Natural Selection will open Sable Alley in the 440,000-acre Khwai Private Reserve in May this year.
This new, comfortable bush camp borders both the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It is community-based joint venture partnership that adjoins onto the Okavango Delta ecosystem. The reserve was established to create a bridge between the tourism industry and local villagers – Natural Selection is first and foremost a conservation company (ensuring both income for local community and environmentally friendly practices) and then, second, a safari company.
Sable Alley overlooks a lagoon connected to the Khwai River. The camp’s wide deck, swimming pool, bar and guest tents have uninterrupted views of the resident pod of hippo and large herds of plains game, elephant and buffalo that come to drink.
Sable Alley’s expert guides are on hand to interpret the sights, smells and sounds of the Khwai Private Reserve, which encompasses riverine woodlands, floodplains, open savannah, mopane woodland, rivers and lagoons. This range of habitats results in a range of wildlife, including elephant, lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah and the sable antelope. Note: only Natural Selectionis located in the Khwai Private Reserve, meaning other tourists will be a rarity.
In addition to open 4x4 safari vehicles, Sable Alley also offers mokoro safaris (a traditional dugout canoe) for bird watching and game viewing from the waterways. Other safari options include: nature walks, boating, sundowner cruise safaris, and up-close game viewing from a viewing hide.
The camp consists of twelve 675-square-foot tents (with two interconnected family tents) on raised decks with large mesh windows. The tents are decorated in a neutral palette and have king-size or twin beds and black and white photographs of the local wildlife. The bathrooms have flush facilities, double vanities and the choice of an indoor or outdoor shower.
Natural Selection’s camps are "clean and green," meaning they are entirely solar powered. Additionally, gray water is properly treated above ground and all impurities are removed, recycled and delivered back to civilization for processing and disposal, and the majority of the staff at Sable Alley is from the local community.
Rates include accommodations, all meals, daily activities and local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Private vehicles and private guides are available on request.
Natural Selection donates 1 percent of camp bed night revenue annually to conservation.