Skybeds

LOCATION:

Khwai Private Reserve

NUMBER OF ROOMS:

3

PRICE RANGE:

US$ 745 — US$ 990 per night

DATES OPEN:

April - October

LOCATION:

Khwai Private Reserve

NUMBER OF ROOMS:

3

PRICE RANGE:

US$ 745 — US$ 990 per night

DATES OPEN:

April - October

A million star review

Looking for a truly unique way to spend time in the bush? Then look no further than our fabulous Skybeds, located deep within the Khwai Private Reserve. As the name suggests, this is no ordinary safari camp. Each “room” is actually a three-story raised platform, overlooking the wildlife-spotted plains of Khwai. Charmingly rustic yet perfectly stylish, you’ll find a bathroom with flushing loo on the first floor, a dressing area, and the ultimate cherry on the top floor, an enormous double bed, draped in white linens and a feather duvet and completely open to the stars.

With such spectacular skies overhead, you could be forgiven for forgetting about what’s happening down below. But keep one eye on the ground, for the Skybeds overlook a busy waterhole. In one night we’ve seen wild dog, lion, elephant and hyena – and that’s just the beginning. So, whilst we can’t guarantee you’ll get much sleep, we can guarantee one of the wildest and most wonderful safari experiences you’ll ever have.

Please note that Skybeds can only be booked in combination with a stay at Hyena Pan, Tuludi, Sable Alley and Little Sable in Khwai Private Reserve.

Why You’ll Love Skybeds:

  • The Skybeds offers a totally unique safari experience; there’s not many places in the world that you can sleep atop a five-metre high, wooden platform, with only a mozzie net between you and the stars.
  • The platforms overlook a waterhole (the only permanent water source for 2000 hectares), frequented by 400 bull elephants, along with lion, leopard, eland, zebra, and more, making for some pretty outstanding game viewing, straight from your platform.
  • With only three Skybeds, the camp accommodates just six guests making it one of the most intimate camps in Botswana.
  • Each platform comes complete with a flush toilet, shower and basin under each sleeping area.
  • The Skybeds are completely safe and offer excellent value for money.

We recommend booking Skybeds 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

Explore Skybeds

Skybeds Accommodations

Sleeping under the stars in the heart of the bush isn’t something you do every day, and we wanted to keep the experience as exclusive as possible. After all, it’s not quite the same with 100 people snoring next to you. As a result, there are only three Skybeds sleeping a total of six people, and, just as importantly, each one is perfectly private from the next.

The Skybeds are no ordinary camp bedrooms. You’ll be sleeping high above the plains, raised two stories off the ground, and quite literally metres from a mammal-dominated waterhole. The upper platform is your alfresco bedroom, complete with bed and mosquito net. The snuggest of duvets will keep you warm when the temperature tumbles and we’ve even got hot water bottles to keep you extra toasty. The bathroom is on the second-floor level with an enclosed shower, flushing loo, and private changing area.

The Skybeds aren’t a white-gloved, linen-tableclothed sort of place and good, wholesome food is served around the campfire or on the dedicated dining platform, accompanied by the wandering wildlife, the sounds of the night, and a crisp G&T.

We may have injected a good dose of romance into the Skybeds, but that doesn’t mean they’re only for couples. Small groups can book the camp on an exclusive basis (that’s what we call a party!), and we welcome families with children 15 years and older. If you’re embarking on a multi-day Natural Selection safari, add in a night at the Skybeds for a change of pace and scene.

Accommodation & Amenities

  • 3 x 5-metre high sleeping platforms.
  • Dining platform.
  • Private bathrooms with indoor showers.
  • Wifi available: No.
  • Hairdryers: No.
  • Battery charging facilities: In the vehicle.
  • Child policy: We welcome children aged 16 years and older.
  • Disabled access: Sadly, disabled access is not possible.

When to Visit Skybeds

April to October is the dry season, but don’t be fooled by the warm daytime temperatures – it can get chilly in the evening. That’s exactly why each Skybed is equipped with cosy blankets and duvets as fat as a stack of pancakes. At this time of year, the wildlife congregates at the Skybeds waterhole. Herds cluster together, predators lurk in the wings, and you can almost feel the heightened tension over the last drops of H20.

As the end of the season approaches and November begins, rain becomes more of a likelihood but it certainly doesn’t rain all night and is more a spectacular event than a hindrance! The giants of the wildlife world start to take the limelight now and large numbers of hippo, elephant and buffalo explore the surroundings.

Seasonality

  • Shoulder season: 01 April – 31 May
  • High season: 01 June – 30 June | 01 September – 31 October
  • Peak season: 01 July – 31 August
  • Closed: 1st November – 31st March

Skybeds Activities

  • Visit the ground level hide en-route to the Skybeds on your first day.
  • Embark on guided bush walks and view the landscape and the wildlife from a different perspective (on request).
  • Enjoy an icy G&T and watch the sun plummet below the horizon.
  • Watch the elephants all night long visiting the waterhole from your lofty perch.

Skybeds Landscape & Wildlife

Landscape

Skybeds is situated alongside a busy waterhole within the 200,000 hectare Khwai Private Reserve concession. This is our precious reserve in the Khwai area of the Okavango Delta, and as the name suggests, it’s private, giving our guests that most indulgent of African luxuries – space.

The reserve is at the north east corner of the Delta, and boasts a glorious diversity of land and waterscape, with a variety of ecosystems playing host to an array of wildlife. From seasonal waterholes and permanent channels to mopane woodland and riverine forests – it’s all here.

Wildlife

We’ve turned the idea of a traditional camp on its head at Skybeds, so we thought we might as well flip the notion of a traditional safari too. Usually, the camp is for resting, but at Skybeds, your bedroom takes centre stage in the wildlife-viewing department. Keep your eyes peeled for kudu and roan antelope roaming beneath your tree-house, predators patrolling the water’s edge and long-lashed giraffe peeping into the bedroom.

Game drives mostly focus on the resident predators, and our team of fabulous guides understand exactly where the furry icons claim their territory. Lion prides prowl with precision, leopard hide in the boughs of the trees, and packs of wild dog and scatterings of hyena are a regular part of the program. And in Khwai, it’s not just predator versus prey, but predators fighting amongst themselves too. Exciting stuff.

We also recommend that you pop out on an evening drive. The beauty of being in a private reserve is the ability to do what we want (within reason!), and one of those things is game viewing under the cover of darkness. These drives increase your chances of seeing big cats on the move, and reveal some of the more elusive nocturnal species too. And next on the list is a walking safari. You’ll follow herds of red lechwe and waterbuck, and come eye-to-eye with kudu and eland – the perfect complement to your view from the treehouse.

Skybeds Story

Skybeds are a childhood dream come true for many of us at Natural Selection. We wanted a camp that stood high above the ground, where nothing would disturb our views, but where plenty of gruntings and snortings would disturb our sleep! We came up with the idea of multi-storey sleeping platforms – something that had never been done before – and set about building them around a plentiful waterhole in the heart of Khwai Private Reserve*. We decided that too many platforms would detract from the intimacy of the experience, so we stuck to just three. And there you have it: Skybeds – a place to be at one with the wild; count a billion stars above your head as you drift off to sleep; and watch as elephant emerge through the pastel haze of the sunset to drink from the water mere metres below your bed…

*This concession and its eco-tourism (non-consumptive) designation, relies on the sustainable use of areas in which eco-systems are intact and, in the process, provides important refuge to countless species and biodiversity under threat, important corridors for migration as well as buffers between wildlife and surrounding land uses. It wasn’t always like this, historically it was utilized for hunting. The conversion from hunting to ecotourism was made a success story by Natural Selection and the KPR management team. At Natural Selection, we recognize the important role that eco-tourism plays in the protection of wilderness areas, and therefore continue to promote and expand our conservation efforts.

 

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