BOTSWANA SAFARI CAMP OPERATORS COMPARED: WILDERNESS DESTINATIONS, GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION, NATURAL SELECTION, DESERT & DELTA AND AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS

In our recent blog, Botswana vs Kenya vs Tanzania vs South Africa: Which Safari Is Right for You?, we looked at why Botswana stands apart as one of Africa’s most exclusive safari destinations. This follow-on guide goes a step further. Once you’ve decided on a Botswana safari, the next question is just as important: which safari camp operator is right for you?

“With so many outstanding safari camp operators across Africa, and in Botswana alone, our clients often tell us that choosing one can feel like a minefield. That’s where a specialist tour operator makes all the difference. Rather than promoting the camps within a single portfolio, as an operator or camp owner naturally would, Safari Guru works independently across the leading luxury safari operators. We compare the operators as well as their camps to find the right fit for you. Read more about the value of booking through a safari specialist.”

Often, the answer isn’t a single operator. Combining camps from different operators can create a far richer safari, pairing the right areas, seasons and experiences to achieve the best results. Read more in our guide: why the right safari is about more than the right camp.

Botswana’s leading operators each have a different style, price point, concession portfolio and approach to conservation. Choosing well can be the difference between a good safari and an extraordinary one. Below, we compare five of Botswana’s top safari camp operators: Wilderness, Great Plains Conservation, Natural Selection, Desert & Delta Safaris and African Bush Camps.

BOTSWANA’S HIGH-VALUE, LOW-VOLUME TOURISM MODEL

Before comparing operators, it helps to understand what makes Botswana different. For decades, Botswana has followed a high-value, low-volume tourism model. Rather than encouraging mass tourism, the country limits guest numbers in its wilderness areas and focuses on smaller, higher-quality camps. The result is fewer vehicles at sightings, less environmental pressure and a far more exclusive safari experience.

Botswana’s top safari camps operate across two very different types of land:

• Private concessions (private reserves): Large wilderness areas leased to a single operator or a small number of operators. Only guests staying at those camps can explore them. Private concessions usually allow off-road driving to follow wildlife, night drives, guided walks and, in water areas, mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) and boating excursions. This is where you find Botswana’s most exclusive and private safari experiences.
• Public areas and national parks: Areas such as parts of Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, where camps share the landscape with other lodges and self-drive safari travellers. Wildlife viewing can still be superb, and these camps often offer excellent value, but park rules usually limit off-road driving and night drives, and sightings can be busier.

Whether a camp sits in a private concession or a public area is one of the biggest differences between Botswana safari operators. It is also a key factor in both price and experience.

AT A GLANCE: BOTSWANA SAFARI OPERATOR COMPARISON

WILDERNESS: BOTSWANA’S ICONIC AND HIGHEST-PRICED SAFARI OPERATOR

Wilderness Destinations (formerly Wilderness Safaris) is one of Botswana’s oldest and best-known safari operators. It was founded in Botswana in 1983. That long history has given it access to some of the country’s finest wildlife concessions, and it consistently sits at the top of Botswana’s safari price ladder.

Safari Guru knows Wilderness intimately. Before founding Safari Guru, Deon De Villiers worked for Wilderness Safaris in operations, a role that took him into the majority of their Botswana camps on a weekly basis through their fly-in model. Deon spent many years photographing wildlife in their concessions to promote the areas. That first-hand knowledge of each camp, concession and season is something we bring to every Wilderness itinerary we design.

Wilderness is particularly strong in the American market, where safari travellers tend to be experienced and willing to pay a premium for the very best. Its reputation allows it to command some of the highest rates in Africa while maintaining strong occupancy.

WILDERNESS PREMIER CAMPS IN BOTSWANA

• Mombo Camp and Little Mombo: Wilderness’s flagship, on the northern tip of Chief’s Island in Moremi Game Reserve. Mombo is often described as one of Africa’s finest wildlife destinations, with outstanding year-round game viewing and big predator action. It is very much an all-rounder. Traditionally a land camp, Mombo offers exceptional safari activities by vehicle only. Mombo does not allow safari walks, although it has recently allowed night drives and boating due to unprecedented flooding in the Okavango Delta. Mombo and Little Mombo offer some of the finest service levels in all of Botswana, and as such are considered among the highest-priced destinations.
• Vumbura Plains: A water and land camp in the northern Okavango Delta. When the flood is in, the experience is all about water, with excellent boating and mokoro excursions alongside superb game drives. Vumbura North and Vumbura South combined offer 14 rooms, which are spacious, and naturally offer a watery outlook over the Delta.  If hippos, and even otters, are on the list, this could be the place for you.
• DumaTau and Little DumaTau: In the private Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, overlooking the Linyanti waterways. These are superb camps, but I consider DumaTau a seasonal one. During the dry season, elephant and predator viewing along the Linyanti can be outstanding. Once the rains arrive and wildlife disperses, sightings can fade a little (this is not something you will find on the Wilderness website, or hear from one of their internal sales agents).
• King’s Pool: A beautiful setting along the Linyanti fault line and lagoon. Like DumaTau, King’s Pool is at its best in the dry season, when wildlife concentrates on the water. During the rainy season, the area has less draw for wildlife (another item often refrained on marketing collateral).

WILDERNESS CLASSIC CAMPS IN BOTSWANA

• Chitabe and Chitabe Lediba: In the south-eastern Okavango Delta, with some of the highest predator densities in the Delta, often comparable to the Mombo Concession. These are excellent year-round choices for lion, leopard and African wild dog.
• Little Vumbura: An intimate island camp sharing the rich Vumbura concession, with a strong water-and-land experience.   Little Vumbura is located on an island; therefore, all arrivals and departures are by boat, adding a nice touch.
• Qorokwe: A contemporary camp in the south-eastern Delta, offering both land and water activities. The Qorokwe concession is adjacent to the Chitabe concession, meaning game viewing should be of a similar standard, although years of trophy hunting in the area have meant that wildlife viewing has been slower to regain the feel of that in Chitabe.
• Savuti: In the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, on the Savute Channel. Savuti can deliver excellent game viewing year-round, including elephant, lion and wild dog. Game viewing in the Savuti is highly influenced by the water levels of the Savuti Channel; a lifeline of water into the Savuti Marsh upstream, where Wilderness has added their newest camp, Mokete.
• Mokete:  As mentioned above, Mokete is the new one on the block, offering excellent access into the Savuti Marsh. The Marsh is a fairly new area for safari activities, and surprisingly has delivered excellent results with large herds of buffalo attracting predators.

WILDERNESS: STRENGTHS AND CONSIDERATIONS

Wilderness has lost some ground in Botswana recently. The six camps of the Jao Reserve (Jao, Kwetsani, Tubu Tree, Little Tubu, Jacana and Pelo) were marketed by Wilderness for 27 years. That arrangement ended on 1 December 2025, and the camps now operate independently.

Even so, Wilderness remains one of the most powerful choices for a multi-country safari. It also operates excellent camps in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia. That makes it easy to combine a Botswana safari with Hwange or Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, Zambia’s wilderness areas or Namibia’s desert landscapes, with consistent standards throughout.

Wilderness also has a strong conservation record. In 2001, it helped reintroduce white rhino to the Mombo area after rhinos were poached out in the 1990s, although the population was decimated during COVID.

Learn more about Wilderness Destinations camps in Botswana ….

GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION: PRIVATE RESERVES AND CONSERVATION-LED LUXURY

Great Plains Conservation was founded by renowned wildlife filmmakers and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert. It is one of Botswana’s leading conservation-tourism operators. All of its Botswana camps are in private concessions: the Selinda Reserve (around 130,000 hectares), the Duba Concession and Sitatunga Private Island. That means private traversing and a genuinely exclusive experience.

Great Plains runs two tiers: the luxury Réserve Collection and the more affordable Explorers Collection.

GREAT PLAINS RÉSERVE COLLECTION CAMPS

• Duba Plains Camp and Duba Plains Suite: In the private Duba Concession, a water-rich landscape of floodplains and palm islands. Duba is famous for lion and buffalo interactions, although in recent years lions have become more reliant on preying on smaller species. Duba Island offers focused safari activities with high wildlife populations.   Safari Guru often chooses it as a standalone safari destination, knowing that it will deliver on all accounts.
• Zarafa Camp and The Dhow Suite at Zarafa: Overlooking the Zibadianja Lagoon in the Selinda Reserve, one of Botswana’s most celebrated luxury safari camps. Zib Lagoon as it is favourably known, is where I took the main image on our home page.
• Selinda Camp and Selinda Suite: On the Selinda Spillway, with large elephant herds and regular wild dog sightings.  At the right time of year, this area offers the highest concentrations of elephant crossing from Namibia into Botswana, but the camp is only small, so booking in advance is crucial.
• Sitatunga Private Island: Great Plains’ newest water camp, which opened in July 2023. It sits on a remote island north-west of the Duba Concession and hosts a maximum of eight guests. It is one of the few places to see the rare, water-loving sitatunga antelope, mainly by boat and on guided walks.

Duba Plains, Zarafa and Selinda Camp are all Relais & Châteaux members.

GREAT PLAINS EXPLORERS COLLECTION CAMPS

• Selinda Explorers Camp: A classic, 1930s-inspired explorer-style camp in the Selinda Reserve.
• Duba Explorers Camp: On an island in the north-east of the Duba Concession, reached by helicopter only, with its own traversing area separate from Duba Plains Camp.
• Okavango Explorers Camp: On the western boundary of the Selinda Reserve, in prime predator and elephant country.

The Explorers camps perform exceptionally well in the mid-range price category. They offer the same private-concession wildlife experience as the Réserve camps in a simpler, more traditional style.

GREAT PLAINS: VALUE AND CONSERVATION

Great Plains offers some of Botswana’s best green season safari deals. These include its popular Stay 4, Pay 3 offer during green and shoulder seasons, and Safari Guru regularly secures these for our clients. We have a strong working relationship with Great Plains and know how to combine its camps to maximise both wildlife and value.

Great Plains and Wilderness are both heavily invested in conservation and have played major roles in reintroducing rhino and other species to Botswana. Through Rhinos Without Borders, Great Plains and its partners moved 87 rhinos from poaching hotspots in South Africa to safer areas in Botswana. Great Plains remains very active in Zimbabwe too, where it restores wildlife to former hunting areas such as the Sapi Reserve next to Mana Pools.

NATURAL SELECTION: BOTSWANA’S FAST-GROWING SAFARI OPERATOR

Natural Selection is a newer player in Botswana’s safari industry, officially launched in 2016. It has grown remarkably fast and now has a portfolio of around 26 camps and lodges across Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Its roots run deep, though: co-founder Colin Bell also co-founded Wilderness Safaris and Great Plains Conservation.

Natural Selection has grown by acquiring and refurbishing established lodges and building new camps in wildlife-rich areas. Its camps sit across both private concessions and public areas, and range from classic tented safari camps to high-touch luxury.

NATURAL SELECTION CAMPS IN BOTSWANA

• North Island Okavango: An intimate, modern luxury camp in the northern Okavango Delta, named one of Robb Report’s 50 Greatest Luxury Hotels in 2024.
• Duke’s Camp and Duke’s East: Elegant, classic-style camps in the northern Delta, offering land and water activities.
• Mbamba and Expeditions Camp: Further northern Delta options at different price points.
• Tuludi, Sable Alley, Little Sable, Elephant Pan and Skybeds: In the Khwai Private Reserve, from the design-led luxury of Tuludi to the star-bed experience of Skybeds.
• Tawana: A luxury camp in Moremi Game Reserve.
• Mokolwane: A treehouse-style camp in the southern Okavango Delta, with a new luxury camp, Mokolwane Plains, due to open in July 2027.
• Jack’s Camp, San Camp, Camp Kalahari and Meno a Kwena: In the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and on the Boteti River. These are some of Botswana’s most distinctive desert safari experiences, including encounters with habituated meerkats and the zebra migration.

NATURAL SELECTION: ADVENTURE AND CONSERVATION

Natural Selection stands out for activities beyond the game drive, including a Makgadikgadi cycling safari and a Kalahari horse safari. As a newer operator, it hasn’t yet had the same long-term role in species reintroduction as Wilderness or Great Plains. However, it is a strongly conservation-focused company, and I expect it to make a major positive impact as it grows in Botswana.

DESERT & DELTA SAFARIS: CLASSIC MID-RANGE VALUE AND MULTI-STOP ITINERARIES

Established in 1982, Desert & Delta Safaris is one of Botswana’s original safari lodge operators. It sits firmly in the mid-range and is known for well-run lodges in some of Botswana’s most famous wildlife areas, many of them in national parks and public reserves.

Desert & Delta’s great strength is its mix of permanent water camps, which offer water activities year-round, and dry-land camps. All its properties are connected by light-aircraft flights operated by Safari Air. That makes it easy to design seamless, well-priced multi-stop Botswana itineraries.

DESERT & DELTA SAFARIS LODGES IN BOTSWANA

• Camp Okavango: On remote Nxaragha Island in the heart of the Okavango Delta, a permanent water camp for mokoro and boating.
• Xugana Island Lodge: On the Xugana Lagoon, widely considered one of the Delta’s most beautiful permanent water sites.
• Nxamaseri Island Lodge: A small, exclusive lodge in the Okavango Panhandle, ideal for birding, tiger fishing and the Tsodilo Hills.
• Mapula: In a lightly visited private concession in the Okavango Delta, combining land and water activities.
• Camp Xakanaxa and Camp Moremi: In Moremi Game Reserve. Camp Xakanaxa offers a rare year-round land-and-water experience, while Camp Moremi was completely rebuilt in 2018.
• Sediba Sa Rona: The newest addition to the collection, in the Khwai Concession.
• Chobe Game Lodge: The only permanent game lodge inside Chobe National Park on the Chobe River, ideal for river safaris and elephants.
• Chobe Savanna Lodge and Savute Safari Lodge: Chobe Savanna Lodge overlooks the Chobe floodplains, while Savute Safari Lodge sits on the Savute Channel, known for intense predator action.
• Leroo La Tau: On the Boteti River at the edge of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, famous for zebra and wildebeest in the dry season.

DESERT & DELTA SAFARIS: WHY IT OFFERS VALUE

Desert & Delta is excellent at multi-lodge Botswana safari packages at a very good price. Special offers are available much of the year, especially on multi-sector safari itineraries, which tour operators such as Safari Guru offer.

AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS: AUTHENTIC SAFARIS AND SEAMLESS LINKS TO ZIMBABWE AND ZAMBIA

African Bush Camps was founded in 2006 by Zimbabwean safari guide Beks Ndlovu. It is a smaller operator, and most of its portfolio is in Zimbabwe and Zambia. In Botswana it operates in only three areas, so it doesn’t have a large footprint, but its camps are intimate, well located and known for authentic hosting and excellent guiding.

AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS IN BOTSWANA

• Khwai: Khwai Leadwood is an elegant, intimate camp on the edge of Moremi Game Reserve, in an area known for big cats and wild dogs. That said, Khwai has lost its appeal, as it no longer operates according to the country’s “low-volume” model. For this reason, Safari Guru often avoids Khwai-based safari camps, especially in Botswana’s high-season.
• Linyanti: Linyanti Bush Camp and the family-friendly Linyanti Ebony are in the private Linyanti concession bordering Chobe National Park, an area with one of Africa’s highest concentrations of wildlife. Similar to Wilderness’s Linyanti-based camps, this is a seasonal area, and a destination we avoid at certain times of year.
• Atzaró Okavango: African Bush Camps’ newest Botswana camp, opened in April 2024 and built to a very high standard. Its eight spacious tented suites are reached by helicopter only and fully solar-powered.

AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS: BEST FOR MULTI-COUNTRY SAFARIS

African Bush Camps is an ideal choice if you’d like to combine Botswana with Hwange or Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, the Lower Zambezi in Zambia, or Victoria Falls. As a preferred Australian partner of African Bush Camps, Safari Guru can combine its camps seamlessly across all three countries. View SAMPLE ITINERARY

Learn more about African Bush Camps ….

WHICH BOTSWANA SAFARI OPERATOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

• For the most iconic, high-end Botswana safari: Wilderness and Great Plains Conservation, with other operators offering very similar, if not higher-standard, lodges, such as Xigera and Singita Elela; both operating in areas I frequented for photographic journeys.
• For private concessions with outstanding conservation credentials: Once again, Wilderness and Great Plains Conservation (including Singita and Xigera), but only specific camps from the other operators; our comparison can talk of private traversing areas.
• For variety, contemporary design and adventure activities: Natural Selection, especially North Island Okavango, Tuludi and Jack’s Camp.
• For a well-priced, multi-stop Botswana safari with water and dry-land camps: Desert & Delta Safaris. Ask Safari Guru about “BOD” rates; they open the door to many travellers on a tighter budget.
• For combining Botswana with Zimbabwe and Zambia: African Bush Camps or Wilderness.

There is no single best safari operator in Botswana. The best Botswana safaris often combine camps from different operators, matching each area, season and activity to your interests and budget. That is where an independent safari specialist adds real value.

WHY BOOK YOUR BOTSWANA SAFARI WITH SAFARI GURU?

Safari Guru isn’t tied to any single operator. We work closely with Wilderness, Great Plains Conservation, Natural Selection, Desert & Delta Safaris and African Bush Camps. That lets us recommend the camps that genuinely suit you rather than the ones we’re obliged to sell. With first-hand experience of working in Botswana’s camps and concessions, we know:

• which camps perform best in each season
• which private concessions deliver the most exclusive wildlife experience
• how to combine water and dry-land camps for a complete Okavango Delta safari
• how to secure the best green-season offers, stay-pay deals and long-stay rates

Read our guide to the best time to visit Botswana, explore our Botswana safaris page, or see our tips on green season safaris.

Get inspired Safari Guru Founder, Deon De Villiers’s INSTAGRAM images of Botswana’s; the Okavango Delta, Linyanti, and more…

EMAIL SAFARI GURU WITH YOUR DATES, GROUP SIZE AND SAFARI WISHLIST, AND LET US DESIGN YOUR BOTSWANA SAFARI.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BOTSWANA SAFARI OPERATORS

Which is the most expensive safari operator in Botswana?
Wilderness generally sits at the top of Botswana’s safari price ladder. Its premier camps, such as Mombo, are among the most expensive in Africa, reflecting their exceptional concessions and long-established reputation.

What is the difference between a private concession and a national park safari in Botswana?
A private concession is used only by guests of the camps within it. That usually allows off-road driving, night drives, guided walks and far fewer vehicles at sightings. National parks and public reserves, such as Moremi and Chobe, are shared with other lodges and self-drive travellers and have stricter park rules. They often offer better value, though.

Which Botswana safari operator offers the best value?
For mid-range value, Desert & Delta Safaris and the Great Plains Explorers Collection are excellent choices. Green season offers from Great Plains, Wilderness and Natural Selection can also make luxury camps far more affordable.

Can I combine camps from different safari operators in Botswana?
Yes, and it’s often the best way to design a Botswana safari. A specialist such as Safari Guru can combine camps from different operators, along with the light-aircraft flights between them, into one seamless itinerary.

SHARE YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROPERTIES, OR EVEN OTHERS THAT WOULD LIKE COMPARED AGAINST THESE.