The Savuti channel is a river that likes to play hide-and-seek. For many a year it flowed through what is otherwise quite sparse and dry countryside, providing a welcome source of life for the impressive array of animals that lived here. But then quite suddenly in 1980 the channel dried up and remained an underground river right through until 2008 when, without fanfare, it started to flow again and the animals once again enjoyed the good life (this area is the southwestern limit of the Great Rift Valley, and one theory is that the Earth’s plates shifted slightly and allowed the underground waters to flow to the surface again).
This Savuti channel’s return to form hasn’t just benefited the wildlife. Guests at this low-key and intimate tented camp are also winners, and we don’t just mean in regards to wildlife viewing. The tented rooms here, which are elegant and spacious, are almost wrapped in and around the trees and dense foliage that lines the channel. This forest cover gives a real sense of being out alone in the bush, and watching hippos snort in the waters and birds sing in the trees from the private terraces that front each tent is an undisputed highlight of a visit. The communal area’s focus is on a big wooden bar and raised fire pit, and there’s lots of Africana art and good wildlife books scattered about. I was also bowled over by the generosity and professionalism of the staff who went to lengths that I’ve rarely seen anywhere else. For example, when I’d mentioned a specific photo I would have liked to have done, they secretly arranged for someone to be flown in from Maun to act as a model!
At the time of my visit the water levels were low and there was some concern that the channel may again be drying up. Don’t let that put you off a visit though, because if this happens the camp will pump water to the water hole/river channel directly in-front of the camp and this, it’s believed, will have the benefit of attracting even greater concentrations of thirsty wildlife.
Expert Review
The Savuti channel is a river that likes to play hide-and-seek. For many a year it flowed through what is...
The Savuti channel is a river that likes to play hide-and-seek. For many a year it flowed through what is otherwise quite sparse and dry countryside, providing a welcome source of life for the impressive array of animals that lived here. But then quite suddenly in 1980 the channel dried up and remained an underground river right through until 2008 when, without fanfare, it started to flow again and the animals once again enjoyed the good life (this area is the southwestern limit of the Great Rift Valley, and one theory is that the Earth’s plates shifted slightly and allowed the underground waters to flow to the surface again).
This Savuti channel’s return to form hasn’t just benefited the wildlife. Guests at this low-key and intimate tented camp are also winners, and we don’t just mean in regards to wildlife viewing. The tented rooms here, which are elegant and spacious, are almost wrapped in and around the trees and dense foliage that lines the channel. This forest cover gives a real sense of being out alone in the bush, and watching hippos snort in the waters and birds sing in the trees from the private terraces that front each tent is an undisputed highlight of a visit. The communal area’s focus is on a big wooden bar and raised fire pit, and there’s lots of Africana art and good wildlife books scattered about. I was also bowled over by the generosity and professionalism of the staff who went to lengths that I’ve rarely seen anywhere else. For example, when I’d mentioned a specific photo I would have liked to have done, they secretly arranged for someone to be flown in from Maun to act as a model!
At the time of my visit the water levels were low and there was some concern that the channel may again be drying up. Don’t let that put you off a visit though, because if this happens the camp will pump water to the water hole/river channel directly in-front of the camp and this, it’s believed, will have the benefit of attracting even greater concentrations of thirsty wildlife.