Chitabe Camp
Hotel
Chitabe Camp features 8 luxurious tents and is situated on one of the most beautiful islands in the south east of the Okavango Delta, in a private area that is bordered by the Moremi Game Reserve.
The region is a combination of watering holes, forested islands and lagoons, ideal conditions for a variety of wildlife.
Chitabe Concession is 28,000 hectares in size, and borders the world-famous Moremi Game Reserve. It's located between two main rivers: the Gomoti in the east, and the Santantadibe read more » in the west.
What distinguishes Chitabe from other parts of the Okavango reserve is the wide range of habitats. Large parts being marshlands, the area has water the whole year around.
Some 56% of the Concession transform from dry floodplains into a lush oasis of thick, green vegetation when the annual floodwaters arrive.
The region boasts very diverse habitats: from the classic Okavango scenery with Illala palms dotting the landscape, to open savannahs and acacia woodlands. This gives rise to a surprising diversity of species, offering guests the chance for fascinating game viewing and bird-watching experiences.
Chitabe is well known for its large populations of predators such as cheetahs, lions, leopards and hyenas. With luck, these can also be spotted on night-drives. Experience the exciting bush-walks led by well-trained and accredited gamekeeper guides.
The camp is outfitted in a luxurious fashion with African flair. The reed-lined dining room, the bar, and the lounge all offer views out over the surrounding floodplains. The pool is just right for a refreshing cool-down.
A speciality of Chitabe is the possibility to spend a night on one of two elevated platforms out in the bush: sleep under the stars, and watch the animals in full comfort and safety - what a highlight for the honeymooners!
Facts about Chitabe:
Dave and Helen Hamman are well-known and well-respected in the Ovango Delta region. They've made their dream of a safari lodge come true in the form of Chitabe.
Dave and Helene have experience managing camps in Botswana. However, during their time in Mombo, they discovered their enthusiasm for hyenas. They began to follow them around, becoming able to distinguish individuals and thereby gained an intimate insight into their behaviour, the hardships and way of life.
Three years later they co-authored the book "Running Wild: Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog", one of the best reads on these fascinating animals.
Dave's love for photography has turned into a career and now he works as a photo-journalist, producing animal and cultural articles for magazines the world over. His newest book is called "Cheetah".
In 1996 Dave and Helene were awarded a concession by the Botswana government to build two camps: Chitabe and Chitabe Trails, which were completed in July 1997.
Helene oversees operations of the camp as well as all financial, accounting and managerial aspects of the company.
Dave and Helene strongly believe that the success and popularity of Chitabe are not only due to the amazing landscape and game viewing but can be largely attributed to the excellent staff, most of whom have been with Chitabe since its inauguration in 1997.
A real feeling of pride and loyalty amongst everyone gives Chitabe and Chitabe Trails a very warm and personal atmosphere.
Chitabe, "The Soul of Africa" awaits you.
Living
Chitabe is an oasis: palm groves surround the tents and on arrival at the camp, the crew welcomes you with local songs.
The secret of Chitabe is its friendly atmosphere - you’ll see straight away read more » that the staff love working at the camp - and that translates into a wonderfully warm and friendly ambience.
The eight East-African style tent-chalets are built on raised wooden platforms under huge shady trees and palms and are connected with boardwalks to the main building.
All tents are fitted with en-suite bathrooms and an additional exciting outdoor shower. Of course, hot and cold running water is available.
The fittings are rustic but luxurious, a lot more sophisticated than you would expect from an out-of-the-way safari camp. All suites are built with their terrace facing out onto the surrounding grasslands.
Sitting on the terrace, you'll see elephants moseying by, antelopes grazing in the sun, and tiny squirrels flitting busily through the trees: if you're lucky, they'll sometimes even let you feed them.
A speciality of Chitabe is the possibility to spend a night on one of two elevated platforms out in the bush: sleep under the stars, and watch the animals in full comfort and safety - what a highlight for the honeymooners!
Activities
At the Chitabe Camp everything revolves around one theme: Safari!
The main attraction is game watching: by day or night, in open all-terrain vehicles, always with an experienced guide at the wheel.
Those read more » interested in an even more intense experience at a slower pace may join one of the exciting guided bushwalks.
At Chitabe there is a huge variety of wildlife to see, including elephants, lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Hyenas are also spotted in the area.
Guests also have to opportunity to spot zebras, bohor reedbucks, giraffes, kudus, impalas, tsessebes, warthogs, baboons, and bushbucks.
A night drive is highly recommendable, because it affords the rare opportunity to observe pangolins, civets, genets, porcupines, servals, caracals, and aardwolves out and about.
Please note:
Even though Chitabe is only 57 Nautical miles from Maun, it could be a million.
The camp is only accessible by small plane and Chitabe has its own landing strip. From there it's only about a 20 minutes' drive to the main camp.
If the water is unusually high, it is sometimes necessary to travel the last few hundred metres by boat or Mokoro.
