Sable Alley

Each of Sable Alley’s 10 Twin Tents is comfortably furnished with a mini indoor lounge area, writing desk and a soft double bed. Twin Tents are suited to accommodate 2 adults and feature a large en-suite bathroom with a flush loo, twin basins and an indoor shower. There is also a refreshing outdoor shower for washing off the dust after exploring the bush on a day of exciting safari activities. The suite’s sliding screen doors open out to a spacious private verandah with seating and a lagoon view. The tents are fitted with charging facilities and have wi-fi access so that guests can update family and friends at home about their amazing stay.

The Honeymoon Tent contains the same amenities and luxuries as the standard Twin Tents, but also features an extended verandah with an outdoor sun bed.

Sable Alley’s 2 Family Tents are each designed to cater for up to 4 guests. The family tents consist of 2 rooms, one fitted with a double bed, and the other containing 2 twin beds. Each of the rooms has its own spacious en-suite bathroom, consisting of a flush loo, indoor shower and double basins, and the two rooms are connected by a shared stairway and deck. The large deck features outdoor sofas for families to sit together and watch the African sunset as hippos snort and honk in the lagoon’s waters.

Sable Alley’s brilliant chefs will provide you with three delicious meals a day. Dinner is served either under the thatched roof of the indoor area, or outside on the deck under a canopy of twinkling stars. Eat mouth-watering local delicacies while watching envious elephants drink at the lagoon, before enjoying a beverage from the camp’s bar in the plush lounge area, or beside the warm fire pit.

Embark on an exciting game drive and immerse yourself in the amazing wildlife of the Khwai Private Reserve.  Game Drives usually take place in the early morning or afternoon, when temperatures are at their most comfortable and the game is most active. Drive past plains dotted with dainty antelope, spot big cats lounging in trees, and experience the true size of a giant elephant. The safari vehicles are open-sided, allowing incredible and unbroken views of the game, as well as brilliant photographic opportunities. Learn about the reserve’s amazing inhabitants from the camp’s experienced guides, and get them to help you search for the wildlife that interests you the most.

Drift along the stunning Okavango waterways in a dug-out canoe and enjoy a gentle cruise amongst the lily pads, while watching the wildlife that surrounds the Khwai River. Learn about the river and its inhabitants while hippos swim alongside you and elephants drink from the riverbanks. Due to the river’s fluctuating water levels, mokoro safaris may not always be available.

Head out into the wilderness with an expert guide and explore the bush at your own pace on a safari walk. Journey to the places that the safari vehicles are unable to reach, and sneak up to incredible wildlife without the distracting sound of an engine to startle them. The camp’s guides will be able to teach you about the fascinating species that live in Khwai Private Reserve, as well as how to recognise animal tracks and marks left in the bush. This experience is enhanced during the dry season when more land is available for walking on.

Sable Alley is a Natural Selection safari camp. Natural Selection supports the vision of the Botswana Community and Conservation Initiative (BCCI), which provides regional conservation and support for rural communities to develop sustainable land-use practices that promote conservation-based economic opportunities, facilitate landscape-scale wildlife movements, and provide for climate change resilience. Natural Selection has also partnered with Coaching Conservation ‘to provide local people with the critical information they need to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic.’

‘Over the last three years, 1.5% of every guest’s stay in [Natural Selection’s] camps has gone towards community and conservation projects. Combined with the direct contributions that [Natural Selection’s] camps make to local community outreach, this amounts to nearly 1 million USD of committed funds.’

The increase in the number of elephants in the Okavango Delta in recent years is a cause for celebration. However, for villagers along the Delta’s panhandle and outskirts, the sudden boost in elephant numbers means that their land is more likely to be trampled and humans may be at risk of fatal encounters. Natural Selection has recognised that transportation for local communities is a need, and they worked with EcoExist and the Okavango Community Trust to launch the ‘Elephant Express’ in January 2020. The ‘Elephant Express’ service transports children to schools safely, as well as helping patients get to clinics without the fear of crossing paths with a gigantic elephant.

Natural Selections has been working with the local Khwai Village in order to identify needs within the community and create solutions. Natural Selections have launched a number of projects to do this, such as the Feed A Child programme which provides schoolchildren with a healthy vitamin-rich meal at the start of the school day. Natural Selection’s other projects include setting up a pre-school in Khwai Village and providing an income for the teachers, supporting the village elders and disabled members of the community, and providing homes with electricity using solar power. Natural Selections’ initiatives not only help the local communities but inspire the local villagers to see ecotourism in a positive light, resulting in a decrease in human and animal conflict.

Natural Selection ensures that 1.5% of your expedition fees goes to wildlife conservation. They also work with the local communities, governments and conservation organisations in order to help protect conservation areas, and sustain them. The camps that are built are subtle and blend in with the environment and the habitats that already exist there, causing minimal disruption to the surrounding wildlife. Sable Alley is also powered by solar energy to reduce carbon emissions and pollution.

Natural Selection started the Etosha Heights Rhino Protection program which is an anti-poaching group that monitor Rhinos, and ensure that poachers are unable to illegally hunt these endangered creatures.

‘We take rhino conservation extremely seriously, and the Etosha Heights team work tirelessly to safeguard the future of these bushveld unicorns and ensure that many more generations can enjoy watching them. Within the reserve, we have an anti-poaching camp and team that are dedicated to protecting the rhinos and preventing any illegal hunting from happening along the boundaries of the reserve. Our rangers are on the ground 24 hours a day and have completed an intensive training programme to ensure that they’re the best of the best. Combined with new state of the art anti-poaching surveillance technology, this team is a force to be reckoned with.’