Stanleys Camp

no longer a base for habituated elephants

Stanley’s Camp is located in the Stanley’s Concession in the Okavango Delta area of northern Botswana.

The camp is an upmarket option, set amongst a stand of hardwood forest alongside a broad lagoon close to the Boro River, one of the delta’s main channels, to the north-west of this private concession.

The camp has a pleasant open-sided main mess tent containing the lounge and dining areas, leading out to a campfire and with a separate pool area to one side.

One aspect which we always appreciate is the amount of animals which come into camp. You can expect to see cheeky vervet monkeys and baboons trying to steal food from the dining room, as well as elephants and hippos regularly wandering between the tents. For some reason there seems to be a proliferation of warthogs in this particular area and hyenas can also often be seen skulking around.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Stanley’s Camp is in five very pleasant tented suites with large decks. These rooms are accessed by a mix of ground-level pathways and raised board-walks. All have private bathrooms.

Activities

Stanley’s Camp provides the following guided activities …

• Mokoro canoe safari
• Motorboat safari
• Vehicle safari
• Night vehicle safari

When it comes to trip shapes and durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, one or two of which will usually be here in Okavango Delta, combined with the Linyanti Waterfront and/or Makgadikgadi areas.

These trips are often done in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

The usual stay duration here on the Stanleys Concession is 3-4 nights.

Seasonality

The May-Jun flood season is the transition from the hot wet summer to the cool dry winter and is a great time to visit, with lots of baby animals around and the arrival of the floodwaters.

During May-Jun, temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around.

The majority of camps are also significantly discounted at this time.

On the Okavango Stanleys Concession the flood in this eastern part of the delta is usually late, unreliable and potentially light, reducing the chances of high quality boating activities at this time, although motorboat safari should remain possible at Qorokwe Camp and Gomoti Plains Camp which have access to the Gomoti River.

The camps are mainly focused on vehicle safari, with sightings improving as the landscapes become increasingly dry.

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit the Okavango Delta and is the best time for wildlife viewing, as many animals are drawn to water from the vast dry hinterland.

During Jul-Aug, cooler temperatures can continue, potentially dropping towards freezing during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari.

This is very much the high season in terms of prices and visitor numbers.

The flood should arrive during the first part of this season, providing great opportunities for high quality motorboat safari and mokoro canoe safari, reducing into September.

Vehicle safari remains strong and sightings should continue to improve as the animals converge on the central delta.

The Oct-Dec hot wet season is the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the rains, with Oct-Nov temperatures becoming uncomfortably high in advance of the rains.

If significant rainfall does arrive, it comes in short showers, having little negative effect on safari conditions, in fact it brings a blessed relief from the high temperatures.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during this time.

The floods should be heavily receded by this time, much reducing the opportunities for boating activities, although motorboat safari should remain possible at those camps which have access to the Gomoti River.

By contrast, vehicle safari should be at its best, with most areas now being accessible and animals heavily converging on these central delta areas.

The period Jan-Apr is the main green season in the Okavango Delta, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall and there are lots of babies around.

The Dec-Feb period threatens the greatest chance of rain and temperatures and humidities have dropped a little.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted throughout this season, making it a very smart time to travel, especially in April.

The camps remain primarily focused on land-based safari at thai time, although lower animal densities due to the outward dispersal from the delta can have a slightly negative effect on sightings.

Opportunities for motorboat safari and mokoro canoe safari are usually much reduced, although motorboat safari should again remain possible at those camps which have access to the Gomoti River.

Getting there

Baines Camp can only be accessed by light aircraft into the nearby airstrip, which has daily flight connections with all other camps in Okavango, Linyanti, the main airport at Maun (for connections to Central Kalahari, Nxai, Makgadikgadi and Johannesburg) and north to Kasane (for connections to Livingstone and Victoria Falls).

From the airstrip it is a vehicle safari of around 60 minutes into camp, with a good chance of early animal sightings along the way.

Unusually guests are often asked if they want to go straight out on a vehicle safari, since the airstrip is situated in the best area for dry safari activities. Either way the drive into camp can be quite an adventurous one through increasingly more heavily watered landscapes, with the Land Rover often having to wade through very deep water.

usually combined with at least one other camp in Botswana