Six suites rise on stilts above the Boro River floodplain in Botswana’s south-eastern Okavango Delta, joined by timber walkways over papyrus and open water, and no more than twelve guests share them. Mist lifts off the river at dawn. Hippos grunt in the lagoon below the decks by day and by night, and after dark a Star Bath is filled on each private deck, high above the water.
At dusk the reeds fill with the tinny calls of painted reed frogs.
The decks are almost as large as the rooms behind them, with binoculars handed to every guest on arrival, because the water in front of camp is rarely empty for long. Elephants and buffalo wade into the channel below the suites. At dusk the reeds fill with the tinny calls of painted reed frogs. Guests must be sixteen or older, which keeps the mood quiet and suits couples and honeymooners.
The old Baines’ Camp stood on this stretch of the Boro River until 2025, when it was rebuilt from scratch and reopened as Baines’ Lodge, its design inspired by Thomas Baines, the Victorian explorer and artist. Each suite frames the floodplain like one of his paintings, yet the reclaimed timber and removable materials mean the structure could be lifted away with little left behind.
The main area was built round a dormant termite mound.
The lodge runs on solar power. The main area was built round a dormant termite mound. It still rises at the heart of the space, the Explorer’s Lounge and a bush boutique gathered round it, along with a small swimming pool and a circular bar open to the river at sunset. Overhead, the woven ceilings borrow their pattern from termite mounds.
The land around the lodge is held by the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust, registered in 1997 to manage the area’s natural resources for the local Bayei villages. It forms NG32, a private concession of about 1,050 square kilometres. Part of its border runs with Moremi Game Reserve, and the annual flood reaches it by way of the Boro and Santantadibe rivers. In low-water years it stays far drier than the central Delta, and dry-country birds such as kori bustard, sandgrouse and hornbills move in.
Because NG32 is a private concession, guides can do what Moremi restricts. No more than four guests share each vehicle on the twice-daily drives. They keep driving after dark, when spotted hyena and honey badger can turn up, and they lead walks with an armed ranger. Lion and elephant are here, with buffalo, giraffe and zebra. Game viewing is generally best in the dry season, from late May to early October.
Guests glide through the reeds by mokoro, to the ringing call of the African fish eagle.
When the flood runs high, polers take guests out at water level and motorboats cover the longer stretches of the Boro. Guests glide through the reeds by mokoro, to the ringing call of the African fish eagle. Both depend on the water level, so in a dry year neither may run. Scenic helicopter flights, at extra cost, show the whole pattern of channels and floodplains from the air.
Breakfast is served at the lodge before the morning drive, with a stop in the bush for coffee, and lunch is back at the lodge. Evenings begin with drinks in the bush and time by the boma fire. Dinner follows, three courses showcasing African flavours. A private candlelit dinner for two can also be arranged on the deck. Service is warm and unhurried, which suits a lodge this small.
accommodation
All six suites share one design, each raised on stilts with a lounge and a super-king bed. The bathroom has a soaking tub, rain shower and double vanity, and out on the deck there is an outdoor shower and the Star Bath, filled at night. Each suite sleeps two, and there are no family rooms.
activities
Twice-daily game drives take no more than four guests per vehicle across the private NG32 concession. Guides also lead night drives and walks with an armed ranger, both restricted in Moremi. Mokoro and motorboat trips run when the flood allows, and scenic helicopter flights can be arranged at extra cost.
conservation
NG32 is community land, held by the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust, which runs tourism in the concession for the Bayei villages around it. The lodge runs on solar power, and its timber was chosen to leave no trace.
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.
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By light aircraft from Maun, a flight of about fifteen minutes, followed by a drive across the private concession to the lodge, usually with game along the way. The same small aircraft connect the Boro River with Kasane and with camps in other parts of the Delta, so Baines' Lodge works as well in the middle of a Botswana itinerary as at its start.
To set your own times, we can arrange a private charter from Maun into the concession, normally in a Cessna Grand Caravan EX, an eleven-seat aircraft that is the workhorse of the Maun charter fleets. Whichever way you fly, bring soft-sided bags, because hard suitcases do not fit the hold of a light aircraft.
Night drives and guided walks, both allowed because the lodge stands on a private concession. After dark the guides go out with a spotlight for leopard and hyena and for the smaller night hunters, genet, serval and honey badger among them. Walks go out with your guide and an armed ranger to read tracks and droppings at ground level, and you never walk alone.
Game drives run in the early morning and late afternoon, with no more than four guests in each vehicle, so everyone has an outside seat. When the flood is high enough, the lodge adds mokoro trips through the channels and outings by motorboat. A scenic helicopter flight over the Delta can be added at extra cost.
Only from the age of sixteen. With six suites and room for twelve guests at most, the lodge is built for couples, honeymooners and friends travelling together, and for families whose children are old enough to enjoy the night drives and the walks.
If you are travelling with children under sixteen, tell us their ages and we will suggest Delta camps that welcome them, and keep Baines' Lodge in mind for a later trip.
No. It stands just outside the reserve, on the banks of the Boro River, in a private concession of some 260,000 acres that shares a boundary with Moremi. The concession, known as NG32, is community land, held by the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust on behalf of the villages around it, and tourism is one of the ways it earns an income for them.
Wildlife moves freely between the concession and the reserve, so the elephant, buffalo, big cats and wild dog of Moremi range across both. Being on a private concession is also what lets the lodge take guests out after dark and on foot.
Yes. TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, rates the northern half of Botswana, which takes in the whole Okavango Delta, as high risk for malaria from October to May and recommends antimalarial tablets for those months. From June to September it rates the risk as low, and low risk is not no risk. The American CDC recommends preventive medicine for the Ngamiland and Okavango districts.
We arrange travel and are not medical professionals, so whether to take tablets, and which ones, is for you to settle with your doctor or a travel clinic, with your dates to hand. In every month, cover arms and legs from dusk and keep repellent close.
June to October, the dry winter, when the land around the Delta dries out and the game gathers at permanent water. On the Boro the floodplains usually begin to fill from about June, so the middle of the winter brings drives, walks and trips on the water together. October is the hottest month, often over 40 degrees, with the game at its most concentrated.
November to March is the green season, and it has a real case. Migrant birds arrive in numbers, impala and wildebeest drop their young, storm light makes for dramatic photographs and the Delta is at its quietest. Night drives and walks carry on in every season, which helps when the bush is thick.
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.
