Selinda Explorers Camp

All the tents are custom-designed, bringing in the feel of a traditional safari camp with copper fixtures and furniture made from recycled hard woods. The tents include two rooms; a bedroom and a separate washbasin area. The beds are large and comfortable, either a twin bed configuration or a double bed, with soft pillows and high-quality bed linen. Floor to ceiling netted windows allowing the room to be flooded with natural light, and views of the surrounding bush are available from the comfort of your bed. The tents come complete with an ensuite ‘bustani’ bathroom, this is open air, but fenced off for privacy. Guests can relax on their private verandah, complete with deck chairs, after a long day of exploring the area.

There is one family tent available at Selinda Explorers Camp. This is a custom-designed traditional safari canvas tent which consists of two-bedrooms both with their own separate bathrooms and a verandah area for the whole family to relax in.

Meals are served communally at Selinda Explorers Camp. Delicious, fresh meals are cooked with local ingredients over an open fire, and can be catered to specific dietary needs in advance. Dinner is served either in the dining tent, which has open sides allowing for guests to feel at one with nature, or outside under the stars and by the glowing campfire for a truly traditional safari experience.

Exploring is a focus of this camp, as emphasised in the name. Guests can explore the surrounding area on foot with trained, armed guards. With no vehicle noise guests can encounter the local wildlife from a unique vantage point and feel at one with the animals. You may see elephants, lion, giraffe, antelope or roan on this once-in-a-lifetime way to explore the Selinda Reserve.

When the spillway is flooding canoe excursions are available. This is a traditional way to explore the winding, clear waterways of the reserve. With a guide, float down the water keeping an eye out for hippos or tiny reed frogs. Your guide can take you swimming in the refreshing waters of the spillway, which is a unique experience and a great way to cool down in the afternoon heat.

Although not the emphasis of the camp, day and night game drives are available. Explore further reaches than on foot and view the outstanding game population in their natural environment in a comfortable and open-sided vehicle.

Great Plains Conservation seeks to “preserve, rescue and recover” communities, wildlife and landscapes in Africa. One of the ways they are doing this is through the Great Plains Student Conservation Camp by educating teachers and students in local communities  and in Great Plains camps about environmental conservation and why this is important. The Great Plains Academy has been launched, which tackles the lack of education by providing “personal and community enrichment opportunities for individuals in Northern Botswana.” The Conservation Grows program began in 2019 and “aims to restore indigenous tress to landscapes across Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.”

Great Plains Conservation contributes to the Rhinos Without Borders project and aims to translocate “100 rhinos from poaching hot zones in South Africa to safe havens in Botswana.” Guests are helping to support this as a “Conservation and Community Levy is added to each stay” as a contribution towards these projects.

Great Plains Conservation understands that employing people from local communities not only benefits the employee but also their wider family members. Having a job and an income reduces their need to rely on the land for survival so increases the protection of this land. A relatively new initiative is “Women Wildlife Monitors” which aims to employ and empower local women. Great Plains Conservation have also donated solar lanterns to community members and students so their homes can have a safe and sustainable light resource. Every Great Plains Camp has a shop where local beadwork and other products can be sold, to help support local craft groups.

Revenue is generated directly for the community through opportunities such as ‘The Life with Elephants’ tour which was designed by residents of the local village Eretsha and EcoExist which “offers travellers the opportunity to see life alongside wildlife in a remote Okavango Delta community.”

Selinda Explorers Camp is a member of the Pack for Purpose initiative which allows travellers to supply local communities with equipment and resources they may need for community projects.

Great Plains Conservation protects thousands of acres of land from development, and also has eco-initiatives such as investments in solar power, kitchen gardens, and eliminating single-use plastics such as bottles and straws. Their camps also have bio-digesters, composting, grey water recycling and recycled wood used in camp construction.