Okavango Delta
Mababe Tented Camp
New to 2026, Mababe Tented Camp is a small, seasonal camp – open from April to December – set along the Khwai River within the Mababe Private Reserve. Built with a light footprint and powered mainly by solar, it offers a simple but comfortable base for exploring this productive wildlife area. The open‑fronted lounge and dining space overlook the river, providing a relaxed spot to watch animals moving through the floodplain between activities. Guests explore the concession on guided game drives and, when water levels allow, mokoro excursions, with opportunities to see elephants, predators, and a wide range of birdlife.
Mababe Private Reserve lies between the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, and Chobe National Park, forming part of the ancient Mababe Depression. Its varied landscapes – seasonal marshes, nutrient‑rich grasslands, mopane woodland, acacia patches, and broad floodplains – shift dramatically with the seasons, supporting consistently high wildlife densities. After the rains, the plains attract large numbers of grazing species, while permanent water ensures year‑round concentrations of elephants, buffalo, and diverse antelope.
The reserve is particularly well known for its predators, including prides of lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and African wild dog, as well as smaller carnivores and an impressive array of raptors and wetland birds. As a privately managed concession with strict limits on vehicle numbers, Mababe offers quiet, uncrowded sightings and the freedom to explore on day and night drives, off‑road where appropriate, and on guided walks, making it one of Botswana’s most atmospheric and ecologically rich wilderness areas.
Facilities
Eight Meru tents, available in single, twin, or double configuration.
Each tent has an en suite bathroom, safe, fan, and hot water bottle.
An open tented main area includes a dining area and lounge.
The camp is solar‑powered, with a back‑up generator on site.
Local Wildlife
Mammals: lion, leopard, African wild dog, spotted hyena, African bush elephant, hippopotamus, southern giraffe, greater kudu, cape buffalo, plains zebra, blue wildebeest, impala, red lechwe, black-backed jackal, chacma baboon, honey badger, African wildcat, African civet.
Birds: African fish-eagle, white-backed vulture, tawny eagle, steppe eagle, Wahlberg's eagle, brown snake-eagle, bateleur, African hawk-eagle, martial eagle, black-winged kite, secretarybird, Pel's fishing-owl, southern ground-hornbill, kori bustard, malachite kingfisher, African jacana, lesser jacana, greater painted-snipe, saddle-billed stork, African woolly-necked stork, African spoonbill, slaty egret, white-backed night heron, African crake, African pygmy-goose, Bennett's woodpecker, black-winged pratincole, southern black-tit, wattled crane.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
If you have any questions regarding our Botswana tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to thank all at Reef and Rainforest for arranging so superbly yet another exceptional wildlife experience. As you are aware our 'expeditions' tend to be species led and this year's brief was to observe and photograph the 'Three Big Cats of Africa' in a truly wild setting (i.e. no fences). Your recommended destination, Botswana, did not let us down, in fact the whole trip proved an outstanding success in all aspects.
We stayed in three camps (three nights in each) across the Okavango Delta and surrounding area, each provided a different environment which ensured our aims were met. Each camp was run to a very high standard, was extremely comfortable and provided excellent meals. The quality of guiding and tracking in all our camps was of the highest standard. As Botswana manages its natural resources so well all the camps were small (no more than 18 guests) ensuring a very intimate safari experience in pristine wild African habitat.
I am delighted to report our big cat objectives were realised. All observations were lengthy and offered excellent photographic opportunities. However, unexpectedly, the highlight of our spectacular trip turned out to be sightings of two separate packs of African Painted Dogs. We visited two dens, the first had a very healthy number of adult dogs, approximately fifteen and eighteen pups. The second had seven adult dogs and sixteen pups. At Lebala we had the privilege of spending a prolonged period of time following the pack of dogs as they hunted, an experience we will never forget.
When one also considers the significant mammal and bird species we observed, Botswana is truly a must visit destination for the wildlife enthusiast. Incidentally we also observed three serval and two African wild cats. We also thoroughly enjoyed our few days at Victoria Falls, possibly the most spectacular waterfall in the world, the hotel in Zimbabwe was excellent. Viewing the falls from the Zambian side and also the helicopter flight are both well worth doing.
This was our third consecutive trip with Reef and Rainforest, and I would be very surprised if there is not a fourth being planned very soon. Thank you all once again.