Mapula & Sekwana Concession (NG12)

All Connected

Unlike many regions of the Okavango that lean strongly toward either wetland or woodland, NG12 is shared by both. Mopane forests open into vast floodplains. Palm islands rise from marshy channels. Vast grasslands are broken by stands of acacia trees.

This mosaic of habitats supports an extraordinary spectrum of wildlife, a landscape that feels wild, expansive and deeply alive. Mapula as a lodge perfectly encapsulates its setting, offering the Complete Botswana Safari Experience. Situated in a private concession, all scheduled Desert & Delta Safaris activities are available here.

Inclusive scheduled activities at Mapula include motorboat safaris, mokoro excursions, walking safaris, game drives, night game drives, and cultural excursions. Scenic helicopter flights are available (prior booking and surcharges apply).

Ways of Water

At the core of this dynamic environment is the Selinda Spillway, the vital seasonal waterway positioned between two of Africa’s great water systems: the Okavango Delta to the west and the Linyanti–Kwando–Chobe system to the east. It floods and dries seasonally, resulting in a consistent flux of life, movement, and opportunity.

By April, Botswana’s annual rise in water is typically visible. By May, water becomes part of your experience. Shallow floodplains, water-lily channels and lagoons are fed by the annual flood pulse that begins its journey in the Angolan highlands.

Channels spread into new areas, islands shrink, and the land becomes a shifting patchwork of blue and green—a living maze carved and maintained by creatures great and small.

The variety of habitats packed into this single concession makes it one of the most rewarding places in the Okavango for birdlife, from the smallest reed-dwelling jewels to the largest birds of prey.

The wetlands host kingfishers, herons, jacanas, and fish eagles on the hunt for the bounty of fish, insects and amphibians. On the islands, bee-eaters tunnel into sandy banks, rollers flash bright colours and hornbills echo through the canopy.

Above the woodlands, raptors soar—bateleurs, martial eagles, and vultures that rise on thermals. In the shade of the canopy below, Verreaux’s eagle owls perch near their overgrown chick as they take their first leap into the void, while diminutive pearl-spotted owlets dive through the trees on the trail of a mice.

Land Interlaced

Floodplains, once dry, become shallow feeding grounds for a great variety of antelope. Beyond the wetlands, the woodlands come alive as dense leaves crown the trees, attracting browsers like giraffes and kudus. On higher ground, palm-dotted islands rise on hillocks, creating year-round havens for some of Botswana’s densest predator populations.

Lions patrol the woodlands, grasslands and floodplains forming large territorial prides that take advantage of the diverse prey. Leopards, masters of the deeper forests, move through riverine thickets, using the density of vegetation and the elevated islands as perfect hunting platforms.

Cheetahs favour the open plains where their speed gives them an advantage over impala and young wildebeest. But perhaps the most celebrated predators of NG12 are the African wild dogs. Packs roam the region freely, adept at hunting in all environments. With abundant prey and relatively low human pressure, NG12 provides excellent conditions for wild dogs to den, hunt and rear their young.

Full Circle Celebrated

November typically ushers in life-giving seasonal rains, and the bush comes alive in entirely new ways. It’s a time to celebrate Botswana at its most alive—in motion and abuzz with adaptation. This is a season often misunderstood. Wildlife is not absent. It’s in often at its most dynamic as species move, adapt, and reestablish what survival in the bush requires.

Elephants are a constant presence. When water is most abundant, they wade through channels or move from island to island, feeding on water plants and taking advantage of new routes created by the rising waters.

Buffalo herds, often numbering in the hundreds, roam the area, grazing across floodplains in the cool mornings. Lechwe, perfectly adapted to life in shallow water, bound across marshy edges, while impala, zebra, tsessebe and giraffe populate the woodlands and plains. The shier residents, such as sitatunga and reedbuck, slip quietly between the reeds. This is Botswana’s celebration of Mother Nature’s brilliant cycles—perfectly balanced, always.

Mapula C.A.R.E.S

For over 40 years, Desert & Delta Safaris has been a leader in responsible tourism. Now this legacy extends to NG12 with our C.A.R.E.S philosophy: Customers, Africa, Responsibility, Employees, Sustainability. This framework drives us to empower local communities, uplift our staff, protect wildlife, and inspire travellers to make a positive impact.

More so, we bring pioneering leadership and opportunity to NG12 without expansion or ecological disruption as our newly announced Mapula adheres to Desert & Delta Safaris’ conscious environmental footprint through the refurbishment of an already existing lodge.

Crucially, we acknowledge a vital but often overlooked element of responsible tourism: the role of the guest. So, we go further by guiding journeys that educate, inspire and transform on deeply human levels. The result is a safari journey that matters, where you create change by simply arriving, and departing with the knowledge and desire to continue doing so.