 SAVUTE ELEPHANT CAMP - SAVUTI MARSH, CHOBE NATIONAL PARK, BOTSWANA
Savute Elephant Camp is dramatically different from Orient-Express Safaris' other camps . It is located on the Savute Channel in Chobe National Park, which is in the rugged, semi-arid wilderness region of far northern Botswana. And it is a tented camp, recently under thatch, in true African style. The area is known for its exciting game viewing and birding. This area also presents you with the rare opportunity to view rock paintings drawn by the early Bushmen, who once inhabited the region. As this camp is situated in the Chobe National Park, park regulations prohibit night drives and walking. Savute personifies the eternal contrast of Africa. Where Orient Express' other two camps celebrate water and lush vegetation, Savute is an objective lesson in aridity. Rain in this dry place is rare and water is precious. Situated on the Savute Channel, which is an eccentric waterway that fluctuates between being bone-dry or flooding, the whole ethos of Savute Elephant Camp is commiserate with its inhabitants and environment, although the camp has not seen water flowing in the channel since 1983.
You find yourself in harmony with a unique timeless place, removed from city life. In Savute, you realize that precious little has changed on these dry plains since time began. And the realization dawns that you are fortunate and privileged to be in one of the last corners of the planet governed by nature.
Savute Elephant Camp is owned and operated by Orient Express Safaris.
Savute offers 12 twin-bedded luxury canvas tents, recently placed under thatch, that are perfectly suited to the desert air and feature lavishly appointed en-suite bathrooms and dressing areas. The tents also have private viewing decks and comfortable outdoor lounges overlooking the Channel.  Facilities include: 'His and hers' vanity unit, private viewing decks, electric heaters, air conditioning, hair dryers, electric overhead fan (24 hour use), 110v/220v plugs for electric razor, facilities for charging video cameras, and 24-hour DC battery lighting in the guest rooms.
The Camp's Facilities include:
• Heated swimming pool - built slightly into the riverbed
• Private outdoor leisure area
• Satellite phones on request
• Telescopes
• Laundry
• Curio shops with toiletries, video and 35mm film, safari wear, local art and craft objects
• Reference library of books and videos, audio-visual facilities
• VHF radio communications plus 24 hour emergency facilities
• Environmental flora and fauna check lists, talks and lectures
• Viewing decks
• Covered dining room and lounge area
• Fully stocked bar
• Camp fire and seating area Meals include:
Early breakfast (served around 6am)
Light brunch (served around 11am)
Light snacks, tea and coffee on morning activity
Afternoon tea (served around 4pm)
Drinks and snacks on afternoon activity
Dinner (served around 8pm)  Activities
Savute Elephant Camp offers game viewing activities in the morning and late afternoons. These activities take place on a safari viewing vehicle, designed for your comfort and safety. Activities are restricted to set regulations as the camp is within a national park. Activities include:
• Morning and afternoon game drives
• Bird and wild animal viewing from all the decks and the swimming pool surround, all overlooking the purpose-built water hole
• Visits to view Bushman rock paintings Services on request and subject to surcharge:
• Company environmental manager
• Private guides and vehicles, on request
• Specialized guides and speakers
• Game flights; fixed-wing and helicopter (see below)
• Exclusivity of the camp (subject to availability)
Additional activities:
• Scenic game viewing flights: Breathtaking flights in a Cessna 206 can be arranged.
• Helicopter flights: These flights are taken in a Bell Jet Ranger and can be arranged on request.
• Additional activities are available either by pre-arrangement or on arrival at the camp. Wildlife
The opportunities to view game and the astonishing bird life of this area are unsurpassed. The camp's Rangers are almost telepathic in their ability to find game. They will point to what appears to be an empty horizon. From the emptiness, magnificent creatures will appear, as if conjured by some unearthly magic. Every day, in the early morning and evening, your professional Ranger will guide your four-wheel drive safari vehicle to within close viewing range of impassively grazing herds of Impala, Tsessebe, Giraffe and Zebra as well as within close focus range of the powerful predators: Lion, Leopard and Cheetah. You are also likely to see plenty of Wildebeest, Warthog, Kudu, Black-backed Jackals, Steenbok, Bat-eared Foxes, vultures, hornbills and eagles. In Savute, one animal reigns supreme. Savute is the place to see the earth's largest land creatures in their full glory. Elephants are numerous and very big in Savute. When the rain comes in December, this arid region changes completely and the once dry plains sustain, for a short period, herds of migrating Zebra in their thousands. In their trail are the opportunist predators such as Lions and Hyenas. It is truly a spectacle to behold. More than anywhere else, here at Savute you sense the essence of Africa.
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