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North Island Okavango

LOCATION:

Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana

NUMBER OF ROOMS:

3

PRICE FROM:

Enquire with reservations

DATES OPEN:

Year Round

LOCATION:

Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana

NUMBER OF ROOMS:

3

PRICE FROM:

Enquire with reservations

DATES OPEN:

Year Round

Quintessentially Okavango Delta

You can’t dream this kind of adventure up. The camp itself is located on a private island, surrounded by a mosaic of other islands all netted together by shining lagoons and transient channels. Between the floodplains, open savannah and woodlands, there is an abundance of wildlife everywhere.

Each tent has been designed around a congregation of beautiful big trees, with exceptional lagoon views. Delights of ebony, mangosteen, rain trees, leadwood and wild fig. The adventure here comes to you in waves, as you safari amongst the islands, rich with wild things and extraordinary beauty. This is without doubt, an incredible Okavango Delta safari experience.

Designed around comfort and luxury, it won’t take you long to settle right in. Here you’ll be blissfully unaware of anything else, other than the tranquility and beauty of your surroundings. This is also an exciting opportunity to experience the joy of the Okavango Delta done three ways. On land, on water and in the air. Each new adventure, as extraordinary as the last. The wildlife opportunities in and around camp are exceptional and discovering this idyllic island landscape for yourself will not only delight, but also leave you full to the brim with adventure filled stories to share.

Why You’ll Love North Island Okavango:

  • This is an intimate little camp that packs a lot of punch! Enjoy blissful comfort and African-inspired sophistication in what is undoubtedly one of the most famous wildlife-watching destinations in the world.
  • With only three tents, set on raised wooden platforms overlooking stunning views of the lagoon, it won’t take you long to relax and soak in the tranquility.
  • Here you get to experience the Delta three ways; on land (game drives and game walks), on water (mokoro and boat meanders) and in the air (hot air ballooning and scenic helicopter flights). This is a safari experience that's hard to beat.
  • Located in an utterly beautiful and semi-private game rich concession on the northern fringes of the Okavango Delta the camps position, unlike most other camps, has water-based activities are almost all year round.
  • You’ll find yourself in the thick of it! Home to all the stars of the animal kingdom, from big cats, to buffalo, antelope and aardvark.
  • After a visit to our other premier camps; Jack’s Camp in the Kalahari and Tuludi in Khwai Private Reserve, add this to your circuit to complete the thrill of experiencing three of our luxury camps, in three different eco-systems – this really is getting to enjoy the very best of Botswana’s wild and wonderful places!

We recommend booking North Island Okavango as part of a complete Natural Selection safari, but if you want to book it separately or just check availability, click here to select dates and book.

Interested in learning more about the prices? View Rates

North Island Okavango

North Island Okavango Accommodations

Now here’s where it gets exciting. Styled by bold shapes, textures and contemporary African inspired design, this is exceptional comfort, style and luxury all blended into one.

There are only 3 spacious tents in camp, each resting on a raised wooden deck under the shady boughs of wild ebony trees. Each tent offers stunning views of the lagoon in front of it and a private plunge pool with a sunken sundeck for cooling off, for you to enjoy while watching the wildlife that comes into view. At night sit on the deck listening to the bell frogs tinkle like windchimes and watch as fireflies wink at you across the water. For the hotter summer nights, each bed comes with its very own ‘over-the-bed’ cooling system. And in winter, there is a cosy fireplace to relax in front of, making each tent a romantic safari experience.

The camp sits peacefully in front of a glorious hippo-filled lagoon, shaded by a congregation of enormous trees, with a separate lounge and dining area to enjoy delicious dinners, connected by a wooden deck that extends onwards for stargazing around a crackling firepit at night. To the side, there is a separate library for resting and reading and an outdoor gym to exercise in, while surrounded by the wild. This colourful little camp, packs a lot of punch. From the contemporary African inspired design, to the activities on offer, this is a small island haven for wild adventure.

Accommodation & Amenities

  • 3 tented suites on raised wooden platforms, each with twin beds that can be converted to doubles.
  • Plus a sleeper couch to accommodate two children with their own bathroom.
  • Ensuite bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower, plus bathtub.
  • Sunken deck and private plunge pool at each suite.
  • Total unit floor space of 140 square metres (including deck, outside shower, pool etc); 80 square metres of interior floor space.
  • Fireplace and minibar.
  • Binoculars available for guest use.
  • In-room spa treatments (at an additional cost).
  • The camp is 100% solar-powered.
  • Ceiling fans and an environmentally friendly air-conditioning system over the bed.
  • Outdoor gym.
  • Well stocked library with books about Botswana and the Okavango Delta.
  • Wi-Fi available in the suites only.
  • Hairdryers available.
  • Battery charging facilities available in the suites only.
  • Complimentary laundry service.
  • Child policy: we welcome children aged 6 years and older.
  • Disabled access: please enquire with reservations.

When to Visit North Island Okavango

North Island Okavango is open all year round. We’re always asked which is the ‘best’ time of year to visit, and our answer? There isn’t one. It all depends on your preferences, what you would like to see and do, and how you like to safari.

April to October in the Delta are the dry, winter months. Confusingly, this means the water levels are at their highest and it’s the best time of year for water and mokoro safaris when you’ll be able to access remote areas. However, in saying that, what makes North Island Okavango so unique, is that there is water around the camp almost all year round. This means that guests can enjoy water based activities sooner in the year and for longer than most other areas of the Delta.

Game viewing at this time of year is exceptional (it always is) and this combined with the pleasant, mid-20s temperatures and sunshine-filled skies, makes it a great time to experience the Delta.

October to March are the green season months. Rain comes in the form of short, sharp thunderstorms and the dramatic skies make for even more dramatic sunsets. Water levels are slightly lower at this time of year, but there is always permanent water around North Island Okavango and mokoro and boat safaris are still possible. It’s also the best time of year to spot breeding animals and the migrant birds.

Seasonality

  •   Green season: 10 January – 31 March
  •   Shoulder season: 01 April – 31 May | 01 November – 19 December
  •   High season: 01 June – 30 June | 01 September – 31 October | 20 December – 09 January
  •   Peak season: 01 July – 31 August

North Island Okavango Activities

Wild adventure is kind of our thing at North Island Okavango. Here you get to experience the Delta three ways – on land, on water and in the air:

  • Game drive through vast tracts of pristine wilderness in search of lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, hippo and the rare sitatunga antelope.
  • View the wildlife at eye level on a boat or traditional mokoro safari through the lily-filled channels (NB water activities are subject to water levels in the Delta but the best part about North Island Okavango is that it gets water almost all year round).
  • Try your hand at a spot of fishing (01 April – 31 December; fishing is not permitted from January to March due to breeding season).
  • Tick off some of the Okavango specials from your bird-list – the slaty egret, Pel’s fishing owl and the African skimmer to name a few.
  • Experience this pristine wilderness on foot, on a morning or afternoon game walk with your expert guide, tracking game and getting to see everything at eye level right at the heart of where the wild things are!
  • Cruise over the vast landscapes of the Okavango Delta on a soaring helicopter flight or to view ancient rock art at Tsodilo Hills, less than 100km away (at an additional cost).
  • Take to the skies on an evocative hot air balloon flight (at an additional cost; only available if combined with a helicopter transfer; 01 April – 30 September).
  • Enjoy a community visit to one of our outreach partners in the nearby village.
  • Spend time with one of our conservation partners, to see first-hand how we are making a difference to wildlife conservation in the area.

North Island Okavango Landscape & Wildlife

Landscape

This enormous concession is slightly to the west of the renowned Vumbura and Duba Plains concessions on the northern side of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. With the large size, an abundance of game, and very little evidence of other people, this is a prime destination for those looking for an exclusive experience in a blissfully uncrowded area.

The landscape is iconic in all its Delta-esque beauty. It’s a pristine wilderness of floodplains and grasslands, lagoons and palm-strewn islands, and the diverse habitats support an extraordinary range of wildlife. It really is one of the most unique wetland areas in the world, unchanged for centuries, and, in our eyes (and many others!) one of the best safari destinations there is.

Imagine a mosaic of forest islands, surrounded by crystal-clear waters, where channels flow one way this year, another the next. The camp is ringed by a congregation of beautiful trees, delights of ebony, mangosteen, rain trees, leadwood and wild fig and home to an abundance of beautiful birds, hives and nests, making this a magical haven buzzing with life.

The adventure comes to you in waves, as you safari amongst the islands, savannah grasslands and woodlands all rich in wildlife and extraordinary beauty. This is without doubt, an incredible Okavango Delta safari experience.

Wildlife

We’ve already established that this incredible concession in the Okavango Delta is a true wildlife stronghold and whether this is your first time on safari or you’ve traversed the continent with your binos, you won’t be disappointed by what’s on offer. In fact, those in the know (and who’ve been around the safari block more than a few times!) say that the area has the highest concentration of lion anywhere in the Okavango Delta. But the allure isn’t simply in the number of animals you’ll see, but in the diversity of species in the reserve. Yes, there’s lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, but you’ll also spot elusive and lesser-known predators like caracal, serval and mongoose.

On the edge of the water, buffalo congregate en masse, lechwe leap in bounding cascades and the water dwelling sitatunga shyly graze. While trunk-swinging elephant bathe, watched beadily from the channels by sun-basking crocs and hippo. Antelope dot the floodplains in every direction, and zebra and giraffe appear at the flash of a camera. The birdlife here is especially noteworthy, with over 350-bird species, including the endangered wattled crane, carmine bee-eaters, secretary birds and the Pel’s fishing-owl, all regularly spotted to the delight of many a twitcher.

North Island Okavango Story

For decades, we have loved this game-rich area. For us, it’s what wild Okavango Delta safaris epitomize. So, when the opportunity arose to lease the uninhabited private island from the Magobagoba Youth Trust, we jumped at it.

Being at the upstream end of the Okavango Delta, this area receives the annual floodwaters first. This opens up water-based viewing activities for most of the year, to offer off-the-charts wildlife watching experiences.

Equally attractive to us, as a purpose driven business though, is that the presence of a camp here can have a very positive impact on both conservation and local communities. The concession is in the middle of an important elephant movement route between Angola, Namibia, the Okavango Delta, and Chobe. Maintaining wildlife movement corridors is something that we are passionate about and improving the livelihoods of local communities is one way we believe the human pressure on wildlife and its movement can be eased.

The Magobagoba Youth Trust uses the proceeds from the lease to support educational projects and employment creating opportunities for the youth of nearby villages. This is an important way to not only support the communities whose lives have formed part of this spectacular landscape for hundreds of years, but to also protect the animals whose movements form a critical part in sustaining this rich, yet fragile eco-system.

The Scratching Post

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