We are constantly in touch with all our lodges and camps within Africa, whether it be needed updates at certain camps, or even new camps opening up their doors as well as just keeping in touch! Believe it or not, we are basically a huge family supporting one another and especially throughout covid, this form or contact was vital, mainly for moral support throughout a very challenging time. We have some updates and news from our friends at Natural Selection who have some of our favourite camps within Botswana.

This year, or rather next year, we have news that at Duke’s Camp they are in the process of building a family room. Duke’s Camp is a luxurious under-canvas property located in the wild north of the Okavango Delta. The camp is named after Sarefo ‘Duke’ who was born eighty years ago on the exact island and almost the exact spot Duke’s Camp now resides. Each of the rooms are raised on wooden decking lying in the shade of huge leadwood and ebony trees. The camp currently includes 8 to 12 rooms and they are now in the process of building a further family suite, so watch this space for more details throughout the building process.

Some news we receive isn’t always positive. At Tuludi they have unfortunately lost the beautiful Tuludi Sky Suite to a fire. With substantial damage to the wooden framed structure, they have made the decision to not rebuild the suite. Although this is a sad loss to some of the experiences at Tuludi, there are other Skybed platforms and experiences within the concession which offer an equally unrivalled experience. Many overlooking watering holes so you can enjoy the wildlife action throughout the evening, night and into the early mornings.

Onto a more modern twist to these wild camps and lodges. Many of the camps and lodges offer a small wifi service, even though you are in the wild, we still need to have some form of contact to the outside world. We urge guests to really immerse themselves into the wilderness and completely switch off their smart phone and electrical devices, but sometimes you do still need wifi. We wanted to let you know about some of the camps that do not offer wifi; Jacks Camp, San Camp, Camp Kalahari, Duke’s Camp and Mapula Camp. However, as mentioned there are some situations that some guests do need wifi, which the general managers will assist with, but generally at these camps, there will be no wifi. The owner, Ralph Bousfield has made a small statement to encourage the ‘switch off’ ethos these camps have:

‘The Makgadikgadi and Okavango Delta offer the greatest escape of all, which is an escape from time. Once away from camp, there’s nothing to tell you what year or era it is. It’s easy to believe you could be with early explorers, be they European, indigenous San or ancient human taking their first steps. True time travel! This disconnection from the modern world’s pressures is so profound we don’t dare interrupt it. To this end there is no internet in Unchartered Africa camps. We believe this is not taking something away, but an act of generosity. As our original mandate stated: ‘give them what they never knew they wanted.’’

On top of this, we are always encouraging our guests to speak to their guides and the general managers about any problems, questions, queries, or requests to ensure that their stay is the best that it can possibly be. We encourage this as we cannot sort problems or ensure requests are met when guests arrive back home, so we urge guests to speak up and ultimately make your stay the best it can possibly be!