13 Oct 2024

After a historic performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Wilderness and Great Plains Safari companies gave the Olympic and Paralympic teams an experience of the iconic Okavango Delta.

The athletes and their technical teams spent two nights at Vumbura camp courtesy of Wilderness and another two nights at Zarafa Camp hosted by Great Plains Safari.

Vumbura is a premier tourist camp with a stylish contemporary design while Zarafa is one of the finest camps in Botswana overlooking a lagoon on the vast and exclusive Selinda reserve. The two teams saw the incredible landscape of the delta and wild animals in their natural habitat.

Wilderness Safari managing director, Joe Matome said they were proud to host the Olympic teams as they appreciated their hard work at the Games and wanted them to relax.

He said the teams made Batswana proud and hoisted the flag. “We found it fit to treat them to a safari experience to honour and celebrate their good work,” he said, adding that they wanted them to relax and appreciate the beauty of the delta.

He said Vumbura was one of the top 15 camps in Africa in which tourists could explore the delta. He said hosting the athletes was also an advantage to them as they would help sell their tourism products at the international stage.

Matome also said sport had the potential to contribute to the tourism industry and that it had an impact on the growth of cities as well as creating employment opportunities.

Some members of the teams could not hide their excitement, saying the experience was worth it after a busy season. They said the adventure offered a peaceful and tranquil environment to see some of nature’s most incredible species.

“We had a beautiful and amazing experience in the two camps and were treated to thrilling game drives,” said the captain of the Olympic team, Boitumelo Masilo, adding that they saw the big five.

He commended Wilderness and Great Plains for inviting them to appreciate the beauty of the delta, saying they managed to relax, refresh and were now ready to commence training for the upcoming season.

The trip, he said, had created lasting memories and that it was the first time for some of them to see the delta.

The Paralympic chef-de mission, Tebogo Tshenyo also appreciated the trip, saying it gave them time to relax in a quite environment and enjoy the experience at the two camps.

She said since their members have been introduced to the two camps, they were now in a position to become the country’s tourism ambassadors. ENDS