Gomoti Private

OVERVIEW:

With just two tents, Gomoti Private is a jewel of a camp – ideal for families with younger children or groups of friends seeking privacy and total flexibility. It’s nestled into a picture-perfect riverine forest within the vast, community-run private Gomoti concession, and guests have access to more than 100,000 hectares of floodplains, mopane forests, grasslands, and water channels. Alongside sister property, Gomoti Plains Camp, Gomoti Private is run by Machaba Safaris, who operate in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Chobe Forest Reserve, and Zimbabwe’s spectacular Mana Pools and Hwange National Park. Benefiting from reliably good game viewing throughout the year, the camp offers a cross-section of activities covering the Delta’s highlights. Accommodation at Gomoti Plains Camp is booked on a full-board basis, including all meals, a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, all activities, transfers between the camp and the local airstrip, and a laundry service. The camp is open all year round.

ACCESS & LOCATION:

Next door to Gomoti Plains Camp, Gomoti Private is located in a private concession in the south-eastern part of the Okavango Delta. Access is by light aircraft flight (approximately 10 minutes’ flying time from Maun) to Qorokwe Airstrip, followed by a 40-minute game drive to camp.

ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT GOMOTI PRIVATE:

Guest accommodation at Gomoti Private consists of just two elevated Meru-style tents – one luxury tent and one family unit on either side of the camp’s main area. Accommodating a maximum of two guests, the luxury tent is accessed via zip-up canvas and a second mesh layer that keeps insects at bay while providing good light and airflow. Inside, you’ll find a metal-frame king-sized bed, which can also be configured as a twin set-up, a headboard that doubles up as a storage unit, bedside tables with reading lights, a writing desk, a standing fan, and a comfortable armchair. The family tent has the same amenities, but it can accommodate a family of four in two bedrooms separated by a shared lounge space with zip-up canvas walls for privacy. Both tents are raised above ground level on timber decking, with an exterior canvas layer extending over the inner structure to create a private veranda. Here, you’ll find some comfy seating and spectacular floodplain views. Each en-suite bathroom contains flush toilets, twin washbasins, and showers, and one of the tents has a freestanding copper bathtub outside on the deck.

The open-fronted communal areas at Gomoti Private are accessed from the tents via wooden walkways beneath the trees. An airy, open-plan space with a lounge, bar, tea-and-coffee station, and cosy dining area, there’s plenty of comfortable seating to curl up with a book or settle in and admire the views. The mess tent opens out onto an extensive veranda with a fire-pit shaded by an acacia tree, from which lanterns are suspended by night, giving the ambience a warm glow. Adjacent to the fire-pit, guests can cool off in the small plunge pool during the heat of the day, and massage treatments are available in the privacy of the tents. While the camp doesn’t have its own boutique, you’ll have access to the curio shop at sister camp Gomoti Plains. Please note that a limited Wi-Fi connection is available in the main lodge area and guest tents, but this is intermittent and cannot be relied upon. Gomoti Private is proudly eco-aware, forgoing aircon and hairdryers (though a hairdryer can be provided on request).

ACTIVITIES AT GOMOTI PRIVATE:

Gomoti Private is ideally situated to offer a range of Okavango Delta activities. Some are seasonal, so please contact the YZ team for further information. Any group that includes a child under the age of 6 must book a private game-drive vehicle. The minimum age for a mokoro ride is 12, and for walking safaris, it’s 16.

• Game drives

  – The private concession in which Gomoti Plains Camp is located supports grasslands, woodlands, riverine forests, and a wealth of waterways, including the Gomoti river. This diversity of habitats means that wildlife here is prolific, and there is plenty to see on game drives. Setting off during early morning or late afternoon, you can look out for lion, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, plenty of antelopes, and over four hundred bird species!

• Night drives

  – Take to the wilderness by night as your guide points out some of the concession’s nocturnal species, including aardvark, aardwolf, the rarely seen pangolin, porcupine, and perhaps the occasional leopard.

• Walking safaris

  – Depending on the weather and conditions of the terrain, walking safaris are led by armed guides and usually happen in the morning at a leisurely pace, allowing guests to observe the smaller things in the bush, such as insects, plants, and birdlife.

• Mokoro excursions

  – The mokoro dug-out canoe experience is unique to the Okavango Delta and one of the highlights of a safari in this region. Led by an experienced poler who steers at the front of the boat, you’ll absorb the sights and sounds of nature gliding along the network of channels with their diverse wildlife, big and small.

• Boating

  – Boating safaris focus on the scenic Gomoti river and are a wonderful way to encounter aquatic and semi-aquatic species and the many animals congregating to drink at the water’s edge. You’ll likely see elephant, hippo, and many vibrant waterbirds along the way.

*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.