Kings Pool Camp,Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Chobe,Botswana
Named for Scandinavian royalty who camped at the water's edge, Kings Pool Lagoon attracts large herds of elephant during the dry season. Kings Pool Camp combines such spectacular sightings with a luxurious place from which to see them.
Kings Pool Camp is located in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, a vast private concession in the northern part of Botswana, on the western boundary of Chobe National Park. The accommodation here is luxurious, the wildlife spectacular.
Kings Pool Camp has nine well-appointed tents of canvas and thatch. Each has a large bedroom area, lounge, private plunge pool and 'sala'. The spacious en-suite bathrooms are tiled with double showers and hand-basins - as well as an outdoor shower for those who wish to shower close to nature! The lounge, dining room and pub areas are on expansive raised decks. There is also a communal pool and an open-air 'kgotla' for dining under the stars.
Kings Pool Camp overlooks the Linyanti River and the oxbow-shaped Kings Pool Lagoon, apparently named after a Scandinavian monarch who spent a number of nights camping out on its banks - long before any camp was built here.
The Linyanti Wildlife Reserve has abundant wildlife in a wide variety of species, but is most noted for its very large elephant population which can reach enormous densities during the dry winter months. Other game is abundant, such as impala, lechwe, kudu, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and bushbuck, and their predators: lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyaena. Rarer species such as sable and roan antelope also emerge from the woodlands during the dry season.
Apart from the simple appeal of watching the elephants at the water's edge from the luxury of the raised decks of Kings Pool Camp, spectacular wildlife viewing is available on day and night game drives and walks. Allowing for water levels, seasonal barge cruises along the Linyanti River are also on offer. The reed and papyrus swamps are ideal for numerous and diverse species of birds and are a magnet for game in the dry winter months.
Kings Pool Camp is famed not just for the sights, but also the sounds of wildlife all around. For this reason the camp has two hides. One is located at the western end of the camp where one can spend one's entire siesta time watching game come down to drink. The other is an original underground hide, with the water at eye-level. Seeing massive elephant feet and trunks almost within touching distance while safely inside is an extraordinary experience.
