Zarafa Dhow Suite
Here, your journey unfolds at your pace – exploring by open-vehicle safari, boat or on foot, enjoying lagoon life, and returning each evening to spacious indoor and outdoor living spaces that feel like a wilderness home.
Dense woodlands border the vast, ancient floodplains and host an abundance of wildlife, including the world’s highest densities of elephant in the dry winter months.
Herds of elephant, buffalo, and zebra congregate along the river, while giraffe, impala, and roan antelope feed on the succulent vegetation in the dense riverine forests. Overwhelming numbers of birds flock to the waters, including pelicans in the thousands.
And where there is food, there are predators – big cats abound with lion and cheetah frequently seen while the elusive leopard keeps a distance until nightfall.
Ultra-Luxury Two Bedroom Suite
A private deck and swimming pool look out across the lagoon, where wildlife frequently gathers – you won’t have to wait long to see an elephant amble past.
With your own guide, private safari vehicle, chef and butler, the Dhow Suite offers the freedom to shape each day around your interests, combining the ease of a private residence with access to one of Botswana’s most wildlife-rich settings.
The midday siesta time can be spent at one of the waterholes near the camp in an elevated hide. Located in the heart of a bustling wildlife area, you may find the best game viewing could be from your own suite!
While your children join their guide for a ramble around camp, why not indulge in an in-room massage?
Experiences
- Explore the Selinda Reserve by private vehicle with your guide, where game drives are tailored wholly to your interests.
- Enjoy lagoon-based exploration – when water levels allow – by boat or pontoon, offering a fresh perspective on this abundant landscape.
- Spot wildlife from your deck as elephants, hippos and buffalo come down to drink or graze on the floodplain.
- Guided walking safaris provide a close-up encounter with the smaller details of the ecosystem.
- Seasonal tag-and-release fishing gives an added layer of adventure.
- Wellness and relaxation can be part of your stay too – enjoy spa treatments either in the privacy of your suite or at the nearby Zarafa spa.
What makes this locale special is that it follows the floodplains of the Selinda Spillway, the waterway that winds its way through dry countryside to connect the Okavango Delta in the west to the Linyanti and Kwando wetlands and rivers in the east.
Here you’ll find huge herds of buffalo, zebra and elephant. The predator sightings are always exciting, with thriving lion prides and abundant leopard, cheetah, wild dog and scavenging hyena.
Parents will enjoy exquisite wine selections, while cuisine and guiding on a Great Plains safari is superb, catering to even the youngest member of your party.
Speak to us and we’ll carefully craft a family trip for you that combines some of Zarafa’s sister properties. Some of our favourites are equally exclusive, including the Duba Suite in the Okavango Delta and newly constructed Mpala Jena Suite in Zimbabwe.
Why We Include Zarafa Dhow Suite in Our Journeys
We include Zarafa Dhow Suite in Journeysmiths journeys when clients want a base that feels like a private home in the bush, where family-oriented moments and shared discovery come naturally and sustainably.
From the Team
“Staying at Zarafa Dhow Suite feels like having our own private world in the bush. The space, privacy and freedom to explore with your guide makes every day feel rich with discovery – whether you are tracking elephants, drifting on the lagoon or simply sharing dinner under the stars.”
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 Zarafa Dhow Suites
Zarafa Dhow Suites work beautifully as part of a wider Botswana journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.Zarafa Dhow Suites work beautifully as part of a wider Botswana journey. We often pair it with contrasting environments to create a sense of flow and variety.
Set on a secluded stretch of the Zambezi River within Zambezi National Park, Mpala Jena Private Villas offer an exclusive safari experience with complete privacy, personalised guiding, and easy access to both wildlife-rich landscapes and Victoria Falls.
Chobe Game Lodge offers five-star luxury in the wilds of the bush. A haven of peace and tranquillity, the lodge overlooks the winding Chobe River, which is frequented by a whole host of bird species and wildlife including the world’s largest remaining population of elephants. Fully Ecotourism-certified, Chobe Game Lodge is sure to provide an unforgettable experience for couples, small groups and families alike
Blending the spirit of 1940s African exploration with modern exclusivity and opulence, Jacks Camp has long set the standard for luxury safari experiences. With the addition of the secluded Jack’s Private Camp, guests can enjoy an even more personal, private and tailored adventure in the midst of the stark beauty of the Kalahari Desert.
Set amidst two rolling mountain ranges, the Motse legae and Tarkuni homestead are the ultimate private sanctuaries on the vast Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. Recently redesigned to uncompromising standards of comfort and elegance, Tarkuni is an exceptional choice for families seeking a tranquil, exclusive-use escape.
Singita really does have the last word in luxury safari experiences, and Singita Boulders is no exception. The location is superb, the game viewing rich, and the lodge is a model of sustainability which other properties should strive to emulate.
Thanda Safari Lodge invites you to experience ultimate luxury and world-class service.
Tailored To Our Preferences
"We have used Journeysmiths a few times because they have good experience of the destinations and know how to tailor things to our preferences. This trip was very well conceived for a mixed party of 12 family members ranging in age from 11 to 73."
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.