Wilderness Savuti

Wilderness Savuti sits on the banks of the Savuti Channel inside the private Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in northern Botswana. The channel is unusual: its flow is controlled not by rainfall but by tectonic movement in the earth beneath it. When water runs through, elephant, buffalo, and lion come to drink; when the channel dries, the grassy plains fill with antelope and the predators follow. The camp watches both states from the same vantage point.

Six canvas-and-thatch tents are raised on elevated wooden decks overlooking the channel. One is a family unit with two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom, a separate entrance, and a shared outdoor deck. The thatched dining area extends out over the channel bed on wooden decks, with a pool and a fire deck alongside.

A log-pile hide in front of camp is useful when water levels are low — elephant regularly come close enough to block the view entirely. Game drives run morning and afternoon; night drives add lesser bushbabies, servals, aardwolf, and spring hares to the list. Guided nature walks operate seasonally, subject to a qualified walking guide being available. Boating is possible when water levels allow. The Linyanti Wildlife Reserve is a recognised Important Bird Area, and guides here work across more than four hundred recorded species.

The Star Bed — a two-storey sleep-out deck above the lagoon that feeds the channel — is currently being refurbished, as is the Zibadianja Hide. Meals often move outdoors to the boma, and the kitchen draws on local Botswana dishes: seswa, oxtail, samp and beans.