SAVUTI CAMP
Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Botswana

Botswana Safari Camp

Savuti Camp is situated in the southern part of the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in Northern Botswana. It is built along the Savuti Channel and can accommodate eight guests at a time. The Savuti Channel is a legendary wildlife region, best known for its large number of predators. When the channel flows, water travels from the Linyanti marshes into the interior of Chobe National Park. The channel stopped flowing in 1980 and what was a Hippo~filled river is now wide open grasslands. Savuti Camp is a small and intimate tented camp in an isolated area, far from any crowds. If you are looking for that Savuti experience of old, Savuti Camp should not be missed.

Camp Description

Accommodation is in five large comfortable walk~in tents with en suite facilities. Each tent has its own bathroom with a shower, handbasin and flush toilet. There is a separate dining room and pub under reed and thatch, as well as a plunge pool. Three of the tented rooms have bathrooms inside the tents and two of the rooms have more open bathrooms with two of the best bathroom views in Africa.

Game Viewing

Game concentrations here are high, especially in our winter months. Besides your normal plains game, the area has good concentrations of Roan, Sable and Giraffe. All the predators occur in the area ~ Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Wild Dog. We have already identified 40 different Lion along the channel around the camp. The Chobe/Linyanti area is renowned for its dense Elephant population and for some of the best Elephant viewing anywhere in Africa in the winter months. As the waterhole in front of the camp is the only supply of water for a large area in the dry winter months, one of the highlights for Savuti Camp is the fantastic wildlife viewing directly from the camp. Hides at other waterholes are also a special feature.

As Savuti Camp is within the private Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, activities are not limited to the rules and regulations of Chobe. We can therefore offer game drives, night drives and walks with an armed guide. We also have a number of elevated hides where guests can view animals quietly and safely away from vehicles.

Conservation

The Linyanti Reserve is a multi-purpose reserve where photographic safaris are conducted and where hunting is technically allowed. We have decided not to hunt anywhere in this area and as a result forfeit well over US$300,000 in revenue per annum. We wish to ensure that animals can breed up to their maximum numbers and live lives that are not negatively impacted by ourselves.

Location

o Within Linyanti concession
o Along Savuti Channel, 17kms from its source
o North Botswana
o Borders Chobe National Park to the east
o Within private reserve, in an isolated area

Accomodation

Number of tents:
5 ¾ twin bedded tents
1 guides tent in guest area, en-suite, not on wooden decks and decor more rustic.
This camp can accommodate 8 FIT guests with tour leader or 10 in a group
Tent details:
o All tents with en-suite facilities - 2 with open bathrooms (tents no 1 & 2), with great views. Other three tents en-suite facilities incorporated in the tent as well as outside showers
o Tents on decks
o Soaps, shampoos and insect repellents are supplied in each room
o Fans

Activities:
Type - 100% Land activities
Game Drives:
o Drives in 2 x 10 seater vehicles
o 5 water holes nearby, some with hides
o Superb night drives
Walking Safaris:
o game walks & game viewing at hides
Water Activities:
o It is possible to use boats at DumaTau on request only, provided the group has booked out the entire camp

Laundry policy

Laundry is done on a daily basis and inclusive in the nightly tariff with the exception of 'smalls' ie underwear, which are not washed due to local customs.

Extras payment

Curios and or imported drinks will be billed to the guest and settled on check out. Payment can be effected by cash (US$), travellers' cheques or the following credit cards: Visa or MasterCard. If guests feel that they want to tip, our recommended tipping schedule is as follows:
Guides - US$5.00 per person per day
General Camp Staff - US$3.00 per person per day
Specialist Guides (if applicable) - US$10.00 per person per day
(This is the suggested gratuity schedule only and is subject to service standards)

Flying times

to/from Maun 45 minutes
to/from Kasane 45 minutes
Kasane to Victoria Falls 20 minutes but allow additional time for customs and immigration

Air trip details

Chobe 1 Airstrip is located 25 minutes' drive from camp, 1000m long, compacted calcrete.
Max aircraft weight: 2300kg. Unlicensed for heavier aircraft such as King Airs, however, King Airs can utilise Kings Pool air strip.
Driving time from Kings Pool to Savuti Camp is approximately 1hr 15 minutes.
Air strip co-ordinates: S18.31.99, E023.39.27

Electricity

o Camp has a 220v generator. Electricity is run in the kitchen and main areas when guests are not in camp. When guests return from daily activities, generators generally switched off (for peace in camp).
o 220v battery power (charged by the generator) is used for lighting and fans in each guest tent 24hrs a day. Hairdryers etc cannot work here.
o Video battery can be charged by the generator when guests on game drives. Hence bring spare battery and charging unit.
o Solar heated water for showers etc.

Guest Comments

I can never thank you enough for arranging what has been one of the most magnificent experiences I have ever had in my lifetime. This trip was everything that we could have hoped for and more. It was so peaceful and relaxng, yet so exciting at the same time. You never knew what you would see next! As we never really knew what to expect, it made it all so much more thrilling. The Savuti Camp is an excellent camp. We loved it there!! The accommodations were exactly what we were expecting from the camps and we thought it was wonderful. Being a smaller camp was a big plus for us. There was only one other older couple at the camp during our stay and they were a joy to be with. The wildlife at this camp was outstanding. We saw elephants, giraffes, buffalo, impala and warthogs just in the first 15 minutes while we were on the way from the airstrip to the camp. It was incredible!! That evening we saw lions try to bring down an elephant just before sundown. Lions were just hanging from the side of the elephant while it trumpeted and ran through the brush to get them off, which is exactly what happened. It was unbelievable to see that much in just the first day. On our last morning at Savuti, I watched while the same pride killed a buffalo. It was incredible to watch how some of the the ! lions attacked, while the others were chasing away the other buffalo that had answered the distress call. It was hard for me to believe that I was cheering on the lions, hoping they would get their prey. Robert woke me up one night and you could hear the animals eating and grunting just outside our tent. I hoped it might be something small but all of a sudden we heard this loud snap of a tree and we knew it was an elephant. We stayed very quiet and it was about one hour later before it finally moved on. One night returning from dinner, the guide showed us lion tracks that went right passed our tent. How exciting!! The new elephant hide at Savuti will need to be advertised more in your information. We had lunch in the hide with about 40 elephants looking over our shoulders. What an experience to be so close!! There is so much wildlife to see at Savuti even without leaving the camp. You can sit on your porch in front of your tent in the afternoon and watch a large variety of animals come up to the waterhole in front of the camp to drink. What a treat!! Benson, the camp manager; Isaac, our guide; and all the staff were extremely wonderful to us. They made us feel right at home, we always felt safe and they were always so helpful when we requested anything from them. The notes they left in our room upon our arrival and departure will make wonderful mementos of our stay in the Camp We returned from Africa last Friday and picked up our pictures just yesterday. Happy to say the photos all came out and some of them are fantastic! Des and I want you to know that the safari was incredible! You know I had my reservations (to say the least) but I can't overstate what a wonderful experience we had in Africa. I was just going over my email and found this email which you had forwarded to us in May from Savuti. Des and I both agree that Savuti was by no means the fanciest camp we stayed in BUT it remains our favorite. You never had to leave camp-the animals all came to the waterhole all day long! We did leave camp, however, and had a great time with our guide, Lesedi, whom we adored, even though he got us lost!, and our tracker, Andrew, who has the best eyes for spotting animals in Africa. I understand Lesedi was on loan to Savuti from another camp, hence the reason he got lost, but it makes for a wonderful memory. And the people at Savuti were like family. We couldn't believe the food-it was the best we had anywhere and we loved the entire staff. Debbie and Cristo are doing a wonderful job. We would like to let them know how much we enjoyed being there and I'm hoping you'll let us know how we might write to them and some of the other camps as well to express our appreciation. We really appreciated the small details - e.g. the greeting on arrival at the camp, the presentation of the tents and the artistic touches with the greenery etc. We felt really honoured when the girls gave us a cabaret of local singing and dancing prior to our last evening meal - delightful.
E.C., U.K.

We have no complaints - only compliments and praise.
P.L., Holland

Highlights were the pantomime created by a baby Warthog chasing off four Cheetahs, the wide variety of food and high standard of cuisine, all absolutely wonderful.
J.D. and D.D., Andover, Hampshire, U.K.

The setting, atmosphere, the camp and the waterhole, a super experience. Savuti is even more of a special experience than anticipated.
S.R. and K.R., Raton, Florida, USA

I have not had this much fun in my life - This was the first place I stayed in Africa and the best introduction. I could not have asked for better.
K.M., Miami, USA

Spotting the three Cheetah brothers, who hadn't been seen for a month, stalking prey, distracted us. The next day, Cheetah accommodated the guests by making a kill right in front of the water hole.
J.R and C.R., USA

I can't imagine a more wonderful camp - sensitive to leaving the environment intact, yet with every reasonable comfort. Extraordinarily good cooking. I will recommend you most highly to friends and colleagues.

Read more about:

The Savuti Channel & Marsh