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Linyati

The landscape of the Linyanti varies from floodplains to open dry land savannah and forested habitat with sweeping views, creating a paradise for a high diversity of wildlife and bird species

To the north of Okavango is the smaller Linyanti Swamp, a superb game area containing some of the best lodges in the country.

Highlights include elephant, wild dog and hippo-hunting lion.

This area makes an excellent addition to a safari in the Okavango and a superb substitute for the over touristed Chobe waterfront.

This first rate concession is similar in many ways to the adjoining Chobe Waterfront to the north, except without the traffic. The lush river frontage is fringed by a belt of lush forest and backed by a hinterland of dry mopane woodland, with some of the best elephant viewing in Africa

Linyanti is a superb safari area to the north of Okavango, which has a deserved reputation as one of the best dry game-viewing areas in Africa, especially for elephant, buffalo, lion and wilddog.

Linyanti is divided into three private concessions which between them are only permitted to entertain around 100 guests at a time, making this a genuine wilderness experience.

We rate Linyanti on a par with Okavango and generally try to include it in as many safaris as possible.

For a area by area overview take a look at the images section opposite or jump straight into searching for the best lodges in the Linyanti

To the north-east of the Okavango Delta are the Chobe, Selinda and Linyanti areas. The many
varied habitats within these concessions, such as marshes, waterways, riverine forests,
dry woodlands and grasslands, and the prolific and diverse wildlife and wonderful scenery
together form a wonderful contrast to the Okavango. Adding this area to an itinerary makes
for a varied and balanced experience of the country.
The 125 000-hectare (308 000-acre) private Linyanti Concession bordering Chobe National
Park’s western boundary is an enormous, wildlife-rich area, shared between just three small
camps (DumaTau, Kings Pool and Savuti Camp), which creates an unrivalled atmosphere of
remoteness and space.
There are three main features of the Linyanti Concession: the Linyanti River, the woodlands
of the interior and the well-known Savute Channel, famous as a sporadic and unusual
watercourse. The Channel last flowed in 1980; today it is an open grassland and home to a
wide variety of animals. With two-thirds of the Channel located in the concession, Wilderness
guests have private and exclusive access to its abundant game.
The adjacent 135 000-hectare (333 000-acre) Selinda Concession is ecologically similar, but
differs in the increased extent of its floodplains. Like the Linyanti, in the dry winter months,
enormous herds of elephant remain close to the permanent water of the Zibadianja Lagoon
(the Savute Channel’s origin) and the Linyanti waters.
In addition, plains game such as wildebeest, zebra and giraffe, together with their rarer
counterparts such as roan, are found, followed naturally by predators such as lion,
cheetah, leopard, hyaena and wild dog. Such prolific wildlife has been the subject of many
documentaries, including “Eternal Enemies”by Dereck and Beverley Jourbert, dramatically
chronicling the conflict between lion and hyaena.

Savute - Where Lions Rule

desert-like landscape of Savute

Savute, a remote and wild corner of the Chobe National Park, is situated south of the Chobe River. This is an area of open savanna grassland through which a seasonal river used to spill out into a marsh. It last flowed in the 1980s. Today, the channel and marsh are usually dry except after heavy rains, but several artificial waterholes offer breathtaking wildlife viewing. The landscape of Savute, with its almost desert-like feeling, is strikingly different from the lush Chobe riverfront. Sizable numbers of elephant bulls are invariably present at Savute and close encounters with these great pachyderms are commonplace. In the wet season, large herds of zebra and tsessebe feed on the Savute plains.

During the rainy season, Savute is home to the annual zebra migration, which peaks in January and February when the zebra and wildebeest congregate in vast numbers to graze on the sweeter grasses brought on by the rains. It is not uncommon to also catch sight of leopard, cheetah and African wild dog.

Savute also supports the greatest concentration of the king of all beasts - the lion. Savute is also a famous battleground for lion and spotted hyena whose ongoing fight for dominance has been captured in the brilliant National Geographic documentary film Eternal Enemies filmed by Deryck and Beverly Joubert

Linyati/Savuti/Selinda Region - Lodge Guide with Picture

Bedroom

Africa - explore wilderness areas with a huge diversity of game from predator to prey, from Etosha to the Okavango delta. Mighty rivers such as the Zambezi and Okavango supporting a wealth of marine life and providing plenty of rich fishing.

Victoria Falls

Duma Tau Camp

Kings Pool

Motswiri Camp

Adventure Safaris

Lagoon Camp

Lebala

Savute Elephant Camp

Savute Safari Camp

Savuti Camp

Selinda Camp

Countries

Zibadianja Camp

Activities include game drives in the private northern sector of the Concession, exploring a range of habitats, from riverbanks to scrub and forest, which reveal a myriad of wildlife en route to slake their thirst from the river.

The seldom-seen sitatunga can also be spotted in the waterways, as well as rare plains game such as roan and sable antelope, and of course their predators, the lion and leopard - with the endangered wild dog as a bonus

Linyanti/Savuti/Chobe

* Selinda walking trail - a four to six day walking safari for up to six guests utilising the Motswiri, Zibalianja and Selinda camps, probably the best way to explore the Linyanti
* Zibalianja - Linyanti Exploration's private six-bedded tented camp near the Savuti Channel
* Selinda Camp - Brian Graham's twelve-bedded tented camp on the banks of the eastern Selinda Spillway
* Duma Tau - sixteen bedded canvas under thatch lodge near the source of the Savuti
* King's Pool Camp - twenty-bedded luxury tented camp in a private concession on the Chobe boundary - renowned for its elephants in winter
* Savuti Camp - located on the Savuti Channel in an isolated spot of this legendary area, Savuti camp is well known for its predators and winter herds of elephant
* Linyanti Tented Camp - a small eight-bedded tented camp in a private concession near Chobe's western boundary, an ideal place to see large elephant herds in winter