King’s Pool sits on the edge of an oxbow lagoon fed by the Linyanti River, on a private concession that forms the western boundary of Chobe National Park within the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. What sets the place apart lies at the water’s edge. Its defining feature is a sunken hide set at the waterline, where elephants drink close enough to see the wrinkles on their trunks and the cracks in their feet.
What sets the place apart lies at the water’s edge
Through the dry months from June to October, the river draws elephant herds out of the surrounding woodlands. As the inland pans empty and the water concentrates along the channel, the herds follow it in. Because the camp sits right on the lagoon, much of that movement plays out directly in front of the suites, the main deck and the hide dug into the bank below.
Being on a private concession rather than inside Chobe changes what the days can hold. It opens the way to night drives, to off-road tracking of predators, and to guided walks with an armed guide, none of them permitted within the adjacent national park. This is country where lion, leopard, spotted hyena and wild dog range the woodlands and floodplains, sharing them with impala, lechwe, kudu, zebra and buffalo.
Catch-and-release fishing runs from the same water
The water carries the rest of the days. When levels allow, the double-decker Queen Silvia barge glides along the Linyanti for sundowners, drifting past hippos and past elephants drinking on the banks. Catch-and-release fishing runs from the same water. For photographers, a second, elevated hide offers a different angle on the lagoon’s traffic, high above the herds rather than level with them.
When the camp reopened in mid-2019 after a full rebuild, its design took the Botswana craft of basket-weaving as its starting point. That motif runs everywhere, through the screen walls and the woven rope detailing, the embroidered cushions and the painted murals, all set against an earthy palette lifted by teal and copper. Wooden flooring and reclaimed doors were carried over from the old camp into the new, tying the rebuild back to the one that stood on this lagoon before it.
Eight suites of canvas and thatch stand on raised timber decks along the lagoon, among them a two-bedroom family suite whose bedrooms connect by a walkway. Each opens onto a large bedroom, a separate lounge, and a private veranda with a plunge pool, while a shaded sala with a daybed faces the water. Bathrooms run to double vanities, indoor and outdoor showers and a separate toilet. The main areas are open-sided to hold the lagoon view, the thatch drawn down only where privacy matters.
Bathrooms run to double vanities, indoor and outdoor showers and a separate toilet
King’s Pool runs entirely on solar power, which suits a camp built around what moves past it. The concession lies within a wildlife corridor linking Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana, along the routes elephants follow between their wet- and dry-season ranges. Researchers use the Linyanti to study that movement and to ease conflict with the people living along it. The camp itself takes its name from a Scandinavian king who once pitched his tents on the lagoon’s banks.
The days settle into a rhythm of water and light. Hippos grunt through the afternoon, elephants cross the channel within sight of the plunge pools, and lions can sometimes be heard after dark. Dinner might come at a long communal table, at a private setting, or out in the open-air kgotla under the stars. The family suite suits those travelling with older children, while guests under twelve book a private vehicle, and walking safaris carry a minimum age of thirteen.
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accommodation
Eight suites of canvas and thatch on raised timber decks facing the King's Pool lagoon, including a two-bedroom family suite. Each has a bedroom, separate lounge, private veranda with plunge pool, and a shaded sala with daybed. Bathrooms have double vanities, indoor and outdoor showers, and a separate toilet.
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activities
Day and night game drives across the private Linyanti concession, off-road predator tracking, and guided walks with an armed guide (minimum age thirteen), none of which the adjacent Chobe National Park permits. Seasonal Queen Silvia barge cruises, catch-and-release fishing, two wildlife hides, and in-suite massages.
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conservation
King's Pool sits in the Linyanti, part of a transboundary corridor used by elephants moving between Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana, and research based in the reserve tracks those movements to ease conflict with neighbouring communities. Children in the Wilderness, the conservation education non-profit founded through the camp's operator, runs eco-clubs and camp programmes for local children across Botswana, and the camp itself runs entirely on solar power.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
By light aircraft to the Linyanti airstrip, then a game drive of around 45 minutes to camp on its lagoon. The flight is usually about 45 minutes to an hour, and you can route via Kasane or Maun depending on where the Linyanti sits in your trip; Kasane is the natural gateway if you are also seeing Chobe or Victoria Falls.
Charters are shared and set the day before, and luggage is soft bags of around 20kg. If you prefer to fly on your own timings, we can also arrange a private charter, usually a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, direct to the Linyanti airstrip. We arrange the flights and transfers as one connected itinerary.
Yes. The Linyanti lies in northern Botswana, on the edge of Chobe, and is a malaria area rather than a malaria-free one. The risk is seasonal, lowest in the dry winter from June to October, which is also the peak game-viewing season, and higher through the summer rains.
Because health advice changes from year to year, please confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and take the usual precautions against bites after dark.
The dry season from around June or July to October is the standout. As the inland pans empty, the Linyanti River becomes the main water for miles, and elephant herds move onto it in some of the highest concentrations in Africa, with lion, leopard and wild dog close behind. September and October are the most dramatic, if also the hottest.
King's Pool is built for exactly this, with a sunken hide at the waterline and suites facing the lagoon, so much of the dry-season movement plays out in front of camp. The green summer from November is quieter and greener, better for birds than for the big herds.
Winter days from June to September are warm, in the mid-twenties, but the dawn drives are cold, often in single figures, so bring a fleece, a windproof jacket and something for your hands and head for the early start. October is hot, sometimes climbing toward 40 degrees ahead of the rains.
Neutral colours are best, sun protection is needed all year, and a light waterproof is worth packing for the green summer months when storms build in the afternoons.
Yes. King's Pool welcomes children from age six and has a family suite, and the operator runs a Bush Buddies programme for children aged six to twelve, pairing them with a mentor for age-appropriate activities. Families travelling with children in that age range are usually asked to take private activities, which we arrange.
Guided walks with an armed guide are for ages thirteen and over. Tell us the children's ages when you enquire and we will confirm the details and set up a private vehicle where it helps.
There is wifi at camp, provided over satellite, so it suits messages and email rather than video calls or streaming. There is no mobile phone signal in the concession.
The suites are large and well separated, so it is easy to check in with home when you want to and leave the connection behind the rest of the time.
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our approach
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