Gudigwa camp

Gudigwa is a small camp to the north of the delta, owned and operated by the Bukakhwe San Bushmen and set up to give guests an introduction to bushman culture.

aims to demonstrate that the protection of biodiversity can go hand in hand with economic alternatives like ecotourism

Accommodation

Guests stay in large, cozy, comfortable and safe grass huts made from local materials that are modelled after traditional bushman shelters. Each of the six rooms (or 8 for groups) has comfortable beds and linen, solar lighting with a private open air bathroom with a flush toilet and hot showers. Tasty meals including local delicacies are cooked over an open fire. Gudigwa camp is located in a massive tract of land that abuts onto the northern sector of the Okavango Delta and the western reaches of the Selinda

OK, let's read the morning news." Apparently, there was more than one elephant near camp last night. "If you are the first people to come upon tracks at dawn, you can understand what's been happening in the bush," he said.

As we walked, Zero and our bushmen guides pointed out more signs of elephants in the area: trampled grass, tree stumps, piles of dung and, in between, evidence of insects and small mammals that thrive in the elephants' wake. We were also shown how nearly every plant we came upon during our guided walk could be useful to people: eaten, made into shelter or used for medicinal purposes.

once the dancing and singing starts the evening really kicks off.

GUDIGWA CAMP - OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA
Gudigwa camp offers guests the rare opportunity to experience the cultural richness of the San people who live in the far northern reaches of Botswana, between the Okavango Delta and Namibia’s border. Genetically it has been that each and every human on earth can trace their ancestry right back to the San people who lived in southern Africa about 150,000 years ago. Today, the San’s way of life and culture is close to extinction through pressures brought on by modern mankind. Gudigwa village is the largest settlement of the San people in Botswana, with around 800 “Bukakhwe” San Bushman. The Bukakhwe people are indigenous to the Okavango Delta, and are related to the Bushman tribes of the Kalahari. Their traditional ways of living off the land are very much the same.

Gudigwa camp is a wonderful, small camp that has been built on a remote location about 5 km from Gudigwa village. The Bukakhwe San people are indigenous to the Kalahari Desert and the northern fringes of the Okavango Delta. The Gudigwa camp highlights the intimate connection between the Bukakhwe San’s cultural heritage and their natural environment. By sharing their culture and knowledge of the bush they should be able to revive a dying culture and pass on their intricate and intimate knowledge of their environment of future generations.

As the largest remaining Bushman village in Botswana, the Gudigwa people are proud to be promoting this cross-cultural exchange and reviving their traditional way of life, which is increasingly being threatened by modernization.

Accommodation For images of Gudigwa, click Gudigwa Images
Guests stay in large, cozy, comfortable and safe grass huts made from local materials that are modelled after traditional bushman shelters. Each of the six rooms (or 8 for groups) has comfortable beds and linen, solar lighting with a private open air bathroom with a flush toilet and hot showers. Tasty meals including local delicacies are cooked over an open fire. Gudigwa camp is located in a massive tract of land that abuts onto the northern sector of the Okavango Delta and the western reaches of the Selinda.

There are about seven small villages in this area where the Bayei and San people continue with their way of life much as they have done for hundreds of years.

Activities
Activities focus around various aspects of both traditional and modern life in Botswana. Walks will reveal the secrets of the bush and guests will learn about the medicinal uses of plants, discover where to find underground water, and will learn how to survive off of nature's abundant resources. Villagers will perform traditional dances and songs, tell animated stories in their mother tongue - a language of "clicks" and guttural tones - and will cook local dishes for guests to sample. This "camp" and its activities take place 5 km away from the Gudigwa community.
• Walks with professional and traditional guides (men and women) to discover the secrets of the bush
• Learning about the medicinal uses of various plants and tips on how to survive off nature’s resources
• Discovering where / how to find underground water sources
• Learning how to make fire with sticks etc.
• Villagers perform traditional dances and narrate animated local stories

Location	Maps
Savuti Camp Description
Accommodation
Game Viewing
Activities
Electricity & Water
Getting There	Slideshows
Rates 2008 / child policy	Drinks Policy

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