Natural Selection, a newly established inbound safari operator, will open two new camps later this year to coincide with Indaba.

Sable Alley, in the Khwai Private Reserve, will comprise 11 tents, two of which will be family rooms able to accommodate up to four guests. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom and a private veranda.

The camp overlooks the Khwai River and is not far from Moremi Game Reserve. From the swimming pool, lounge and outdoor seating there is an uninterrupted view of large herds of plains game. Wildlife in the area include elephant, buffalo, rhino, wild dog and sable. Guests are also able to make use of Skybeds, a sleep-out option at Hyena Pan and Sable Alley.

Tau Camp is also scheduled to open at the same time. It is a research camp that can accommodate up to eight guests on an exclusive-use basis. Both camps are on government concessions on a lease arrangement.

Peter Allison, who is in charge of marketing Natural Selection, said the operator was aiming to make Botswana a more affordable destination.

The operator, whose catchphrase is ‘Safaris of character’, aims to incorporate experiential and authentic activities for guests, says Allison. He highlights an experience at Meno a Kwena camp, one of Natural Selection’s camps in partnership with Uncharted Africa, between Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. He explained that staff had taken guests on walks and then extended the activity with a Bushman language lesson.

There are also plans to upskill the camp staff and educate them on the importance of conservation.

Natural Selection has also appointed Northern Exposure as its overseas representation in the UK. Allison together with Dave van Smeerdjik and Kim Wagner will handle sales globally.

Natural Selection also has ambitious exciting plans for the years ahead.

The operator has also leased land in both Namibia and South Africa. This year there are plans to open a five-star beach lodge at De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape. The government of Namibia recently agreed to allow Natural Selection to operate an area of Nkasa Rupara National Park as a private safari concession. The operator will be working in partnership with the local community, to build a tented camp in the concession with its own private airstrip and customs and immigration office. Desert Elephant Camp in the Hoanib River valley, is also scheduled to open in 2017. Gwe Gwe Lodge, on South Africa’s Wild Coast, will open in 2018.