Dereck and Beverly Joubert chose a raised, wooded bank above Zibadianja Lagoon for Zarafa Camp, in the private Selinda Reserve of northern Botswana. Here the lagoon feeds the Savuti Channel and its permanent water sits at the point where the reserve links the Okavango Delta with the Linyanti and Savuti systems. Beneath ancient African ebony trees, four tented suites hold a maximum of eight guests.
Elephants cross the shoreline and pass through camp on their own schedule
Selinda covers roughly 130,000 hectares, and because it is a private reserve rather than a national park, that distinction decides what a day here can hold. Night drives, off-road repositioning for sightings and boating all become possible in ways a park would never allow. Elephants cross the shoreline and pass through camp on their own schedule, hippos surface below the decks, and on the far bank an African skimmer colony draws birders back season after season.
Leopard and African wild dogs are the reserve’s calling cards, moving among lion and cheetah, buffalo, and the roan and sable antelope that share the floodplains. Days here fall into an easy rhythm of open-vehicle game drives at morning and evening, and guided walks that lead out across the surrounding grasslands. The private designation allows night drives that would be off-limits in a national park, so the day does not simply end at dusk.
Leopard and African wild dogs are the reserve’s calling cards
Water offers a second way into the reserve. A pontoon, known at camp as the HMS Zib, drifts the lagoon among hippos and waterbirds for brunch or sundowners. A flat-bottomed powerboat slips into the quieter channels, and when levels allow, seasonal catch-and-release fishing for bream fills an afternoon. Every guest is given a camera for the length of their stay, and many spend their hours framing the water and the vehicle through its lens.
Dereck and Beverly Joubert built Zarafa Camp in 2008 as their idea of a safari camp done properly, old-world styling matched to a genuinely light environmental footprint. Both are National Geographic filmmakers and conservationists, and their decades in Botswana’s wilderness run through the camp’s design and its way of working. The name comes from a giraffe presented to Charles X of France in 1826, and Zarafa went on to become Botswana’s first Relais & Châteaux member, a standard that reaches its kitchen and its service as surely as its rooms.
Each of the four suites runs to 100 square metres, raised on decking built from century-old teak railway ties beneath a canopy of ebony trees. A bedroom opens onto a full lounge and an open-plan bathroom, where a copper claw-foot bath is positioned for the lagoon view. There are indoor and outdoor showers, and a fireplace for the cold winter mornings. Zanzibari carved doors, Persian rugs and leather armchairs set the tone alongside hardwood furniture handcrafted from reclaimed timber, and each suite has its own plunge pool and a deck over the water.
There are indoor and outdoor showers, and a fireplace for the cold winter mornings
The separate Dhow Suite is a private villa within the same camp, its two en-suite bedrooms opening onto a shared lounge and dining area, with a plunge pool of its own and a dedicated vehicle, guide, chef and camp manager. It suits families or small groups who want the seclusion of a private camp without leaving Zarafa’s setting. Children are welcome in the main camp too, where a Young Explorers programme fills the younger days with birding and tracking, cooking and art.
As a Relais & Châteaux property, the kitchen answers to a defined standard rather than a general safari-camp average, and meals move with the mood of the day. You might eat in the main dining area, on the deck under the ebony canopy, at a fireside boma or over a private dinner on your own suite deck, with a wine cellar for tastings. The camp runs entirely on solar power and filters its own drinking water to do away with single-use plastic, while an on-site biogas system turns kitchen waste to cooking gas. A conservation and community levy on each stay supports the Great Plains Foundation’s wider work across the region.
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accommodation
Four tented suites, each 100 square metres on raised teak decking, with a bedroom, lounge, open-plan bathroom, copper claw-foot bath, indoor and outdoor showers, fireplace, private plunge pool, deck and air conditioning. The separate Dhow Suite has two en-suite bedrooms with its own vehicle, guide and chef.
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activities
Within the private Selinda Reserve, open-vehicle game drives run morning and evening, with night drives and guided walks permitted here as they would not be in a national park. On the water, a pontoon and powerboat explore Zibadianja Lagoon, with seasonal catch-and-release fishing. A camera is provided in each suite for use throughout the stay.
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conservation
Zarafa Camp runs entirely on solar power, filters its own drinking water in place of plastic bottles, and converts kitchen waste to cooking gas through an on-site biogas system. Suites and furniture are built from reclaimed hardwoods. A guest levy supports the Great Plains Foundation's conservation and community work in the region.
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 charter to the Selinda Reserve's airstrip, about 45 minutes from Maun or 50 from Kasane, then a game drive of roughly the same length to camp above Zibadianja Lagoon. Whether you route via Maun or Kasane usually depends on where Selinda sits in your wider trip, and we set that up for you.
Charters are shared and timed the day before, and luggage is limited to soft bags of around 20kg on the small planes. If you would rather set your own timings, we can arrange a private charter instead, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, flown direct to the Selinda airstrip and timed to your international arrival. Zarafa holds only four suites and eight guests, so arrivals are quiet and unhurried.
Yes. Selinda sits in northern Botswana, between the Okavango and the Linyanti, and is a malaria area rather than a malaria-free one. Risk is seasonal, lowest in the dry winter from June to October, when most guests visit, and higher through the wet summer.
Health advice can change from year to year, so we suggest confirming the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and taking the usual precautions against evening bites.
June to October is the strongest window, when receding water and thinning bush draw elephant, buffalo and their predators onto the Selinda Spillway and the Linyanti channels. These are also the reserve's wild dog denning months, so repeated sightings of a pack become realistic. July to September gives the best balance, while October is the most concentrated and the hottest.
The green summer from November has its own appeal, with migrant birds arriving and antelope dropping their young, though the game spreads out as water returns to the land.
Winter, from June to September, brings warm days in the mid-twenties and cold, sometimes near-freezing dawns on the early drives. Pack layers: a fleece, a windproof jacket, a hat and gloves for first light, with lighter clothes underneath. October is hot, and can climb past the high thirties before the rains.
Go for neutral colours, bring sun protection whatever the month, and add a light waterproof if you travel in the green summer. Zarafa's suites have air conditioning, which helps through the hotter middle of the day.
It can be. Zarafa accommodates children from around age six, though this is a small, refined camp of four suites, so it suits families who want that intimacy. The separate two-bedroom Dhow Suite comes with its own vehicle, guide and chef, which makes it a natural choice for a family travelling together.
Ages and policies are worth confirming at the time of booking, so tell us who is travelling and we will set it up and check what each activity allows.
There is wifi at camp, over satellite, suited to messages and email rather than calls or streaming. There is no mobile phone signal in the reserve.
Each suite is private and well spaced, so you can stay in touch when you need to and step away from it easily the rest of the time.
Rates are fully inclusive. They cover your accommodation, all meals, the daily safari activities, laundry, and transfers between the airstrip and camp, along with drinks that extend to premium spirits and champagne.
The light aircraft flights in and out, any premium optional extras and staff gratuities usually sit outside the rate. We set out exactly what is and is not included when we quote, so there are no surprises.
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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.
