Top 10 Best Luxury Botswana Safari Lodges & Camps

By Anthony Ham

Botswana is a favorite destination for many travelers, and it’s easy to see why. Wild landscapes, upmarket low-density tourism and incredible wildlife are all part of the Botswana safari experience. And especially in the Okavango Delta, where there may only be one or two luxury lodges or tented camps spread across a large area, your choice of accommodations can itself become a highlight of your trip.

When it comes to picking the best Botswana safari camps, there is abundant choice. The country is known for its luxury boutique camps and lodges. The best manage to provide excellent service and full amenities while being environmentally responsible. From the Okavango Delta to the unearthly Makgadikgadi Pans, here are some of the most popular Botswana safari camps.

The accommodations below are not ranked in a specific quality order.

416 Botswana Safaris

1. Chobe Game Lodge (Chobe NP)

One of Chobe’s original places to stay, Chobe Game Lodge remains one of Botswana’s finest

Chobe Game Lodge is the only permanent lodge in Chobe National Park, which is one of the best places in Africa to see big herds of elephants in the wild. Though it is a larger lodge with 47 rooms, it’s a great Chobe base. It is known for having electric game vehicles and boats, which are not only environmentally friendly but also less alarming for animals. The lodge is also recognized for having the first all-female guiding team in Botswana. Add to this the stunning rooms and public areas awash in Persian carpets, African statues and mother-of-pearl mirrors, and it really does set the standard.

12 Chobe Game Lodge Tours

2. Camp Okavango (Okavango Delta)

Camp Okavango is a luxury safari experience with top facilities deep in the Okavango Delta

If you were looking for the ideal Okavango base and weighing up the quality of the accommodations, the location of the camp, and the animals you might see, you’d probably choose Camp Okavango. The rooms here are simply superb: intimate, spacious and luxurious, all the while bathed in natural light and cool Okavango breezes. You’re deep in the inner reaches of the Delta here, and your nearest human neighbors are out of sight and out of mind. In the camp itself, elevated walkways connect the rooms with the plush lounge areas, restaurant and swimming pool. Watch elephants wander past as you swim.

Camp Okavango Tours

3. Camp Moremi (Moremi GR)

Camp Moremi is a beautiful place to stay in the wildlife-rich Moremi Game Reserve

Camp Moremi, one of the best places to stay in Moremi Game Reserve and one of the best Botswana safari camps, gets all the important things right. The large and luxurious safari tents have canvas walls, allowing you to lie in bed at night and listen for lions, while soaring thatch roofs keep things cool. Light woodlands, Okavango waterways and grasslands weave among the rooms and public areas, including the bar, lounge and restaurant. Wherever you are in camp, you’ll feel like you’re a part of the African wild. Relax under a million stars around the firepit or swim with one eye on the horizon in case a leopard wanders by.

Camp Moremi Tours

4. Machaba Camp (Khwai Concession)

Enjoy the best the Khwai region has to offer in the excellent safari tents of Machaba Camp

The pick of the growing number of camps in the Khwai Concession (which is between Savuti and Moremi), Machaba Camp sits right alongside the Khwai River. The safari tents face out onto grasslands: don’t be surprised if you step out of your tent to find an elephant not far away. And lying in bed under canvas while lions roar nearby is a classic safari experience. The tents themselves have understated luxury, with writing desks and soft lighting. Elsewhere, there’s a dining tent, swimming pool, and an unmistakable feeling that the African wild starts just outside your tent flap.

Machaba Camp Tours

5. Savute Safari Lodge (Savuti, Chobe NP)

Savute Safari Lodge is in the Savuti region of Chobe NP, with outstanding rooms and amenities

In a blissfully quiet corner of Savuti, deep inside Chobe National Park, Savute Safari Lodge has stunning, spacious rooms with a soothing color scheme and luxury throughout. Upon arrival, you’ll be faced with a dilemma: stay in camp and indulge yourself in the high-class surroundings and facilities, or go out and explore one of the wildest terrains in Botswana. Savuti is known especially for its predators, including all three of the big cats (lion, leopard and cheetah) and African wild dogs. Facilities include a swimming pool and a bar-restaurant-lounge, and service is impeccable.

Savute Safari Lodge Tours

6. Chobe Bakwena Lodge (Chobe Riverfront, Chobe NP)

Chobe Bakwena Lodge is right by the river, and the high-quality rooms face out into the wilds

Enjoy the convenience of being close to both the gateway town of Kasane and Chobe Riverfront at Chobe Bakwena Lodge. The bungalow-style accommodations are bright and superbly comfortable, with high thatched ceilings and tiled floors that help keep things cool when it’s hot outside. The many trees on the property are very much a part of the experience, offering shade and a feeling of intimacy, and some of the chalets double as tree houses. One thing that travelers especially love here is the warmth of the welcome: you’ll be made to feel like an honored guest from the moment you arrive.

Chobe Bakwena Lodge Tours

7. Kanana Camp (Okavango Delta)

Kanana Camp You’ll experience the atmosphere of safaris from the past in luxury Kanana

The African safari experience, and its lodges and tented camps in particular, trades heavily on nostalgia, trying to recreate the storied safaris of yesteryear. No place does it better than Kanana Camp. Taking a wonderfully quiet corner of the Delta as its base, Kanana has a nicely spaced collection of large and luxurious safari tents that feature antique wooden writing desks and lanterns, leather furnishings and wooden chests. All of the public areas, from the pool to the bar, lounge and restaurant, make the most of the views out over the surrounding grasslands where animal sightings are always possible.

Kanana Camp Tours

8. Tau Pan Camp (Central Kalahari GR)

Tau Pan Camp The only lodge in the heart of the Central Kalahari GR, Tau Pan has excellent rooms and facilities

Perched on one of the highest points inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and one of very few lodges inside the reserve’s boundaries, Tau Pan Camp is a fantastic base. The rooms, which are large, luxurious and spacious, look out over one of the loveliest pans in the reserve and the location is an ideal starting point for other wildlife-rich areas in this part of the reserve. The whole lodge is positioned along a ridge, offering views not only from the rooms but also from the beautifully decorated bar and restaurant, and from the swimming pool.

Tau Pan Camp Tours

9. Muchenje Safari Lodge (Chobe Forest Reserve)

Luxurious Muchenje Safari Lodge combines wonderful Chobe views and appealing tents

In Chobe Forest Reserve, which is part of the same ecosystem as Chobe National Park, Muchenje Safari Lodge is set on a rise overlooking the Chobe River floodplain. Apart from magnificent views where elephants are always a possibility, the tree-filled setting and the overall beauty of your surrounds make this a fabulous choice. The elevated safari tents feel a little like luxury tree houses, with slate floors, a lovely light color scheme and great views even from the bed. Everything has an outlook: the spot for sundowner drinks, the bar and restaurant, even the swimming pool.

Muchenje Safari Lodge Tours

10. Jack’s Camp (Makgadikgadi Pans NP)

Jack’s Camp Enjoy staying at one of the most luxurious and storied tented camps in Botswana

Set in the Makgadikgadi Pans, which are vast salt flats home to a surprising amount of wildlife, Jack’s Camp has lots of character. It has long been recognized as one of the best Botswana safari camps. Designed in the style of a 1940s safari camp, it was founded by one of Africa’s most famous guides, Ralph Bousfield. The camp allows guests to explore the pans on foot with the local San people, on quad bikes or in a game-drive vehicle. After dark, watch for brown hyenas, aardvarks and even lions.

But the biggest highlight may be a visit to a nearby community of meerkats that have been habituated to human visitors. Watching the sunset over the barren salt flats and stargazing when all the light has faded are also experiences not to be missed.

Jack's Camp Tours