Mababe Depression Safaris

Classically, a Botswana luxury safari is light on savannah-staged game drives and heavy on waterways and desert—stunning contrasts, to be sure. With its wide-open grasslands, adding a stop in Mababe means that you can truly have it all in Botswana: a unique, water-rich ecosystem in the Okavango Delta, otherworldly landscapes in the Makgadikgadi Pans, and panoramic grassland plains.

There is only one boutique safari camp in the Mababe Depression, and it’s a gem. Featuring just nine canvas tents within a 124,000-acre private wilderness area, Mokete is an exclusive hideaway. With so few guests at a time (maximum 18), you’ll get to know the camp staff on a first-name basis, and you’re not likely to cross paths with other vehicles on game drives. The camp is situated on a sandveld ridge and is enveloped by mopane woodland, plains, and acacia thornveld. Guests will love the cantilevered roof above the bed that opens for sublime stargazing, and that tent walls can be rolled up, inviting the outdoors in. Invertor air conditioners are a surprise comfort given the camp’s remote location and solar-powered credentials. Mokete Camp is staffed entirely by villagers who live in a rural community at the hem of the private reserve. An example of travel as a force for good, your stay contributes to sustainable employment, community uplift, and conservation efforts in the Mababe Depression.  

You won’t see the Big Five in Mababe alone, but the large mammal populations here are impressive. Year-round, the Depression supports a large population of African buffalo and elephant, and zebra both resident and migratory. Otherwise, the areas within reach of Mokete game drives are home to a large pride of resident lions and one pack of wild dog. Elusive cheetah make rare appearances while tsessebe, roan, kudu, sable, hyena, warthog, giraffe, hippo, and jackal make up a cast of familiar safari characters. Thanks to the Depression’s mix of habitats, Mababe also supports a myriad of bird species (at least 174) and birdwatching is good all year round. Exciting birds of prey thrive here, including vultures, raptors, buzzards, falcons, owls, and eagles.