Jao Camp
Fauna and Flora
Camp Details
full brochure in pdf
Jao Camp is a Wilderness Safaris Premier Camp located on a large, remote island in a private concession in Botswana , bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta . With varied habitats ranging from waterways and lagoons to dry Kalahari grasslands and open floodplains, Jao Camp can offer both land and water experiences, depending on the current flood levels. This luxury camp is a tranquil base for a wonderful Okavango Delta Safari experience.
In the central region of the concession, vast open floodplains provide some of the most stunning scenery Botswana has to offer. Jao Camp lies in the southern side of the plains, an area with beautiful islands fringed with riverine forests.
Jao Camp has nine spacious, beautiful tents, each individually handcrafted. These twin-bedded canvas and thatched rooms are situated beneath a canopy of shady trees and have en-suite facilities, as well as an outdoor shower for the more adventurous. Built on raised decks, each has a private sala for afternoon siestas and offers wonderful views of the spectacular surrounding floodplains of Botswana. In addition to the lounge and dining area, there are two plunge pools and an outdoor boma for dining under the stars, complemented by wines from an excellent wine cellar. Jao Camp also has a salon where a wide range of massage therapies are offered.
Mokoros, boat trips, fishing, nature walks, day and night game drives and birding are usually on offer all year round due to the abundance of wildlife in Botswana. There are two platform hides in the concession. During an unusually high flood season, game drives begin by boating out to a nearby Hunda Island where the vehicles are waiting, and the drive begins from there. Huge herds of red lechwe can be seen, followed by their primary predator - prides of lion. Other game typical of Botswana include elephant, buffalo, leopard, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest, hippo and crocodile. Many bird species are resident such as Meyer's Parrot, African Harrier Hawk, Black egret, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Hamerkop and Black Crake being some of the avian treasures found at Jao Camp.
In the central region of the concession, vast open floodplains provide some of the most stunning scenery Botswana has to offer. Jao Camp lies in the southern side of the plains, an area with beautiful islands fringed with riverine forests.
Jao Camp has nine spacious, beautiful tents, each individually handcrafted. These twin-bedded canvas and thatched rooms are situated beneath a canopy of shady trees and have en-suite facilities, as well as an outdoor shower for the more adventurous. Built on raised decks, each has a private sala for afternoon siestas and offers wonderful views of the spectacular surrounding floodplains of Botswana. In addition to the lounge and dining area, there are two plunge pools and an outdoor boma for dining under the stars, complemented by wines from an excellent wine cellar. Jao Camp also has a salon where a wide range of massage therapies are offered.
Mokoros, boat trips, fishing, nature walks, day and night game drives and birding are usually on offer all year round due to the abundance of wildlife in Botswana. There are two platform hides in the concession. During an unusually high flood season, game drives begin by boating out to a nearby Hunda Island where the vehicles are waiting, and the drive begins from there. Huge herds of red lechwe can be seen, followed by their primary predator - prides of lion. Other game typical of Botswana include elephant, buffalo, leopard, tsessebe, zebra and wildebeest, hippo and crocodile. Many bird species are resident such as Meyer's Parrot, African Harrier Hawk, Black egret, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Hamerkop and Black Crake being some of the avian treasures found at Jao Camp.
FAUNA AND FLORA
NG 25 - The Jao Concession
The Jao Concession is 60 000 hectares in extent and is in the north-western area of the Okavango Delta below the Panhandle. The Moremi Game Reserve forms the eastern boundary of the concession.
The Okavango Delta rests between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great African Rift Valley. Deserts are low on annual rainfall and the Okavango Delta is no exception. However, each year floodwater flows into the Okavango Delta from its source in the moist African highlands over 1000 km away. These floodwaters flow from their catchment southwards and into the Kalahari Desert to create a unique wetland that supports and sustains the huge diversity of wildlife in the Okavango Delta.
Lying as it does in the very heart of the Okavango Delta, the Jao Concession embodies all the magic and mystique of Botswana. Narrow water channels cut their way through the papyrus and reed beds in the permanent delta to the north and east of the Jao Concession, providing the perfect environment for the elusive sitatunga and the rare Pel's Fishing-Owl. Beautiful lush palm islands dot the water, begging to be explored.
Further west the area gets progressively dryer and Hunda Island, which is the tip of a large 'sand tongue,' is the largest area of dry land in the Jao Concession during the flood season. Hunda Island has sandveld vegetation supporting many species of nutritious acacia and grewia shrubs which provide excellent browsing.
It is perhaps the birds for which the true wetland areas of the Okavango Delta are best known however. The largest concentrations of endangered Wattled Crane are found in this area and Slaty Egrets, Rosy-throated Longclaws and African Skimmer are some of the specials that can be seen. Hallowed species such as Pel's Fishing-Owl and Slaty Egret are found alongside more conspicuous and commonly seen Coppery-tailed Coucal, Pygmy Goose, while the specialised African Skimmer (from which Wilderness Safaris takes its logo) may be seen on the larger lagoons and channels in the Jao Concession.
The Jao Concession is set in the most densely populated wetland area for sitatunga antelope and red lechwe, and of course hippo and crocodile are regularly sighted. In the dry season lechwe, tsessebe, elephant, wildebeest and zebra occur here, and lion, cheetah and leopard are often sighted on the floodplains. The lion prides in this area of the Okavango Delta have been extensively studied in recent years, thereby building up a more intimate knowledge of their behavior
CAMP DETAILS AND ACTIVITIES
Wilderness Safaris Premier Luxury Camp with 9 rooms
Pool
Spa
Gym
- Land game drives in 5 x 10 seater open 4x4 Land Rovers each accommodating a maximum of 7 guests, allowing all guests an outside seat (each vehicle is equipped with a tree book, a bird book, a mammal book, a pair of binoculars and insect repellent in a centre consol on each row of seats)
- Full day game drives and picnics on Hunda Island - a 45min boat ride away from Jao Camp. Night drives with spotlights.
- Private activities available on request.
- Game walks.
- Water game viewing in 2 x 2-seater glass-bottomed mokoro (dug-out canoe), and 12 x 2 seater mokoro
2 x 12-seater boat used in the waterways to the east of camp. - Fishing - on a catch and release basis; basic rods and reels supplied by camp but fly-fishing equipment to be supplied by guest.
- A raised hide located about 20 minutes from camp (which can be used for sleep-outs - maximum 4 people at a time - and is equipped with a long-drop loo).
- At the beauty salon we offer a full menu of therapies ranging from Clarin's facials, through to manicures, pedicures and a range of massage options.
- Gym, equiped with a cross trainer, rowing machine, stationary bike, yoga mats, exercise ball and free weights.
- Entertainment room,furnished as a lounge and dining area. It is suitable for private dining, children's entertainment, watching wildlife documentaries and conducting lectures etc.