Gunns Camp

a contender for the oldest camp in the Okavango Delta

Gunn’s Camp is located in the Okavango Gunns area of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.

The property is centred on two small open-sided structures under thatch, both on two storeys. Downstairs there is a lower dining area, whilst upstairs there is a rather more pleasant dining area and a comfortable lounge, both with views directly out over the river. To one side there is a decent swimming pool area.

One aspect we always appreciate is the amount of wildlife that can come into camp. The most obvious animals here are the baboons and vervet monkeys which can be seen wandering between the tents during the day. At night there is a wonderful chorus of frogs and hippos, backed by the occasional roars of the local lions.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Gunn’s Camp is in six large guest tents, situated on a separate “island” connected to the central areas by means of a raised walkway. These rooms take the form of large Meru tents on raised decks, with a verandah out front, canvas zipper doors leading into a small lounge area, then sliding glass doors into the bedroom space. Behind there is an indoor bathroom with conventionally plumbed basins and toilet, with another glass door leading to an outside bathroom with a shower and free-standing bath-tub.

Activities

Gunn’s Camp provides the following guided activities …

• Mokoro canoe safari
• Motorboat safari
• Vehicle safari (in dry years during May-Dec)
• Village visits

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 Okavango Gunns area is 2-4 nights.

Seasonality

The Gunns Concession experiences considerable seasonal variations.

The May-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. However, here in the southwest of the Okavango Delta the flood is usually late and, in recent years, has become unreliable and relatively light, potentially affecting the availability of the area’s iconic mokoro canoe safaris. If the floodplains are dry, then walking safari becomes possible and some camps are permitted to offer vehicle safari.

During the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the green season, Oct-Dec, the Gunns Concession area can be 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. When the rains break, the wildlife disperse quickly into the vast hinterlands in search of better grazing and becomes much more difficult to access.

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. Water levels are likely to be low during this period, meaning that the availability of mokoro canoe safari can be rather unpredictable. If the floodplains are dry but walking and vehicle safari may be offered. The Boro River channel usually continues to flow all year, so motorboat safari should be possible throughout.

The camps are significantly discounted and become increasingly attractive as the conditions improve through the period.

Getting there

The Okavango Gunns area 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).

Gunns Camp is within walking distance of the airstrip, which is kind of cool, first along a sandy track and then along a low board-walk.

Unusually the camp can also be accessed from Maun by boat, a couple of hours up the Boro River, initially passing small villages and settlements, isolated cattle farms and mixed, marginal floodplain woodlands. After the Buffalo Fence the terrain changes into the wide open spaces of classic Okavango Delta, with channels lined by reedbeds and papyrus giving way to the open floodplains where the camp is situated.

usually combined with at least one other camp in Botswana