The Jao Reserve

The Jao Reserve A family-operated collection of six camps in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Rooted in place. Different, by Nature.

The Reserve is a tranquil base for a wonderful Okavango Delta Safari experience.The Jao Reserve (Wildlife Management Area NG25) is 60 000 hectares in extent and is in the north-western area of the Okavango Delta below the panhandle. The Moremi Game Reserve forms the eastern boundary of the reserve. Lying as it does in the very heart of the Delta the Jao Reserve embodies all the magic and mystique

of the Okavango. Narrow water channels cut their way through the papyrus and reed beds in the permanent delta to the north and east of the reserve, providing the perfect environment for the elusive sitatunga and the rare Pel's Fishing Owl. Beautiful lush palm islands dot the water, begging to be explored. Further west the reserve gets progressively dryer and Hunda Island which is the tip of a large sand tongue is the largest area of dry land during the flood season.

Evenings at Pelo tend to gather people together.Stories, laughter, a drink in hand, and that easy feeling of being exact...
28/05/2026

Evenings at Pelo tend to gather people together.

Stories, laughter, a drink in hand, and that easy feeling of being exactly where you should be.

Simple, but special.

Let's connect at The Experience Africa Show in London! Excited to meet, network, and celebrate African culture together!...
26/05/2026

Let's connect at The Experience Africa Show in London! Excited to meet, network, and celebrate African culture together! See you there!

Up close with a leopard, and you realise how much you don’t see from a distance.Every movement, every glance… completely...
24/05/2026

Up close with a leopard, and you realise how much you don’t see from a distance.

Every movement, every glance… completely intentional.

Pure presence.

📷 Julia Kasnitz |

22/05/2026

Building in the Okavango Delta is never simple.

After heavy rainfall and an early flood, transporting materials to Kwetsani has become an adventure of its own with muddy roads, changing tracks and trucks disappearing into the mud.

Then came the swimming pool.

The first pool arrived cracked, so a new one was built and sent north from Johannesburg. But when it finally reached Hunda boat station, we discovered it was too wide for our barge.

So we came up with another Delta solution. We joined two 7-meter boats together, carefully positioned the pool across them, and slowly moved it 5.7km up the channel through the floodwaters until it safely reached the site.

Not always straightforward.

Never boring.

Meanwhile, Kwetsani continues rising through the trees, one challenge at a time.

Dinner at Jacana doesn’t need much.Good food, a small table, the sounds of the Delta around you.It’s these quiet, unhurr...
21/05/2026

Dinner at Jacana doesn’t need much.

Good food, a small table, the sounds of the Delta around you.

It’s these quiet, unhurried moments that guests remember most.

The zebras are on the move again.As the water rises, the rhythm of the Delta shifts, and everything adjusts with it.It’s...
18/05/2026

The zebras are on the move again.

As the water rises, the rhythm of the Delta shifts, and everything adjusts with it.

It’s never static here. Always changing, always moving.

See you there!
17/05/2026

See you there!

Tubu Tree has always been about space, and how it sits in the landscape.Open, light, and quietly connected to its surrou...
15/05/2026

Tubu Tree has always been about space, and how it sits in the landscape.

Open, light, and quietly connected to its surroundings.

A place to slow down, without ever losing the feeling of being in the wild.

📷 Julia Kasnitz |

12/05/2026

A leopard moving through water, not something you see every day.

Calm, deliberate, completely at home.

The Delta has a way of reminding you just how adaptable and wild it really is.
media

Pelo, surrounded by water again.The flood has come in beautifully this year, and the pool now feels like part of the Del...
09/05/2026

Pelo, surrounded by water again.

The flood has come in beautifully this year, and the pool now feels like part of the Delta itself.

There’s nowhere quite like it, floating between land and water.

Address

Ngamiland Adventure Safaris
Maun

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Jao Reserve posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Jao Reserve:

Share

Category