Selinda: the spillway that links the Okavango to the Linyanti.
A private reserve of open floodplain and woodland, crossed by an old channel that flows in wet years and lies dry in others.
One channel, two river systems.
The Selinda Spillway is a long, shallow channel that connects the north-eastern corner of the Okavango with the Linyanti. In a big flood year, water from the Delta pushes along it and the two systems join. In dry years it dwindles to a chain of pools, or nothing at all. It ran dry for long stretches of the last century and flowed again in the wet years of the late 2000s.
The reserve the spillway runs through covers more than 1,000 square kilometres, with only a handful of camps in it. It is open country by northern Botswana standards: long floodplains, palm islands and mopane, with sightlines that suit lion, cheetah and the wild dog packs that range across from the Linyanti.
As a private reserve it allows walking and night drives, and when the spillway holds enough water, a canoe trail along it with simple fly camps on the banks. That trail does not run every year, and when it does it is one of the most memorable things you can do in Botswana.
The Selinda Reserve: the essentials.
- WhereBetween the north-eastern Okavango and the Linyanti, northern Botswana
- SizeMore than 1,000 km² of private reserve
- Best monthsJune to October; canoeing depends on the spillway
- Getting thereBy light aircraft from Maun or Kasane
- How you see itDay and night drives, walking, and canoeing when water allows
- Who it suitsWalkers, repeat visitors, and travellers who want very few other people
A reserve built for being on foot and on the water.
The spillway
When it flows, a ribbon of clear water through the grassland that draws everything to it. When it does not, the old channel is still the reserve’s spine.
The canoe trail
In the years the water allows, a few days by canoe along the spillway, sleeping in simple fly camps. Not every year, and worth planning around when it is on.
Walking safaris
Long morning walks with an armed professional guide across open floodplain. Some of the best walking country in the north.
Wild dog
Packs move between Selinda and the Linyanti and den in the area in some years. Few places in Africa give better odds.
Night drives
The reserve’s own rules apply, so drives continue after dark with a spotlight, for the animals that only appear at night.
Very few vehicles
A handful of camps in more than 1,000 km². Sightings are rarely shared, and you can stay as long as the animal does.
What guests ask us about Selinda.
Is the Selinda Spillway always flowing?
No. It depends on how big the Okavango flood is and how much rain falls locally. Some years it runs strongly from the Delta to the Linyanti; in others it is a series of pools. We check before you book whether the canoe trail is likely to run on your dates.
What is a canoe safari on the spillway like?
Slow and very quiet. You paddle stable two-person canoes with a guide for a few hours a day, walk on the banks, and sleep in simple fly camps. You need to be reasonably fit and comfortable in a boat, and minimum ages apply.
Selinda or the Linyanti?
Is Selinda suitable for children?
For older children, yes, though walking and canoeing usually carry a minimum age of twelve to sixteen. With younger children we would generally suggest a camp with more vehicle-based activity.
How to fit Selinda into a journey.
It features in these two signature journeys, and we build it into tailor-made routes all the time.
Often combined with Selinda.
Keep reading
- Botswana’s private concessions — night drives, walking and the rules that make them possible
- Exclusive-use safaris — when the whole camp, and the guide, are yours
- When to go to Botswana — how the flood and the rains affect the north
Thinking about Selinda?
Tell us when you can travel and what you most want to see, and we will tell you honestly how many nights it deserves and what to pair it with.