Atzaró Okavango: Botswana’s premier luxury safari camp

At a Glance

• Atzaró Okavango combines Mediterranean design with African Bush Camps’ authentic safari expertise.
• Guests enjoy private villas, plunge pools, fine dining, and helicopter access to the Delta.
• Sustainability drives the lodge with solar power, water care, and community conservation projects

Atzaró Okavango is not just Botswana’s newest safari lodge. It is a retreat that blends the Ibiza-born Atzaró Group’s Mediterranean aesthetic with African Bush Camps’ long-standing safari expertise. 

Opened in 2024, it offers travelers a rare balance: refined design in step with the raw beauty of the Okavango Delta, one of Africa’s last great wildernesses.

Roots in two worlds

For Atzaró Group, led by founders Victor Guasch and Philip Gonda, the Delta marked their first African venture. Their idea was to bring a “nature-first” vision of luxury beyond Europe.

To make that happen, they partnered with Beks Ndlovu, the Zimbabwean safari guide who built African Bush Camps into a name known for conservation and community investment.

The result is a camp that feels design-led yet firmly rooted in the traditions of safari travel. Early visitors and editors praised it as elegant without losing its sense of place.

The Delta setting

Atzaró Okavango sits on the NG/32 concession, between Moremi Game Reserve and the Gomoti Plains. Guests arrive by helicopter from Maun, tracing winding water channels before landing beside the lodge.

The sense of escape is immediate: the lagoon in front reflects wide Botswana skies, while the calls of fish eagles carry through the stillness.

Suites and style

The camp keeps to ten units — eight luxury suites, one family suite, and a two-bedroom villa. Canvas and thatch meet polished wood floors, deep beds, and private plunge pools.

Curated African textiles and artworks give the interiors warmth and character, ensuring they feel personal rather than staged.

Dining as ritual

Days are marked by food as much as wildlife sightings. Strong coffee and pastries set the morning; afternoons bring seasonal menus with local produce. Dinners linger over several courses paired with South African wines, sometimes inside, sometimes by the pool, and often outdoors under starlight. Meals are unhurried moments to share stories from the day.

Adventure and rest

Safari rhythms anchor the experience. Drives track elephants, lions, and birdlife, while water levels decide if guests drift in mokoro canoes or walk with guides. Helicopter trips show a wider sweep of palm-dotted islands and hippo pools.

Between outings, a spa uses African botanicals, yoga sessions unfold in a breezy pavilion, and the pool deck offers front-row views of wildlife. Families find their own rhythm with the Ngwana Club, where children learn bushcraft and local lore.

Built with care
From the start, the camp was designed with sustainability in mind. It runs on solar power and lithium batteries, manages water carefully, and avoids single-use plastics.

Through the African Bush Camps Foundation, guest levies support nearby schools, conservation work, and community projects. The idea is that luxury here comes with a sense of responsibility.

A place for milestones

The lodge has also become a setting for private celebrations. The villa often hosts honeymoons and anniversaries, where touches like candlelit lagoon dinners or sunrise yoga are arranged to feel natural and personal.

A retreat that lasts
Though new, Atzaró Okavango has quickly found its place in the Delta. It shows how design can complement, not compete with, the wilderness.

For travelers, it offers not just a safari but a way of slowing into the Delta’s rhythm — a rhythm best discovered over several nights, where the helicopter flight in feels less like arrival and more like entering another pace of life.