Ten canvas tents follow a low cliff above the Boteti River, on the western boundary of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans, verandas facing straight down onto the riverbed. Elephants drink in the river directly below the tents. Much of the wildlife watching happens without anyone leaving camp. The Boteti is the only permanent water in the region, two hours by road from Maun.
Elephants drink in the river directly below the tents.
From April, as the pans dry out, zebras and wildebeest move west across the Makgadikgadi in their tens of thousands, drawn to the Boteti because nothing else is left. Researchers mapped the scale of it only in 2011, long after the camp’s guides had tracked it, and it remains far less known than the Serengeti’s. Lions, cheetahs and wild dogs follow the herds down, and zebra barking carries up the cliff at night.
Steps cut into the cliff drop to a floating hide at river level. A guest sits at eye level with drinking elephants, a few metres away. Picnic lunches are sent down for longer sessions, and nobody hurries back up. When water levels allow, a boat covers the same stretch, running close under banks where birds nest in the sand, engine off for sundowners.
Steps cut into the cliff drop to a floating hide at river level
Meno a Kwena makes no attempt at hotel polish. Canvas, local stone and timber, fans instead of air conditioning, meals cooked over the fire and eaten at one long table beneath a roof of old parachute silk. The lounge holds a reference library, a sculpted crocodile and decades of accumulated bush knick-knacks. A plunge pool has been cut into the rock at the cliff edge.
The cliff above the Boteti served as a camping spot for explorers and crocodile hunters. The camp’s Setswana name, teeth of the crocodile, comes from that history. The river ran dry from the mid-1990s and began flowing again in late 2008, and its level still depends on flood pulses arriving from the Okavango. In low-flood years the herds gather around deep pools left in the riverbed rather than a running channel, and the animals arrive either way.
Game drives cross into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, with picnic lunches along the riverbank, and longer days reach Nxai Pan and its baobabs. Because the camp occupies communal land outside the park, walking is possible straight from the tents. Walks with Ju/’hoansi Bushmen cover tracking, plant use and finding water, at a pace that suits children as readily as adults. Sleep-outs on the salt pans run in the dry season and require a stay of at least three nights.
Owls, including Verreaux’s eagle owl, hunt around the tents after dark
Bread and cakes come out of tins set in mopane coals, and dinner runs to three courses at one long table by lantern light, or beside the fire under open sky. Eating together suits solo travellers as much as families. Owls, including Verreaux’s eagle owl, hunt around the tents after dark. Mornings often begin with elephants below, splashing and low rumbles carrying up the cliff face. Children of any age are welcome, two of the ten tents are laid out for families, and the rock pool at the cliff edge occupies them between drives.
Between the Okavango Delta and the drier Kalahari to the south, Meno a Kwena makes a useful change of pace after days spent on water in the Delta. The dry months from April to October bring the zebras and the predators that follow them, and are the best months for travelling out onto the pans. Village visits to Moreamaoto are possible on request. Solar panels power the camp, set above the Boteti, the same river that draws the herds.
accommodation
Ten canvas tents stand along the cliff, six of them twins, two with king beds, and two family tents that interlead for up to five. Each has an en-suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers, a fan, and a veranda with a day bed facing the Boteti. Local stone, timber, woven fabrics and colonial-style furniture fill the interiors.
activities
Game drives into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, day trips to Nxai Pan, boat cruises and the floating hide on the Boteti when water levels allow, guided walks from camp on communal land, tracking walks with Ju/'hoansi Bushmen, and dry-season sleep-outs on the salt pans. Village visits to Moreamaoto are possible on request.
conservation
Funding supports Elephants for Africa, whose collaring work tracks bull elephants across farmland and wildlife country, alongside elephant-proof fencing and training for growers at Moreamaoto village. Further work covers the Makgadikgadi migration corridor and Wild Shots Outreach, a photography programme for local young adults.
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 road from Maun, just under two hours, which makes this one of the few camps in Botswana you can reach without a light aircraft. That matters more than it sounds: it can be the first or last night of a trip without spending a flight on it, and it is a genuine option for anyone who would rather not fly in a small plane at all.
The road transfer is arranged as part of the booking and we price it in the quote. If you are coming from elsewhere in Botswana rather than from Maun, there is an airstrip within reach and we will work out which combination costs you least time on the day.
There is risk. TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, treats the northern half of Botswana as high risk for malaria from October to May, recommending antimalarial tablets for those months, and low risk for the rest of the year, when it advises awareness of the risk and avoiding bites. The CDC lists Boteti among the districts for which it recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria.
We plan safaris rather than give medical advice, so the decision belongs with you and your doctor or a travel clinic, and it deserves a check close to departure because both sources revise their guidance. The Boteti below the tents is the only permanent water in the region, which is exactly why the game is here and also why mosquitoes are around outside the rains. Long sleeves and trousers once the sun drops, and repellent on the veranda, are part of the evening.
Yes, at any age. The camps in this region take children of all ages, unlike the Delta camps, and two of the ten tents are family tents with interconnecting rooms, one holding three beds and the other two, which is a rare arrangement and a genuinely useful one for two families travelling together.
Much of the wildlife watching here happens without leaving camp, because elephants drink in the riverbed directly below the tents, and that suits younger children better than a long morning in a vehicle. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will price the child rates and check which activities suit them. The camp sits on a low cliff above the river and is unfenced, so children need an adult with them whenever they are outside the tent.
Yes, in the tents rather than the main area, and it is covered by the nightly rate rather than charged on top. That is a deliberate arrangement: the main deck faces the river and the elephants below it, and the camp would rather you were watching that.
Mobile coverage here is another matter, and we would rather confirm the current position with the camp than promise you bars. If someone in your party has to be reachable at set times, say so before you book and we will check it for your dates.
April to October is the reason to come. As the pans dry, the zebra and wildebeest move west to the Boteti, and because it is the only permanent water for a long way the concentration on the riverbed below camp becomes remarkable, with elephant, predators and hundreds of animals coming down to drink. The floating hide on the river is at its best in those months. From November the rain scatters the herds back onto the green pans and the camp turns to sleepouts on the salt, birding and the San walks.
Pack for a wide temperature swing: winter afternoons in the middle twenties and mornings near five or six degrees, so a warm windproof jacket, hat and gloves from June to August. October afternoons reach the middle thirties. Add neutral colours, closed shoes, strong sun cream, a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses for the glare off the salt, and binoculars, because a great deal of the watching here is done from your own veranda.
Two or three. Two is enough to see the river do its work in the dry months and to take one longer outing onto the pans; three lets you add a sleepout on the salt or a slower day at the floating hide. Because it is a road transfer from Maun rather than a flight, it slots into the start or end of a Delta trip without costing a whole travel day, which is how we most often use it.
The rate is fully inclusive: the tent, all meals, drinks other than premium brands, the daily activities and guiding, wifi, guest laundry, park entry fees and tax. Outside it sit the transfers and flights, premium spirits and wines, gratuities, comprehensive travel insurance, the scenic helicopter flights, a private vehicle where one is wanted, and a community, conservation and reserve fee charged per person per night that applies to everyone aged six and over. Six or seven nights, or eight and more, taken across this camp and its sister camps in Botswana and Namibia, earn a long stay discount.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
