SABLE ALLEY CAMP

There’s no denying that Sable Alley is spacious, sophisticated and really quite stylish.

A piece of light, bright and beautiful luxury amid the game-rich floodplains of Khwai Private Reserve in Botswana.

Not only is the reserve one of Botswana’s best kept secrets, but the camp is located on the banks of a lily-covered lagoon, home to snorting hippo and a favourite drinking spot for elephant and buffalo.

Sit back and simply take it all in, the wildlife is out-of-this-world all year round.

But as tempting as it is to stay in camp, venture out you should, for Khwai offers an exclusive safari experience where you can enjoy water-based game viewing in mokoros or by boat, walking safaris and traditional game drives, all done in total privacy and safari style.

The Khwai Private Reserve is a venture with the Khwai Village and your visit has a positive impact on conservation initiatives here.

Through multiple community-based projects, ranging from pre-school support to a cultural village, we are helping to support and uplift the local community.

Accommodation at Sable Alley Botswana

Each canvas-walled suite is a huge 55 square metres, and comes complete with mini-indoor seating area, writing desk, double bed, and some seriously Afro-chic décor.

Slide open the screen doors at the front for uninterrupted views of the lagoon or take a seat on the veranda for a closer inspection.

At the back, you’ll find two basins, and indoor shower and a flush loo.

And if you fancy washing off the dust from the day in the great outdoors, no problem – there’s an outdoor shower with a view too.

Just like the bedrooms, the communal areas are designed around the spectacular vistas.

Watch the happenings at the lagoon from the bar, G&T in hand, from the outdoor fire pit, or from a squashy sofa in the lounge.

At night, dinner is served either in the indoor dining area, or alfresco on the deck, accompanied by twinkling stars and the rumblings and grumblings of the wildlife.

You can also enjoy the swimming pool and sun deck, both unique spots from which to watch the hippo pods emerge from the lagoon, or simply for some chill-out time in the heat of the day.

The Wildlife at Sable Alley Botswana

It’s no secret that Khwai was formerly a hunting concession.

At Sable Alley Camp, we’ve been working hard to transform the area into a safari destination of note, spending a a lot of our time tracking wildlife in the area and habituating the animals to our vehicles.

Like other concessions in the Okavango region, we’ve witnessed how wildlife sightings swiftly turn around within two or three years of hunting stopping, and today you could go on a single game drive and see more than 50 different species.

That’s how we know we’ve done a good job.

First up, the predators – and there are plenty of them in Khwai.

Keep a lookout for leopard, lion, cheetah and wild dog, concealed from unsuspecting antelope in the grassy bushes.

Then you’ll see hundred-strong herds of buffalo barrelling across the landscape, and enormous herds of elephants, trunks swinging and ears flapping.

Lastly, keep a lookout for the smaller animals: impala drinking tentatively from pools, baboons shouting from trees, and sable and roan antelope, seemingly posing for your camera.

The reserve is diverse even by Okavango terms and the birdlife here also reflects this.

You can expect specials like long toed lapwing, black and slaty egrets, wattle cranes – while the woodlands supper an entirely different suite of species.

Location of Sable Alley Botswana

Formerly known as NG18, Khwai Private Reserve is 200,000 hectares of pristine wilderness. That’s three times the size of South Africa’s Sabi Sands – and 300 times more private!

The reserve itself is within Botswana’s most talked about region, the Okavango Delta.

It sits just to the northeast of the Delta, adjacent to Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, and the landscape is one of the most diverse we’ve come across.

Think mopane clusters jostling for space with riverine forest, acacia woodland, seasonal waterholes and winding channels leading from the mighty Khwai River.

Sable alley is accessible from Maun (and Kasane and any other camps in northern Botswana). Direct flights are available to Maun from Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Fly to Maun and then switch to a light aircraft to fly to our airstrip in the Khwai Reserve.

Road transfers from Maun and self-drive options are available – please contact us for details.