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Khwai · Okavango Delta

Machaba Camp

Classic 1950s safari tents under ebony trees, on a river where elephants cross between the Delta and Moremi.

Location Khwai, eastern Okavango Delta
Getting there Light-aircraft flight from Maun to Khwai airstrip, then a short game drive
Style 1950s-style riverside tents
Ideal stay 3–4 nights — the Khwai rewards patience.
The lodge
Game drives Mokoro safaris Night drives Birding
Plan your safari

Machaba sits on the Khwai River under a grove of ancient ebony and leadwood trees, looking across the water into Moremi Game Reserve. The Khwai is a wildlife thoroughfare: elephant herds cross in front of camp, and predators work both banks — the game viewing is famously constant.

The style is deliberate 1950s nostalgia — dark timber, brass and canvas — but the comforts are current, and the Khwai community area around camp allows night drives the reserve across the river cannot. Value for the level is among the Delta’s best.

A note from the founders

A classic Khwai River camp with elephants in the channel out front — honest, beautifully run Botswana at a fair rate.

— Evance & Jennifer
The honest pitch

Why book Machaba Camp through NndeeAfrika

You never pay more than booking direct — usually less. And everything around the lodge is handled.

01

A better rate, more safari

As a trade partner we access preferred rates and seasonal offers the lodge doesn’t always publish — you’ll never pay more than booking direct. And a lodge can only sell you its own beds; we build the journey around it: international flights, the right nights, and where you go next.

02

Door-to-door, no gaps

A private car waiting at the airport, light-aircraft hops timed to your route, and a guide who already knows your name. Book direct and the gaps between camps become your problem; book with us and there are none.

03

We know this lodge personally

We know the Khwai’s rhythm — where the elephant crossings happen, how the community area’s night drives work, and how Machaba pairs with a deep-water camp for the full Delta at a sensible budget.

04

One call if anything changes

A missed flight, a weather delay, a change of heart mid-trip — you contact one person, and we re-arrange everything behind the scenes. The lodge looks after you on property; we look after the whole journey.

Get a tailor-made quote Free to inquire · replies within one business day

They were fast, patient, and modified our itinerary to meet our needs… making us feel like their only clients.

★★★★★ A couple’s Big Five safari · South Africa & Botswana Verified review ↗
What makes it special

Highlights of Machaba Camp

01

The Khwai River crossing

Elephant herds ford the river in front of camp daily in the dry season — the Delta’s best free show.

02

Moremi across the water

Game drives work both the community area and the reserve — two ecosystems from one camp.

03

Night drives allowed

The Khwai community concession permits spotlit drives — leopard and hyena after dark.

04

1950s style, honest value

Classic safari romance at a rate that leaves budget for more nights — rare in Botswana.

05

Ebony-grove setting

Camp shade comes from centuries-old trees; the river does the decorating.

Who it suits

Machaba Camp is best for

First Botswana safaris

Constant game, classic style and Delta value — the easiest yes in the Okavango.

Elephant lovers

The Khwai crossings put you meters from the herds, at water level.

Longer stays

The rate makes 4-night stays realistic where flagship camps allow 2.

Photographers on a brief

River light, crossings and night drives — plenty to work with.

Best time to go

May–October for dry-season river concentrations; November–March is green season with newborns and lower rates.

How many nights

3–4 nights — the Khwai rewards patience.

Where it fits

The land-and-river chapter of a Delta circuit, pairing with a water camp or Chobe.

Combine with

Build Machaba Camp into a full journey

Good to know

Machaba Camp FAQs

No — through NndeeAfrika you pay the same rate or better, never more. As a trade partner we access rates and seasonal offers not always published, and we also arrange your flights, private transfers and the rest of your itinerary, remaining your single point of contact throughout.

Yes — it is one of the Delta’s best-regarded mid-luxury camps: the wildlife of the Khwai at a rate meaningfully below the flagship names. Guests trading one flagship night for two Machaba nights rarely regret it.

Three to four. The Khwai’s elephant crossings and night drives get better the longer you sit with them, and the rate makes the extra night painless.

Add Machaba Camp to your safari.

Tell us when you want to go and what matters most to you — the animals, the food, the quiet. We’ll design your private, bespoke luxury Botswana safari around Machaba Camp and take care of everything in between. No pressure, ever.

Plan your safari