Elephant Pan

It's all about the wildlife at Elephant Pan. First up is its phenomenal location in Khwai Private Reserve. Positioned between Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park and the Khwai River, this exclusive concession is a meeting point for more animals than you can shake a stick at. Enjoy nomadic herds of elephant and buffalo, lion, leopard and wild dog fiercely defending their territories, as well as kudu, red lechwe and herds of dainty antelope dotted across the plains.

From its lofty position amongst a grove of cathedral mopane trees, the eight tents at Elephant Pan look over a watery lagoon of the same name. In the morning, you’ll open your tent flaps straight on to the trumpeting elephant in the lily-filled waters below, spend your siesta watching herds splash and snort, and fall asleep to antelope grazing just outside your canvas walls. This isn’t a place for those looking for opulence and extravagance; it’s a private piece of big-game Africa, where the wildlife encounters are authentic, intimate and always wild.

Elephant Pan features eight tents, and inside, you will find a theme of stylish simplicity and a whole lot of character. You’ll find everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Each tent has twin beds, which can easily be made into doubles – and there’s no gap to fall through in the middle of the night. Mesh nets keep the mosquitos out, and there’s an electronic safe to store valuables, along with a luggage rack and wardrobe. The eco-conscious minds of the lodge were also at play when the Elephant Pan was designed, and each tent is solar-powered, with international plug points. A gas geyser pumps constant hot water to the ensuite bathroom and shower.

Amble down to the heart of the camp, and you’ll find the dining deck and lounge areas. Keep an eye on the comings and goings at the waterhole from a slouchy sofa, or float in the mini-splash pool and watch the wildlife doing the same below. Meals are wholesome and tasty, and after you’ve finished munching, the night is best spent in the open-air boma with a nightcap (or two or three).

About The Khwai Private Reserve

Khwai Private Reserve is a 200 000 hectare private reserve positioned between the Chobe National Park and the Moremi Game Reserve. The reserve thus benefits from the through-flow of magnificent wildlife from those important and productive areas. The Khwai Private Reserve also benefits from the Khwai riverfront which is a magnet and lifeline for game, although the northern expanse of the concession is a vast area of mopane woodland. Mopane is not ideal for game viewing and the game activities will be concentrated in the south of the reserve near the Khwai River.

The landscape varies from open grasslands to channels and waterways and the mopane hinterland.

The camps in the Khwai Private Reserve are operated by Natural Selection but, like NG 19, this is a community-controlled area and so Natural Selection works in partnership with the Khwai Development Trust.

NG 18 was previously a hunting area. Natural Selection is proud of the conservation success story it has created with its partners. Within months of hunting stopping here, game returned and became much less nervous and it now offers a very rewarding wildlife experience.