Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp is a luxurious tented camp built on one of the most beautiful islands in the Okavango Delta, in a private area in the southeast of the Okavango Delta which borders onto the Moremi Game Reserve. The Chitabe area is a combination of open floodplains, wooded islands, and lagoons, which sets the scene for a wide variety of wildlife.
Accommodation consists of eight spacious East African style tents that are built on elevated wooden decks, beneath the lush tree canopy. Each tented room has en-suite facilities with flush toilets and both outdoor and indoor showers. The thatched dining area, lounge and pub are also raised on decks overlooking the surrounding floodplains. A pool allows guests to cool off from the heat of the day.
Activities consist of day and night game drives in open 4x4 vehicles accompanied by an experienced guide. Nature walks, tailor-made to suit the guests, are also offered. Game viewing is good, and includes elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, reedbuck, giraffe, impala, zebra, buffalo and hippo. Depending on the time of year, wild dogs are also resident in the area. Night drives can be very rewarding with good sightings of the rarer nocturnal animals.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest assets Chitabe has to offer is its friendly and outstanding staff. Most of the staff working at Chitabe have been there since its inception and it is this pride and loyalty that gives Chitabe its amazing atmosphere. It is without a doubt the "Soul of the Delta" and you are cordially invited to experience this little oasis.
A portion of the accommodation charges from each guest goes towards a wild dog conservation fund which Chitabe has established. The project is run by Dr. Tico McNutt and is the longest running such project on these endangered creatures – the second most endangered carnivores in Africa after the Ethiopian wolf. Tico, a native from Seattle, has made wild dogs his life’s work residing in the Chitabe consession on a permanently erected tent away from it all, and has been studying these fascinating mammals since the late 1980’s. Dr. McNutt and his wife Lesley Boggs are the authors of Running Wild: Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog, a table book beautifully photographed by Helene Heldring and Dave Hamman who are the owners of Chitabe.