To the northeast of the Okavango Delta in Botswana are the Chobe and Linyanti game reserves. This area is very different from the Okavango and should be included in every Botswana itinerary so that travelers have a varied and balanced experience of the country.
Botswana’s Chobe and Linyanti game reserves are renowned for their predators and large concentrations of game, particularly elephant and buffalo which move down to the Linyanti River at the start of Botswana’s winter months (May/June) and only retrace their steps inland once Botswana’s main rains arrive (late November/December). Sable and roan antelope occur, as well as lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog. The Linyanti marshes are home to red lechwe, sitatunga, hippo, crocodiles and wonderful birdlife. Moving along the fringes of Botswana’s Linyanti waterways, guests can see kudu, zebra, buffalo, waterbuck and impala.
The region's key feature is the Linyanti River and marshes, which are complemented by contrasting dry woodlands inland. Dereck and Beverly Joubert made the region famous in their National Geographic films. "Eternal Enemies" is a classic, and chronicles in detail the unique interaction that occurs between lion and hyena in this area.
The Linyanti wildlife reserve is a 275,000 acre private reserve on Chobe's western boundary, two thirds of this is the famous Savuti Channel. The Savuti Channel is a "waterway" that connects the Linyanti River from Zibadianja Lagoon, with the interior of the Chobe National Park at the Savuti Marsh. The Savuti has only ever flowed intermittently and dried up for the last time in 1980. Today the Savuti Channel is an open grassland and home to a variety of different animals.
Botswana’s Linyanti wildlife reserve is enormous, it is a private reserve and guests are able to view abundant wildlife privately and exclusively. Three small safari camps share the area Duma Tau, Kings Pool, and Savuti Camp.