SANDIBE SAFARI LODGE
OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA

• Just eight intimate safari cottages
• Extraordinary African wildlife
• Day and night safaris
• Excellent game-viewing and birdwatching
• Guided bush walks
• Mokoro (dugout canoe) and eco-craft cruises
• Classic Okavango Delta wilderness

General information

The beautiful thatched lodge nestles between permanent water and grass-swept plains and was built with a commitment to “treading lightly on the earth”. The result is organic architecture that blends seamlessly with one of the most breathtaking landscapes in Africa. Sandibe is surrounded by an abundant array of wildlife and throughout the year, guests are enchanted by the changing moods of the Delta. Through exhilarating game-drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles and interpretive bush walks, the lodge's professional guides share the wonder of this wetland wilderness.

Accommodation

SANDIBE SAFARI COTTAGES, BOTSWANA

Intimate safari cottages: Sandibe Safari Lodge is renowned for understatedly stylish accommodation in the heart of the breathtaking Okavango Delta.

• Eight thatched safari cottages with fans
• En suite bathroom and dressing room
• Separate w.c and open-air shower
• Private game-viewing decks
• Swimming pool in the forest
• Gift shop

Surrounded by forest, Sandibe's twin-bedded cottages are styled in a fusion of ochres and tactile textures, with airy screen walls opening onto exceptional views of the Okavango Delta wetlands and savanna. The central dining and sitting area is tucked under a soaring canopy of trees.

After your evening game-drive, enjoy a delicious alfresco banquet of Pan- African cuisine in the boma (outdoor) illuminated by dozens of candles and lanterns. Alternatively, your private deck provides a romantic setting for intimate candlelit dinners. Sandibe is also known for wonderful bush picnics in surprising settings.

Sandibe's thrilling safaris: Explore the magic of the Okavango Delta on twice-daily interpretive game-drives, guided bush walks, and captivating mekoro and eco-craft excursions.

Activities

SANDIBE SAFARI LODGE, BOTSWANA

Exciting safaris

Sandibe's prime location between permanent water and the open plains offers guests a wide range of wildlife-related activities and water-based adventures. Enjoy the following exciting safari activities at no additional cost:

Twice-daily game-drives

Experienced rangers and Batswana trackers will lead you on exhilarating game-drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles. Spotlit night game-drives are especially exciting as we explore the thrilling drama of the African bush at night, possibly revealing hunting prides of lion or the elusive leopard.

Interpretive bush walks

Explore the Okavango Delta on interpretive wilderness walks with a professional guide steeped in knowledge of the local fauna and flora, and get up-close-and-personal with Sandibe's magnificent wilderness.

Tranquil mekoro (dugout canoes) and eco-craft excursions

Few memories can equal being poled through the channels of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro by an experienced guide, or on Lily – Sandibe's stylish silent electric wooden eco-craft. These boat excursions may be enjoyed throughout the year and are best during the flood season from June to September.

Exceptional birdwatching

Sandibe offers abundant birdwatching opportunities with 349 species recorded here. Waterbirds flock to the marshes – storks, herons, kingfishers and brightly-coloured bee-eaters – and you have an excellent chance of spotting the Pel's fishing owl, one of only three fishing owls in Africa, while enjoying a mokoro or eco-craft excursion.

Fishing

With myriad fish species including the finetoothed squeaker and African pike, fishing from Sandibe's eco-craft is an enjoyable excursion.

Game viewing

WILDLIFE SAFARIS AT SANDIBE SAFARI LODGE, BOTSWANA

Extraordinary African wildlife: Sandibe's five distinct habitats within the beautiful Okavango Delta wilderness support an incredible diversity of wildlife:

• Large herds of elephant and buffalo
• Endangered African wild dog
• Resident rare Pel's fishing owls
• Semi-aquatic red lechwe antelope
• Exceptional birdlife including numerous 'Okavango Specials'
• Elegant groves of real fan palms
• Impressive baobab, leadwood and sausage trees

Sandibe Safari Lodge habitats:

Open woodland savanna is dominated by impressive specimens of knob thorn, umbrella thorn, marula and leadwood trees, with occasional monumental baobabs. Evergreen riverine forest grows alongside Okavango Delta channels and on the fringes of islands, with mahogany, jackalberry, sausage tree, sycamore fig and mangosteen prominent. Floodplain grasslands consist of grass species which are able to withstand seasonal inundation. Palm savanna is an open grassy habitat typified by groves of tall palm and fragrant wild sage. Permanent channels and swamps are crowded with papyrus, miscanthus grass and colonies of swamp fig. Lagoons of open water are typically decorated with water lily, water chestnut and other aquatic plants.

Mammals at Sandibe Safari Lodge:

Larger herbivores, including elephant and large herds of buffalo, move in and out of the area. Lion prides, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog may be encountered. Herds of red lechwe favour the edges of floodplains, often feeding in the company of tsessebe. Hippos reside in deeper channels and lagoons. Honey badgers are observed during daylight hours. Roan and sable antelope favour taller grass in open woodlands while the sitatunga keep to dense papyrus beds. Families of dwarf and banded mongoose occupy large termite mounds. Noisy fruit-bats sip nectar from baobab and sausage tree blooms, and feast on ripe figs.

Birds at Sandibe Safari Lodge:

An impressive 349 species are recorded. Slaty egret, lesser jacana, wattled crane, coppery-tailed coucal, Hartlaub's babbler, greater swamp warbler, chirping cisticola, swamp boubou and brown firefinch are 'Okavango Specials'. Common in savanna are Dickinson's kestrel, red-billed spurfowl, Kalahari scrub-robin and violet-eared waxbill. Herons, egrets, storks and other waterfowl abound with flocks following the receding floodwaters. African pygmy goose, white-backed duck and African jacana favour lily-covered lagoons. Abundant African fish-eagle course the waterways in search of prey. After dark, the rare Pel's fishing-owl emerges to sit in wait at clear pools.

Other African wildlife:

Predatory tigerfish and African pike flourish in clear waters, where various tilapia, catfish and squeakers also thrive. Dazzling dragonflies pursue prey along waterways. Colourful painted reed-frog, long reed-frog and bubbling kassina are commonly encountered frogs. Nile crocodile, water monitor and Okavango hinged-terrapin are common aquatic reptiles. Massive termite colonies are the foundations for Okavango islands and these industrious insects form an important component of the diet for many mammals and birds.

Conservation

SANDIBE SAFARI LODGE, BOTSWANA

Sandibe Safari Lodge is committed to the core principles: Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, Care of the people.

The focus is

Community equity, income generation, education and health care are a primary concern. In consultation with community organisations such as the Africa Foundation – a not-for-profit rural development organisation – our partner CC Africa has contributed significantly towards improving the prosperity and living conditions of rural communities.

Vegetable garden project in the Okavango Delta, Botswana:

Sandibe Safari Lodge was instrumental in helping the vegetable and herb garden project of four women within the Shorobe community. With the help of the Africa Foundation, Tshele Segobanyana, Leponye Boitumelo, Segakgamaleng Bakae and Maria Kangodi were assisted in renting a piece of land, water pump and irrigation pipes from the land board. This enabled them to grow a wide range of vegetables and fresh herbs which they sold to neighbouring lodges, including Sandibe Safari Lodge and Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp, and to other suppliers in Maun. They have since relocated their garden to a new plot of land which was obtained through the chief and land board. Money made from their original garden was used for fencing, and a loan from the National Development Bank was used to sink a borehole where a good supply of water was found. Africa Foundation funds have also been used to purchase a vehicle for the community to transport the produce to Sandibe, Nxabega and Maun.

Ecotourism in Africa:

Guests play a critical role in helping realise the dream and vision: to create a model in wise land management, integrating international travellers and rural people to their mutual benefit and demonstrating that wildlife can be preserved on a sustainable basis by all.

Positive Health Programme:

Our partner CC Africa strongly believes in its people and was recently listed as one of three finalists in the Investor in People category of the 2005 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The October 2005 edition of Africa Geographic featured an article on AIDS and conversation, and highlighted the activities and programmes that various African companies are implementing in order to increase AIDS awareness and, in doing so, empower the communities taking care of some of the world's richest wilderness regions.

"Probably the most attractive program ... is that of CC Africa... CC Africa launched a Positive Health program in 2003 and in April and May last year ran two seven-day courses.... Their approach focuses on home-based care, gardens, counseling techniques and gender issues.... The health of the habitat is critical to the health of the individuals in it.... The conservation industry is uniquely positioned to take the treatment of HIV/AIDS in radically new directions.... Benefits [of the program] include acquiring 'hard skills' such as maintaining clean water, producing food, and home-based methods of dealing with illnesses that are not life threatening.... It takes only the will of ecologically minded people to make sure that the wild places are not lost."

Africa Geographic, October 2005

Getting there

Sandibe is easily accessible by daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Maun, followed by a 20-minute light aircraft transfer to Sandibe airstrip and a 45-minute game-drive to the Lodge. Scheduled flights are also available from Victoria Falls to Maun. Private charters are available. We can pre-book and package all of your regional/internal flights and transfers.

Let Amanzi Travel arrange your flights for you

Price Includes/Excludes – SANDIBE SAFARI LODGE, BOTSWANA

What is included:

• Accommodation
• Three meals daily
• Soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirits, and beers
• Teas and coffees
• Refreshments on game drives
• Scheduled safari activities
• Emergency medical evacuation insurance
• Laundry
• VAT

What is not included:

• Telephone calls
• Safari Shop purchases
• Champagne, cognacs, fine wines, premium brand spirits, and cigars
• Transfers to and from the lodge
• Gratuities
• Conservancy or park entrance fees (where applicable)

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