Chitabe Camp & Chitabe Lediba
Okavango Delta, Botswana
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CHITABE CAMP RATES: Chitabe
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CHITABE LEDIBA RATES: Chitabe
Lediba Rates
CHITABE CAMP & CHITABE LEDIBA
- OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Chitabe Camp and Chitabe Lediba are operated by
Wilderness Safaris. Chitabe (pronounced Chi-taah-bee) is located in
a 28,000-hectare photographic reserve built on one of the most beautiful
islands in the Okavango Delta, in a private area that is bordered on
three sides by the Moremi Game Reserve. The reserve's boundary in the
east is the Gomoti Channel and the Santantadibe River in the west. The
area is made up of a superb variety of habitats, which include waterways
and marshlands, dry acacia and mopane woodland, riverine areas, open
grasslands and seasonally flooded plains. Access into this area is only
by aircraft. The camp has been operational since 1997 and has developed
an outstanding reputation, especially with those guests who are interested in leopards.
Accommodation
Chitabe Camp  For
images of Chitabe Camp, click Chitabe
Main Images For Layout map of Chitabe Camp, click Chitabe Map
Chitabe's eight spacious Meru-style tents are built on elevated wooden decks amongst the trees. Each tent has twin beds, en-suite facilities and an indoor as well as an outdoor shower. The thatched dining area, pub and lounge area are built on raised decks to provide superb views across the floodplain, and a pool allows guests to cool off in the heat of the day.
Chitabe also has a splendid pool and
sundeck overlooking the plains for reading and relaxing during the afternoon
while watching the game. The camp area is surrounded by ancient ebony,
leadwood and sausage trees. Complimentary laundry services are provided.
Chitabe Lediba Camp For
images of Chitabe Lediba Camp, click Chitabe
Lediba Images For Layout map of Chitabe Lediba Camp, click Chitabe Lediba
Map
Chitabe Lediba is situated
on the same forested island as Chitabe Camp; however, the two camps are
run as totally separate entities, each with its own staff, managers and
guides. Chitabe Lediba accommodates guests in the same luxurious tents
as those of Chitabe.
Accommodation consists of five
spacious and luxuriously appointed East African style tents that
have en-suite facilities with flush toilets, and a shower and basin
with hot and cold running water. Each room also has an additional outdoor
shower, which overlooks the floodplain. The rooms are on a raised
deck and each has an outdoor shower. The room interiors are of the
same standard as at Chitabe Main.
This camp is ideal for small parties
that are interested in their own exclusive camp, as well as individuals
who prefer a smaller camp. There
is a very nice pool and one
of the tents is the honeymoon tent.
The camp overlooks a waterhole, where Elephants and plains game often
come down to drink during the day. Complimentary laundry services
are provided.
Chitable Lediba also offers two family
tents. The family units are
tents number four and five. Both units are identical. The back room contains
two ¾ beds, bedside tables, a chest of drawers, chairs,
etc. Both units have a door in the bathroom which leads to the
back room, so the bathroom is shared by the children and the
adults. Both family rooms have extended decks on the front, with a
6-seater dinning room table and chairs, plus umbrella. This is so
families may have private meals on their decks (if they so choose) and
the children have a place where they can paint and do games, etc. Both
family units also include an additional outdoor shower.
All units
at Chitabe Lediba (including the two family rooms) are linked by walkways to
the main area, pool, curio shop, etc. The family units are not
necessarily accessible from main camp, unless guests are driven back
and forth. Chitabe Lediba can accommodate two families, using both family
tents, even if that bumps the Lediba guest total to
over 8. If this happens, then the number of guests accommodated
at Chitabe main camp is reduced accordingly in order to stay within
the 24-guest concession limit. So, conceivably if Lediba camp has
four people in each family unit
and two in the other three units, then Lediba could become
a 14 bedded camp. This is fine, as the main area at Lediba can easily
accommodate 14 guests.
Activities
Both camps at Chitabe offer
guests game drives in open 4x4 vehicles during the day and at night accompanied
by an experienced guide, as well as nature walks. Chitabe is strictly
a game viewing area - no water activities are offered here.
Typically
guests leave for a game drive in the morning and again in the afternoon,
returning usually after dark to take advantage of the many more elusive
nocturnal animals often seen here. The two camps utilize the same game
drive areas, so the game viewing experience is identical at the two
camps.
Game walks with an armed and experienced
guide are also a specialty at Chitabe and recommended for those wishing
to get the true feeling of being in Wild Africa. For those guests
interested in a true walking experience, consider the new two-night
Chitabe Walking Trail (see below).
Chitabe Walking Trail Jump
to The Chitabe Walking Trail, click Chitabe
Walking
Walking on safari has always
been regarded as one of the finest ways to get a true feeling for the
African wilderness. The Chitabe Trail is set in one of the Okavango Delta's
best walking areas and it offers a two-night genuine walking trail experience
for those who want to get closest to nature. Guests are accompanied by
an armed guide who will lead them on informative and adventurous walks
through the different habitats of the Delta.
The walking trail experience allows guests to get their feet on the ground
and get away from vehicles to get the real feel, touch and smell of Africa.
You will walk for several hours per day at a moderate pace. There will
be plenty of time for quality game viewing and birding to enjoy the wide
variety of wildlife found in the Chitabe area.
Nights are spent sleeping out at two separate hides located in different
parts of the Chitabe Reserve. Both hides accommodate guests on elevated
platforms with each person sleeping under a mosquito net and the African
sky above. Chemical toilets and hot bucket showers are also provided.
Simple, but delicious, home-cooked meals on the open campfire are enjoyed
under the stars - truly a wonderful way to end an active day in the bush.
The two hides at Chitabe are located in two very contrasting habitats.
One hide is situated on the edge of a floodplain that often contains
water
and enables one to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Okavango
as you sleep. The second hide is built within a woodland area on the
edge
of an extensive open savannah plain which has an abundance of elephant
activity. At night, the silence, punctuated by the nocturnal sounds -
the roaring lions and whooping calls of hyenas - is magical and often
provides a memory that is the highlight of guests' entire safari. Most
guests spend a third night back at Chitabe Lediba camp to end their stay
before traveling on to their next destination.
Chitabe
Walking Images: Chitabe
Walking Images
Wildlife
Game viewing is excellent here, and includes Buffalo,
Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Reedbuck, Lechwe, Impala, Zebra and Hippo. Wild
Dogs are among the major attractions of this area and a long-standing
program to study the Wild Dogs is based nearby (read more on the Wild
Dogs below). Night drives can be very rewarding with good sightings of
the rarer nocturnal animals such as Pangolin, Civet, Serval, Genet, Porcupine
and Aardwolf. Guests will also likely see Zebra, Reedbuck, Red Lechwe,
Impala and all the plains game.
NG 31 - Chitabe Concession
The Chitabe Concession covers 28 000 hectares of pristine Okavango wilderness. It borders the well known Moremi Game Reserve and is nestled between two main river systems, the Gomoti to the east and the Santantadibe to the west. What makes Chitabe unique even in the Okavango Delta is that it harbours such a variety of habitats within close proximity, ranging from classic Okavango scenery with Illala palms dotting floodplains to open savannah and acacia woodlands. A finger of perennial swamps inundated by water throughout the year extends into the Chitabe Concession and the area is also dominated by seasonally flooded areas which transform 56% of the concession from dry floodplains into a lush oasis, when the annual flood waters meander through. All this gives rise to a surprising diversity of species, which allows Chitabe to offer guests a wide range of game viewing and birding experiences.
The high numbers of impala in the area means that leopard are often seen. Also encountered are buffalo, elephant, lion and occasional sightings of wild dog, the subject of the Botswana Wild Dog Research Project that takes place in the area.
The birdlife is excellent and varies throughout the year depending on water levels and season. Raptors are abundant here such as African Hawk Eagle while Hooded Vulture often nests on the island. Game drives in the palm-filled landscape often produce families of Ground Hornbill, Greater Honeyguide, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Red-billed Hornbill, Gabar Goshawk and coveys of Red-billed Francolin.
Botswana Wild Dog Research Project
Chitabe contributes to the Botswana Predator Conservation Project through their Botswana Wild Dog Research Project. Dave and Helene Hamman, the owners of Chitabe and Chitabe Lediba, have dedicated many years to photographing the African wild dog and their efforts, combined with the extensive knowledge of Dr. "Tico" McNutt, culminated in the book, Running Wild: Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog. Ongoing research, as well as addressing the surrounding communities' attitudes towards these animals, has resulted in a gradual increase in awareness of the plight of the African wild dog.
Operating since 1989, Dr. "Tico" McNutt and his team have accumulated a most extensive database on the behaviour and ecology of the African wild dog, the second most endangered carnivore in Africa. Chitabe Camp, situated within the western part of the study area, works closely with the researchers of the Botswana and contributes toward the funding of this long-running conservation project. Dave and Helene Hamman, the owners of Chitabe and Chitabe Lediba, have dedicated many years to photographing the African wild dog and their efforts, combined with the extensive knowledge of Dr. "Tico" McNutt, culminated in the book, Running Wild: Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog.
Wild dogs require large natural areas in which to roam, hunt and raise young. As Africa becomes more developed, conflicts with humans continue to mean declining populations for these predators through livestock conflicts, disease, poaching and road killing. In addition to the ongoing monitoring of wild dogs, the research programme incorporates a study of the relationships between people, parks and predators, an examination of the wild dogs' system of communication and a survey of the population and ranging behaviour of wild dogs in the marginal livestock areas. Overall programme efforts focus on finding new solutions for the conservation and management of wild dogs and other predators in a complex mosaic of habitats.
Dr. McNutt and the wild dogs featured in the May 1999 edition of National Geographic Magazine and the project has also been the focus of a BBC's Natural World film - 'Newky: A Wild Dog's Story' - that was released in January 2002. Ongoing research, as well as addressing the surrounding communities' attitudes towards these animals, has resulted in a gradual increase in awareness of the plight of the African wild dog.
The tented field camp is located at the south-eastern end of the Okavango Delta on the edge of Moremi Reserve, where the wild dogs and local people's attitudes towards predators have been studied since 1989. The project is associated with the University of Montana and its graduate students are pursuing research on communication, behaviour, conflict management and monitoring of predators here.
The Owners
Chitabe
(and Chitabe Lediba) is owned by Dave and Hélène Hamman,
two well-known and respected characters in the Okavango. Dave and Hélène
have managed a number of camps in Botswana. It was during their time at Mombo Camp that they really became enthusiastic
about wild dogs. They got to know individual dogs and started to follow
them on a daily basis and learnt more of their life histories, their trials
and tribulations. Three years later they co-produced the book Running
Wild - Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog, the definitive
book on these wonderful animals. Dave's passion for photography has developed
into a career and he spends most of his time working as a photo-journalist
on various wildlife and cultural articles for magazines around the world.
In 1996 Dave and Helene were awarded a tender by the Botswana government
to build Chitabe and Chitabe Lediba camp, which was completed in July
1997.
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