Wilderness King’s Pool
Wilderness King’s Pool is located in the northern section of the exclusive Linyanti Concession overlooking the Linyanti River.
Wilderness King’s Pool has a beautiful location in a grove of trees overlooking floodplains and a long lagoon which links to the Linyanti River. The camp offers luxurious accommodation alongside excellent service and food, and there is a good atmosphere in camp. The camp has an established feel, and offers a slightly more traditional (yet still luxury) alternative to the more contemporary Duma Tau and Little Duma Tau. As with all camps in the Linyanti Concession, the wildlife is excellent and guests at King’s Pool have the bonus of potential up close encounters with elephants from the sunken hide which is situated just a few minutes from camp.
Rooms
Accommodation is offered for up to 18 guests in seven luxury tents and one two bedroomed family suite. Each tent is built on to raised wooden decking under a thatch roof and enjoys views out over the beautiful lagoon in front of camp. The spacious tents have large beds within walk-in mosquito nets, a comfortable sitting area to the fore of the tent, tea/coffee facilities and a mini bar. The generous en suite bathroom comprises a double vanity, twin indoor shower, an outdoor shower and a separate toilet. Doors lead out of the tent onto a furnished deck with sala and sunken lounge overlooking the lagoon. The family unit has two en suite bedrooms (the second bedroom is a slightly smaller twin with smaller bathroom) which are connected internally and share a private plunge pool and outdoor lounge.
Central Areas
Elevated wooden walkways connect the tents to the central areas of the property which also sit on wooden decks beneath a high-pitched thatch roof. The main lounge, dining and bar area lead out to the outdoor lounge and fire deck. There is also a library area, boutique and a swimming pool.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
The Linyanti concession is run by Wilderness Safaris and is home to several camps – Duma Tau, Little Duma Tau, Kings Pool and Linyanti Tented Camp overlooking the Linyanti wetlands in the north and Savuti Camp overlooking the Savuti Channel in the south/central region. The concession covers a huge area, some 300 000 acres, and offers a classic big game wilderness experience.
The habitat along the Linyanti River is one of lush riverine woodland, giving way to the drier, mopane dominated woodlands of the interior, through which the Savuti Channel snakes it way to eventually feed the Savuti Marsh. The Savuti Channel is a seasonal waterway which extends south-eastwards from the Linyanti/Kwando river systems. In years of good rains, the channel holds water throughout the year but it is a delicate system easily affected by drought and tectonic plate movement. After several years of holding water, the channel is in a cycle of drying out again.
Once the dry season commences, the Savuti and Linyanti waters attract large herds of buffalo, zebra and elephant and the predator species which follow them, particularly lion. Other animals likely to be seen include hippo, kudu, impala, zebra, tsessebe, red lechwe, eland, sable antelope, giraffe, and wild dog. On night drives, you’ll have the opportunity to view nocturnally-active species such as bat- eared fox, spring hare, leopard, spotted hyaena, aardwolf, porcupine, aardvark, honey badger, bushbaby, civet, genet, serval and wild cat.
The birdlife is prolific, attracting both water and dry country species such as slaty egret, Allen’s gallinule, wattled crane, and African skimmer, as well as, Bradfield’s hornbill, white-breasted cuckoo-shrike, Bennett’s woodpecker, Arnott’s chat, Kori bustard and secretary bird. The area is even better when the summer migrants return and swallow-tailed and carmine bee eaters, racket-tailed rollers, and high concentrations of raptors, including Dickinson’s kestrel, are commonly seen.
Activities
Activities focus around game drives (by day and by night) with afternoon boat cruises offered on their double decker cruiser ‘Queen Sylvia’ (only when water levels permit). Walking is also possible (minimum age of 13 years). Massage treatments are available in the privacy of your tent. Helicopter scenic flights are possible (extra cost) and can be arranged either locally or in advance and there is a sunken hide allowing for eye level game viewing a few minutes drive from camp. Guests also have the option (at an extra cost) of arranging an excursion to learn more about CLAWS (Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainability – an organisation focusing on reducing conflict between people and predators) or a “Life With Elephants” village visit with EcoExist (an NGO aiming to reduce conflict between people and elephants.
Seasons
Wilderness King’s Pool is open all year round, though game viewing is best from June to early November. However, birding is best from November to April.
Wilderness King’s Pool accepts children 6 years and older though with big game regularly wandering through camp, it is naturally a destination for families with slightly older children. The family unit is perfect for staying ‘under one roof’ whilst having plenty of space with separate bedrooms, and a private plunge pool. Wilderness Safaris offer a complimentary ‘Bush Buddy service’ for children up to the age of 12 (on prior request) where a member of staff is dedicated to the family to ensure that each stay is tailored to suit including arranging additional age-appropriate activities. Children must be 13 years or older to join walks. For families with teenage children, King’s Pool would offer an exciting wildlife safari from the comfort of a luxury camp.
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).
In 2019 Wilderness Safaris joined the Lion Recovery Fund and several of Africa’s other safari operators to form the Lionscape Coalition to raise funds for and awareness of lion conservation.
Conservation projects closer to the Linyanti area include working with local authorities and supporting the research of threatened species that can be found in the area such as wild dog, roan antelope and elephant amongst others.
The camp has a reverse osmosis water filtration system providing drinking water to guests drastically reducing the need for bottled water. Eco friendly detergents and chemicals are used in all Wilderness Safaris camps, adhering to strict in-house environmental standards.
Wilderness Safaris also offers its guests the option to bring a donation of supplies in partnership with Pack for a Purpose where guests may use the empty space in their suitcases for donations of much needed supplies for supported projects.
