Reviews of Selinda Explorers Camp

"Not as luxurious as Selinda Camp has now become, but nonetheless really good.

The atmosphere at Selinda Explorers was delightful and we appreciated the camp’s friendly staff. Lovely position on the scenic Selinda Spillway.

One morning on our drive out we were treated to Spotted Hyena frolicking in the water, bathed in orange light. We also saw a male Cheetah a male Leopard and four of a coalition of male Lions. Parks was a great guide and we were able to watch Lionesses hunting too. After dark we were very fortunate to see a pack of Wild Dogs on a kill, with puppies present.

It would be remiss not to comment on the delicious lunches prepared for us by Chef Mike. He and Chantal were very attentive to dietary requirements." See all these reviews: 19n in Botswana

"We arrived late at Selinda Explorers because we missed our Mack flight from Kwara but the manager and guide were excellent at accommodating the change in plans and laying on an evening game drive from the airstrip to camp.

Selinda Explorers is a charming small tented camp where service is all and it is like stepping back in time and being at one with nature. Once again the guiding was excellent and Parks our guide deserves a special mention.

The food was excellent and the surprise outdoor lunch on our last day in the most beautiful of settings was outstanding." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Fabulous camp in the Selinda Spillway. Very professionally run by an excellent team of friendly knowledgeable people. We were so well looked after -felt like royalty !

Food very good indeed.

We liked the fact that breakfast is taken out on the morning drive to be eaten somewhere special in the bush. This meant we didn't have to come back to camp until 1130/12 depending on sightings.

We had 6 lions walk through camp one morning - a really special sighting.

Tents very comfortable. We were fortunate in having our guide to ourselves for our whole stay. This enabled us to choose our own itinerary ,sit and watch birds at waterholes for unlimited time.

We had a very special bush breakfast cooked by Otti the head chef - memories are made of this. Loved flying in and out of the camp - the scenery from the air is magnificent. You realise how vast the wilderness.

We really hope to return again and see the area at a different time of year, when more of the Spillway is full." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"Comfort and style are at the heart of this small and intimate camp. The staff were fabulous and the manager, Doctor, was in league of his own.

We couldn't fault this camp; we felt at home from the moment we arrived and didn't want to leave. Our guide Tips was so knowledgeable and a we felt very lucky to have spent our time with him. His skill in tracking a pair of cheetahs on a kill were exceptional and something we didn't expect to see.

We can't rate this camp or the overall experience highly enough." See all these reviews: 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"Small camp with rustic feeling. Our room was spacious and very comfortable.

Because the area was very dry, we were not offered any water activities but game viewing was very good.
Our guide, Oats is really knowledgeable. It was so good to listen to his talk about animal's behavior.

Staff were very friendly. Food was very good. Bush lunch and special Botswana style dinner were memorable experiences.
We love sociable atmosphere of this camp." See all these reviews: 7n in Botswana

"For our last four night we stayed at Selinda explorers. Back to tents, back to a bush experience. We shared our guide, Oats, with another couple, and Oats made sure we were all happy all the time, that is not an easy task.

He showed us masses of wild life, wild dogs every day, lions, elephant, zebra, buffalo, hyena all on a back drop of rivers and grasses, sunsets and trees. The environment is beautiful, huge! Photographing elephants and zebra in long yellow grass, young leopards stalking and wild dogs hunting is a photographers heaven.

We shared our experience with nice company, the chef provides such variety and choice it is amazing, and delicious and plentiful. We were on our own the last night in camp and the camp staff organised a candle lit dinner, outside our tent, for a special end to our safari. If you are looking for a bush experience that isn't drop loos and bucket showers, but totally authentic then this is for you.

We are already trying to work out when can we go back….." See all these reviews: 17n in Botswana

"A great camp to end our Botswana safari.

Again, great staff, good food, outstanding guides, wonderful safari/game viewing experiences and we really enjoyed the canoe trips and extended walking safari's." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana; 4n in Rwanda

"Unfortunately we couldn't do out planned walking due to my ankle injury (see last camp), so I think we missed some of the best of this camp.

It is beautiful - very much a luxury antique camp. The service goes with the setting and is faultless! The food is good, but (and this a very personal view) I'd stop trying so hard - don't try to replicate restaurant food.

I'm rating the rooms 'good' because the lack of a drop-down mosquito net over the bed did result in picking up some bites as we slept. The tent is simply too big to effectively keep bugs out with zip doors (there can be access somewhere you cannot see) and I had insects as large as cicadas inside despite careful control on the zips! I don't think a net over the bed would be out of keeping with the ethos, so I recommended this as an option.

The location is miles from anywhere. For me that is an attraction - if you want easy access and wifi, this is not a camp for you! The facilities include hot water in the old fashioned manner for morning ablutions, but there is an 'always on' shower (alas, bucket showers are rare commodities nowadays).

The game drives were a 50/50 for us. On the one hand, I saw a pangolin!!! This was amazing. Our guide was excellent and we really enjoyed the drives. However, there is a habit here of all vehicles going to the 'sight of the day'. I know this gave us the pangolin (so hard to complain), but the tracking experience and thrill of finding things is rather lost. Even in so large a concession, we were all going to the same places. Next time I would unhook from the 'Let's go see...' group-think.

I wish we had been able to walk because I think that would change the experience significantly." See all these reviews: 13n in Botswana

"Extremely welcoming, hospitable, friendly and efficient staff who made us feel very welcome.

The camp manages to combine luxury with a feeling of being an integral part of the land and wildlife." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana

"Selinda Explorers is unique in many ways. First of all, the camp is located along the beautiful Selinda Spillway. Second, the design of the camp, the management, and the guides are excellent.

Based upon two visits, first in August 2016 and again in August 2017, the wildlife viewing has been the best we have experienced. It's not the quantity, but the quality.

When we arrived, our excellent guide, Parks, was concerned that the resident lions had departed to follow the cape buffalo who migrate through the region. We knew that there is always a risk that the wildlife you hope to see will have moved to another area. Well, we told him to cheer up and went on to explain that we possessed “Bush Luck”. Wherever we travel in the African bush, the wildlife is attracted to us. Sure enough, as we were returning to camp in the failing evening light my wife called “there they are!” The lions were moving through the bush parallel to our vehicle. They had returned. The Selinda Pride, as they are known are among the most beautiful lions in Africa. They have a reputation throughout Botswana as the strongest and most successful pride. They are Buffalo hunters. They hunt as a large team. Last year they were twenty-one strong. In 2017 there were fifteen due to the departure of six adult females that had moved to populate other areas. Over the next two days, the Selinda Pride were to provide some memorable experiences.

The following morning as we drove along the river we witnessed the pride at play. They would chase each other in and out of the water playing like huge powerful kittens! The guide explained that their play was how they built stamina, agility, speed and balance that they would later use in their hunting. We had only seen lions swim once before, in Zambia. It was quite a sight.
We have learned to sit and wait, sometimes for hours, in order to see special behavior. There was another couple with us in the vehicle who wanted to go back to camp for a midday siesta, so we dropped them off and returned to wait while the lion pride rested through the hot afternoon. Sure enough, in late afternoon they awoke and after a drink positioned themselves for the evening’s hunt. As we watched, a large male giraffe wandered into their zone and the hunt was on. The lions crept into position through the tall grass. Their planned strategy was to have the largest female attack the giraffe head-on, leap up at the giraffe’s throat and hang on while the others attacked from the sides. What we witnessed gave us a new appreciation for giraffes. We learned a male giraffe can deliver a lethal kick, so lions dare not attack from the rear. We also learned that giraffes are not stupid. They know the lions’ strategy. The old male positioned a thick bush between himself and the lead lion so she couldn’t get a clean run at him. The hours passed and as darkness fell the standoff continued. Eventually we learned he had made his escape.

As we were moving to our vehicle the following morning our guide excitedly pushed us to get in then raced less than a hundred yards to where the lions had killed a warthog that had been hanging around our camp. We learned they had paraded through our camp as we were rising at 5:30. Warthog for breakfast, then we followed as they returned to the river for another round of playtime by the water.

Later that day we were driving when we encountered a large lioness with three beautiful cubs. The guide explained that the mother had hidden the cubs for safety in the woodland for several weeks. She had decided it was time to reintroduce them to their pride. It was a long hot march and we followed them for several miles. By lunchtime they completed the hike and were reunited. Lions are very social cats. Leopards, and tigers and cheetahs are solitary, but lions rely on a social structure in their pride which is remarkable.

We were also fortunate to again see the rare and endangered African Painted dogs. After visiting a den site with twelve adults and fifteen young puppies, the pack raced off on their early evening hunt. Our guide took off after them in the vehicle -- crashing through the brush — racing across streams — winding over hill and dale with my wife calling “Tally Ho!” as we raced in pursuit. Again we were rewarded with a rare sighting of four of the dogs taking down a male antelope. Unlike lions, the painted dogs almost never miss. Their speed and their ability to run long distances gives them the advantage. Remarkable athletes! Why are they endangered? Because man has hunted them and the domestic dogs in the villages pass along infectious diseases like rabies. It’s estimated there are less than four thousand left in the continent.

So, even though you can never predict when wildlife will make an appearance, Selinda Explorers has been very good to us. Frankly, Explorers has become our favorite camp in Botswana." See all these reviews: 14n in Botswana