Singita Is Coming to Botswana - Elela Opens
December 2026
Singita has spent 30 years building one of the most respected names in African safari travel – but until now, that reputation has been built entirely outside Botswana, across South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. That changes on December 11th, 2026, when Singita Elela opens in the Okavango Delta – the brand’s first-ever property in the country.
Why This Is a Bigger Deal Than It Sounds
Botswana’s ultra-luxury Delta market already has serious competition – Mombo, Xigera, and Vumbura among them. Singita entering that market isn’t a minor addition; it’s one of the most respected conservation-and-luxury brands in Africa deciding, after three decades of expansion elsewhere, that Botswana was worth the wait. For a brand this deliberate about where it builds, that’s a meaningful signal about how they see the Delta’s long-term value.
A Re-Envisioned Concession, With Real History
Elela sits within a private concession of roughly 170,000 hectares in the north-western Delta – previously known as the Abu Concession, long associated with the elephant-back safari camp that operated there for decades. Singita has taken over and re-envisioned the concession, with Elela as the first new property to land on it. Elela will be the main lodge on the concession, giving guests access to a rare amount of space and low guest density by Delta standards.
Built to Flow With the Delta
“Elela” means “to flow” in Setswana, and the design concept follows that literally: eight circular camps, ranging from one to four bedrooms, raised on stilts and connected by elevated walkways – built to let the Delta’s seasonal floodwaters pass beneath them rather than around them. Full architectural details haven’t been released yet, but Singita has confirmed the design is built specifically to adapt as the Delta’s water levels rise and fall through the year, rather than working around a fixed dry-land footprint the way most camps do.
When to Go
Elela is planned as a year-round lodge, opening in December – which sits right at the start of Botswana’s green season and ahead of the Delta’s flood, which typically arrives from Angola’s highlands and peaks between June and August. As with any new Delta property, water levels and access will vary by season; we’d recommend confirming current conditions closer to your travel dates once the camp has a full season under its belt.
The Concession Itself
The area is genuinely water- and game-rich, supporting more than 400 recorded bird species alongside the Delta’s usual cast of elephant, lion, leopard, and plains game. Elela will be the concession’s primary lodge (a small mobile operator runs seasonally in a remote southern pocket of the wider concession, well removed from Elela itself), which still means notably low vehicle density and largely private access to game viewing compared to more heavily trafficked parts of the Delta.
Singita’s broader conservation model – a stated 100-year purpose, delivered through partnerships with regional trusts and non-profits – will extend to this concession as it has across their other properties, though specifics for Botswana haven’t been detailed publicly yet.
Our Take
This is a landmark opening for the Delta rather than just another camp launch – Singita doesn’t enter new countries often, and doing so as the primary lodge on a concession this size is a strong opening move. Given Singita’s flagship properties elsewhere typically book out well over a year in advance, we’d expect the same pattern here, especially for the opening season.
If Botswana is on your list and you want to be among the first to experience Elela, this is worth starting the conversation about early.
