Natural Selection
Our Safari Partners
Natural Selection is a conservation-driven safari operator with 26 lodges, camps, and expeditions across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Angola.
The company was founded by Dave van Smeerdijk, Jennifer Lalley, James Ramsay, and Colin Bell, who all started out as safari guides. Their family-owned and community joint-venture properties are located in remote wilderness areas, and they are custodians of 1.6 million hectares of land. Conservation and positive impact are fundamental to the Natural Selection offering, and the company partners with governments and conservation organisations to protect wildlife and provide support for local communities.
The Natural Selection camps are located in prime wildlife-viewing and special interest locations. The majority are in Botswana, between the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans, allowing guests to combine different regions as part of a well-organised circuit. The Namibia properties occupy truly stunning settings in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, Kaokoland, the Skeleton Coast, and Etosha National Park, facilitating itineraries that incorporate the very best of the country. In South Africa, the company owns lodges in De Hoop Nature Reserve and the Mkambati Nature Reserve. It also pioneered an adventurous Angola expedition that allows safari-goers to access previously unexplored wilderness areas.
The Natural Selection brand stands for quality and integrity. When it comes to the bush, this company knows its stuff, and it caters to guests with a high level of expertise and professionalism. Its dedication to Africa’s wild spaces appeals to conservation-minded travellers. Moreover, the focus is on long-term solutions rather than quick fixes, including local employment, ecotourism development, support for local businesses, and minimising environmental impact. Natural Selection charges a per-person-per-night Community, Conservation and Reserve Fee, which goes directly to protecting wildlife reserves and the surrounding communities.
Our Favourite Properties
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Meno A Kwena
From £702 – £1,000 ppMeno a Kwena is an authentic, great-value safari camp on a rocky cliff-top above Botswana’s Boteti river – ideally placed for day trips to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Meno a Kwena means ‘teeth of the crocodile’ – the name is how the locals refer to the…
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Tawana
From £1,933 – £2,955 ppIn the south-east part of the Okavango Delta’s iconic Moremi Game Reserve , Natural Selection’s unfenced wilderness camp, Tawana, offers some of Botswana’s best land-based game viewing. Located on the permanent Gomoti river, the camp is a partnership with…
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San Camp
From £1,455 – £2,761 ppSan Camp is a small, romantic camp with an impossibly beautiful location on Botswana’s lunar-like Makgadikgadi Pans. The camp is run by Natural Selection, which has an impressive portfolio of properties throughout Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Among…
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Shipwreck Lodge
From £1,015 – £1,351 ppOwned and run by Natural Selection, Shipwreck Lodge is one of the latest additions to the new company’s growing portfolio of properties throughout Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. The price of your stay includes accommodation, all meals, all local drinks,…
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Hoanib Valley Camp
From £858 – £1,172 ppHoanib Valley Camp is owned and operated by Natural Selection, a company of experts offering characterful safaris in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Relatively new to the safari scene, already Natural Selection’s properties are receiving first-rate…
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