So you have always wanted to… Safari from Desert to Delta

THE VINEYARD HOTEL, CAPE TOWN

BOTSWANA

AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

TSWALU KALAHARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE,SOUTHERN KALAHARI

SELINDA EXPLORERS CAMP, SELINDA RESERVE

DUBA EXPEDITIONS CAMP, OKAVANGO DELTA

LOCATIONS AND INFORMATION

THE VINEYARD HOTELCape Town, South Africa

The Vineyard Hotel offers a unique Cape Town stay in a legendary urban setting, overlooking the cool eastern slopes of Table Mountain. It’s just off the scenic Peninsula Tour route, with the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the historic Constantia Winelands also nearby.

Once the country retreat of celebrated Georgian writer and artist, Lady Anne Barnard, today this 7.5-acre eco-managed, Fair Trade Tourism-certified property is home to 208 contemporary-style luxury accommodations that enjoy views of shady courtyard water-gardens, a stunning parkland landscape, the Liesbeek River and mountain.

Award-winning restaurants, Myoga and The Square delight with gourmet food and top Cape wines. The popular Garden Lounge and Patio is a favourite informal rendezvous, along with our specialist coffee venue, Long Café and Splash Café in our Pool pavilion.

The acclaimed Angsana Spa offers treatments from trained Thai therapists, while our Health and Fitness Centre provides personal trainers and latest gym facilities. Two pools and delightful garden walks are just a few of our outdoor leisure offerings.

The Vineyard Hotel has made a commitment to “living green” and has implemented environmental and social responsible decision making to ensure that sustainable development principles are incorporated throughout the Hotel.

TSWALU KALAHARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVESouthern Kalahari, South Africa At Tswalu Kalahari, luxury is a given. Guests will delight in the sumptuous suites and gourmet food, award-winning wine list and impeccable service at the two extraordinary camps, The Motse and Tarkuni Homestead. But the uniqueness of the safari experience is in the unparalleled beauty of the Southern Kalahari wilderness and the phenomenal wildlife brought back to the area as a result of an ongoing programme which has restored this area to its original splendour. Owned by the Oppenheimer family, who are deeply committed to conservation and the upliftment of the local community, Tswalu offers superlative game and sightings of some of South Africa’s rarest and most extraordinary wildlife, including black-maned Kalahari lions, meerkats, cheetah, pangolin, aardvark, aardwolf and African wild dogs. A variety of interactive safari experiences are offered to explore the 114 000 ha malaria-free wilderness with its wide open spaces, rolling savannah landscapes and Korranaberg mountains, and guests can track wildlife on foot, on horseback or in a 4x4 Land Rover. Take an early morning game drive with a delicious gourmet picnic to enjoy along the way. Bond with the meerkats before they go foraging or spend the morning tracking the desert black rhino. Enjoy an early evening safari and the opportunity to spot some of Tswalu’s nocturnal animals. Spend a night under the stars at The Malori sleep-out deck to really appreciate the vastness of the Kalahari, the brilliant night skies and the spectacular sunsets. You will be allocated your own game drive vehicle, guide and tracker so that you can enjoy a completely flexible itinerary. Between game drives, indulge in boma feasts and bush dinners, sundowners, wine tastings, champagne breakfasts and dune picnics. Or book a treatment in the unique Tswalu Spa with its outdoor treatment area and indigenous spa garden.

DUBA EXPEDITIONS CAMP Okavango Delta, Botswana

Duba Expedition Camp sits in the heart of classic Okavango Delta floodplains habitat, traditionally an ecozone that has the best wildlife viewing potential. A matrix of palm-dotted islands, flood plains and woodland, this 77,000 hectare private concession typifies the region’s unique landscape. The six tent Duba Expedition Camp is a wildlife connoisseur’s getaway. Built on a wooded island, overlooking a lagoon, and connected to the prolific wildlife area by an elaborate set of bridges, the area is the base of many famous wildlife documentaries by National Geographic Filmmakers and Explorers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert.

Duba Expedition Camp and the Duba Plains Reserve, where the camp is located, is part of community project with the Okavango Community Trust, the representative body for five villages in the Okavango Panhandle. This partnership ensures that these communities receive tangible and substantial benefits from their ancestral land for wildlife conservation. Our working relationship is a testament to this long-standing example of success in this area.

The intimate camp consists of six expedition-style tents of light airy canvas on slightly raised decking, each with views of the surrounding floodplain. Each tent is stylishly furnished and designed by Dereck and Beverly, using their sensibilities of the ‘expedition’ and ‘exploring’, offering campaign writing desk and private verandah plus en-suite facilities consisting of flush loo, double vanities and indoor shower. Fans and careful open air design maintain comfortable climate for rest and relaxation. The main area is under sweeping marquee canvas, on raised decking and consists of an open-concept dining and lounge area that opens to the outdoors on all sides. Duba Expedition Camp prides itself on its extraordinary wildlife experiences, and rightly so. The diverse wildlife experience is renowned with regular sightings of a diverse range of species, including large herds of lechwe, kudu, tsessebe and giraffe. Very large herds of elephants and buffalo move around the camp and hippo trudge through the swamps creating their channels and paths daily. Lions, leopards and hyenas in large numbers make up the predator components. Leopard, and a wide range of smaller nocturnal cats, hunt around the fringes of the waterways and are often seen on our night drives. Enjoy guided walks, boating opportunities or open air game drives and revel in the delights of one of the most varied and expansive wildlife areas in the world.

Birds abound, and the area is reputed as a birdwatcher’s paradise. Okavango ‘specials’ include the rare Wattled crane, Pel’s Fishing owl, White-backed Night heron and Marsh owl.

SELINDA EXPLORERS CAMPSelinda Reserve, Botswana

Selinda Explorers Camp is located in the 320,000 acre Selinda Reserve of northern Botswana and is built on the banks of the Selinda Spillway, about one hour west of its sister camp, Selinda. This classic camp, consisting of four custom-designed tents, transports us back to authentic safaris, but with a modern twist and hospitality. Subtly placed under the shade of the riverine forest, the camp is designed in the style of the early explorers both in philosophy and practice. Whiling away afternoons under the canopy of African ebony and mangosteen trees, interspersed with walks and canoeing, make this a respite from the ‘daily grind’ of a traditional safari.

This authentic tented camp draws on traditions of the classic East African safari with beautifully detailed campaign style furniture made from recycled hard woods, and soft furnishings from Zanzibar and the East. The custom-designed semi-permanent tents consist of two rooms plus veranda, as well as a private open air ‘bustani bathroom’ with hot water showers and flush loo. All tents are at ground level, including the main lounge and dining area. This is an unassuming camp, light on its footprint but heavy on its experiential luxury. The atmosphere of the camp is one of bush elegance with relaxed bohemian style, complemented by attentive staff, private professional service and fabulous food.

Selinda Explorers Camp is an ideal property for those guests who want to experience Botswana’s extraordinary wildlife but in the most private setting. The camp comes with a guide, but also has a guide’s tent for an accompanying specialist guide. Our guide will plan the whole itinerary for the duration of their stay for the guests, or in conjunction with the specialist guide.