Eco-tourism company Great Plains has unveiled plans for its Sitatunga Private Island Suite, which will reside within Sitatunga Private Island Camp, a luxury water-based safari camp in Botswana.

Slated to open in July 2023, the two-bedroom suite will add to the existing offering of the camp, which houses eight people. Built on a raised, wrap-around railway sleeper private deck, the space will stretch across a total of approximately 607m².

The design process of the suite has focused around imbuing it with a sense of place and authenticity, with the giant bamboo fisherman basket structures of the spaces paying homage to the Bayei people that historically occupied the area.

“Sitatunga Private Island Camp is very Robinson Crusoe, desert island-ish,” explains Dereck Joubert, CEO of Great Plains Conservation. “It is designed with a salvage-inspired reference, complete with nods to the Bayei and other local Okavango fishing ancestries. Thick shaggy thatch covers canvas roofs and walls, while there is also thick pole woodwork that feels like masts salvaged from a shipwreck. The inner floorspace is actually some of the largest we have ever built! Each suite is set up high in the ebony trees, a traditional way to seek and find safety, take advantage of the views and rest in the cool shade.”

All materials in the camp have been sourced by Joubert over the years, and will be re-used to create the new Sitatunga Private Island Suite. The space will seamlessly blend into the natural landscape of the Okavango Delta, leaning into its strong ancestral origins.

A stay in the suite will mean additional amenities for guests, including yoga mats and light weights, as well as in-room massages available upon request. A wine cellar and boutique are also available to guests within the camp.

“Sitatunga Private Island Camp is an extraordinary place. It is a private island and is one of the few locations where one can still see sitatunga, the rare aquatic antelope from camp and by boat, which is the main activity here in addition to walking,” Joubert continues. “It is deep Okavango Delta and, as such, is rich in birding. Head out on a boat to view elephants, crocodiles and hippos all day, every day. I know guests will enjoy every moment of it, as I do.”