This exclusive island retreat in the beautiful Sekwana Concession in the north of the Okavango Delta is the latest superb offering from Natural Selection, one of the premier safari companies in Botswana. This semi-private concession is home to fantastic boating almost throughout the year, and the region has only recently evolved as a new safari area.

Pristine wilderness awaits, with many excellent sightings of lion, leopard, and wild dog. It has a wide range of both wet and dry safari activities and superb suites, complete with private sun deck and plunge pool, so lovely you will have to find a good reason to visit the main areas of camp! It really is like having your own little safari island home, overlooking the channels and waterways of the Delta which are a magnet for wildlife and boast some of the finest game-viewing experiences in Africa. It’s also worth noting that Sekwana is home to one of the best ballooning outfits, so if taking to the air is high on your wish list, this is a great place to do it.

Luxury

From C$3,027 – C$5,059 pp

An intimate, exclusive, and luxurious camp on a private island in the Okavango Delta

Lounge, bar, dining area, firepit, in-room spa treatments, private plunge pools, outdoor gym, and library

Bedroom View, North Island Okavango, Botswana

Four beautiful tented suites on raised decking, with superb views over the floodplains

Game drives, boating, night drives, hot air balloons, mokoro canoes, cultural excursions, helicopter safaris, and fishing

Mokoro, North Island Okavango, Botswana
Our Yellow Zebra Opinion
  • Top pick
North Island is a new kid on the block in the Okavango, but one that really nails the balance between feeling relaxed and quietly luxurious. Being set on its own island in the heart of the Delta means you’re surrounded by water, incredible wildlife and big skies all the time, and the service and guiding are genuinely excellent. What I love most is how connected it feels, not just to the landscape, but to the local community too, through meaningful conservation partnerships. It’s one of those places that just feels very special to be in.
Jo Hudson Team Leader

Activities

The camp has an excellent list of both wet and dry safari activities, guiding you through tracks of pristine wilderness in an area of Botswana famed for its big game interactions. Please note that some activities incur extra charges and some need to be pre-booked.

Expertly guided game drives

Boating and fishing

Night drives

Mokoro canoes

Cultural trips

Hot air balloon rides

Helicopter flights

  • The camp offers two game sessions daily, morning and late afternoon. Among the highlights are lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, hyena, and buffalo. You can look out for smaller predators such as jackal, serval, civet, honey badger, aardvark, and the rare wild dog, while the large herbivore collection features giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, and an assortment of antelopes. Birds include the Slaty egret, Pel’s fishing owl, and the African skimmer.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • The boating safaris here are spectacular. See elephant wading through the waterways, hippos, crocs, and a plethora of birdlife. The Okavango Delta has some of the best boating in Africa. Fishing is also an option, and although it’s not for everyone, plucking a catfish from the Delta can be quite a thrill. Naturally the camp operates a catch-and-release policy (there’s no fishing in January and February due to breeding season).

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • Why not head out at night when all the big predators come alive? It’s always an unforgettable experience, watching what goes on in the dark of the night! You might see porcupines, genets, civets, bush-babies, and occasionally a larger predator with its prey.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • This activity is very much the walking safari of the water! You’ll be able to hear and see much more as you silently glide through the endless water channels of the Delta. There are exciting chances to meet some of the smaller animals, such as frogs and birds, and to get a closer look at the spectacular flora too. The best times are from June to September, when the water is at its highest, and each canoe can accommodate a couple, plus your poler.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • You can also visit a local village and meet some of the people who call this beautiful place home. As well as meeting the locals, which is always a rewarding thing to do, you’ll see first hand the importance of conservation and chat to the people who are making this a sustainable place for the future.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • It’s pretty thrilling to take to the skies and see the herds from above! With the vast Delta below, this is one of the best places in the world to go ballooning. Trips take place in the morning and need to be pre-booked at extra cost. Please chat with one of our specialists about how to include this activity in your safari stay.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana
  • This is another amazing way of seeing the breadth of the Delta from the sky. A helicopter flight is not quite as peaceful as the balloon ride, but you certainly cover more terrain and stop off at spectacular places for picnics, including the ancient rock art at Tsodilo Hills. Flights come at extra cost and need to be pre-booked.

    Main Area, North Island Okavango, Botswana

*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.

Access & Location

North Island Okavango is located in the north of the Okavango Delta in the Sekwana Concession, a 1,000 square kilometres semi-private region dotted with small islands and magnificent sausage and leadwood trees, some of the leopards’ favourites in which to hide. Once thought a periphery to the Central Okavango, it has come into its own in recent years and now is very much in the thick of some great action! It’s home to big cats, buffalo, antelope, elephant, and aardvark, to name a few. As well as being away from the main crowds and an untouched wilderness, being in the north of the Delta means the area receives the first waters of the annual flood, giving it plentiful year-round wet safari options. The camp is accessed by scheduled light aircraft into its own local airstrip, coming either from Maun, or another camp in the Delta or Linyanti. On arrival it’s a short drive to the island, and you’re game driving from the off.

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Facilities

Exclusivity and privacy come easy when there are only four enormous tented suites on your own private island in the Sekwana Concession.

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Bar

Bar

Fitness room

Gym

Spa

In-room treatments

Firepit

Firepit

The whole camp sits on raised wooden decking and is linked by interconnecting walkways. The main dining and bar area is comfortably furnished and open-sided, so you can look over the water while tucking into the excellent food prepared by the chef. There’s a great library, an outdoor gym, and spa treatments are available in your suite. The firepit is worth a special mention. It’s brilliantly designed at the end of a pontoon, so you are right at the heart of the action for sundowners, as the bullfrogs start up and fireflies come out.

 

Amenities

Set amid ebony, leadwood, mangosteen, and fig trees, all the rooms are beautifully constructed, elegantly furnished, and with views out over the water.

Swimming pool

Plunge pool

Wifi

Wi-Fi

Bath

Indoor and outdoor bathrooms

Charging station

Charging station

Overhead fan

Solar-powered cooling

The beds are divine, the bathrooms have indoor and outdoor options (including a free-standing bath), and there’s also Wi-Fi and battery-charging facilities. Outside, the decking incorporates your own plunge pool, which means you can happily view game from the comfort of your suite while cooling off in the heat of the day. Eco-friendly, solar-powered cooling systems keep your tent at optimum temperature during the hotter months, and there’s a fireplace for the winter, or if you like to be toasty for those early morning safari starts!

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