Mma Dinare: Our full report
Set in riverine woodland overlooking the Gomoti River and its floodplains Mma Dinare enjoys a picturesque outlook.
This small camp offers a traditional safari experience in an excellent wildlife area. While the river and its floodplains host a wide variety of animals, don’t expect to spend time in a motorboat. That said, mokoro trips are offered for parts of the year, depending on water levels.Mma Dinare shares a 272km² concession with its sister camp Rra Dinare. This concession and both camps are run for the benefit of the local community, through the Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust. This means that staying here helps to provide employment, schooling and other benefits for the local people.
At full capacity, Mma Dinare can host up to 22 travellers in ten safari tents, built overlooking the Gomoti River floodplain. Each tent makes the most of the picturesque, ever-changing vista in front of camp. Large, partially shaded private decks complete with table and chairs provide an ideal viewing platform for spotting wildlife or relaxing with a book between activities.
Inside each timber-framed tent is a comfortable lounge area with a sofa, chairs and a coffee table, separated by sliding doors from the bedroom behind. The bedroom is dominated by a king-size or twin beds, which are shrouded by mosquito nets at night. In the hotter summer months (October to December), a ceiling fan helps provided welcome relief from the heat, often aided by dampened kikois. Bedside tables, a writing desk, chair and – to the back of the room – a luggage storage rack with hangers and a small safe complete the furniture. The back of the tent also houses an en-suite bathroom, with twin basins painted by a local artisan, a separate toilet and an outdoor shower.
The family tent at Mma Dinare can sleep up to four travellers. The main bedroom is identical to those in the other tents, save for an additional door that opens onto a short corridor and a second, slightly smaller bedroom. This second room has its own bathroom with an indoor shower, but no direct access outside, making it ideal for children travelling with their parents. However, we wouldn’t generally recommend this room for couples travelling together.
The tents are linked to the main area by a series of raised walkways with breaks in them to allow larger animals to cross. The main area is split into several sections, of which the two main sections are set beneath high thatched roofs and remain open-sided in all but the most severe downpours.
On one level is the main dining area where buffet meals are typically enjoyed at a large communal table. A slightly lower level is home to a semi-circular lounge/viewing deck with a self-service bar at one end, and a small curio shop behind, stocked with books, clothes, kikois and mementos.
On a separate level again are a small turquoise pool, set in a wooden deck and surrounded by sunloungers, and the camp’s firepit deck. Depending on the weather, breakfast may be served fireside in the early morning before travellers head out on their first activity of the day.
When we stayed in November 2023, we happily whiled away an hour in camp watching a passing herd of several hundred buffalo, watering and bathing in the river as they went – it seems that Mma Dinare, meaning Mother Buffalo, is a fitting name for the camp.
Activities from Mma Dinare include game drives, mokoro trips and walking safaris, with night drives also possible as this is a private reserve. While mokoro trips are also offered most of the year, the length and interest of this activity will depend on water levels, which tend to be at their lowest in November and December.
The team here is one of the few in Botswana that utilises both a guide and tracker on game drives, allowing them to actively track predators, often with great success. Furthermore, activities are limited to six travellers per vehicle, so everyone gets an unobstructed “window” seat (although the vehicles themselves are open-sided).
During our stay in November 2023 we enjoyed some excellent wildlife watching from Mma Dinare, perhaps no surprise given that the reserve borders the renowned Moremi Game Reserve.
Helicopter scenic flights and day trips can be booked in advance or in camp at an additional, fairly substantial, cost.
Our view
Mma Dinare offers excellent game viewing in the predominantly dry Santawani area in the far south-east of the Okavango Delta. The camp exudes a relaxed atmosphere and offers comfortable, though not luxurious, accommodation with a keen focus on wildlife watching. The inclusion of a guide and tracker team on all game drives is a real advantage when looking for predators and other animals.
Botswana expert
Geographics
- Location
- Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana
- Ideal length of stay
- Two or three nights here is an ideal length of time. We tend to recommend combining Mma Dinare with another camp with better access to water activities such as one of its sister properties: Kwara Camp or Splash Camp.
- Directions
- Light-aircraft flights into the nearest airstrip take about 15 minutes from Maun, or 1hr 20 minutes from Kasane. It's then a drive of 45 minutes to the lodge.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- We understand that most dietary requirements can be catered for by the team at Mma Dinare with sufficient notice.
During our stay here in November 2023 the food was tasty and with plenty of variety, although meals were not as sophisticated as at some other camps.
A continental-style breakfast buffet is served from 5.30am until 6.00am before morning activities begin. This usually includes toast, muffins, cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruit, fruit salad, boiled eggs, fruit juice, tea and coffee.
Guests return from the morning activity enjoy a buffet style brunch/lunch, usually at around 11.00am. We didn’t have the opportunity to try this during our stay, but a typical meal might be a chicken quiche served with broccoli salad, apple and carrot salad, lentils, potatoes, cold meats and cheeses and fresh bread. This might be followed by fresh fruit for dessert.
High tea is served at around 4.00pm after a siesta in the middle of the day, before heading out on an afternoon activity,. We enjoyed cheese-and-bacon pizza rolls and ginger cake, accompanied by a fiery homemade ginger lemonade and rooibos iced tea.
After returning from the afternoon activity, dinner is served at around 8.00pm. To start, we tucked into some excellent sweetcorn fritters with salsa. This was followed by a buffet of chicken stew and battered bream fillets served with pap (maize meal), roasted butternut squash, sautéed cabbage, chakalaka, tomato relish and tartare sauce. Our dessert was a wonderful, if rather large, Amarula pannacotta. - Dining style
- Mixture of group dining and individual tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- Private dining available on request
- Drinks included
- House drinks such as regional beers and wines as well as soft drinks and filtered water are included.
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Mma Dinare welcomes children over the age of six years.
- Property’s age restrictions
- Families with children under 12 are required to book a private vehicle.
Children under 12 are not permitted on mokoros or walking safaris. - Special activities & services
- Children are offered an activity pack with colouring books and activities to enjoy during their stay.
It is often possible to arrange for camp staff, often one of the housekeepers, to child sit during meals and siesta. While these staff usually have children of their own, they don’t tend to be qualified childcare professionals.
Interpretive bush walks around camp can be arranged for children on request. - Equipment
- None
- Generally recommended for children
- Given the expense of a private vehicle, and the age restrictions on certain activities we’d typically recommend Mma Dinare for families with children aged 12 and over.
- Notes
- Mma Dinare is an unfenced camp with raised walkways and unguarded pool, so any children staying here should be supervised by a responsible adult at all times.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Mma Dinare
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Mma Dinare have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
80% success
71% success
57% success
50% success
33% success
17% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- There is a back-up generator.
- Communications
- There is no WiFi or cellphone coverage, although limited WiFi access is planned in the future.
- TV & radio
- None
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- All tents are fully plumbed with running water and flush toilets. Hot water is supplied by heat pumps.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- Guides and camp mangers are first-aid trained. In an emergency guests would be air-lifted to Maun or perhaps Johannesburg.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- Guides and managers sleep in camp. After dark guests are escorted to their tents to prevent encounters with dangerous wildlife. Each tent has an airhorn for attracting attention in an emergency at night.
- Fire safety
- Extinguishers are strategically places around camp, including outside each tent.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Guided walking safari
Helicopter
Mokoro
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Included. Laundry is machine washed on a cold temperature; smalls are placed in a separate bag. There is washing detergent in the tents for hand washing if desired.
- Money
- There is a small digital safe in each tent for valuables.
- Accepted payment on location
- With everything included there is little need to pay for anything here. However, for curio purchases from the shop travellers can pay by Visa or Mastercard, or in cash with US dollars, Botswana pula, UK pounds, euros or South African rand (dollars are usually best).
Other lodges in Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Kwara Camp
Kwara Camp's private reserve boasts land and water activities year round, with excellent game-viewing opportunities and access to permanent channels of the north-east Okavango Delta.
Little Vumbura
On a secluded island within a private reserve, Little Vumbura combines superb game viewing with a broad diversity of habitats in a truly picturesque setting.
Shinde Camp
With experienced staff and a wealth of activities, Shinde offers a traditional safari in an exceptionally varied and wildlife-rich environment.
Chitabe Lediba
Chitabe Lediba, in Botswana's southern Okavango Delta, is a small family friendly safari camp; it offers great dry-land safaris and in our experience consistently delivers good game sightings.
Splash Camp
Set in the Kwara Reserve, offering superb wildlife viewing year-round, Splash offers both land and water activities led by guides with a particular knack for tracking big game.
Sandibe Safari Lodge
The luxurious Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge lies in a private concession in the heart of the Okavango Delta, beside Moremi Game Reserve, with superb big-game viewing.
Kanana
In a beautiful part of the Delta, Kanana focuses on fantastic water activities and birding – including exclusive access to an impressive heronry.
Chitabe Camp
In the southern Okavango Delta, the excellent Chitabe Camp concentrates on dry-land safaris in an area that we've found particularly good for wild dog sightings.
Shinde Footsteps
Small and very rustic, Footsteps across the Delta focuses on walking safaris; it also runs a special children’s programme so is particularly suitable for families.
Gomoti Plains Camp
Overlooking a tributary of the Gomoti River, Gomoti Plains Camp is a classically designed camp with very comfortable tents in a good game-viewing area.
Tubu Tree Camp
A traditional tented camp with a distinctive tree-house feel, Tubu Tree offers some of the best game viewing in the Jao Reserve.
Nxabega Tented Camp
Nxabega offers a selection of both land- and water-based activities, plus very good guiding, food and service, but game viewing can be somewhat erratic.
Vumbura Plains
Indulgently stylish and luxurious, Vumbura Plains offers superb game viewing and birding on an exceptionally varied private reserve.
Jacana Camp
Jacana Camp is a small safari camp with an informal island feel; it is ideal for water-based activities in the Delta and offers excellent birdwatching.
Kwetsani Camp
Deep in the Delta, overlooking a floodplain, Kwetsani Camp is a small, high-end camp with good access to areas for land and water-based activities.
Mapula Lodge
For an affordable yet varied safari encompassing a range of eco-systems, the traditional Mapula Lodge takes a lot of beating.
Duba Plains Camp
Duba Plains Camp is a traditional safari camp, best known for the thrilling lion and buffalo interaction that is often found here in broad daylight.
Baines' Camp
Baines' Camp is a well-run, intimate camp in a pretty part of the Okavango, offering a range of activities and the option to spend a morning walking with elephants.
Stanley's Camp
In a private concession south of Moremi Game Reserve, Stanley's Camp offers 4WD game drives, seasonal water activities and a superb elephant interaction.
Duba Explorers Camp
Intimate and elegant, Duba Explorers Camp promises a firm safari focus in a remote corner of the Okavango, led by a team who value the highest guiding and hosting standards.
Little Tubu
Little Tubu is a new, traditional camp with just three tented chalets and a distinctive tree-house feel. The areas around it can be explored by water and land-based activities year round.
Pom Pom Camp
Pom Pom Camp lies amidst stunning Okavango Delta scenery. Come for idyllic mokoro trips and great birdwatching, and accept that big-game sightings here are a bonus.
Pelo Camp
In a pristine wilderness environment deep in the Okavango Delta, the seasonal Pelo Camp is tented yet comfortable, with activities focusing on excursions by mokoro.
Xaranna
Xaranna is a plush tented camp amongst the idyllic waterways and islands of the Delta. Each air-conditioned tent has a plunge pool. Water activities and pampering are the focus here.
Seba Camp
Seba Camp is a luxury camp in a lovely location that offers the full range of water and land safari activities, depending on the time of year. This camp is particularly suitable for families.
Jao Camp
In a beautiful area with fantastic water activities, Jao combines an idyllic location with high levels of luxury and service, and a top-end spa.
Abu Camp
Abu Camp is an exclusive safari camp on the western side of the Botswana's Okavango Delta - offering superb elephant-back safaris and opportunities to walk with them too.
Rra Dinare
Located in a private concession in the southern reaches of the Okavango Delta, overlooking the Gomoti River, Rra Dinare is a traditional-style, well-priced camp.
Setari Camp
Setari Camp stands on an island dotted with palm trees, close to the base of the Okavango’s ‘Panhandle"
4 Rivers
4 Rivers is a new camp in a previously in accessible area of the excellent Kwara concession.
Duke’s Camp
On a remote island within a vast private concession, the eclectic Duke’s Camp is nestled among mature trees overlooking wildlife-rich plains of the Okavango.
Kiri Camp
Kiri Camp is the latest Okavango offering from the excellent team behind Machaba. In an exciting new location in the heart of the Delta we cannot wait to visit this new camp.
Okavango Walking Safari
The Okavango Delta Walking Safari camps in a secluded Okavango Delta Reserve where there are few roads; the ideal location for a walking trail led by an expert guide.
Karangoma
New for 2024, Karangoma is a classic, tented camp offering walking, canoeing and game drives, in partnership with the local Bukakwe San clan.
Atzaro Okavango
With a high level of tasteful luxury promised at Atzaro, we think it will be best suited to travellers seeking a touch of pampering alongside their safari.
Mokolwane
Deep in the heart of the Okavango, Mokolwane promises adventure in a largely untouched area.
Eagle Island Lodge
Eagle Island Lodge is a luxurious camp with international-style facilities including air conditioning and intercom in each room; offering water based activities in the Okavango Delta.
North Island
Deep in quintessentially 'Okavango' territory, between deep-water and dry-land habitats, promises to be a great combination from a team who know all about the best in the Okavango.
Sitatunga Island Camp
Sitatunga Private Island: in this pristine corner of the Okavango Delta, even the name is evocative.
Qorokwe Camp
Luxurious and contemporary, the relatively new Qorokwe Camp is a gem in the Okavango Delta, offering land- and occasionally water-based activities in a prime wildlife area.
