BOTSWANA
Okavango Shindi
Shindi is an excellent private concession in the northeast of the Okavango
Delta.
The area benefits from a really good range of ecosystems. Between May and September one can expect extensive floodplains, whilst a good network of deepwater channels ensures decent boat safari year round. The better camps also have exellent dry safari areas, offering a good variety of game throughout the year.
We would usually only consider two of the four camps here. Our favourite by far is the very small and simple Footsteps Camp, which offers an outstandingly authentic and outdoorsy safari experience. Shindi Camp meanwhile is a larger and more conventional lodge of decent quality.
Camp Okavango
'Camp O' is located on a beautiful little island in the Shindi Concession
to the north of the Okavango Delta.
This is a wet camp, focussing solely on mokoro and motorboat safaris. It is one of the very best places to look out for the rare sitatunga antelope.
But for a camp in such a prime area to rate this low, there is clearly something very wrong. Camp Okavango is large, tatty and tired, whilst the manicured gardens are overrun with non-indigenous plant species. This place is long overdue a major overhaul.
Footsteps Camp
Footsteps is a remarkable little camp, located in a prime location on
the Shindi Concession to the north of the Okavango Delta.
With just three tents and a tiny mess area, there is virtually nothing to the place, but appearances can be deceptive ... this place is very special.
Footsteps offers probably the most authentic, intelligent and involving safari experience of any camp in Botswana, mainly on foot and by mokoro, with a vehicle as back-up.
If you are outdoorsy and in search of the real deal, then you need look no further.
Shindi Camp
Shindi Camp is located in the northern sector of the Okavango Delta in Northern Botswana.
This long established camp is set in a fine waterfront location. A broad range of eco-systems in the area ensures good wet and dry safari all year, with flooded plains usually Jun/Sep and deepwater channels at other times. The camp itself is pleasant and comfortable.
We tend to use Shindi Camp quite sparingly, mainly because in this northern delta area our guests tend to prefer the much simpler and more intimate Footsteps Camp or the more balsy Kwara Camp and Little Kwara Camp on the adjacent concession.
Xugana Camp
Xugana (Koo-ga-nah) is located on a beautiful little island in the Shindi
Concession to the north of the Okavango Delta.
This is a wet camp, focussing on mokoro and motorboat safaris, plus some walking on adjacent islands.
The camp itself is one of the oldest in the delta, so much so that it has the atmosphere of somewhere quite historic.
But for a camp in such a good location to rate so low is a sure indication that something is wrong. Xugana feels tired, dated and much in need of an overhaul.