Wilderness Chitabe Lediba
Wilderness Chitabe Lediba is a small and exclusive tented lodge located in the game-rich Chitabe Concession in the southern Okavango Delta
The Chitabe Concession is superb for big game sightings, including all the major predators. Whilst the area does get partially flooded each year, water activities are not offered so this is a camp very much focused on traditional game drives. Wilderness Chitabe Lediba is an exclusive and intimate tented lodge that is extremely comfortable without being opulent. The tents are spacious and overlook an open ‘vlei’ where game is often seen.
The hospitality in camp is very personal and being small, the camp maintains a quiet and peaceful ambience. The guiding is very good too. We love this camp due to the incredible game viewing and exclusive environment. The price tag, however, may put some travellers off, especially in high season from June to October.
Rooms
Accommodation is offered for up to 14 guests in five spacious tents. All the tents are raised on low wooden decks and have a framed door leading out to a furnished verandah with views over the surrounding bush. The tents have twin or double beds under a mosquito net and are equipped with 24 hour lighting, charging points with international adapters, and ceiling fans as well as portable evaporative coolers. At the rear of the tents are plumbed en suite facilities including a flush toilet, double vanity and both indoor and outdoor showers. There are two family units, each comprising two en suite tents sharing a wooden deck. One unit connects internally making it more suitable for families with younger children, whilst the other connects externally. The bathrooms in the children’s tents do not have an outdoor shower.
Central Areas
The main lounge, reception and dining areas are raised on low wood decking and set under thatch overlooking the bush. There is small swimming pool around which to spend the heat of the day.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – No
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
The Chitabe Concession is located in the south eastern region of the Okavango Delta bordering the famous Moremi Game Reserve. The Moremi is often considered one of the most beautiful game reserves in southern Africa, an area of mopane woodland interlaced with giant fig and knobthorn trees, open vleis and river courses. Chitabe, whose 28000 hectare concession is bounded by the Moremi on three sides, is of similar habitat, although it is much drier (any Okavango flood waters are very seasonal, hence there being no water-based activities available from Chitabe).
The game viewing is superb, with cheetah, leopard and wild dog often seen in addition to lion, elephant, buffalo and a wide range of general game. Night drives are productive too, with nocturnal species such as genet, civet, porcupine, serval, African wild cat and spotted hyaena often sighted.
Activities
Game viewing activities include day and night game drives in open four wheel drive vehicles and guided walks are available when conditions are safe, usually from May to November when grasses are not too high.
Seasons
Wilderness Chitabe Lediba is open all year round, though game viewing is best from June through to early November.
Wilderness Chitabe Lediba caters for children from six years of age and their family tent is ideal for families who prefer to be all together under one roof. However as the camp is very focused on game viewing and game drives are the main activity, it is not a camp we naturally suggest for families with young children. The exciting game viewing and high levels of personal service in camp do however make Chitabe Lediba an exceptional high end big game experience for any family with older children.
Wilderness Safaris established the Children in the Wilderness programme (CITW) focusing on the children from villages close to the remote areas in which they operate, educating them in environmental awareness and training them in the life skills needed to care for and nurture their natural environment. Some of these programmes include operating annual camps for up to 30 children at a time in their lodges, running regular Eco-Clubs in rural schools, Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) which mentors particular children who have shown a strong interest in their environment and scholarship programmes for primary, secondary and tertiary education.
The Wilderness Wildlife Trust is involved in conservation, anti-poaching, community empowerment and education. The Trust has many projects throughout Botswana (Wildlife Research Increasing Capacity), Namibia (Desert Dwelling Giraffe Study), Zimbabwe (Hwange Elephant Movement Study), Zambia (Zambian Carnivore Program), Malawi (Mobile Response Unit) and Rwanda (Shoebill Arial Survey).
Projects that Chitabe is specifically involved in include annual donations to WildEntrust, an organisation that oversees Botswana Predator Conservation (which uses cutting-edge science and research with a particular focus on leopard and wild dog), Coaching Conservation (which uses sport to inspire children to care about and understand their natural surroundings), and Community Coexist (empowering communities to manage and sustainably benefit from their natural resources).
Wilderness Chitabe has established a leopard project whereby guides and guests contribute photos recording individual ID, GPS location, date, and time. Sightings are mapped to reveal clear movement patterns and long-term behavioural trends with each new image strengthening a growing long-term leopard research database. Collated research data is available in camp to get a greater understanding of what photos are contributing to.
Chitabe supports a staff of 85, contributing annually towards children’s school fees, uniforms, and stationery and hosts staff families once a year at the camp. Chitabe embraces profit sharing with all their employees. They also contributes to the Shorobe community, as well as various charitable organisations in the Maun community.
Chitabe also has a habitat restoration project whereby Chitabe’s nursery grows indigenous trees, including baobabs, which are planted to offset elephant damage.
