities reach their peak around July, there is no “off-season” here. The movement of animals and birds ebbs and flows throughout the year, revealing different faces of the landscape with each passing month. 

And game drives aren’t the only way to enjoy this outstanding landscape. 

“Although one can often see fantastic wildlife from one’s room and also from the main area, our guests rarely miss a game drive; there is just too much anticipation about what lies around the corner and the Fear of Missing Out is too strong.”- Helene 

While daytime game drives showcase the details in all their glory, night drives are a particular thrill. More mystery, more wonder, the excitement of the unknown. Scanning the bush with a single filtered spotlight to guide you is an enlivening experience – and calls to your attention Chitabe’s stirring soundscapes. 

Helicopter safaris are equally exciting, where one can sometimes spot trails of elephants moving along the river, or buffalo herds gathering in the grasslands. 

Chitabe also offers one of the most immersive experiences you can get in the Delta – the coveted walking safari. It’s here on these seasonal guided nature walks that the environment truly comes to life. Hearing the Earth move underfoot and being surrounded by the wilderness is memorable, to say the least. Led by Chitabe’s impeccable guides – who have an uncanny ability to read the land like a book – each footstep makes for a new and fascinating insight. 

For a camp known for its prolific wildlife, it speaks volumes that Chitabe is also well-known for its guides. With many of them working at the camp for over a decade or even two, Chitabe’s guides are remarkably attuned to the land. Don’t be surprised when your guide identifies a wild dog in the far distance by its unique markings. Chitabe’s guides are consistently requested by name. 

 
“Our guides develop real bonds with people”, says Helene. “Since inception in 1997, Chitabe has developed a following of loyal repeat guests, some of whom have been 15 times. And with our low staff turnover, they are often greeted by familiar faces”. 

They’ve also received extensive photographic training over the years, both from Dave, a renowned wildlife photographer, and other experts in the field. For those avid wildlife enthusiasts who want to get the best out of their equipment – and the stunning array of wildlife – Chitabe is an excellent destination for a photographic safari in Botswana.

With such knowledgeable and dedicated guides, game drives are as educational as they are experiential. You’ll likely leave Chitabe with more than a few great photographs and a wealth of new insights about the Okavango Delta.

A safari at Chitabe is a spectacle of nature. Predators, prey, birdlife and biodiversity… everywhere you turn, something to see, investigate and learn about. But for many of Chitabe’s guests over the years, the difference has been in the people. Chitabe’s guides are guardians of Earth. They care deeply for the land and everything that lives there. The same goes for owners Dave and Helene Hamman, who were committed to protecting wild things and places long before Chitabe was born. Their interest in wild dog research even became the inspiration for Chitabe’s logo. 

In the early ‘90s, before Dave and Helene Hamman took on the Chitabe Concession, they were based in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Mombo.

There, they worked on a National Geographic film following the dramas of the local wild dogs, and aided researcher Dr Tico McNutt with his work on this endangered species, tracking and collecting data on one of the largest wild dog packs ever recorded: a pack of 24 adults and 16 puppies. It was while working on these projects that the couple first spotted a curious anomaly: a wild dog pup with an entirely white tail.

Fast forward to 1996, when Chitabe’s NG31 concession was awarded to Dave and Helene. As they took their very first drive through the area, towards what would be the new site for the camp, the first animals they encountered were a wild dog pack in a nearby channel. Who could have expected that one adult dog, upon closer inspection, presented with a tail completely white in colour? By a stroke of fate, Helene and Dave had stumbled across the very wild dogs they had helped research years prior in a separate corner of the Delta. Inspired by this chance encounter, the Chitabe wild dog logo was born.

 
Dave and Helene’s holistic approach to sustainability and conservation –a philosophy that guides the entire Chitabe experience – is a true testament to their love of nature. 

“Conservation is a long-term initiative and it is because of what we did years ago that we reap the benefits now. Look at leopards. It is the respect that guides have shown for females with cubs over the years that has allowed us to see some of the highest densities of leopards. A leopard who has had an adverse experience with vehicles is unlikely to become relaxed. Because our guides have been respectful at sightings, they have gained the trust of so many of these predators”. – Dave

Dave and Helene donate camp proceeds annually to various conservation organisations, such as Wild Entrust, Coaching for Conservation and Community Coexistence. They have been involved with Wild Entrust’s Botswana Predator Conservation programme, one of the longest-running conservation projects in Africa, since the ‘90s. They actively involve guests in the African Carnivore Wildbook initiative, contributing wildlife photography to an international database that’s used to identify, track and conserve carnivore populations. Chitabe also replants indigenous trees such as baobabs to restore local habitats. 

Yes, the wildlife at Chitabe is special – but so is the story behind it. The way the land holds the animals, the way the animals shape the landscape, the way people work to protect both. 

For those who care not just about seeing Africa’s wildlife, but ensuring it endures, the Chitabe experience is more than a safari. It’s a place that makes you feel part of something lasting.