Reviews of Selinda Concession (From 3 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Emma Gregg –

UK

Visited: November

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

3 people found this review helpful.

Relaxed luxury in pristine bush, close to the Okavango Delta

Overall rating

5/5

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Of the three remarkable wildlife areas immediately west of Chobe – Kwando, Selinda and Linyanti – Selinda is arguably the best, particularly for predators such as lions, wild dogs and aardwolves. This region has gone through a series of planned and natural changes in recent years; hunting has been phased out and an old watercourse, the Selinda Spillway, has been filling with water for several rainy seasons in a row, attracting an abundance of game.
The camps here are small and exclusive with excellent, unfussy service and a strong commitment to sustainability. I particularly appreciate the emphasis on vehicle-free activities such as canoeing, mokoro trips, walking and horse riding.

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Expert

Dale R Morris –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Dale is a multi-award-winning writer and photographer with more than 500 published magazine articles featured in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa, and CNN Travel.

Escape the Crowds on Safari

Overall rating

4/5

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The 130,000-hectare Selinda Private Game Reserve is part of a much larger contiguous conservation area, which includes the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti Swamps. As such, it’s alive with wildlife, and whenever I go there, I always have amazing encounters with Africa’s iconic creatures.

Selinda is where I have canoed down the Selinda spillway (an overflow channel from the Okavango Delta), rode a horse among herds of antelope, and walked in the bush where buffalo and elephants roam.

There are four upmarket lodges offering the usual five-star services, with game drives and boat cruises being conducted by exceptionally knowledgeable (and entertaining) guides.

A highlight of my most recent safari there was when we encountered a large pack of African wild dogs. Like most animals in Botswana’s game reserves, they were completely habituated to our vehicle, and I was able to spend a few hours hanging out with them as they played affectionately with one another.

Although nothing in nature is guaranteed, you will have a very high likelihood of seeing lions, leopards, and hyenas as well as elephants and hippos – not to mention a myriad of other animals that call this place home. Birders have at least 300 species to tick from their lists.

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Expert

Stephen Cunliffe –

ZA

Visited: July and August

Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.

Wild dogs and Wildlife Abundance

Overall rating

4/5

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Northern Botswana’s attractive and remote 150,000 hectare Selinda Game Reserve is a private concession located in the wildlife heartland of northern Botswana. The reserve benefits from the seasonal flows of the ancient Selinda Spillway, which links the Okavango Delta to the floodplains of the Linyanti Swamps.

While the spillway with its verdant floodplain provides a major thoroughfare for wildlife moving between these two rivers systems, the reserve plays host to some impressive dry season concentrations of elephant and buffalo. It is also home to healthy populations of cheetah, leopard, lion, and is one of the last remaining strongholds of the endangered African wild dog (with sighting being incredibly reliable in my experience).

After being dry for decades, it was only in 2009 that water finally returned to the spillway, so I would certainly suggest you confirm that the seasonal overflow is still pushing through the spillway before you commit to a safari here – especially if you are signing up for an unforgettable three-night canoe trail along this wildlife-rich waterway.

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