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Have you ever dreamt of going on an ultra-luxury safari? If so I would guess it might look a lot like Great Plains Conservation’s Selinda Camp in Northern Botswana.

It is going to take all my willpower not to include all of the 500 photos I have of the magnificent Selinda Camp and the incredible array of wildlife that we saw, but I will give you a taste of what we experienced.

If you missed my last post detailing our initial night in Johannesburg you can read about it here. It is advisable to spend a night acclimating and recovering from what will undoubtedly be a lengthy travel day before embarking on the journey to the very isolated Selinda Camp. To reiterate advice from my last post I would not trust a travel professional who is located outside of South Africa to manage all of the complicated logistics it takes to coordinate a trip like this. If you would like the contact details of the very best planner (in my opinion), please DM me.

Additionally, I would absolutely advise purchasing insurance through a service such as Global Rescue as you are literally in the middle of nowhere if something major goes awry. While my family maintains annual coverage with Global Rescue my son’s significant others do not so I was able to buy them coverage for the duration of trip.

Getting there: Selinda Camp is located on the banks of the Selinda Spillway in the middle of 320,000 pristine acres of Great Plains Conservation (GPC) land. Within that vast area there are several safari camps differing in size under the GPC umbrella with Selinda being the most private and luxurious. They are not in close proximity to one another, in fact during our time there we spied only one other vehicle from another camp during a game drive. This is a long way of saying the property is incredibly remote, if you were to drive it would take 10 hours to get to Maun, the airport we flew out of.

Lest you think I am exaggerating regarding just how remote we were, our journey to Selinda from Johannesburg began mid-morning when we flew about 90 minutes on a chartered King Air plane to the small airport in Maun, Botswana where we would transfer to a smaller Bush plane. We had a short layover which was very pleasant as the small Major Blue Air terminal was stocked with a variety of snacks, drinks and even pretty great shopping (I bought a fab linen dress!).

My mantra through this trip was two pilots, two engines for all of our charters, with NO helicopters (my personal phobia) and our planner came through with safe transfers all around.

Upon receiving word our pilots were ready for us we were escorted back to the main airport terminal where we boarded the Bush plane for the 40 minute flight to the airstrip that serves Selinda and the other GPC lodges.

Once we landed we were met at the by some of the Selinda staff who would be taking care of us during our stay and subsequently loaded into one of two Jeeps to be transferred to the boats which would then transport us the last leg of the journey.

Some might suppose all of African Safaris are focused on land, but the annual floods in Northern Botswana make water play a starring role in the Selinda experience. The boat ride to camp gave us an amazing preview of the flora and fauna we would be witnessing during our stay ranging from crocodiles to hippos to exotic birds all who gather around the abundant waterways.

The highlight of our journey came once we finally spotted camp, where a very enthusiastic welcome from the staff really set the mood for our stay.

The Main Lodge: As I mentioned we really went above and beyond for this birthday trip, and in light of that that we specifically booked Selinda camp in order to have the entire property to ourselves. When planning this trip I was assured that I would be blown away by both the accommodations as well as the experience, and if you know me you know that is not easy to accomplish, but I am pleased to say the initial impression was WOW. As we left our boats and headed to the main lodge we tried to take in a million details all at once, though truthfully what I noticed primarily was the magical light.

The first order of business was an introduction to the staff (as well as a quick snack!). With more than a dozen people welcoming us we were able to learn some particulars about the property and what to expect in the coming days.

It was a bit of a whirlwind as we wanted to maximize every remaining minute of our first day so we did a quick tour of the main lodge as well as our “tents” (this was glamping at its most glamorous) before heading out for our first game drive.

Our Accommodations: Selinda consists of a 2 bedroom super-suite as well as 3 other additional one bedroom suites and the details are insane. We were in the absolute middle of the wilderness and our accommodations were off the charts luxurious. Selinda Camp as well as the other lodges in the reserve are owned by Beverly and Dereck Joubert award winning filmmakers and conservationists, and it is Beverly’s impressive photographs and eye for detail that really makes it such a remarkable property. Our tent backed up to a waterway that is inhabited by many hippos so there is a constant chorus of hippo noises throughout the night which I found quite soothing. On our second night we actually had an elephant next to our bathroom which I only discovered in the morning when I spotted a large pile of fresh poop he or she had left behind.

We were assured that animals would be unable to access our tents as we were set high above the ground (except for possibly baboons!). Fortunately they abided by the rules and did not gain entry while we were there. There were air horn’s placed at our bedsides to sound if an enterprising creature did manage to find their way in during the night, but thankfully no one needed to sound an alarm. Perhaps it was our exhaustion level from all the travel and excitement (and South African wines) but I slept like a rock every night.

What we ate: Spoiler alert, it was all UNBELIEVABLE

Tshidi was the primary chef during our stay and the dishes she created were truly outstanding, not just for a remote camp in Botswana but for anywhere. Taking into consideration that there is just a single weekly delivery of fresh ingredients arriving by plane, and a monthly delivery of dry goods which coming by truck (10 hours away) the dishes which were served to us were fresh, innovative and healthy.

Chef Tshidi was slightly shy and quite humble but I think she was pleased by the enthusiastic applause she was met with at every meal. The entire kitchen staff, sous-chefs as well as servers were all fantastic. It is a bonus to travel with 6 young adults in that they can really eat (in truth my husband does a good job as well) so the kitchen staff felt extra appreciated.

Dinners were served in the main tent for the first two nights and began with a soup and followed by a selection of mains, veggies and salads. As a bonus, the gluten free breads and baked goods were honestly among the best I have ever had. On our first night my husband received a gorgeous and delicious birthday cake while being serenaded by the entire staff. As you might expect the wine selection was all South African and paired expertly with the food, while local beer and gin along with expertly made cappuccinos were also favorite beverages during our stay.

The birthday cake presentation was accompanied by a song we are all still singing!

Following the first night we settled into the rhythm of how the days would go meal-wise. At 5:30 am our Rangers would enter our suites and deliver hot coffee and cookies as a wake- up call. At 6:15 we were in the jeeps and off on a game drive fully immersed in our surroundings. At about 9:30 it was time for a breakfast break in the wild; fruit, muesli, yogurt, muffins, eggs and more coffee.

Lunches were informal but no less delicious. Salads, soups, cheeseburgers, addictive fries and even a fish sammie on a gf bun for me.

Of course you couldn’t go too long without sustenance so there was teatime which was either served in the main lodge or out in the wild. This one was obviously served indoors!

On our first evening we missed the traditional sundowner because we were trying to maximize our initial game drive, so the staff more than made up for it on the second evening. As we approached I think we all believed we were seeing a mirage, but in fact this incredible presentation was waiting for us and it was amazing. This was the sundowner to beat all sundowners!!

On our third evening we enjoyed our drinks on our evening game drive which we experienced on the water. Our Rangers Esefa and Ruben were not just incredibly knowledgable about all the wildlife we saw but also mixed the perfect Gin & Tonics!

On our final night at Selinda we were surprised by an extensive BBQ buffet and dinner under the stars which was accompanied by not only singing but also lots of dancing which was unforgettable (and delicious). My favorite part? A curried veggie dish called Chakalaka which was fantastic, whereas the guys were thrilled with all of the local meats and sausages.

Knowing that we all overindulged at dinner we each received our own hot water bottle when we climbed into bed to sooth our tummies (and ward off a chill).

And of course… the animals! The wildlife on the reserve is abundant to say the least. Each day we divided up and ventured out in two jeeps heading in different directions with our rangers staying in contact by radio conveying notable sitings and locations. Both rangers were filled with an endless amount of insights as far animal behavior in addition to extensive knowledge of the landscape. We were incredibly fortunate to see and learn so much, and it did not get old; each separate sighting was a thrill.

One of the most memorable interactions we witnessed over the three days we were there was the aftermath of a hippo kill. On our first encounter we found young lions with their manes bloodied after burying their heads in the fresh kill (see below) and subsequently sleeping on and cuddling up to the dead hippo. There are videos as well to understand how the full drama of this scene played out.

There were loads of elephants which proved to be completely enchanting particularly when the babies were involved. We did have an encounter with one who seemed to be less than pleased with us (video below) but eventually he displayed his strength and wandered off. The hyenas (with their bloodied heads ) fascinated me, taking a turn at the hippo for a time before an older group of lions moved in laying claim to the kill.

Each time we returned there was something else happening with the hippo, and as you might imagine the smell was worsening by the minute. On our last visit the vultures were assembling waiting for their turn.

A final note with regard to the photos and videos I have included, I would feel remiss if I didn’t give a plug to Apple, I shot all of these photos and videos with the iPhone 17 Pro, the camera is incomparable. Selinda actually provides an incredible camera with a telephoto lens to use during your stay if you so desire. The photos are then downloaded and sent to each guest which is a wonderful perk.

If you want an even better sense of what we witnessed, take a look at some of my favorite videos:

Here is the young male elephant putting on a little show of strength. You can see our ranger’s hand signaling us to stay calm and quiet. After initially walking away he did circle back and made a loud trumpeting sound but then tired of us and moved on.

You can see the one lion who is still working on eating the exposed part of the hippos head, the other two are fully satiated.

On a second visit the hyenas (a large pack of them) had moved in.

(A little graphic if you are queasy)

Finally the big guys moved in and seemed to be celebrating their good fortune.

I don’t think there is a more beautiful bird than the Lilac Breasted Roller.

We saw loads of hippos which I happen to find quite scary, not as much when they are on land, but when they are lurking in the water (second video).

Watch with the sound on to get a little taste of the sounds they make. This is what serenaded us to sleep each night.

In the blink of an eye we found ourselves at our final breakfast before we were due to leave Selinda. I can’t not emphasize enough how special this experience was, it was absolutely perfect in every way, the stellar staff, the special touches, the juxtaposition between luxury and the wild, the animals, and most of all being with my family.

To leave Selinda we made the same trek though in reverse, boat to Jeep to Bush plane to King Air plane ultimately landing in Zimbabwe to spend the night and visit Victoria Falls before embarking on Safari once again.

There are so many adventures still to come. Be sure to subscribe to read the next installment of this dream trip.