BOTSWANA - Kwetsani Camp, Okavango Delta
Kwetsani is one of the most remote camps in the Okavango Delta, located on an elongated island in the 60,000 hectare Jao concession in the north-western region of the Delta. The area is heavily wooded with palm, mangosteen and fig trees and the camp has access to the vast open floodplains with stunning views.
Lying in the very heart of the Okavango Delta, the Jao concession has all the magic and mystique of the region. Narrow water channels cut their way through the papyrus and reed beds - lush palm islands, like the one on which Kwetsani Camp is built, dot the waters.
David Kays is the Jao concession holder. David is a member of the Tubu Joint Management Committee which he launched, together with the University of Botswana and under the auspices of the Biokavango Project. The aim is to reduce conflict between the community and the Jao concession, specifically with regard to curbing poaching and over-fishing.
ACCOMMODATION:
Kwetsani Camp is a classic Wilderness Safaris camp and consists of 5 furnished "tree-house" chalets, each with its own en-suite bathroom. The camp is built of thatch, wood, glass and canvas. The dining room, lounge and bar area are under a large, cool thatched roof and offer incredible vistas of the surrounding floodplains which are usually dotted with lechwe, wildebeest and other plains game. Guests can also watch this wildlife from a communal swimming pool or from their decks leading off their own rooms.
Kwetsani Camp offers excellent land and water activities dependent on the annual flood levels of the Okavango Delta. Guests have the opportunity to enjoy game drives by day or night, as well as wonderful mokoro excursions with experienced poler guides. Adventurous guests can also explore the many palm-fringed islands on foot with an armed guide (this must be requested prior to travel). There are two platform hides in the concession.
ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE:
Lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah, tsessebe and red lechwe are among the major game attractions at Kwetsani Camp, while hippo, sitatunga antelope and crocodile reside in the deeper, permanently lily-filled lagoons of the area. Nocturnal animals such as porcupine, aardwolf, serval, large spotted genet and lesser bushbaby can be observed on the night drives (water levels permitting).
Further west, the area gets progressively dryer and Hunda Island (which is the tip of a large "sand tongue") is the largest area of dry land in the vicinity during the flood season. Hunda Island has sandveld vegetation supporting many species of nutritious acacia and shrubs which provide excellent browsing for herbivores - upon which the lions prey.
Birding is always good in the Delta and no different here - the true wetland areas here are best known for the concentrations of endangered Wattled Crane and Slaty Egrets. Rosy-throated Longclaws and African Skimmer are some of the specials that can be seen. Pel's Fishing-Owl is found as well as Coppery-tailed Coucal and the Pygmy Goose. The specialised African Skimmer may be seen on the larger lagoons and channels.
Kwetsani Camp is set in the most densely populated wetland area for sitatunga antelope and red lechwe, and hippo and crocodile are regularly sighted. In the dry season lechwe, tsessebe, elephant, wildebeest and zebra are prevalent, with lion, cheetah and leopard often sighted. The many lion prides in this area have been extensively studied in recent years, thereby building up a more intimate knowledge of their behaviour.
Kwetsani Camp is closely involved with the Jao Lion Monitoring Project which was started shortly after the inception of the Jao Concession. Every effort is made to monitor the movement, social behaviour and condition of individual lions. Guests will be surprised to learn some of the unusual developments and intriguing behaviour which has been documented amongst the lion prides here.