About Gomoti Plains Camp

Gomoti Plains Camp: Our full report

Overlooking a tributary of the Gomoti River, the classic Gomoti Plains Camp is in a beautiful location.

It was opened in April 2017 in a private, community-run concession (NG32) in the south-east of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Surrounded by riverine forest with tall, elegant fan palms, leadwoods and knobthorn trees, it offers a good diversity of wildlife.

Gomoti Plains lies in the large NG32 concession of the Delta, which has been subdivided into three zones (1, 2 and 3), each operated exclusively by a separate safari company. Gomoti Plains sits in the north-east of zone 3, not far from the main Gomoti River. The camp is privately run by a new generation of sustainable safari operators, under the same ownership as Machaba Camp and Little Machaba in the Khwai Community concession.

The area within the vicinity of camp has a mixture of habitats. Coming from the airstrip you will pass through an area of mopane woodland, before going into shorter mopane scrub, then open grasslands before getting to the riverine forest and floodplains of the Gomoti River system. In the wet season the floodplains around the river and its tributaries swell with water, small pans fill up in the grasslands and the animals move out of the riverine forest and floodplains (where they reside during the dry season) and move into the grasslands. Some of the exciting big game found in this area includes wild dog, prides of lion, leopard, hippo, big herds of buffalo, and even cheetah, as well as plentiful plains game such as zebra and giraffe. Rhino, that used to be found have, have now been translocated.

Along a sandy path that weaves through the riverine vegetation, Gomoti Plains has 10 'modern meets classic safari style' tented rooms, all very well spaced out. Set back slightly from the river on wooden decks just a step off the ground, eight of these are standard twin or double rooms; the other two are designed for families. All are minimalist in design yet they're smart, light and bright – a refreshing change from the rather dark interiors at some of the older camps in Botswana. It's clear that a good deal of thought has gone into the design, and we liked the tents a lot.

To the front of the of each tent is a two-piece day bed as well as a table and a couple of chairs that are a more comfortable take on directors' chairs. From here in all but two tents you can watch birds and other wildlife around the small river and on the floodplain.

Inside the tents, accessed through large zipped doors, the bedroom and bathroom areas feature muted greys, greens and beiges. A couple of mats add comfort and warmth to the wooden floors, and a large fan will help to help keep you cool in the warmer summer months.

Facing the doors and the views beyond, simple, but very comfortable, metal-frame beds can be made up as either twins or doubles, with a bedside table and an anglepoise lamp on each side. At the foot of the bed are a comfy sofa with a small circular table carved from a tree stump, and a modern standing lamp, while behind the bed is a large unit with shelves and hanging space for clothes and other bits and pieces. Here you'll also find a flask of cold water, a digital safe, shoe polish and a couple of kikois – cool wraps that are great for use in really hot weather.

At the back of each tent, the en-suite bathroom can be separated from the bedroom by a large dividing screen. His and hers white ceramic washbasins are set into a light wood and metal frame with two large mirrors suspended above these. There is more hanging space here, too, with bathrobes and slippers, a laundry basket and complimentary toiletries provided. The toilet and shower are in separate cubicles, each with a roll-down door for privacy, and a separate door leads from the indoor shower to an enclosed but open-topped outdoor shower.

The two family tents are made up of two similar tents linked through a small lounge area with a shared bathroom at the rear.

In 2018 Gomoti Plains Camp added a private villa which they’ve called Gomoti Private. It’s located at the far end of camp and has exactly the same layout and design as the main camp, but on a smaller scale. There are just two tented rooms; one of them is a two bedroom family room, and the other they refer to as the honeymoon suite which has the added extra of an outdoor bath. Gomoti Private is self-contained and operates completely separate to the main camp, with its own lounge and dining room, plunge pool, private chef and private guide. It’s a great option for small groups and families looking for an exclusive safari experience.

The tented main area at Gomoti Plains Camp is light and airy, and has a modern safari feel, with views over the river and narrow floodplain to the trees beyond. In the entrance, a massive vase forms a striking centrepiece, with the dining area on one side, and a comfortable lounge to the other. Various maps of the region adorn the walls and the muted décor of beige, grey, mustard and green tones combines with a hardwood floor to give the feel of understated luxury.

The well-furnished lounge features large comfy sofas and chairs, and a sizeable bookcase with a good selection of books and magazines on local wildlife, plants, geography and history, as well as board games for children and adults. There is also a small bar with high stools where drinks are served (or you can help yourself in the absence of anyone to serve you).

In the dining area, simple but stylish chairs and tables are set up individually at breakfast and lunch but are usually combined in the evening into one or two larger tables for a more sociable atmosphere. However, these arrangements are very flexible and the friendly staff are happy to accommodate your wishes. Tea and coffee are also found here, along with a water dispenser of cold filtered water where you can help yourself throughout the day.

The front of the main tent opens out onto narrow decking with more seating, and beyond this is a tidy sandy area where early morning coffee/tea and pre- dinner drinks are served around a campfire. At night, paraffin lamps hanging from stands scattered around create a feel of old-time safari and romance.

Just a stone’s throw away is the curio tent, with a good selection of clothes, books, local artefacts etc, while continuing a little further brings you to the moderately sized, walk-in entry swimming pool overlooking the river. Here, a concrete deck is set with sunloungers and a couple of umbrellas – a great spot to relax after a long game drive.

On all our visits to Gomoti Plains, the game-viewing has been incredibly good – both in numbers and diversity of wildlife. The birdlife was also varied and plentiful with both land and water species in abundance. We understand that wildlife remains pretty good all year round due to the varied topography of the area, and we have witnessed this ourselves on recent trips in September and November 2018, and December 2019. We’ve seen leopards, a young lioness kill a warthog, red lechwe galore, hippos, crocs, hyena, a heard of roughly 700 buffalo and rhino (note though that rhino are no longer present in this area).

To explore the area around Gomoti Plains Camp, activities focus on day and night 4WD game drives, mokoro excursions and motorboat trips (depending on water levels). The camp also offers a chance to explore on foot, with guided walks (depending on the weather and the condition of the terrain) accompanied by an armed tracker. You can also indulge in a relaxing spa treatment by a qualified therapist in your room.

Water activities are a great way to get up close and personal with the many birds to be found in this area. The mokoros are launched from just in front of camp, or a 5-minute drive away when water levels are low, and the boat excursions are a short 15–20-minute drive to a deeper channel closer to the Gomoti River itself.

Aside from leopard and lion there were plenty of giraffe, zebra, kudu, warthog and hippo. The birding was varied, too, from giant eagle owls, ostrich and lilac-breasted rollers to open-billed storks and African fish eagles. From boat and mokoro trips we were able to get some great sightings of water birds: a variety of herons, darters and kingfishers, jacanas and plovers to name a few, and we also came relatively close to elephant on the way back into camp.

Although you will cross into the neighbouring zone coming from and going to the Qorokwe airstrip, you should not see vehicles from camps in the other zones during your game drives at Gomoti Plains, as they do not share traversing rights. Thus game drives here are more exclusive than at either of its sister camps on the Khwai River.

As at the other two camps, the managers at Gomoti Plains are more than happy to take guests on a back-of-house tour, which we found really interesting. You'll see how the camp is designed to limit any negative impact on the environment. This includes a sophisticated system of solar panels; low-energy appliances such as fridge-freezers that require little more energy than a couple of lightbulbs; and waste disposal systems that see organic waste neutralised before being returned to the environment in a harmless form, with all non-organic waste taken to Maun for recycling.