A Traveller’s Guide to the Best Okavango Delta Tented Camps

The world is more than a simple map to be explored; it’s a collection of stories ready to be told, with every moment weaving itself into a tapestry of memories. The Okavango Delta’s waterways offer moments that will leave you stunned, allowing you to go home with stories you’ll regale for years.

There are tented camps in Botswana’s Okavango Delta that are the perfect base for exploration. Camps that offer more than just high thread counts – they’re places that offer silence, solitude, and access to the extraordinary.

We’ve curated a selection of five Okavango Delta tented camps in private concessions that prioritise low visitor numbers and master guides – places where you’re able to fully immerse yourself in the majesty of the Okavango and make extraordinary memories.

Why Private Concessions Matter

Before we open the portfolio, it’s vital to understand where these camps sit. The Okavango Delta is a vast inland mosaic of waterways, but the most exclusive experiences happen in the private concessions.

Unlike the national parks, where gate times and rules apply, private concessions offer a bit more freedom. At a private concession, your guide can drive off-road to track a leopard through the sage, enjoy night drives to see the nocturnal world come alive, and walk the land with master guides. These are Botswana luxury safari camps at their peak – wild, unfenced, and entirely yours.

So, without further ado, here is our pick for the top five tented camps in the Okavango Delta.

1. Shinde

• Location: Northern Okavango Delta (Shinde Concession)

• The Distinction: Heritage Reimagined

Shinde is a well-known name in the Okavango Delta, having been one of the first camps to establish itself there. After a rebuild in 2020, its new design pays homage to its former self, with a unique “treehouse style” comprising lounges, dining areas, and a fire deck with panoramic views over the Shinde lagoon, from which it gets its namesake.

The camp sits within a private concession and offers both land and water activities all year long. Motorboat and mokoro safaris give you the opportunity to see more of the incredible biodiversity – birds, flora, reptiles – of the Okavango Delta up close and personal. For the more adventurous, Shinde also offers guided walking safaris, while anglers can enjoy fishing.

The new tents have been described by Ker & Downey as “the best of nature within an authentic safari design – still with the understated, friendly and intimate…”. If your heart yearns for the elegance of the classic safari, this is the camp for you.

2. North Island Okavango

• Location: NG23A Concession
• The Distinction: Ultimate Rarity and Seclusion

For travellers seeking ultimate exclusivity, North Island may be the ultimate prize. North Island Okavango has only been open for three years, but it has already scooped up massive awards, including the “Best New Hotel” award from Conde Nast.

With just seven rooms, the camp is situated on a private island surrounded by a mosaic of shining lagoons and transient channels. The incredibly low number of tents and the luxury of a private concession offer an intimate experience, making it perfect for a romantic getaway or honeymoon. It is simply a masterpiece of Botswana luxury safari camps.

The camp focuses on high-end design and an immersive water-based experience. It’s a low-volume, low-impact masterwork, where the sounds of the Delta are your soundtrack.

Its unique location between floodplains, open savannahs, and woodlands also makes it a prime spot for wildlife viewing. You’ll find yourself in a wildlife hub, as the area is home to all the stars of Botswana wildlife, from African wild dogs to buffalo, antelopes, and even aardvarks – this is the place to be for unique wildlife encounters.

3. Atzaro Okavango Camp

• Location: NG32 Concession
• The Distinction: Eco-Luxury and Wellness

Atzaro Okavango Camp represents a new vanguard of Delta luxury. This eco-camp, run entirely on solar energy, is only accessible via helicopter flight, making it an ultra-exclusive getaway.

Towering reeds, winding waterways, and savannah grasslands envelop the camp itself, offering an unparalleled and authentic safari experience. With just eight suites and two villas – including a family villa – it is a perfect getaway for families and small groups looking for a sophisticated stay in the wild.

For those seeking wellness in the bush, Atzaro Okavango features a 20-metre lagoon view pool, spa, wellness centre, yoga shala, fully equipped gym, tea room, and an observation deck.

Atzaro also boasts an art gallery with works inspired by the environment, wildlife, and ancestral stories of the area – a place to find a piece of the Okavango to take home with you.

4. &Beyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp

• Location: Nxabega Concession

• The Distinction: A Birder’s Paradise

Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp is an ideal choice for avid birders. The camp is located on an exclusive 25,000 hectare wildlife concession with breathtaking views of both mature mopane woodlands and seasonally flooded grasslands, which attract over 450 recorded species of birdlife.

The scenery makes it a prime location for seeing both terrestrial and aquatic birdlife.  Some notable species include the Big Five of Delta birding: Pel’s fishing owl, the African pygmy goose, the lesser Jacana, the slaty egret, and the wattled crane.

With a stay here, you won’t even need to worry about forgetting a pair of binoculars, as each tent is provided with a pair. You’ll also receive a guide journal which includes a Star Birds checklist.

Beyond the birdlife, you can enjoy every luxury amenity the camp has to offer. This includes an expansive outdoor sitting area, an interactive food and coffee bar complete with trained baristas, and an extensive pool area with inviting loungers and shaded salas.

For the wellness seeker, there is also a dedicated massage sala and a spectacular open-air boma, set under the dappled shade of the camp’s massive ebony trees.

5. Feline Fields Vintage Camp: The Time Capsule

• Location: Khwai River
• The Distinction: Off-Grid and Unplugged

If the other camps are art galleries, Feline Fields Vintage Camp is a piece of living theatre. It rejects the modern glass and canvas look for a purely romantic, Out of Africa aesthetic. It targets the traveller who wants their Okavango tented camp experience to feel like a page out of Livingstone’s diary.

The stay here is truly unplugged, with no electricity or running water, reminiscent of safari days of old. Your amenity station’s basin is filled with warm water each morning, and your bucket shower will be replenished with hot water whenever you need it. In their own words, “Completely private with its own dedicated staff catering to your every need, this is how the Victorian explorers ‘did’ safari – in style!”

Situated near the Khwai River, famous for its wild dogs, the camp offers a stylistic exclusivity. It’s intimate, with just a handful of bell tents, and focuses on a slow safari rhythm of long lunches and private interactions with the landscape.

Combine this spot with their Kalahari lodge for a dual-world experience – transferring seamlessly by helicopter between the wetlands and the desert.

Your Tapestry of Okavango Delta Memories

Choosing the right camp is about more than just a bed; it is about choosing the lens through which you see Africa. Whether you seek the absolute privacy of Shinde or the unplugged experience of Feline Fields, these camps offer the extraordinary.

You’ve already decided on Botswana. Now, ensure your experience is handled by people who understand what’s needed to create an itinerary primed for extraordinary memories. Speak with one of our safari experts today and start planning your next Africa chapter.