Splash Camp: Our full report
The smart Splash Camp, opened in June 2018, is located in a prime game-viewing area of Botswana’s Okavango ...
... Delta, bordering Moremi Game Reserve. The whole camp affords great views over a large pan, which attracts game all year round.Our November 2019 visit was our second to the camp, and once again we found it to be excellent. Located within the private Kwara Reserve, it is a sister camp to a number of other high-end camps in northern Botswana, including Lebala Camp and Lagoon Camp and Kwara Camp.
Splash Camp itself has 12 tented rooms, two of them spacious family suites. All are raised on decking with views through glazed windows and from their private verandas over the pan in front of camp. The style is contemporary, with plenty of wood cladding, twin or king-size beds, a small seating area, and smart bathrooms. All rooms have indoor and outdoor showers, a fan, a safe and battery-charging outlet.
Four of the rooms form part of the Splash Enclave, which is designed for groups of 4–12 guests looking for a more intimate safari experience. This has its own communal area complete with a plunge pool, dining area, lounge and bar.
A sandy pathway links the rooms to the hub of the camp, a light, open-sided area which houses the main lounge, dining area, bar and a plunge pool. There is also a small curio shop.
Activities at Splash Camp, in the hands of knowledgeable guides, combine day and night game drives and nature walks, as well as mokoro and boating activities, depending on water levels. From August to December, there are also excursions to nearby heronries, which can be reached along the main boating channel.
On one trip to Splash, we had a lot of fun with our guide and tracker, who worked fantastically as a team. Having seen a female leopard and a very relaxed aardwolf relaxing at its den on our first drive, on the second we opted to go in search of wild dogs that had just passed through camp. What a morning! Our guide was exceptional at reading where they were heading, and made sure we were well placed to take pictures. General game was also fantastic, with plenty of giraffe, zebra and elephants to be seen.
More recently, our motorboat safari produced no less than three sightings of the normally shy sitatunga. We also had some unexpected views of the notoriously skittish African green pigeon.
Our view
Splash Camp offers a superb all-round safari experience. Due to the variety of eco-systems in this area, wildlife viewing in general is excellent. While the guiding is also excellent, the guides do focus quite heavily on sighting big predators, sometimes to the exclusion of smaller, more esoteric wildlife. The camp's "digital detox" policy is great if you come to immerse yourself in the bush experience, but be prepared to cut your communications off from the outside world for the duration of your stay.
Geographics
- Location
- Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana
- Ideal length of stay
- Three nights.
- Directions
- Access is by light aircraft to Kwara airstrip, which is a 30-minute flight from Maun. It is then a 45-minute drive from the airstrip to the camp.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- On our most recent visit, in November 2019, the food was fresh, tasty and plentiful.
Breakfast was a selection of muffins, yoghurts, maize porridge and cereals with tea or coffee. This was taken around the campfire before the morning activity.
Brunch is served when you return from your morning activity. We had a delicious pork-noodle dish (there was also a pork-free version) with a fresh green salad, a carrot and beetroot salad and fresh bread. Dessert was fresh fruit salad.
The timing of dinner depends on the time that you return from your activity. We enjoyed a Mexican-inspired soup for starters. For main course there was a delicious vegetable curry, a tasty lemon chicken dish and steamed butternut and broccoli. For dessert we had an apple and cinnamon strudel. - Dining style
- Mixture of group dining and individual tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Drinks included
- Local drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, are included. Imported and premium drinks such as champagne are extra, and advance notice is needed if these are required. Filtered drinking water is always available.
Special interests
- Family holidays
- The exclusive use Splash Enclave has its own private main area including a pool and no age restrictions making it a fantastic option for a family visiting Botswana.
- See ideas for Family holidays
- Private villas & houses
- For small groups or families of six or more people the exclusive use Splash Enclave acts as a camp within a camp complete with it own plunge pool, dining area, lounge, bar and private activities is the perfect way to enjoy the Delta in privacy.
- See ideas for Private villas & houses
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Splash Camp has a positive approach to children on safari and welcomes children aged six and over. Depending on the size of the family group, there may be an additional charge for a private vehicle.
Children younger than six may be accepted, but only if the entire camp is reserved for exclusive use. - Property’s age restrictions
- Minimum age 6 years. Families with children aged 6–12 years are required to book a private vehicle on game drives.
- Special activities & services
- The camp will be as flexible as possible with children's mealtimes and will prepare favourites such as spaghetti bolognese for children.
- Equipment
- Splash Camp has two family chalets, but no special equipment is available.
- Generally recommended for children
- We recommend Splash Camp for older children who are genuinely interested in wildlife.
- Notes
- Splash is unfenced, and dangerous wildlife, including lion and leopard, can wander through the camp at any time. There is no fence around the pool. Thus all children will need to be constantly supervised by their parents.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Splash Camp
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Splash Camp 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
99% success
99% success
99% success
94% success
88% success
85% success
85% success
66% success
60% success
33% success
32% success
28% success
2% success
2% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- Back-up generator. Battery-charging facilities are available in each room.
- Communications
- No WiFi or cellphone signal
- TV & radio
- None
- Water supply
- Other
- Water supply notes
- All the tents have plumbed hot and cold running water for showers as well as flushing toilets
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- Camp managers are first-aid trained and a first-aid kit is kept at camp. In an emergency, the camp can arrange for clients to be flown out. Please note that it is only possible to fly out of camp during daylight hours as the bush airstrips do not have any lighting at night.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- The camp is unfenced, and dangerous wildlife is known to move through, so guests are escorted to their rooms after dark. A safety talk is given on arrival. “Foghorns” are provided in the chalets to attract attention in case of an emergency.
- Fire safety
- There are fire extinguishers in the common areas of the camp and in each room.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Boat trip
Fishing
Guided walking safari
Helicopter
Mokoro
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Included
- Money
- Each chalet has a safe
- Accepted payment on location
- Mastercard and Visa are accepted, but not Amex. Cash payments may be made in US dollars, British pounds, euros, Botswana pula and South African rand.
Other lodges in Okavango Delta Safari Reserves
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