Abu Camp

Highlights

• Airy tents feature an indoor and outdoor shower, an outdoor copper bath and a generous elevated teak deck.
• Interact with the Abu elephant herd getting to know each one of them. Game drives in the morning and afternoons. Boat excursions and nature walks.
• Experience a tree-house sleepout surrounded by the resident Abu Camp elephant

You should know

Children

Abu Camp does not have a family room
Children between the ages of 6 and 16 years can be accommodated as a triple share in a standard twin room with an extra bed
The range of activities is limited as a result of the minimum age requirement of 13 years of age
Children between the ages of 6 and 16 years may participate in a sleep out on the outdoor star-deck as well as on an elephant ride, provided they are accompanied by an adult,

Please Note:
Abu Camp: Note that a maximum of 10 guests can be accommodated on the elephant activity at any one time. This number is comprised of 4 guests maximum riding the elephants (2 guests on each of two elephants) and 6 guests maximum walking alongside the elephants. If one of the elephants is pregnant or nursing a young one, this number may reduce for a period, however, the overall elephant experience will be managed on the ground by the camp.

The detail

Shortly after arriving at camp you’ll be introduced to the Abu herd, and throughout your stay there are plenty of opportunities to interact with these incredible creatures. Enjoy the gentle thrill of an elephant-back safari, walk with the herd as they amble through the bush, and watch them swim in a nearby lagoon. We also highly recommend a night in the Star Bed where you can lie cocooned in your comfortable bed, listening to the low rumbling and snores of the elephants in their enclosure.

Along with these unique experiences, Abu offers all the activities you’d expect from a luxury camp in the Okavango Delta: morning and afternoon game drives, scenic flights, and peaceful mokoro safaris along papyrus-fringed channels. The camp itself balances extreme luxury and a welcoming atmosphere and has plenty of places to relax and unwind such as the open-air lounge, various decks looking out over the lagoon, a secluded swimming pool and even an outdoor gym.

Other highlights of a stay at Abu Camp include sundowners served in magnificent locations, surprise lantern-lit dinners out in the delta and, as the sky fills with stars, nightly chats around the campfire reliving your days’ adventures while swapping safari stories with the other guests.

Abu Camp has six spacious tents, each leading onto a private teak deck with sun loungers offering up great views over the lagoon and the floodplains beyond. The tented suites are individually decorated although each has a king-size bed, a lounge area with comfortable chairs, a writing desk, and lovely details such as carved wooden sculptures, steamer trunks and striking black-and-white photographs.

The en-suite bathrooms have both an indoor and outdoor shower, as well as a copper bathtub secreted away round the side of the deck. End your day’s game viewing soaking in this outdoor tub, a glass of wine close at hand as you listen to the twittering of birds in the surrounding fig and jackal-berry trees.

For the more adventurous there’s a Star Bed just a 10-minute walk from the main camp. The Star Bed overlooks the elephant boma and has a lower deck with an enclosed bathroom and an upper deck where you can lie in bed gazing up at a star-filled sky. Raised high off the ground you’ll be perfectly safe, as you’re lulled to sleep by the comforting sounds of the elephants in the boma below.

The focus at Abu is on the Elephant Experience. The herd currently comprises six elephants: Cathy, Shireni, Lorato, Paseka, Warona and Naledi.

Activites incluce: Walking with the elephants (13 years and older), Observing activities such as mud bathing experiencing the bush through the eyes of the elephants, Discussions on elephant conservation at a local, national and continent-wide level, Day and night game drives to view the amazing diversity of wildlife in the Abu Concession, in the game-rich Okavango Delta UNESCO World Heritage Site, Birding, Boating, Mokoro excursions (13 years and older) (accompanied by the Abu herd), Fishing on a catch and release basis year round except January and February when fishing is barred by law for breeding. The camp supplies all fishing equipment.

Star Bed Experience
There is a Star-Bed platform that sleeps 2 guests situated at the elephant enclosure. The double-storey Star-Bed has its own bathroom with shower, toilet and basin on the lower deck and the bed upstairs under a large mosquito net with a viewing deck over the elephant enclosure. The ultimate immersion experience into the sensory world of the elephant can be experienced by sleeping out under the stars overlooking the elephant boma. Be lulled to sleep by the contented rumbling and low snores of the elephants below.

Abu Camp is best known for its rescued elephants and during your stay you’ll get to know their personalities and quirks from the playful and inquisitive youngsters to the wise matriarch, Cathy. The elephant handlers have clearly formed strong bonds with the animals and are only too happy to answer any questions you may have or tell the stories of how each elephant came to be a member of the Abu herd.

There’s plenty of other wildlife in the Abu Concession too including wild elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, large herds of buffalo, and several species of antelope. As for the predators, Abu Camp game drives offer up a good chance of seeing spotted hyena and leopard, lion often move through the area, and some lucky guests are treated to the sighting of a pack of wild dogs.

The Abu Concession’s diverse range of habitats (from grasslands and woodlands to lagoons and waterways) is a sanctuary for around 380 bird species. Avid birders are sure to add a few ticks to their lists with special sightings including the Lesser Jacana, Pygmy Goose, Wattled Crane, Coppery-tailed Coucal and Rosy-throated Longclaw amongst others.

Price includes

Rate includes accommodation, all meals, twice daily scheduled camp activities, park fees, laundry and all local drinks - excludes premium imported brands and champagne.