The draw at Sable Alley is the game viewing, which is strong and, better still, reliable: the Khwai Private Reserve holds excellent resident populations year-round, and the camp's lagoon-front position brings much of it to you, with hippos, elephants and birds at the water below the deck. Wild dogs are a seasonal highlight on top. At heart it is a classic Natural Selection camp, relatively simple but, since the refurbishment, comfortable enough for all but the most discerning, and that honest balance is the whole appeal.
Awarded: Bronze
Location
Khwai Private Reserve runs to roughly 200,000 hectares of private concession on Moremi’s unfenced northeastern boundary, with Khwai Village along one edge and a corridor through to Savuti and Linyanti. This is NG18, not the public Khwai community concession a short flight east, which means off-road driving, night drives, and walking are permitted because Natural Selection answers to the Khwai Development Trust rather than a park gate. The Trust was founded in 2000 by the Bugakhwe community whose ancestors were moved off this land when Moremi was gazetted in 1963; the concession itself was a trophy-hunting block until 2009, when the Trust voted to switch it to photographic tourism. The leopards sit calmly with vehicles, which is the visible legacy.
Sable Alley sits on a lily-covered lagoon at one corner of it. Hippos live in the water, elephants drink at the deck’s edge, and the habitat mosaic shifts within a single drive: mopane, riverine forest, acacia, seasonal waterholes, and the winding channels back to the Khwai River. The wider Okavango. The Okavango is Big Four; rhinos were evacuated from the Delta after the 2018–2022 poaching wave.
Rooms
Twelve tents stand on raised wooden decks at the lagoon’s edge: nine twin-or-double configurations, one honeymoon tent, and two family tents with two bedrooms apiece. Inside, the design takes its cue from the sable antelope itself — a warm, understated palette you sink into without it ever competing with the lagoon beyond the canvas. A 2026 refurbishment added a plunge pool to every deck and freshened the interiors without meddling with what already worked.
The plunge pools face the lagoon, and the sliding mesh-screen doors front and back open the canvas to whatever is happening in the water. You wake to hippos. You shower outside if you want to. The fixtures are unfussy: two basins, an indoor shower alongside the outdoor one, a writing desk, a coffee station and minibar.
The family tents follow the same canvas-and-deck idiom across two genuine bedrooms apiece, useful for two-child families. Children are welcomed from age six at camp and on drives; walking safaris move to age twelve in winter only; the Skybeds sister sleep-out runs April to October and tightens further to sixteen plus. Canvas construction means cold nights from May to August, hot summer afternoons, and frogs and insects on the outdoor decks.
Communal Areas
The communal hub is single and lagoon-facing: lounge, dining deck, bar, swimming pool, and the raised firepit all positioned for the same view across the lily pads. The day organises itself around that view: rusks and cooked-to-order eggs at the firepit before the morning drive, a shaded lunch, high tea, then dinner on the deck or indoors when the wind gets up. Drinks are included, except the imported champagnes and a few premium labels, and spa treatments come to your tent for a fee. At twelve tents and twenty-eight in camp, it stays sociable without tipping into crowded, which suits a place where half the entertainment is whatever the lagoon is doing.
Activities
Two game drives a day, year-round, in open seven-seat vehicles. Because the concession is private, the drives go off-road, run after dark, and follow a predator rather than a park timetable. Lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo are all Very High, a daily expectation in season; the hippos are a permanent fixture in the lagoon, and spotted hyena is High. The animal worth singling out is the wild dog, Endangered, with Botswana holding roughly a third of the world’s remaining population. Here it is High year-round and Very High from May to August, when the packs settle at a den and stop roaming, the surest window of the year and one backed by thirty years of tracking from the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust. Cheetah, sable and roan are Opportunistic, a bonus rather than a promise, and there are no rhino in the Delta. Birdlife is rich, more than 350 species, from long-toed lapwing to the black and slaty egrets along the channels.
On foot, walking safaris run in the drier months, April to October, for the visibility, and take walkers from age twelve. Water activities depend on the flood: the mokoro and the double-decker boat are at their most reliable from May to October, and outside that window they may not run at all. Fishing is open March to December, closed in the heat of January and February while the fish breed.
A handful of extras carry a supplement, and one is worth it: the KPR Ranger Experience, a four-to-six-hour pre-dawn patrol alongside the reserve’s rangers, tracking and logging data that feeds the conservation teams at the BPCT, the University of New South Wales and the Okavango Research Institute. The fee buys the rangers their radios, binoculars and the vehicles they actually work in. The sunken Pula Pan hide, a six-minute helicopter hop to the Hyena Pan airstrip, puts you at eye level with elephants at the water. Helicopter flights over the Delta and a night on the Skybeds sleep-out platform (April to October, sixteen and up) fill out the list.
Fully inclusive
When to go
Find out when is best to visit
- Excellent
- Good
- Poor
WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’
Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.
Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’
Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.
Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’
Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.
Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON
The Okavango River begins to flood the delta, gradually from north to south, drawing in wildlife from surrounding areas as the dry season progresses.
Midday temperatures are more pleasant, falling to an average high of 31°C/88°F by May. Mornings can be surprisingly cool, so it is advisable to pack some warm clothes.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON – START OF THE DELTA FLOODS
The Okavango River begins to flood the delta, gradually from north to south, drawing in wildlife from surrounding areas as the dry season progresses.
Midday temperatures are more pleasant, falling to an average high of 31°C/88°F by May. Mornings can be surprisingly cool, so it is advisable to pack some warm clothes.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD
The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which continues to flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.
Midday temperatures are rather cool averaging around 25°C/77°F, mornings are cold, occasionally sub-zero, so be sure to pack warm clothes!
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD
The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which continues to flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.
Midday temperatures are rather cool averaging around 25°C/77°F, mornings are cold, occasionally sub-zero, so be sure to pack warm clothes!
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON
Clear skies still dominate. Midday temperatures begin to rise and can at times be hot. Morning remain surprisingly cool.
Botswana has very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain is common, usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from October through to early May, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. As Botswana is predominately a safari destination we would generally recommend visiting during the peak of the dry season; as the landscape dries up, wildlife becomes more concentrated around the rivers and watercourse while at the same time thinner/ drier vegetation improves visibility.
Having said this, there is a lot to be said for the ‘emerald season’; beautiful green scenery, fantastic birding, large flowing rivers and fewer tourists can make for a wonderful and unique experience.
There are also two significant exceptions to the above rule of thumb; Kalahari Desert and the Makgadikgadi which come into their own during the wet season as wildlife moves in to take advantage of the fresh, lush grass.
Temperatures can be very high in and around the wet season; when the sunlight is at its strongest, however nights can be cool to sub-freezing throughout the year. So, don’t forget to pack warm clothing!
DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD
The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which is now in full flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.
Midday temperatures are a pleasant to hot averaging between 28°C/82°F and 32°C/77°F. Mornings are cool, so be sure to pack a warm fleece.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
DRY SEASON
It has been months since the initial flooding of the Okavango River, leading ultimately to the flooding of the vast Okavango Delta; the flood waters now gradually recede as time moves on.
Game viewing remains spectacular during October; however, temperatures continue to rise before the start of the rains, with midday temperatures over 40°C/104°F not uncommon. We suggest early morning starts during this time to make the most of the cool temperatures!
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
WET SEASON
The first rains arrive, usually in the form of sharp afternoon showers, at the same time the delta levels continue to drop; ultimately this disperses wildlife out of the delta.
The temperatures remain hot, while the humidity adds level of discomfort. Game viewing can still be good, but just be prepared for a little heat.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’
Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.
Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.
Explore Okavango Delta & Moremi Game Reserve Properties
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Abu Camp
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Camp Moremi
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Camp Okavango
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Camp Xakanaxa
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Chitabe Camp
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Chitabe Lediba
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Duba Explorers Camp
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Duba Plains Camp
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Duba Plains Suite
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Duke’s Camp
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Jacana Camp
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Jao Camp
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Kanana
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Kwando Splash Camp
Kwando Splash Camp
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Kwetsani Camp
Kwetsani Camp
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Letaka Safaris | Miracle Rivers
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The Miracle Rivers is a six-night mobile tented safari through Moremi Game Reserve and the Mababe Private Reserve in Botswana's Okavango Delta. It is operated by Letaka ..
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Little Mombo Camp
Little Mombo Camp
This charming camp neighbours its larger sister property, Mombo Camp. Ranked among the finest safari camps in Africa, Little Mombo has elegant rooms, a sublime location ..
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Little Sable
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Little Tubu
Little Tubu
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Little Vumbura Camp
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Miracle Rivers
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Mombo Camp
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Northern Highlights – northbound
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The best way to appreciate Africa is light of foot and in the thick of it. Letaka Safaris, run by some of the most experienced guides, will take you off the beaten track ..
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Okuti
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Pelo Camp
Pelo Camp
A rustic but comfortable camp set amongst the riverside trees of the Delta waterways, Pelo Camp offers a traditional safari camp experience. Guests here are surrounded by ..
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Qorokwe Camp
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Sanctuary Chief’s Camp
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Sandibe Safari Lodge
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Seba Camp
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Shinde
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Sitatunga Private Island Camp & Suite
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Skybeds
Skybeds
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Tubu Tree
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Tuludi Camp
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Vumbura Plains
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What People Say
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The personalised service provided was far beyond my expectations. A three week trip visiting four countries in Africa, multiple game reserves, wineries and much, much more was flawless. While a close encounter with a leopard and her cubs…
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We got in touch after hearing about Hide & Seek from a friend. Have to say hats off to Jamie, he was so patient throughout, even through our indecisiveness! Ultimately we ended up with the most incredible holiday of our lives. Thank you again, we will be back!!
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Thank you for arranging our Safari holiday in Kenya and Tanzania for us. It was to celebrate our 40th. Wedding anniversary which was on July 1st. 2018, and through your arrangements, we have had a holiday that we will never forget...
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Thanks so much for a truly unforgettable once in a life time holiday. Hopefully we will be in touch again soon!
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Spot on in terms of itinerary . We not disappointed by any of the suggestions and had the best holiday ever! Thank you!
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Jamie was very helpful throughout the booking process and recommended the perfect holiday. There was nothing we would change having now been out to Tanzania. I would highly recommend Hide & Seek to friends and relatives.
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Jamie was excellent. Once I described what we wanted I knew he would come up with the business. ..and he did!!! 5 stars
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We spoke to numerous travel agents over the period we looked at booking our honeymoon and only hide and seek gave me the confidence I was looking for. Really pleased with our decision.
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Hide and seek dealt with our last minute travel plans extremely well. Obviously, our accommodations shifted as availability diminished but ultimately they came up with a vacation that we will never forget.
