Abu Camp

Abu allows guests the extraordinary privilege of being part of an African elephant herd, including riding and walking with them through the bush - possibly the ultimate elephant educational safari. Set in a pristine pocket of riverine forest, it is situated in a vast private reserve of 180,000 hectares in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Named after a very special bull elephant, Abu was the original base camp, Africa's first elephant back safaris were pioneered in the Delta 17 years ago. Today the camp is located in a grove of magnificent hardwood trees on the edge of a large lagoon with a resident school of hippo.

An imaginative use of canvas and pole has created a unique style of tent which has been called Afro-Bedouin, high, wide and airy and blending in well with the natural surroundings. Each of the six en-suite accommodation units has its own distinctive furnishings and fittings, many of them antique, imparting an air of opulence amid the bush setting. Each tent has its own private elevated teak deck sculpted around one of the lofty sycomore figs or jackalberry trees.

Well-lit pathways link the tents with the main lounge and dining area, again high vaulted tenting opening out onto a tiered teak decking surrounding a giant termite mound, one of the characteristic sights of the Okavango Delta. The lounge is replete with comfortable antique furnishings and boasts an absorbing library of field guides and illustrated volumes on wildlife. A well-stocked bar provides drinks and cocktails for post-safari sundowners around a camp fire while most of the meals are taken al fresco on the deck. Nearby a secluded plunge pool enables guests to cool off and relax.

With its shady trees and views overlooking the tranquil lagoon, Abu Camp is a haven of peace and seclusion.

Abu is unique in that it allows guests to interact with the resident elephant herd, meeting each individual and beginning to understand the complex behaviour of the largest land mammal on Earth. Guests are invited to become part of the elephant herd during their stay and may watch them being fed in the evenings, enjoy the frolics of the babies and accompanying them on foot as they move through the bush. These elephant encounters provide magical moments and being with them allows a closer approach to other animals than is able to be achieved when simply walking as an obvious human figure.

Abu also offers morning and afternoon game drives, night drives and nature walks to view the abundance of fauna and flora in the area. During the seasonal floods, guests are invited to take to the waters in the mokoros, the traditional poled craft used in the Delta.

Conservation:

The original vision has always been to return elephants that have spent much of their life in captivity back into the African wild. As a result, over a period of five years, five elephants from the Abu Camp riding herd have been released into the Okavango Delta wilderness area with the cooperation of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

All the released elephants have been fitted with collars and are being tracked by satellite enabling the researchers to pinpoint their exact locations three times a day. The tracking is backed up by on-the-ground monitoring and observation of their behaviour.

The release programme has provided a wealth of material for a research project being carried out by Dr Kate Evans of the Mammal Research Unit of the School of Biological Science at the University of Bristol in the UK and her assistants. This work will help the Botswana government in its management of the country's 110,000 elephants, the largest remaining elephant population in the world.

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