Read 8 traveller reviews of Shinde Camp

Shinde, meaning “tree squirrel” in Setswana, is situated on the edge of an area of deep water and lagoons, and is notable for its lushness and first rate game. It's a well established camp which has long retained an excellent reputation for its guiding and wildlife.

Shinde has a wonderful tree-house feel, reminiscent of Lothlorien in Lord of the Rings – under a thick canopy of ebony, mangosteen and water fig trees there is a flowing split-level area comprising teak platforms linked by grand staircases with scuff steps for safety. The Moroccan influence is evident, with rich velvets and many-coloured designs in the furnishings and curtains surrounding the dining room. The whole area is underneath “wagon-style” tented canvas roofs, set high above to give a very airy feel to the rooms and an atmosphere of relaxed opulence.

At the top of the flights of stairs is the dining room, with a long table (and a visiting genet!) above which is a spectacular triffid-style chandelier with crystals and many lighted tentacles stretching seven or eight feet on either side. As Olivia the manager said, “you either love it or you hate it” – for the record, we loved it, as did all the clients we met at Shinde. It was a real talking point at the table but we did notice that none of the staff stood underneath it for any length of time!

At the front of camp is the bar and fire pit, surrounded by comfy canvas chairs. The bar is simply a large fridge, from which guests are able to help themselves. This overlooks an area of lawn, with a single Marula tree in the middle. Olivia told us that when the tree was fruiting, the elephants would come and bash the tree and collect the fruit that fell – it's a particular favourite of theirs (think pear drops!). The fruit is collected by camp and then made into jam which we had for breakfast.

Shinde has eight tents, all of traditional safari design. All are walk-in, Meru-style tents with large mesh windows and either wooden or tiled floors dotted with rugs. These are well furnished with lively African fabrics, electric lights and comfy beds. At the back of each is an en suite hot shower and flush toilet; at the front is a shaded porch with soft chairs for relaxing. Three of these tents are built on individual, raised wooden decks to form their own private 'enclave' – perfect for small parties of guests who require a high degree of privacy.

Activities here include 4WD game drives (day and night), motor boats trips, mokoro excursions, guided walks and fishing - excellent float or fly-fishing with the possibility of catching bream, catfish, and African pike – and tigerfish in November and December.

The guides are all practised fishermen and are happy to impart their skills to beginners - we went fishing one afternoon and managed to catch four bream in one hour! The kitchen will then prepare any fish you have caught for the evening meal.

Shinde is often used in combination with the Footsteps walking trails, which take place in a section of this reserve.

Click on a link for more details of:
Standard Tent at Shinde Camp

Lodge overview

Lodge type: Safari

No. of bedrooms: 8 tents

Season: 1st March to 30th November

Ideal length of stay: Three or four nights would be ideal

Central facilities: The camp consists of three separate lounge levels with comfortable and colourful seating – with other tucked away seating areas on the walkways. There is a bar area by the fire pit (Moroccan style moveable fire) surrounded by comfy canvas chairs. No bar as such – the fridge is the bar! A beautifully designed and extremely heavy (eight men to lift it!) iron cabinet forms the small but well stocked curio shop. The camp is joined by teak walkways in the main area, and elephant dung paths lead to the rooms. There is a small pool at the back of camp (about to be refurbished) which is private and secluded and has a selection of loungers and chairs.

Geographics

Location: Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana

Directions: Fly and transfer only. It's a 30–35 minute flight from Maun to Shinde, and the airstrip is barely five minutes' drive from camp.

Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Key personnel

Owner: Ker and Downey

Staff: Camp/Lodge Manager: Richard and Olivia (Julius Ass't Manager and also guide) Guide: Paul (our guide), James, Bee, Balipe Chef: Kabichwe and Banolo

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board

Food quality: The food served during our latest stay at this camp was generally fairly good. A light breakfast of toast, freshly-cooked muffins, fruit and cereal, along with tea and coffee is served prior to your early morning game activity. Brunch is then offered at around 11 o'clock and is quite a substantial meal. A hot option is served at this time – on our latest visit, one of the brunches we were served was lasagne with a good selection of vegetables, along with a selection of cold salad dishes, cheeses and bread. Tea is then served at around 4 o'clock, and you can expect a savoury snack, refreshing iced tea, and a freshly baked cake or pie or biscuits (the most delicious shortbread was served on our first day). The dishes served at dinner during our most recent stay were variable in their quality – although you do have a choice of main courses each night and we enjoyed the grilled fish (caught by us!) which was prepared specially for us. Less enticing was the very over-cooked warthog served on the first evening we stayed there.

Dining style: Group Meals

Dining locations: Indoor Dining

Room service: No

Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included

Drinks included: All the usual drinks are included – beers, wines, local spirits, soft drinks and bottled water.

Special interests

Birdwatching: Birdlife is abundant, particularly on the channels and open water with sightings of bee-eaters, black crake, painted snipe, slaty egret and African skimmers. The Godikwe heronry is accessible by boat – perhaps an hour away. It's well worth a visit – expect to be deafened! - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Birdwatching

Photographic: As with most of the Okavango's camps, Shinde offers the keen photographer endless material on wildlife, big and small. For a stunning example of what's possible, see Dave Lawrence's beautiful photography gallery from a trip that he made with Expert Africa in late 2006. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Photographic

Wildlife: The Shinde Lion pride, as featured in a BBC documentary recently, is often seen, both at rest, play and hunting. This pride is unique in that it is led by a female, known as One-Eye, rather than a pride male. Elephant, giraffe, leopard, wild dog are also sighted regularly. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Wildlife

Children

Attitude towards children: Welcome

Age restrictions: Above age eleven (no private vehicle needed unless family request it)

Activities: Children included at all meals

Equipment: None

Notes: Shinde offers no special children's activities. However, if arranged in advance, one of the company's guides, Paul, is particularly good with children – and runs the 'Young Explorers' safari trips. (See Footsteps for details.)

Central communications

Power supply: Generator

Communications: None

TV & radio: None

Health & safety

Malarial area: Yes

Medical care: All Managers are first aid trained to high level – they are fully able to deal with trauma and severe illness. Closest Dr is in Maun (25 min flight) and the camp has phone contact 24 hours with a Medivac Nurse.

Dangerous animals: High Risk

Security measures: Guests are escorted to and from their rooms in the evenings after dark and in the mornings if it is dark. There is an emergency foghorn in the rooms. A rifle is kept in the central area of camp, accessible only by the Manager.

Fire safety: Extinguishers in all the rooms and common areas.

Extras

Laundry facilities: Smalls included as well. We gave the most enormous amount of laundry in on the day we arrived (there is scant time to get laundry done on our work trips, hence the volume!) and this was all returned to us the same day, in perfect condition and on time.

Money: Locked safe available in central area of camp.

Accepted payment: Euro, GBP, USD, Rand, AUS$, Pula Visa and Mastercard – 3% credit card charge 10% vat to be added to curio shop items sold

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