Selinda Explorers Camp
BotswanaSelinda Explorers Camp is Great Plains Conservation’s wildest experience. Perched on the banks of the ever changing Selinda Spillway, it is the very essence of pioneering, 19th century African exploration under canvas – but in sublime comfort.
Pioneer canvas, leather and wood
The Selinda Explorers Camp is chic, basic and beautiful. The four individualised tents are settled in the deep shade of giant Mangosteen and Jackalberry trees. The camp rests on the ancient Kalahari sands allowing you to feel the throb of wild Africa while the décor and appointments conjure an era of opulent exploration. You will recline on campaign furniture and inhale the glorious, herb-scented Selinda air. Your personal effects will live in vintage trunks and your hot water will arrive in copper kettles. The bathrooms are completed with flush loos and open-air showers with plenty of hot and cold water.
When you are not in your tent, you might be indulging in a gin and tonic from the comfort of a huge cushion, set on the Arabian rugs of the main tent. As the African night builds you could be dining on simple yet stunning cuisine by the light of a brass lantern or relaxing around the fire, contemplating the day’s adventures with a fine single malt, dancing gold in the firelight through the crystal tumbler.
The wilderness on land
Exploration and discovery of the 320 000 acre wonderment of the Selinda Game Reserve is on foot. You will leave camp as dawn touches the Botswana sky with an experienced game guide. On foot, you miss nothing – the splendour of the Selinda dawn chorus, the soft touch of the Kalahari sand beneath your feet, the caress of the long grass on your legs and, most excitingly, the snap of a branch as an elephant bull selects his breakfast. If you are blessed, you might find a pack of wild dogs streaming across the plains in search of prey – completely oblivious to your presence.
On the drive back to camp, you could see a cheetah hunting from a termite mound or watch herds of impala feeding in the shade while you enjoy a delicious picnic in the wild.
The water wilderness
There is no better way to experience the unsullied waters of the Selinda Spillway than from the silence of a canoe drifting with the current. Once again, accompanied by a highly-experienced guide, an evening paddle might afford you views of buffalo, roan or sable drinking at the water’s edge. You will be enthralled by the egrets, kingfishers, herons and jacanas hunting from reed perches, hopping across the lilies and waiting patiently in the shallows as the African sun disappears in a blaze of crimson.