Sable Alley Camp

Okavango Delta
Birding Daydrive Nightdrive Walk Mokoro Fishing Swimming

Star Rating
Game Viewing
Price Guide $$$

Sable Alley Camp: Our View

Sable Alley Camp opened in May 2017 which makes it one of the newer camps in the Okavango Delta – and we have been very impressed with Sable Alley Camp indeed. In terms of price, we would class this as a mid level camp. But in terms of the quality of the accommodation, service, guiding and food Sable Alley feels more like a top end camp and that makes it fantastic value for money in our opinion.

With 12 rooms, Sable Alley is larger than some of other camps in the Okavango Delta. But the rooms are well spaced apart and there is a generous amount of space in the communal lounge and dining areas to relax in. So the camp never feels crowded even when fully booked.

Sable Alley Camp is located in a beautiful part of the Khwai private reserve area of the Okavango Delta. The camp overlooks a permanent lagoon and grass plains. And like all other camps in the Okavango Delta Sable Alley is unfenced so wildlife is free to roam through camp at any time of the day or night!

The Khwai area has a reputation for superb game viewing with a very diverse range of wildlife to be seen. And it is significant to note that it is located well away from the busy area of Khwai close to Khwai village and the North gate entrance to the Moremi Game Reserve. So unlike most other lodges in the Khwai area, you get a peaceful and exclusive safari experience as well. 

Sable Alley Camp really is a camp that outperforms its price tag with exceptional accommodation and communal facilities, fantastic game viewing in a peaceful private reserve area of the Okavango Delta and excellent service and guiding. In the mid price category in the Okavango Delta this would be one of our top choices. It would be ideal for any clients but would be especially lovely for special occasions like honeymoons or anniversaries as the camp really is romantic!

Sable Alley Camp: Quick Facts

  • 12 tented rooms including 2 family rooms and a honeymoon room with en-suite bathroom and indoor & outdoor shower. Located in a quiet area of the Khwai private reserve so ‘off road’ driving on game drives and night drives are permitted
  • Game drives and seasonal mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe) and walking safaris offered
  • About 30 minutes light aircraft flight from Maun
  • Rooms are very far apart. Any clients with walking difficulties should advise us so we can request a room closer to the main lounge area

Sable Alley Camp: The Details

We have to say we have been very impressed with the tented rooms and facilities at Sable Alley Camp. They really are superb for a camp in the Okavango Delta at this price level. The 12 rooms at Sable Alley Camp are on raised wooden decks and they are exceptionally spacious and very elegantly furnished with armchairs and a writing desk. The twin/king size bed also has a mosquito net and ceiling fan to keep things cool in the hot summer months. Rooms have both an indoor and outdoor shower and also a large balcony area to relax on. All rooms overlook a permanent lagoon which means that there is often wildlife to be seen even while relaxing in your room!

For families, the family rooms really are lovely. Unlike many other camps, they are actually 2 totally separate twin en-suite rooms on one raised wooden deck with a large private decking area. This allows for more privacy although families with very young children would probably still want to have an adult in each room as the rooms are not actually joined together. And for that special occasion the honeymoon room is gorgeous. Located in a very private section of the camp, it has an outdoor bath as well as shower.

Unlike many of the older camps in the Okavango Delta, the rooms are well spaced apart and this allows for a lot more privacy in each room. It does mean though that the furthest rooms are quite a distance from the main lounge area so clients with walking difficulties should let us know and we can request a closer room.

The communal facilities at Sable Alley Camp are just as the impressive and also overlook the lagoon and grass plains of the Okavango Delta. They are some of the largest we have seen in a camp in the delta with ample areas to relax in and they are very sophisticated and classy. This means that even though this camp is larger than some other camps in the Okavango Delta, it never feels crowded. And there is a decent sized pool as well! It is not a full size pool but it is certainly bigger than the plunge pools that other camps have so you can actually have a swim in it! Unusually, dining is not communal but on private tables. But the staff are very relaxed and if separate groups want to dine together then they are happy to put the tables together.

Sable Alley Camp is so gorgeous that you may not want to leave it! But clients come to Africa for the game viewing and this certainly does not disappoint at Sable Alley Camp either. The Khwai area has a reputation for exceptional game viewing with very diverse habitats and wildlife. There are often superb sightings of leopard, lion and African Wild Dogs as well elephant, buffalo and more general plains game. Sable Alley may be a new camp but this is a well established game viewing area as there was a much simpler camp in this location before for many years. So this means that the wildlife is very relaxed around the game vehicles. Game drives are done in fully open 4x4 vehicles with a maximum of 7 in each vehicle – so everyone gets an outside seat.

As this is a private reserve and not a national park, it also means the guides can go off road on the game drives to get very close to the wildlife. They are also permitted to stay out after sunset and do night drives. So unlike national parks there is no need to rush away from a fantastic sighting late in the day because they have to be back in camp. It is also significant to note that this is well away from the busy area of Khwai. In recent years we have noticed that the main Khwai area close to the village and the entrance to the Moremi Game Reserve really is becoming very crowded with many vehicles at good sightings. This is because there are so many lodges in this area now as well as self drivers and mobile camping group tours. But Sable Alley is located well away from this area and there is just one other small camp in the same area. On our recent visit we were delighted that we only had a few other vehicles with us at superb sightings of a lioness with her cubs and a young leopard.