JACANA CAMP – JAO CONCESSION – OKAVANGO DELTA

A Wilderness Safaris Camp – Jacana is located on a beautiful island in the Jao Concession in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Jacana is a typical Delta camp surrounded by seasonally-inundated floodplains and papyrus swamps.

Being a ‘water camp,’ Jacana Camp offers primarily water activities with game drives during the summer months – dependent on water levels and time of year.

LOCATION

Jacana is set in the Jao Concession of the Okavango Delta – a true wetland area, ideal for the rare sitatunga and abundant red lechwe.

CAMP

Jacana has five en-suite Meru-style tents, built on raised wooden decks to take advantage of the views of the broad channels in front. The main dining area is on an elevated platform nestled between two magnificent sycamore fig trees, surrounded by dense wild date palms, with a large viewing deck and open seating area around the fire.

This camp is powered by a hybrid system, combining a diesel-powered generator that charges a bank of batteries, which in turn supplies the camp with electricity through an inverter. Thanks to this system, the generator only needs to operate for eight hours a day as opposed to 24 hours. Waste water (sewage and grey water) is treated in an Above Ground Sewage Plant, ensuring that the water is clean before being allowed to enter the natural environment. In order to reduce our use of bottled water, reverse osmosis filtration is done on site to provide guests with high-quality drinking water. Like all Wilderness camps, this camp is managed and monitored against very strict in-house environmental standards, so only approved eco-friendly detergents and chemicals are used.

ACTIVITIES

In the summer months when the inundation has receded, lechwe, tsessebe and elephant are prevalent, while lion, and occasionally leopard, may be seen. Wildlife concentrations in this area of the Delta depend on water flow and volume, changing from season to season.

Birdlife is abundant; enthusiasts can spot Pel’s fishing-owl as well as African and lesser jacanas and other Okavango specials such as slaty egret and African pygmy-goose.

Activities at Jacana include game drives when the inundation levels are lower, typically in the summer months. These drives can reveal elephant, zebra and other plains game, and potentially the predators of the area.

The camp offers walking safaris – a brilliant way to get closer to Africa!

View Delta life, from mammals to birds and reed frogs, while on a traditional mokoro – Botswana’s traditional dugout canoe and boating through the waterways to the east of camp allow for good game viewing along the channels.

Birding is excellent here with plenty of Okavango ‘specials’ including the Pel’s fishing-owl and Endangered wattled crane.

Jacana Camp offers seasonal fishing with a limited supply of basic equipment (spinner rods and a small range of lures) is offered on a catch-and-release basis.

GIVING BACK

Jacana is dedicated to, and involved with, projects that support community upliftment – including hosting Children in the Wilderness camps since 2012, and partnering with the Tubu Joint Management Committee and the Pack for a Purpose initiative.

People are at the heart of our business. More than 85% of camp staff come from remote, rural communities. Through regional training programmes, Wilderness Safaris provide local people with the skills to become some of the best guides, managers and ecotourism operators in the African tourist industry.

Jao Concession and the University of Botswana (Biokavango Project) formed a committee to encourage better engagement between local communities and the Jao Concession, specifically regarding curbing poaching and over-fishing.

Wilderness Safaris have developed a strategy to reduce the use of bottled water across all operations. Through the use of reusable bottles for guests and installing on-site water purification systems at camps, they have reduced plastic water bottle usage by 75%.

The Wilderness Wildlife Trust is an independent entity that facilitates fundraising and distribution of the monies to deserving projects so that, both directly and indirectly, Wilderness Safaris is able reach more people, wildlife and places. The Trust focuses its work across three key areas: research and conservation; community empowerment and education; and anti-poaching and management. A small percentage of each bednight booked by our guests is dedicated to the Trust.

JACANA CAMP IS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND

THE CAMP IS FAMILY FREINDLY AND WELCOMES CHILDREN AGED 6 + – FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGED 6 – 12 WILL HAVE TO BOOK A PRIVATE VEHICLE IN ADVANCE