Okuti Camp
Nest in the Okavango
Okuti was created to offer year‑round access to the permanent waterways of the Maunachira Channel and is long admired for its distinctive “kingfisher‑nest” design. A full refurbishment in 2024 modernised the camp while preserving its ecological sensitivity and intimate character.
Location
This is classic Moremi: a mosaic of channels, lagoons, open plains and riverine woodland that makes game drives exceptionally productive. Being on permanent water also allows year‑round mokoro and motorboat excursions. You can arrive by light aircraft into Xakanaxa Airstrip or drive in by 4WD, turning the journey itself into a game adventure.
Accommodation
Each Masasa is lined with natural reeds and features generous beds, a relaxed sitting area and an en‑suite bathroom with both indoor and outdoor showers. Large glass doors open onto a private deck overlooking the lagoon, creating a quiet space to watch wildlife drift past throughout the day.
Meals are served in the dining area, often shared with guides and staff, creating an easy, convivial atmosphere. Fresh, flavourful dishes are enjoyed at a relaxed pace, with the day’s sightings naturally becoming part of the conversation. After dinner, guests gather around the boma’s firelight to reflect on the day beneath the stars.
Experiences
- Set out on game drives across classic Moremi terrain, tracking elephant herds, buffalo, giraffe, plains game and the predators that shadow them.
- Glide through the Maunachira Channel by boat, exploring the Delta’s winding waterways from a completely different perspective.
- Arrive by your own 4WD if you’re self‑driving, turning the reserve’s network of tracks into a personal adventure.
- Lose yourself in exceptional birding, spotting everything from fish eagles to herons, storks and seasonal breeding colonies.
- Watch wildlife drift past the lagoon from camp, often without needing to leave your private deck.
- Travel by boat to sister camp Shinde, turning a simple transfer into a thrilling water‑level safari through flooded channels and wildlife‑rich backwaters.
- Unwind between activities in the pool or lounge, soaking up the tranquillity of Okuti’s lagoon‑side setting before your next outing.
Why We Include Okuti Camp in Our Journeys
Talk to us about designing your journey >
From the Team
“We arrived at Okuti as a family and fell for it instantly. The setting is extraordinary – wildlife everywhere, the Delta alive around us – and every day felt like stepping deeper into safari heaven. The mix of experiences and that beautiful lagoon‑side location combined to create a stay we’ll never forget.”
Why Plan Your Safari with Journeysmiths
Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want your safari to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.Every journey we design begins with listening. Whether you’re travelling as a family, a couple, or across generations, we take time to understand how you want your safari to feel – not just where you want to go. From there, we carefully weave together exceptional places, trusted guides, and seamless logistics to create journeys that flow naturally and feel entirely your own.
We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.
Great Places to Combine with Okuti Camp
Okuti Camp works beautifully as part of a wider African journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.Okuti Camp works beautifully as part of a wider African journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.
A lush ebony‑ and mangosteen‑shaded island deep in the Okavango Delta, Shinde blends treehouse elegance with year‑round land and water safaris, offering one of the region’s most atmospheric and wildlife‑rich settings.
Quietly personal, this delightful camp amid the islands of a prime seasonally-flooded plain is in wildlife-rich territory and even offers a sleep out platform for a night under the stars.
Dinaka’s private Kalahari concession centres on permanent waterholes that pull wildlife close, while the opportunity to spend time with San Bushmen adds a cultural depth few camps can match.
With a luxury tented camp and the option of even greater privacy and exclusivity at its two riverfront villas, Mpala Jena offers easy-going indulgence on the banks of the Zambezi River – combining classic safari experiences with the relaxed rhythm of life on the water.
A contemporary sanctuary set above Walker Bay, Grootbos Forest Lodge immerses you in ancient milkwood forests, sweeping ocean views and world‑class fynbos experiences, all delivered with refined, nature‑forward luxury.
A Recent Safari
Have just had the most awesome trip to Botswana and Zambia. Paul at Journeysmiths listened to what we wanted and put together the most brilliant itinerary. The organisation was faultless. Every venue was of the highest quality which exceeded our already high expectations. We had the most amazing experiences, truly a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to all the Journeysmiths team. Can't wait to start planning the next trip.
From the pristine wilderness of Linyanti, to the glistening floodplains of the Okavango Delta, and beyond to the shimmering salt flats of Makgadikgadi - this Botswana safari will leave you with incredible memories from beginning to end. Experience the diverse ecosystems and wildlife Botswana has to offer in this epic journey from plains, to delta to desert.
This memorable safari combines a journey through one of Africa’s most game rich areas, with a visit to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Experience Botswana’s abundant wildlife in the spectacular Okavango Delta and Linyanti, before heading to the winding Zambezi River to see the astonishing Victoria Falls.
Travel across Southern Africa in complete luxury, staying at some of the most exclusive properties on the continent. With every single detail taken care of by exceptional guides and staff at each location, you can concentrate on what really matters - immersing yourself in an exclusive African safari experience.
From the glistening floodplains of the Okavango Delta, to the pristine wilderness of Linyanti, and beyond to the shimmering salt flats of Makgadikgadi - this family friendly safari will leave you all with lifelong memories. Experience the diverse ecosystems and wildlife Botswana has to offer in this spectacular journey from Delta to Desert.
Botswana is Africa’s most exclusive safari destination. Each enormous private reserve has just one or two luxury lodges guaranteeing a series of private experiences as you travel from one exquisite location to the next. Expert guides will take your family on safari among big cats and vast elephant herds in beautiful deltas and deserts.
Imagine gliding silently along an Okavango waterway in a mokoro canoe as zebra and impala graze the grasslands. Or cantering on horseback with your guide alongside giraffe. In the Kalahari, take an early morning walk with a San Bushman as he explains the ancestral secrets of survival.
Here’s something you might not expect. The people looking after you on safari might create some of your happiest safari memories. You’ll remember laughter and those after dinner stories and jokes around the campfire. During a three-night stay in a luxury camp, you’ll get to make friends with your guide, the chef, the vegetable gardener and the other people who love their work.
Botswana is a great choice for an exclusive family safari. Roaming the spectacular deserts, deltas and savannahs are literally millions of animals. The fertility and abundant water of the Okavango and Linyanti Deltas supports an incredible 200 different mammal species. The Government’s high value, low volume tourism policy helps conservation and enables you to enjoy a top quality private safari.
Between safaris there is plenty for children to do in camp while the adults relax. Safari lodges may be small and in remote locations, but they have excellent facilities and your hosts’ purpose is to give you the best possible time. In this section we also suggest a couple of places that combine easily to complement your Botswana safari.
We’ve compiled a list of our favourite experiences to inspire your imagination.
The best way to give your family the facilities it seeks may be to book out an entire camp or lodge. Perhaps you are planning a multi-generation safari. Or you may want to fulfil a dream of walking, mokoroing and camping out in the Okavango. You may simply crave an extra degree of privacy. Most lodges we use take fewer than 16 guests, some take only eight, so booking a whole lodge is a viable option.
Booking your family safari to Botswana opens a door to a world of exciting adventure. From the minute your Cessna touches the bush strip, your family will be in the wilds with expert guides. We curated the top 10 family experiences in Botswana to whet your appetite.
Escape into the wilds of Botswana, where the pristine landscape and varied wildlife abound. On a luxury safari in Botswana, you can expect to share your safari with only a handful of other guests, as our travel insider Philippa Page discovered.
Botswana is one of the best places for a family holiday of a lifetime! There are millions of animals across plains, deserts and deltas.
The Kalahari is a fascinating place for a family safari. The children can sit by a meerkat den watching these curious little creatures foraging and playing as one stands guard on its hind legs looking out for eagles. They can watch enthralled as a San Bushman reveals hidden secrets that have enabled them to survive here for thousands of years.
Botswana, a land of contrasts, captivates travelers with its seasonal transformations. The Okavango Delta floods draw abundant wildlife, while rains blanket the Makgadikgadi and Nxai salt pans in green. Chobe National Park hosts vast elephant herds, and the north's lush landscapes contrast with the Kalahari's stark beauty in the south. This unforgettable journey offers Africa’s most exclusive safari in complete luxury.
When seeking advice, we all agree that we should trust someone with first-hand experience. A frequent visitor to Botswana, Laura knows the luxury lodges and camps that reveal Botswana’s remarkable wildlife and the distinct landscapes that shape each safari experience.