Zarafa Camp
Zarafa Camp is a very exclusive tented lodge built overlooking the Zibalianja Lagoon in the Selinda Concession of the Greater Linyanti Region.
Zarafa Camp is a premier Relais & Châteaux camp located in the wonderful Selinda Concession which has long been a favourite area of ours in Botswana. The style of the lodge is luxurious in an authentic ‘explorer’ style and whilst lavish and spacious there is still a strong connection to nature. Service and guiding is superb, and there is a true feeling of exclusivity and calm throughout the lodge. The Selinda Concession is very good for game viewing and makes a very good combination with many exclusive parts of the Okavango Delta.
Rooms
Zarafa Camp offers luxurious accommodation for a maximum of eight guests. Each of the four tented suites is raised on high wooden decks, and has spacious en suite plumbed facilities, including a free-standing copper bath, double vanity and indoor & outdoor showers. The sumptuous sleeping area with a walk in mosquito net is separated from the bathroom by a suspended gas fire, making the tented suites very cosy on cold nights and there is a ceiling fan for the warmer months. Further facilities include a luxurious private lounge including a stocked mini bar, mini-library, telescope, Canon 5D camera body with 24-70mm and 100-400mm lenses, and a wide outside verandah, leading to a private plunge pool with loungers.
For those looking for an entirely private experience, the Dhow Suite at Zarafa is an exclusive use residence consisting of two en suite bedrooms and a shared lounge, dining area and pool. All bookings at the Dhow Suite at Zarafa will benefit from a private game drive vehicle, guide, host and chef.
Central Areas
The central areas are simple but elegant and look out towards the lagoon, including indoor and outdoor dining areas. There is also a small open air gym platform with basic fitness equipment and a spa. There is also a sunken photographic hide beneath the main deck.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Private Plunge Pools
Habitat & Wildlife
The Selinda Reserve is a private safari concession owned by Great Plains Conservation which covers an area of some 1350 sq. kilometres between the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta and the Kwando/Linyanti river system, straddling the Selinda (or Magwegqana) Spillway. The habitat of the area is an interesting contrast of open floodplains, thick salt bush, riverine forest, mopane woodland and the swampland created by the spillway itself.
The birdlife is prolific and the many varieties of kingfishers, bee-eaters, eagles, ducks, egrets, plovers, herons, cranes, storks, geese, woodpeckers, shrikes, thrushes, buntings, chats, owls and parrots are just some of the many different species found. The area is good for predators with resident lion prides and regular sightings of leopard and wild dog. Cheetah are more elusive these days and not often encountered. General game is very good, especially from May to November, and animals likely to be seen include elephant, hippo, kudu, impala, zebra, tsessebe and giraffe. Recently, Great Plains have been involved with the relocation of rhino back into Botswana, though they are still very hard to find.
Night drives can be productive with chances to see nocturnally-active species such as bat- eared fox, spring hare, leopard, aardwolf, porcupine, aardvark, bush baby, civet, genet, white-tailed mongoose, serval and African wild cat.
Activities
The main activity at Zarafa is a game drive (by day and at night), whilst it is also possible to undertake guided walks and boat cruises on the Zibalianja Lagoon.
Seasons
Zarafa is open all year round, though game viewing is best from June to early November.
Zarafa Camp accepts children 6 years and upwards, though it is a camp that is better suited to older children. One child 15 years and younger can be accommodated with 2 adults. The next door and exclusive use Zarafa Dhow Suite can specifically cater for families (up to 5 guests, 6 years and older) and is a better option as a private family experience.
Zarafa Camp is operated by Great Plains Conservation which exists to conserve and expand natural habitats, using sustainable eco-tourism to protect and restore critical habitats, conserve wildlife, and benefit local communities. All resulting in responsible travel opportunities for guests and achieving the company’s aim of ‘conservation tourism’.
Together with their charitable arm, the Great Plains Foundation, they manage over one million acres of land across Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe. A conservation and community levy is added to each stay with Great Plains Conservation as a contribution to the Great Plains Foundation’s work.
Here are just some examples of the projects carried out and supported:
In Botswana, conservation initiatives include ‘Rhinos Without Borders’ which, together with partner andBeyond, commits to relocate rhinos on a magnitude never done before from South Africa to safe havens in Botswana.
Also in Botswana the Great Plains Earth Academy provides vocational training and supplemental education with a conservation and tourism focus to youth and adults living alongside the Okavango Delta. The goals of the Earth Academy are to improve participants’ understanding of their local environment and wildlife, promote conservation and sustainability, and invest in the skill and capacity of the local community and workforce.
The Solar Mamas initiative was set up to address both lack of economic opportunity and electricity deficit in remote villages bordering the Okavango Delta. Nine ‘Solar Mamas’ left their communities in Botswana and attended a six-month solar power training course in India. They returned with the skills to run a business and build, install and maintain sustainable energy for their communities.
The Great Plains Student Conservation Camps, one of their longest running programmes, have reached students and teachers in both Botswana and Kenya with environmental and conservation education. By engaging and mentoring young people in communities bordering protected land, students see positive examples of local professionals working to protect their fragile ecosystems and are inspired to become champions of biodiversity themselves.
In 2022 Great Plains established an inaugural all-female ranger unit to operate in their concessions, gather essential data and act as an early detection force against illegal wildlife crime. Hiring female rangers builds their capacity as individuals, empowers the communities they represent and offers opportunities to shift gender stereotypes and establish strong female role models for young girls. Additional teams are being trained and activated in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Through Conservation Roots the Great Plains Foundation is partnering with local communities to restore indigenous trees to landscapes across Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Working with local communities, partner organizations and school systems Conservation Roots plants indigenous trees and teaches their value and critical role in functioning ecosystems.
In 2024, Great Plains expanded the reach of their impact beyond the areas in which they operate and established a partnership with 4Ocean. Plastic waste is collected from the world’s oceans and turned into fashionable bracelets, which are available for sale in their camps. Every bracelet removes 5lbs of plastic from the sea, provides jobs, and starts a clean-up movement.
