Setari stands on Little Duba, a palm island roughly 1.2 kilometres long in the private Jedibe concession at the foot of the Okavango Panhandle. Seven lagoons surround it, and the channels hold their depth all year. Hippos surface in the lagoons within sight of the decks, and elephants cross the surrounding channels. Every outing leaves by boat, mokoro or on foot. There are no game drives.
Hippos surface in the lagoons within sight of the decks.
The flight from Maun takes 35 minutes by light aircraft to Jedibe Airstrip, and from there a motorboat carries you through papyrus channels to the camp jetty. What waits at the end is a camp of canvas and timber, raised on stilts above the forest floor. Nine suites and thatched living areas are linked by wooden boardwalks that wind between the palms.
Grant Truthe and Kate Holmes opened Setari in October 2018, on a concession that had stood empty for close to twenty years, since Wilderness Safaris closed its Jedibe Camp in 1999. Truthe grew up in the Botswana bush. Holmes came from London in 1990 and built a career developing delta lodges. They still run Setari themselves, with two more camps in the same concession.
The mekoro slide low and silent through the shallows.
Three motorised pontoon boats work the channels, two of them with upper decks that lift guests above the papyrus for a clear line into the reedbeds and the open water beyond. The mekoro slide low and silent through the shallows. Behind a poler you sit close enough to watch frogs on the lily stems, and walking parties land on neighbouring islands with an armed guide.
The Panhandle is the narrow, deep stretch where the Okavango still runs as a single river, before it spreads across the sand and fans into the Delta proper. Setari sits at that point of release, in the Jedibe waterways, where the water never fails. Channels stay open through the months when camps further south trade their boats for vehicles. The water also refuses to stay still: papyrus islands break loose and drift, blocking a channel overnight, so the route taken on Tuesday may not exist on Thursday.
Fishing runs from March to December, catch and release, with tackle provided by the camp, and the deep channels hold tigerfish, tilapia and bream. Between August and October, migrating catfish push upstream in numbers. The disturbance draws tigerfish into a feeding frenzy along the papyrus edges. Birding needs no season. Pel’s fishing owl keeps to the riverine canopy, and the waterways hold slaty egret, African pygmy goose and malachite kingfisher, with a seasonal heronry within boat range.
The disturbance draws tigerfish into a feeding frenzy along the papyrus edges.
The suites are canvas on timber, eight doubles and one family unit built as two tents sharing a deck with its own dining and lounge area. Inside, extra-length beds sit under walk-in mosquito nets, with writing desks, sofas, double vanities, a free-standing bath, an indoor shower and another open to the sky over the floodplain. Meals are served family-style under the thatch, or privately on a guest’s own deck, with sundowners on the upper deck of a boat or at the fire pit. Nights carry the sound of reed frogs and hippos working the lagoons.
Jao village, home to some 400 people on a neighbouring island, supplies much of the staff, along with the woven baskets sold at camp, and guests can go by boat to watch the weaving. Children of six and over are welcome, though walking and mokoro outings are reserved for those of twelve and older. Helicopter flights over the Delta can be arranged from camp.
accommodation
Nine elevated tented suites, eight doubles and one family unit of two tents sharing a deck with a private lounge and dining area. Canvas walls, timber floors, extra-length beds under walk-in nets, writing desks and fans. Bathrooms have double vanities, free-standing baths, indoor showers and outdoor showers over the water.
activities
Boat safaris on the Jedibe channels, two of the camp's three boats fitted with upper viewing decks. Mokoro outings, guided walks on neighbouring islands with an armed guide, and catch-and-release fishing from March to December. Visits to Jao village, helicopter flights over the Okavango Delta, and a pool and gym at camp. No game drives.
conservation
The NG24 concession is held under an agreement between the Botswana government, the camp and the Okavango Jakotsha Community Trust. Jao village supplies staff and baskets bought by the camp, which runs on solar power and avoids single-use plastic.
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.
01
The Okavango Delta
02
The Okavango Delta
03
The Okavango Delta
04
The Okavango Delta
05
The Okavango Delta
06
The Okavango Delta
07
The Okavango Delta
08
The Okavango Delta
09
The Okavango Delta
10
The Okavango Delta
11
The Okavango Delta
12
The Okavango Delta
13
The Okavango Delta
14
The Okavango Delta
15
The Okavango Delta
16
The Okavango Delta
17
The Okavango Delta
18
The Okavango Delta
19
The Okavango Delta
20
The Okavango Delta
By light aircraft to Jedibe airstrip, about forty minutes from Maun or an hour and twenty from Kasane, then roughly an hour by motorboat through the channels to camp.
That boat transfer is long by Delta standards and it is the best introduction to the Jedibe waterways you could ask for. Soft bags only on the flight, twenty kilograms a person including hand luggage.
Yes. TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, and the CDC both place northern Botswana among the areas where antimalarial tablets are usually recommended, with risk highest from October to May and lower, though never absent, through the dry winter.
This is a pure water camp, so mosquitoes at dusk are part of the setting. Take the decision with a travel clinic or your doctor, and use the nets and repellent whichever way it goes.
From about six upwards, and younger children are considered on request in the quieter seasons. There are further limits by activity: under twelves are restricted to boating, while the guided walks and mokoro outings are for twelve and over.
So it works well for families with older children who want water rather than vehicles, and less well for young ones. Tell us the ages at enquiry and we will say plainly whether it fits or suggest a Delta camp that suits better.
Dry winter from May to October with clear days and genuinely cold starts on the water, and a hot, humid summer from November to March with afternoon storms. A boat at dawn in June is colder than people expect.
Bring a warm windproof layer for the mornings, neutral colours, a wide-brimmed hat and strong sun protection, and something waterproof for spray. Soft bags under twenty kilograms, and binoculars, because a lot of the birding here happens from a moving boat.
May to September is the pick. The annual flood peaks through the middle of that stretch, the channels are at their fullest, and a water camp is at its best when there is most water in it.
The green months from November to March bring migrant birds, storm light and far fewer visitors, and the fishing is stronger. It is hotter and wetter, and some of the walking on the neighbouring islands becomes harder as the ground softens.
rated five stars by our clients
01
02
03
04
05
06
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.
