Sanctuary Baines' Camp

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp is located on a vast private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and with its vast and diverse wildlife species is one of the premium destinations in the world for a dynamic safari experience and offers a truly unique wilderness safari in Africa.

An intimate safari camp, Sanctuary Baines’ was named after the 19th-century explorer and painter Thomas Baines. This is Sanctuary’s smallest camp with just six suites set on elevated platforms in the tree line with wooden decks that offer expansive views over the permanent water of the Boro River and a lagoon teeming with life. An eco-friendly property, Sanctuary Baines’ Camp was built using only commercially grown wood, with over 150,000 recycled aluminium cans incorporated within the walls to provide insulation.

The camp is raised above the permanent water of the Boro River while wooden walkways connect the main areas and luxury rooms. The swimming pool and the wide wooden deck that surrounds the main dining and sitting room is the ideal place to relax while observing the varied wildlife present here. Watch hippos wallow at the edge of the lagoon that the camp overlooks, or see one of the many elephants who live in the area.

There are six suites set on elevated platforms with wooden decks. The suites feature a luxury bedroom, en-suite facilities and a private viewing deck. The four-poster beds are fully mobile and can easily be wheeled out onto the private wooden deck if guests want to enjoy a night under the stars, overlooking the shining waters of the Boro River. Each room is equipped with a hairdryer, ceiling fan, in-room safe and minibar.

Should you wish, your bed can be wheeled out onto the private wooden deck for a night under the stars, overlooking the shimmering waters of the Boro River where hippo can often be spotted. Or take an indulgent soak under the stars on your own private viewing deck in an opulent star bath

Activities

Game Drives - Famed for its big cat and bird population, the Okavango Delta is a peaceful haven where animals have been protected for decades and know they will not be disturbed. At Baines' Camp, you have the opportunity to see animals up close with your expert guide on morning and evening game drives in open 4 x 4 vehicles. A night game drive is the perfect means to see some of the nocturnal animals one wouldn't see during the daytime.

Walking Safaris - Find out how to track and follow even the most elusive of animals in the Okavango. With the camp being set in a private concession, there is the opportunity to get very close on foot in perfect safety with one of the guides.

Mokoro & Motorised Boat Excursions - One of the best ways to see the wildlife around Sanctuary Baines' Camp is in one of the locally made dugout canoes, known as mokoros. These used to be carved from ebony but are now made from commercially grown wood and fibreglass to protect the fragile environment of the Okavango.

Scenic Helicopter Flights - These scenic flights involve flying west towards the permanent delta, exposing areas which are unreachable by vehicle or boat and showcasing the sheer enormity of the Okavango Delta. There is the option of the doors being removed for unrestricted photographic opportunities. Choose between 30, 45 or 60 minute tour in a one turbine Bell Jetranger helicopter with 3 seats.

About the Okavango Delta

The largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango Delta is the most unexpected wonder – water present in a desert. The broad Okavango River sinks into the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert, creating a lush and waterlogged oasis with crystal clear lagoons and channels, reeded islands and fertile floodplains. Dubbed “the river that never finds the sea”, this magical oasis spreads over more than 15 500 km² (almost 6 000 square miles) and yet is so fragile that, if it were denied water for even a decade, it would revert to a semi-desert.

This breath-taking environment constantly adapts and changes with the ebb and flow of the floodwaters that seasonally inundate large portions of the Delta. Although dry for two-thirds of the year, during the winter months the rising floodwaters create a maze of marshes, small wooded islands and shallow lagoons. Water lilies and other aquatic plants flourish in the shallow water, while water birds inhabit the banks of papyrus. As relatively little water can be found elsewhere during this time, the wildlife is drawn to the clear waters of the Delta.

On the edges of the Delta, where land blurs with water, breeding herds of elephant splash gently through shallow channels, the long necks of a family of giraffe materialise slowly out of the Delta skyline and graceful sitatunga antelope hide in the reeds. It is a place where you can wonder at the antics of wild dog in the morning and cast a line for tiger fish in the afternoon, wake in the dappled shade of a forest and enjoy dinner beneath the boughs of a massive baobab at full moon.

Beautiful little reed frogs cling to the water grasses and a variety of incredible bird species make their appearance, from jewelled kingfishers and bee-eaters to ponderous herons and cranes and solemn-looking owls. Red lechwe scamper through the shallows and wild cat, serval and pangolin can be spotted at night, when the moon reflects off the backs of a family of hippo coming out of the water to graze, turning them into slabs of shining silver.

Wildlife
The Okavango Delta is home to a large number of species, including some that are specially adapted to the semi-aquatic lifestyle, like the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga antelope. Lion prides, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog may be encountered, while hippo resides in deeper channels and lagoons. Honey badgers are observed during daylight hours. Roan and sable antelope favour taller grass in open woodlands and families of dwarf and banded mongoose occupy large termite mounds.

Graceful giraffe, with their impossibly long necks, and herds of zebra can be encountered on the floodplains. Lion, as well as other predators, can also be found in the area, particularly in the drier areas. Although predominantly nocturnal and difficult to spot, leopard occurs in the dense forest are the water’s edge. The sparkling channels teem with a variety of fish, while hundreds of bird species, frogs and insects inhabit the reeded banks.