Sandibe Under Canvas

on the predator-rich Chitabe Concession

Sandibe Under Canvas sits on the Chitabe Concession in the southern Okavango Delta of northern Botswana, on the same private concession as andBeyond’s Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge and just south of the Moremi Game Reserve.

The Chitabe Concession is a dry, land-based safari area and one of the strongest predator concessions in the Delta. Small open plains dotted with ilala palms are separated by mopane and acacia woodland.

The camp is owned and operated by andBeyond, and sits alongside Nxabega Under Canvas and the refurbished Chobe Under Canvas in andBeyond’s Botswana Under Canvas circuit.

Where the neighbouring Sandibe lodge is an elaborate designer property, Under Canvas is a deliberate return to the spirit of the classic mobile safari. Three tents, a maximum of six guests, and comfort without excess.

The camp is small and low-impact by design, with three widely spaced tents, an open canvas mess and a fire pit for evening meals under the stars. Logistics are shared with the neighbouring Sandibe lodge to keep the footprint light, and the camp runs on a solar plant with vehicle charging support.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in three canvas tents, each fully netted and insect-proofed, sleeping a maximum of six guests in total. Each has a super king bed, a standing fan, running water throughout, USB points and in-room power packs, and Starlink wifi. Bathrooms are en-suite, with a double shower, double vanities, hot water and a flushing toilet.

Canvas Tent : x3 : super king bed, en-suite double shower and vanities, standing fan, Starlink wifi

Activities

Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge provides the following guided activities …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Night vehicle safari
• Community visits to neighbouring villages

Community partnerships with the nearby villages of Shorobe, Sexaxa, Gogomoga and Tsutsubega run through Wild Impact, andBeyond’s long-standing conservation and community arm.

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 in this area is 3-4 nights.

Seasonality

The Chitabe Concession offers reasonably strong wildlife viewing year round, but with considerable seasonal variations.

The Jun-Sep cool dry season is the classic time to visit, as the wildlife viewing is superb, with the animals being drawn in from the dry hinterland towards the rising floodwaters.

During the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the green season, Oct-Dec, the Chitabe area in particular can become a real epicentre for wildlife activity, with the convergence of big herds of herbivores. This is the hot season and humidities are becoming uncomfortably high as the rains approach.

If the breaking rains coincide with areas of seasonal burning, the extremely nutritious green grasses that sprout within days, attract larger herds of grazers. This phenomenon appears to be more pronounced in Chitabe than any other part of the Okavango Delta.

During the Jan-Apr main season, the bush is verdant and beautiful, the animals are well-fed and there’s lots of wildflowers and baby animals around. The camps are significantly discounted and become increasingly attractive as the conditions improve through the period.

Getting there

Sandibe Lodge can only be accessed by light aircraft into the nearby Chitabe 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 drive of around 30 minutes to the camp, through some varied landscapes with good chances of some early animal sightings.

usually combined with at least one other camp in Botswana