​Overview – Selinda

Anthony Ham
Expert
By Anthony Ham

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the Botswana & Namibia guide.

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

Anthony is the author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

There are four exclusive, upmarket lodges to choose from in the private Selinda Concession (also Selinda Game Reserve). The guiding is excellent, and activities include game drives, night drives, walks and boat safaris. Wildlife viewing is very good with most big safari animals present except rhino. The reserve is one of the best for wild dog sightings.

Best Time To Go July to October (Best wildlife viewing)
High Season July to October (Higher rates apply but not busy)
Size 1,350km²/521mi²
Altitude 934-1,024m / 3,064-3,360ft

Pros & Cons

  • Four of the Big Five are easily spotted (rhino is absent)
  • Off-road driving is permitted, which facilitates quality sightings
  • Game drives, boat trips and walking safaris are available
  • Four-day canoeing and walking camping trips available (scheduled weekly)
  • Horseback riding at Motswiri Camp
  • Very exclusive reserve with great food and stunning lodges
  • Excellent guiding
  • There are no hunting concessions in the reserve
  • Only expensive, all-inclusive packages available
  • Not accessible by 4x4; fly-in only

Selinda Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

Wildlife viewing is excellent in the reserve. There are several resident prides of lion, and huge herds of elephant arrive in the Dry season. Wild dog sightings are particularly good, but leopard sightings are hit-and-miss. Zebra also migrate to this area in large numbers when the bush is getting dry. More unusual mammals that occur in small numbers are roan, eland and sable.

Scenery

The reserve is upstream from Chobe and the Savuti Channel. The camps are located at the Selinda Spillway, which is the mouth of the usually dry Magwegqana River. The spillway floods occasionally and the area is characterized by floodplains with clusters of palm trees.

Weather & Climate

Climate-wise, the year can be divided into a Wet season (November to March) and a Dry season (April to October). The rains of the Wet season are initially cooling, but they don’t really do much to temper the heat at this time of year. The Dry season is much milder, dipping into cool temperatures in June, including cold mornings. Then the heat builds as the rain clouds start to gather.

Best Time To Visit

Herbivores migrate into Selinda a few months into the Dry season (April to October) and stick around until the year’s end. The climate and the presence of animals from June until October makes these the best months to visit. If you do arrive in the wetter months, you’ll continue to spot wildlife until December. But rain-gouged roads and frequent storms will influence your experience.

Want To Visit Selinda?

Selinda Safaris

Selinda Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Emma Gregg  –  
United Kingdom UK

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

Relaxed luxury in pristine bush, close to the Okavango Delta
5/5

Of the three remarkable wildlife areas immediately west of Chobe – Kwando, Selinda and Linyanti – Selinda is arguably the best, particularly for predators such as lions, wild dogs and aardwolves. This region has gone through a series of...

Full Review

Latest User Review
Mike B. Reviewed: Aug 1, 2012
Selinda Game Reserve 5-Stars
5/5

The staff at Selinda Game Reserve is accommodating, charming, and truly proud to be there. We enjoyed our time with them almost as much as seeing the wildlife. Our guides were the best that we experienced in Botswana, and we were incredibly...

Full Review