When you think of a Botswana safari, what comes to mind? Roaming across flora and fauna, including rolling savannah and lush green mini-mount hills in a trusty safari vehicle at the Okavango Delta, Chobe or Moremi Game Reserve could be your answer. Put differently, can water be another way to see and experience Botswana’s greatest hidden treasurers?
A local tourism outfit, Desert & Delta Safaris (DDS) says the answer to the last question is yes. The company makes a bet with one of its best spots being Camp Okavango. DDS is owned by the Botswana Stock Exchange quoted safari tour operator Chobe Holdings.
In addition to the captivating wildlife found in the Okavango Delta, DDs safari guides offer guests unparalleled opportunities to witness breathtaking sightings of not just fish and hippopotamuses swimming, but elephants doing the same. The camp and the swamps within its vicinity offer an array of magnificent birdlife, according to Chobe Holdings Group Managing Director Lempeditse Odumetse.
Odumetse says during their stay, at Camp Okavango, guests are ushered into the finest level of hospitality that starts each day with a nature walk, a Mokoro ride, boat cruise before ending with exquisite fine dining and a fire-lit boma.
Camp Okavango also has an African art gallery, a curated art shop as well as a mini library for the guest to make use of while visiting. The Camp has recently gone back to its glory days as tourists return during the period that is usually referred to as a ‘peak’ within the tourism sector.
“Our safari guides and staff have been well trained to ensure the utmost guest hospitality and service during the stay in the camp”, says Odumetse.
In the past year, Odumetse and his Chobe Holdings team brought the company back to profitability following a devastating two-year period during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company’s latest financials show that its revenue nearly tripled, surging from P118.3 million to P410.9 million, spurred by strong recovery across all brands, including a 138 percent jump in occupancy rates.
In keeping with the company’s dividend distribution policy and the solvency requirements, the Chobe board of directors declared a net dividend of 60 thebe per share.
Besides the dividend, Chobe’s shareholders will be delighted by the gains on the stock market after the share price rose by 18.84 percent to trade by P1.49 since the year began.
Chobe owns and operates twelve eco-tourism lodges and camps on leased land in northern Botswana and the Caprivi Strip in Namibia with a combined capacity of 317 beds under the brands of Desert and Delta Safaris, Chobe Game Lodge and Ker and Downey Botswana.
