As leaders in conservation tourism, Wilderness offers exceptional opportunities to see African wild dogs in their natural habitat – often up close. If the ‘painted wolf’ is on your wildlife wish list, these are the camps you need to visit…
Wilderness Chitabe, Botswana
Chitabe is located in the Chitabe Concession, which covers 22,000 hectares of pristine Okavango Delta wilderness. This unique area harbours a massive variety of habitats within close proximity, giving rise to a surprising diversity of species. The mix of Okavango and Kalahari ecosystems makes for an excellent home to an abundant array of herbivores: giraffe, buffalo, red lechwe, tsessebe, impala and elephant, which in turn support the larger predators: lion, leopard, spotted hyaena, cheetah, and of course, wild dog.
Wilderness Mombo, Botswana
The Mombo Wildlife Area is known as the Place of Plenty, highlighted by the massive concentrations of plains game and predators that live here. These include all the big cats, of which lion sightings are frequent. Leopard, spotted hyena, large herds of buffalo, elephant, giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra and more abound, while cheetah and wild dog often move through the area.
The Motsumi Pack – Motsumi meaning ’to hunt’ – was first seen on the island in 2014 and has provided exceptional sightings over the years. At its peak, the pack numbered 15 African wild dogs. Today, five of its members still roam the Mombo area.
Wilderness Vumbura Plains, Botswana
The annually flooded grasslands of the Okavango Delta surrounding Vumbura Plains are locally referred to as melapo, and offer good seasonal viewing of elephant, giraffe, impala, sable antelope, kudu, zebra, common waterbuck and reedbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, red lechwe and Cape buffalo. Hippo and crocodile are common in the waterways. Predators include the African wild dog, several resident prides of lion, as well as leopard, cheetah and African wildcat. Birding is also exceptional all year round.
Wilderness DumaTau, Botswana
DumaTau, located in the Linyanti Wilife Reserve, a region of woodland and watercourses in northern Botswana, boasts the famous Savuti Channel, an ancient and sporadic watercourse that supports abundant wildlife, and the productive Linyanti River. This area is famous for its huge concentrations of elephant in the dry season, and year-round game viewing. The varied woodland habitats and ancient floodplains along the Linyanti fault line make the area an essential part of any Botswana itinerary.
Wilderness Chikwenya, Zimbabwe
Chikwenya Camp in Mana Pools National Park lies at the heart of the Zambezi Valley (and was the area where the aforementioned Dynasties
