The Dhow Suite at Zarafa, a Great Plains Conservation Réserve-Collection safari camp, is located on the private 130,000-hectare Selinda Reserve. The Selinda Reserve links Botswana’s Okavango Delta with the Linyanti waterways. Every area of the camp offers stunning views over the Zibadianja Lagoon, the source of the Savuti Channel.

This Relais & Châteaux member property is a private 2-bedroom villa, complete with the services of a personal butler, chef, game drive vehicle and wildlife guide included in the nightly rate. Flanking each side of the main lounge and dining area, each bedroom flows to a beautiful bedroom and an open layout indoor bathroom complete with a copper claw-foot bath and private outdoor showers. Expansive, raised sleeper wood outdoor decking wraps around each guest suite and offers guests a private verandah complete with a plunge pool, outdoor seating and fire pit.

In early 2023, The Dhow Suite at Zarafa will close for a short period. Refreshed and new décor, as well as new water and solar systems, will be installed.

Under a canopy of ebony trees, the main camp area offers guests a sizable main lounge, library, dining area and bush boutique. An outdoor gym and in-room massage are available. All the camp’s electricity comes from its solar farm. The camp has no equal when it comes to its environmental credentials.

The Selinda Reserve is home to leopard, lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, zebra and giraffe. It is also a refuge for some uncommon species, such as African wild dogs, roan and sable. And for birders, the nearby African skimmer colony is a highlight. From camp, hippos are visible in the lagoon, and elephants wander through regularly. It is an exciting area, and guests are in the heart of this wilderness safari wonderland.

The Dhow Suite at Zarafa, and Zarafa Camp, are Botswana’s first Relais & Châteaux properties. Today, our Selinda Camp and Selinda Suite, Duba Plains Camp and Duba Plains Suite have also joined the prestigious ranks of proud Relais & Châteaux members.

Conservation is only successful when communities living alongside wildlife and protected areas are offered opportunities to learn, interact, and benefit from these conserved areas. In Ngamiland, in the upper reaches of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, there is a community we care deeply about and want to support in their journey to prosperity, with strong links to the environment. In support of that community, the Great Plains Foundation launched the Great Plains Academy to provide personal and community enrichment opportunities for individuals living alongside wildlife. The goal of the Great Plains Academy is to provide vocational training, supplemental education and scholarships with a conservation and tourism focus to those living alongside Botswana’s Okavango Delta. All programs seek to invest in the skill and capacity of the individual while imparting respect for natural heritage and a solid conservation ethic.