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African Safaris and Tours
Khwai Lodges
Khwai Lodges and Tented Camps – Private Reserve or Riverfront Concession
Khwai lies on the north-eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, where the Khwai River forms the boundary of the Moremi Game Reserve and the bush runs north towards Chobe National Park. Two neighbouring areas share the name, and which one your camp sits in shapes the whole stay.
- Khwai Private Reserve – Natural Selection's Elephant Pan, Sable Alley, Little Sable and Tuludi, plus the Skybeds, set inland among mopane woodland, grassland, lagoons and waterholes. The reserve is run in partnership with Khwai Village, and Moremi borders it to the south.
- Khwai Community Concession – the riverfront camps, Machaba, Little Machaba and Sango, look straight across the Khwai River into Moremi. The concession is managed through the Khwai Development Trust and shared by several camps and self-drivers, so it can feel busier.
Unlike the Moremi Game Reserve, both areas are concessions, so night drives and guided walks are possible here – though what each camp offers varies, and mokoro and boat trips depend on the camp and the water level. Elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and wild dog all range through Khwai, with hippo and red lechwe along the river – see our Botswana mammals guide for what you'll realistically see.
Wilderness Mokete sits beyond Khwai in the Mababe Concession, between Moremi and Chobe National Park on the Delta's eastern edge – the only camp in its area, on the open grasslands of the Mababe Depression.
Khwai lies in northern Botswana's malaria-risk area – see our Botswana malaria guide. For seasons and the flood, see when to visit Botswana.
Looking for a camp inside the reserve itself? Browse our Moremi lodges, the wider Okavango Delta lodges, or let us build Khwai into one of our Botswana safaris.
Choose Your Khwai Lodge or Camp
Hyena Pan
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Formerly Hyena Pan, this Natural Selection camp faces a busy waterhole in the mopane woodland of the Khwai Private Reserve. Watch from the photographic hide between game drives and guided walks, then cool off in the pool.
Little Machaba Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Little Machaba shares Machaba's island on the Khwai River but runs as a separate camp, with views across to Moremi. Classic 1950s-style tents with outdoor showers and baths, a pool, day and night drives, guided walks and, water permitting, mokoro trips.
Little Sable Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Sable Alley's little sister sits among grassland and woodland in the Khwai Private Reserve, a short drive away. Traditional tents on raised platforms, day and night drives, walks, Khwai Village visits and, when water allows, mokoro and boat trips.
Machaba Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
A classic tented camp on the Khwai River in the Khwai Community Concession, looking across to Moremi. Game drives run in both areas, with night drives in the concession, guided walks when a walking guide is in camp, and seasonal mokoro trips.
Sable Alley
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Sable Alley overlooks a lagoon in the Khwai Private Reserve, where elephant and buffalo come down to drink. Day and night drives, walks, and mokoro or boat trips when water allows; the honeymoon tent sits at the far end of the boardwalk.
Sango Safari Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
A small camp on the Khwai River, named after the Sango family, among Khwai's original residents and now part-owners. Meru-style tents, a hide a short walk away, and drives into both the community concession and Moremi, plus walks, night drives and mokoro.
Skybeds
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Three raised platforms beside a waterhole in the Khwai Private Reserve: a netted bed open to the stars on top, a bathroom with shower and flush loo below. Booked only with a stay at Elephant Pan, Tuludi, Sable Alley or Little Sable; dry season only.
Tuludi Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Named from a Setswana word for a leopard's markings, Tuludi sits in a grove of leadwood trees in the south of the Khwai Private Reserve. Each treehouse-style tented suite has a plunge pool and outdoor shower; activities run on land and, water permitting, by boat.
Wilderness Mokete
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Beyond Khwai in the Mababe Concession, Wilderness Mokete is the only camp in its area, set on the open grasslands of the Mababe Depression. Activities are land-based, mainly game drives, and bedroom roofs open for stargazing.
Choosing a Khwai Lodge – Questions and Answers
What's the difference between the Khwai Private Reserve and the Khwai Community Concession?
They are neighbouring areas on the Delta's north-eastern edge. The private reserve hosts Natural Selection's Elephant Pan, Sable Alley, Little Sable and Tuludi, plus the Skybeds, with game-viewing kept to those camps. The community concession, along the Khwai River, is shared by several camps and self-drivers, so it can feel busier.
Which Khwai camps are on the Khwai River?
Machaba, Little Machaba and Sango sit on the river in the community concession, looking across into the Moremi Game Reserve, and Machaba and Sango also run game drives inside Moremi. The private-reserve camps are inland: Sable Alley on a lagoon, Elephant Pan on a waterhole in mopane woodland, Tuludi among leadwoods, and Little Sable in grassland and woodland.
Which Khwai camps offer mokoro or boat trips?
Sable Alley, Little Sable and Tuludi offer water activities when levels allow, and Sango and Machaba run mokoro trips – Machaba's on a channel some way from camp. Elephant Pan is a land camp built around its waterhole and hide. Water levels change through the year, so check what's running for your dates.
How do Sable Alley and Little Sable differ?
Both are Natural Selection camps in the Khwai Private Reserve, a short drive apart. Sable Alley overlooks a lagoon where elephant and buffalo come to drink, with a honeymoon tent at the end of its boardwalk. Little Sable, its little sister, has smaller tents set in grassland and woodland, and a relaxed, intimate feel.
How do the Khwai Skybeds work?
The Skybeds are three raised platforms beside a waterhole in the Khwai Private Reserve, each with a netted bed open to the sky and a bathroom below. They can't be booked on their own: a night is added to a stay at Elephant Pan, Tuludi, Sable Alley or Little Sable, and they open in the dry season only.
Is Wilderness Mokete in Khwai?
No. Wilderness Mokete lies in the Mababe Concession, between Moremi and Chobe National Park on the Delta's eastern edge, and is the only camp in its area. Activities are mainly land-based game drives across the Mababe Depression, so it pairs well with a water camp in the Delta.
Map of Lodges in and around the Khwai Concession
Botswana Travel Topics
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