BOTSWANA - Jao Camp, Okavango Delta
Jao Camp is located on a large, remote island in a private concession in Botswana, bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta. With varied habitats ranging from waterways and lagoons to dry Kalahari grasslands and open floodplains, Jao Camp can offer both land and water experiences, depending on the current flood levels. Jao is a premier camp, operated by Wilderness Safaris.
In the central region of the concession, vast open floodplains provide some of the most stunning scenery Botswana has to offer. Jao Camp is beautifully positioned on the southern side of the plains in an area of beautiful islands fringed with riverine forests – one of the most scenic locations in the Okavango and a quintessential Okavango Delta experience.
ACCOMMODATION:
Jao Camp has 9 luxurious tented rooms, each individually handcrafted and comprised of canvas and thatch with luxurious en suite bathrooms. Each room is built beneath a canopy of shady trees. All rooms have an outdoor shower, a private sala for afternoon siestas and as they are built on raised wooden decks, they all offer great views of the surrounding floodplains of the Delta. In addition to the lounge and dining area, there are two plunge pools and an outdoor boma for dining under the stars, complemented by wines from an excellent wine cellar. Jao Camp also has a spa where a wide range of massage therapies are offered.
ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE:
Mokoro, boat trips, fishing, nature walks (which must be requested prior to travel), day and night game drives and birding are usually on offer all year round due to the abundance of wildlife in this area. There are two platform hides for superb viewing of birds and large and small mammals.
During an unusually high flood season, game drives begin by boating out to a nearby Hunda Island where the vehicles are waiting, and the drive begins from there. Huge herds of red lechwe can be seen, followed by their primary predator - prides of lion. Other game typical of Botswana include elephant, buffalo, leopard, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest, hippo and crocodile. Many bird species are resident such as Meyer's Parrot, African Harrier Hawk, Black egret, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Hamerkop and Black Crake being some of the avian treasures found at Jao Camp.