Updates

Botswana 

Sanctuary lodges & camps opened their latest luxury camp, Baines' camp, named after the famed explorer and painter Thomas Baines. 

Thomas Baines left England at the age of 21 for the Southern African shores, venturing alongside David Livingstone exploring the upper Zambezi and Botswana. Well shaded with excellent wildlife and panoramic views, Baines' Camp is located on a private concession, on the southern edge of the Okavango Delta, overlooking a large, perennial lagoon off the Boro River. The concession is within a natural resource management area. Baines' Camp is a joint venture community based project. In keeping with the environmental theme an innovative, ecologically friendly concept has been developed for the design and construction of the camp's walls. This has been achieved by the use of recycled beverage cans sealed in wire mesh and hessian panels and then finished with an elephant dung plaster mix. The beverage cans were collected by the introduction of an incentive program given to the local schools and communities in and around the town of Maun, which resulted in the collection of 150,000 used cans. The benefits of the incentive program were not only financial but also helped in a clean up process of the town. The décor of each room is themed around a Thomas Baines' historical painting, allowing for simplicity and rich textures. Attention to detail has also been given to the architectural design of the buildings and its finishes creating an individual and innovative camp. The main area circles a termite mound, which has a large Fig Tree and Knob Thorn Acacia. When the lagoon is in full flood building itself forms part of the termite island completely surrounded by water. There will be a fully stocked wine cellar, relaxing lounge and intimate dining area. The oversized open deck situated on the waters edge includes a suspended fireplace. A rim flow swimming pool with extensive views is located in the privacy of a termite mound and palm tree.