Little Sable

19°9’6.4"S 23°41’42.0"E

93% (3 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Children Wildlife sightings Health & safety Activities Extras

Little Sable: Our full report

Previously Pangolin Khwai Camp, The Jackal & Hide was acquired by Natural Selection in late 2018 - and recently ...

... renamed Little Sable. The camp overlooks expansive grassland, located in the 2,000km² Khwai Private Reserve – which in itself borders Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve to the south and Chobe National Park to the east.

Previously Pangolin Khwai Camp, Natural Selection have recently added this to their expanding portfolio. The Jackal & Hide, recently renamed Little Sable, is made up of 8 tents with a mixture of twins and doubles. We have not had chance to stay overnight yet, we had a very quick visit in March 2019, and very much liked what we saw.

Khwai Private Reserve (NG19) incorporates some of the most diverse habitats in northern Botswana and the Okavango Delta. Riverine woodland and open floodplains flank the river and attract herds of plains game, along with the predators that hunt them. Away from the river and Delta lagoons, the environment changes to mopane woodland dotted with open grasslands which, together with the abundance of water, draw herds of elephant (best in the dry season from around July to October), and buffalo.

Like many reserves around the Okavango Delta, Little Sable is located in a former hunting concession. Hunting was still allowed in the north of the concession until 2014, when it finally ceased. Thus the wildlife here was limited and skittish, while the thick mopane bush away from the river and its lush riverine forest made it difficult to track, especially in the earlier months of the year.

The good news is that wherever hunting has stopped in the Okavango region, we've seen wildlife sightings turned around within two or three years, and thankfully this is happening around the concession.

The results are beginning to show. While the game viewing here isn’t quite as good as at some other camps in the Delta or Moremi, and the wildlife can feel a bit sparse at times on a game drive, we anticipate this continuing to improving with time. On previous visits to the nearby Sable Alley in May 2017, we had good sightings of wild dog, and more recently we spent time watching two male lions sleeping in the afternoon heat, and followed leopard tracks to fresh pelican kills (although sadly no leopard). We also saw elephant, hippo, red lechwe, sable antelope, waterbuck, zebra and giraffe amongst others, as well as a juvenile scops owl, with a personable and knowledgeable guide who made what we did see very interesting.

Our view

We are very excited to see this new property, it's certainly another great option in the Khwai Private Concession. We've had a very quick whizz through the camp, but will endeavour to revisit and stay as soon as possible. So watch this space.

Anton Walker

Botswana expert

Geographics

Location: Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Ideal length of stay: We'd suggest a stay of two or three nights at Little Sable, perhaps combined with their fly camp, SkyBeds, or other camps in more watery parts of the Okavango Delta, and possibly also in the Makgadikgadi Pans area.
Directions: Access to the Little Sable is usually via light aircraft to Banoka airstrip, from where it’s about a 15-minute drive to the camp. For most of the year it's also possible to reach the camp by road from Maun, a half-day drive that does open up possibilities for those who don't want to fly – especially when linked to camps such as Meno a Kwena, which is also accessible by vehicle.
Accessible by

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Dining style: Mixture of group dining and individual tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Private dining options are available on request.
Drinks included: Bottled water, soft drinks, local beers and spirits and a limited selection of (usually) South African red and white wines are included. Champagne and imported wines and spirits cost extra and may need to be requested in advance.

You’ll find a permanent tea and coffee station in the main area, so you can help yourself throughout the day.

Bottled drinking water is provided for all guests. We don't recommend that travellers drink from the tap.

Children

Attitude towards children: Children of six years plus are welcome at Little Sable, but please note that children aged 6–12 are accommodated on game drives only in a private vehicle, which will be at an extra cost.
Property’s age restrictions: No children under six years

The minimum age for any mokoro (dug-out canoe) activity is 13 years.
Generally recommended for children: We think Little Sable is best suited to older children as the lack of more regular wildlife sightings might lead to younger children becoming a bit bored.
Notes: The camp is unfenced and dangerous wildlife can wander through at any time. The tented chalets and main buildings are all raised off the ground on decks, with open railings, and only a section of the paths to the chalets are raised with the remainder being on sandy paths. There is no fence around the pool either. Children need to be closely supervised by their parents/guardians at all times.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Little Sable

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Little Sable have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Leopard

100% success

Lion

100% success

Wild dog

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Roan antelope

50% success

Sable antelope

50% success

Spotted Hyena

50% success

Aardvark

0% success

Cheetah

0% success

Eland

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Sitatunga

0% success

Health & safety

Medical care: The nearest doctor is in Maun. All management and guides are first-aid trained and there is a nurse on call (via radio) 24 hours a day. Medical evacuation is available in case of emergency, but please note that it is only possible to fly out of camp during daylight hours as the bush airstrips do not have any lighting at night.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: Guests are escorted to their rooms after dark as dangerous wildlife is known to wander through the camp. A safety briefing is given on arrival. 'Fog horns' are provided in the chalets to attract attention in case of emergency.
Fire safety

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Mokoro
Sleeping under the stars

Extras

Disabled access
Laundry facilities: A laundry service is included at Sable Alley. Laundry is collected in the morning and usually returned the same day, weather permitting. Washing powder is provided in the bathroom for you to wash smalls, which will not be handled by the staff.
Money: There is a safe in each room. No exchange facilities are offered.
Accepted payment on location: Visa and Mastercard are accepted, as are cash payments in US dollars, euros, GB sterling, South African rand and Botswanan pula.