North Island Okavango Brings Spacious Luxury Tents to One of Botswana’s Most Wildlife-rich Regions

Partway through our first afternoon game drive at North Island Okavango, a new luxury camp in northwestern Botswana, our guide, Diesel Tshosa, said, “I can be quiet because I can get lost in the concentration of tracking animals, so ask me a question if you want.”

My 15-year-old nephew, Caleb, who had dreamed of going on safari since he was 5, responded, “I like quiet.”

The quiet wasn’t all that quiet: We could hear the grunts and snorts of warthog, often before we could see the funny creatures, which would stare at us as we passed them in our safari vehicle and then suddenly burst into a sprint. So many other sounds filled the air: the trumpet of a mother elephant beckoning its calf to draw nearer; the whoosh of water as it closed over a sinking hippo, leaving only a couple of oxpeckers visible on its submerged back; the calls of Cape turtledoves and laughing doves, followed by the whirring of their wings as they beat a quick retreat; the hooves of wildebeest and zebra as they trundled across the savanna. I heard a strange squawk as we passed a stand of trees. “What kind of bird is that?” I asked. “It’s a tree squirrel,” Diesel replied. “Why are you calling, Mr. Tree Squirrel?”

North Island Okavango is precisely as its name describes: The three-tent camp sits in the shade of towering ebony trees on a slight rise of land that the locals call Xuxuga. It’s in the neck of the Okavango Delta; to the south, the giant, slow-moving river fans out across the land. With few other camps nearby, a trip here feels particularly special. (Among those drawn by this privacy: the actor Will Smith, who was North Island’s first guest.) 

So, too, the architecture: The camp sits on a series of wooden decks lining a lagoon frequented by hippos and elephants. The aesthetic is spare but elegant, emphasizing contemporary African craft — woven rugs, rich woods, baskets, and pottery. While the details are lovely, their understatedness allows the natural beauty of the setting to shine.

A day at North Island begins early. I was already up when Diesel rapped on our door a little after 5 a.m. the following day. I hadn’t slept well, not because the bed wasn’t comfortable — it was sumptuous — but because my ears weren’t used to the nocturnal soundtrack of moans, groans, and roars. I recognized the chorus of frogs, but as I tried to describe what else I’d heard to Diesel, he chuckled through my pathetic imitations. Still, he deciphered everything: That wail? A male lion. Those grunts? A family of elephants nearby. What sounded like a chorus of baritone kazoos? Those hippos in the lagoon.

After breakfast — eggs cooked to order, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and beautifully strong coffee — we headed for a game drive. The list of animals we saw quickly grew longer and longer: lion, baboon, water buffalo, an African fish eagle, a horned antelope called the Southern reedbuck, a kudu doe and fawn. As the sun rose in the sky, drying the morning dew, the crisp air smelled fruity, almost herbal — like citrus and dried sage. We lingered awhile in the company of a family of spotted hyenas before returning to camp for lunch and a nap.

In the afternoon, tea was served, followed by another drive. Two rare highlights: a regal secretarybird, an endangered bird of prey that looks as if you took the body of an eagle and plopped it atop the long legs of an ostrich, and a leopard, which crossed our path just as the sun began to set. Neither Caleb nor I had ever seen a leopard in the wild. It was smaller than the creatures of my imagination, yet somehow also more imposing. “Wow,” I kept whispering. “Wow. Wow. Wow.”

As dusk dipped into the night, we drove back to camp with only the rustle of the breeze and the sound of the truck in our ears, punctuated occasionally by the call of this creature or that somewhere out there in the bush. Neither Diesel nor Caleb nor I had anything left to say. We just sat in the gorgeous quiet of wonder — wonder at the glory of nature, the wild diversity of the land, the chance to witness such beauty firsthand.

Here’s what you need to know about North Island Okavango.

The Rooms

The tents at North Island Okavango are really canvas-roofed luxury suites. Each has more than 850 square feet of indoor space, including a separate living room, a bar area with a Nespresso machine, and one and a half bathrooms, including an expansive ensuite with double vanities, soaker tub, and wood-lined, river-stone-paved shower. Each tent has an additional 650 square feet of outdoor space, including decking with lagoon views, a private plunge pool, and an outdoor shower.

Food and Drink

The cuisine at North Island Okavango is best described as abundant and eclectic. Going for a morning game drive? Your guide travels equipped with an array of fresh-baked cookies, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Evening game drive? A traveling bar — with snacks so you don’t drink on an empty stomach.

Meals are served family-style. After cocktails by the fire pit, everyone gathers around the long, wooden dinner table. The chef, Mr. T, told us he sources local and regional ingredients whenever possible. He often dishes up soup as a starter; during our visit, his richly spiced butternut-squash soup warmed us on a chilly evening. My nephew delighted in an ostrich stew — weird, perhaps, to eat a creature we’d seen just hours before on a game drive, but we comforted ourselves in the knowledge that it was not the same bird. It was served alongside a fish curry (which would make little sense printed on a menu, but on the plate, it turned out to be delicious), lentil dal, couscous, and fluffy white rice.

Activities and Amenities 

Two game drives per day are included. Optional activities include fishing, hot-air balloon rides, and helicopter excursions.

Because of its unique location, North Island offers the opportunity to do water-based safaris year-round, either by mokoro, the dugout canoes long used by locals to travel the Okavango’s waters, or by motorboat. We opted for the latter one shimmering morning because Diesel said it would be quicker and we’d likely see more wildlife.

As our boat captain and guide, Zone, helped us into our lifejackets, we could see women at the water’s edge, harvesting turpentine grass traditionally used for thatching roofs. “I grew up cutting grasses and taking them to the village on mokoro,” Zone recalled.

As we motored down the river, which the locals call Xamoku, Zone pointed out birds: whistling ducks, which look as if they’re wearing white face masks across their black heads; pied kingfishers; Egyptian geese. We saw a pod of hippos — “There must be more than 50,” Zone said — and plenty of day waterlilies, their blossoms beginning to open in the morning sun. “People collect the roots. It tastes like chicken and also like a potato,” Zone said. “A chicken-flavored potato is so nice.”

On the banks, a group of fishermen was trying to catch bream. One shouted out to Zone that a hippo was downriver: “A very aggressive one.” It stayed hidden under the water’s surface, but we did see one enormous crocodile sunning itself.

Family-friendly Offerings

Tents can be set up to accommodate two adults and two children. Children over six are welcome — and the camp is especially suitable for an extended family traveling together.

Accessibility and Sustainability 

Environmental regulations require a light eco-footprint, so North Island Okavango’s design means that it can be entirely disassembled, leaving no permanent marks on the land. The camp is entirely solar-powered, and while there is no air conditioning, each tent has an over-the-bed Evening Breeze cooling system, which uses 75 percent less electricity than a conventional air-conditioner.

A local community trust controls the concession in which North Island Okavango sits, and revenues generated by tourist activity benefit the residents of five nearby villages. 

Location 

The gateway to the Okavango Delta is Maun International Airport in Botswana. From Maun, travelers must take a small charter flight — just under an hour — to the airstrip at Kadizora on Mack Air.

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay

North Island Okavango is part of the Natural Selection family of lodges and camps. Like most Natural Selection properties, North Island Okavango offers honeymooners 50 percent off the nightly rate for one spouse. (The offer is available for 12 months from the wedding date.) During the shoulder season (April, May, November, and the first half of December), guests staying six nights or more will receive a 10 percent discount.