Best hotels in Botswana

Jack's Camp is set on a palm-clad island on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The pans are one of the largest salt flats in the world, so the camp feels like an oasis of luxury in a truly inhospitable environment. Inside its 10 traditional-style safari tents, the sumptuous furnishings and attention to detail transport you back to the early days of travel in East Africa. Guests can explore the vast salt pans by quad bike, on foot or in a vehicle.

It may not seem like you could step any further off the beaten track than the Okavango Delta, but how does a private island sound? Welcome to North Island, a gorgeous lodge on an island ensconced by the boughs of ebony, mangosteen, leadwood and fig trees, and watched over by a lagoon that's popular with the ample wildlife. With only three enormous tents, it's incredibly exclusive and the views and surrounding landscapes are sublime. During the day, discover the Okavango by land, water or from the sky, and in the evening, plonk yourself down and listen to the symphony of bell frogs as fireflies blink above the water. Magic.

San Camp brings you forward into the future of eco-friendly, responsible travel by taking you back in time to an era where safari meant personal butlers and starry banquets. Huge, open, airy tents appear as an oasis on the desolate Makgadikgadi Salt Pan - the site of an extinct lake bed. This mysterious place is home to a healthy meerkat population—willed, but delightfully habituated—as well as desert-adapted wildlife, including brown hyenas, Aardwolf, bat-eared foxes and black-maned lions. Walk with a local San Bushman for a real-life history and biology lesson, or get an on the spot archaeology and geography lesson from your guide; navigate the vast moon-like landscape at your own speed, on the back of an ATV. Bedouin tents, Persian rugs and vintage accents conjure a true Lawrence of Arabia feel - the atmosphere is hallucinogenically romantic.

Tapping into an incomparable spirit of safari adventure, Beagle Expeditions offers unmatched access to the Kweene Trails. This region of the Delta is extremely remote, set along a system of waterways that boasts a thriving ecosystem. As well as being exclusive use, the camp is accessed exclusively by helicopter. Promising endless discoveries, this once-in-a-lifetime expedition will introduce you to the wild and wonderful landscape of the Delta. This modest mobile camp offers the ultimate authentic safari experience.

Recently refurbished, Camp Okavango now offers some of the most beautiful and elegant accommodation available in this pristine region of the Delta. This part of the private Shindi concession has a wide range of habitats but is dominated by permanent channels and shallow floodplains, making activities primarily water-focused. There is no vehicle traffic to disturb the peace. This camp suits a traveller whose priority is relaxation and experiencing the stunning landscape surrounding this private, luxurious camp. It offers an altogether different experience of the wilderness, where seeing big game is not the sole focus.

To the west of Chobe National Park is Chobe Forest Reserve, home to one of the few remaining natural timber forests in Botswana. Lying in a private concession in this off-the-tourist-track reserve is Muchenje Safari Lodge, a laid-back retreat set high on an escarpment with views across a seasonal floodplain to the distant river. The lodge is owner-run and -managed, so every detail has been carefully considered, from the comfortable main area and lovely chalets to the fresh, homely meals, prolific wildlife (the region is one of the richest birdwatching areas in Africa) and top-quality guided drives and nature walks.

Found on the remote shores of a private concession in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Kalahari Camp offers up a an ideal base for those looking to experience a unique area of Botswana in traditional safari camp style. The Makgadikgadi Saltpans stretch as far as the eye can see through the Kalahari Desert in the dry season, while rains in the wet season brings herds of zebra and wildebeest though the plains. Camp Kalahari nestles there, between the bush and the desert where the lack of electricity allows you to release your inner explorer.

Set in its own private concession just 18km south of the renowned Chitabe area, Gomoti Plains Camp embodies the seasoned expertise of the Machaba team. Drawing on their success with Machaba and Little Machaba camps, the owners have created an intimate retreat that captures the essence of an authentic Botswana safari experience. This chic, modern camp pairs perfectly with the beauty of the region and the diversity of activities on offer.

Sable Alley is a recent addition to Botswana’s luxury safari camp portfolio, in a stunning and remote part of the private Khwai Concession alongside Moremi Game Reserve. This part of northern Botswana has an incredible diversity of landscapes, with the permanent waters of the Okavango Delta providing a vital lifeline in this otherwise arid wilderness. The camp overlooks a lagoon with fabulous views across the lily-covered waters and Moremi beyond, with twelve elegant safari tents stretching along the waters’ edge on either side of the main lodge. Game viewing is excellent, the level of guiding is first class and you get it all for a very reasonable price.

The Okavango Delta is close to our hearts – a geologically unusual depression of desert that traps run-off water from mountains nearly 1000 kilometres away, thanks to three well-placed fault lines. Those fissures are the difference between a vast wetland that sustains a bounty of wildlife, and a muddy seep. Mma Dinare (mother buffalo) is a new jewel of a lodge at the south-east edge of the delta, overlooking the Gomoti River and its sprawl of wildlife-filled floodplains. Set within a private concession of 27000-plus hectares, there's an immense wilderness that's just waiting for you to explore its treasures.

The lodge is inspired by the openness and tranquillity of the Delta. The spaces feel relaxed and welcoming, never formal or over designed. While Daunara offers exceptional game viewing, the camp is equally a place to unwind between adventures. The kind of place you look forward to returning to after a day in the wild.