New Safari Camp Goes Back to Basics—Though Still With Persian Rugs

While other safari lodges in Botswana seem to be in a battle of luxury one-upmanship (with architecture and plunge pools being the weapons of choice), Selinda Explorers Camp is taking it down a notch. It’s not that the four-tent camp—which opened last year on a 320,000-acre reserve that is rich in elephants, lions, and other game—is lacking in style. The custom-designed tents have Persian rugs, copper vanities, and campaign furniture. But this is, at heart, a back-to-basics safari experience, complete with (hot) bucket showers, leisurely cookouts on the sandy banks of the Selinda Spillway, and a focus on exploring, both on foot and by canoe. Indeed, some of the country’s best guides are attached to the camp. Ask for Kane Motswana, who uses traditional Bushman tracking techniques and can spin a good yarn around a campfire.