Updated 22 October 2026 5 min read Ubuntu African Safaris Team

Quick answer: Elephant Sands is a bush lodge and campsite in northern Botswana, roughly 250km from Chobe, built directly around a natural, unfenced waterhole. Wild elephants walk in to drink throughout the day, often just meters from the deck. It's a scheduled overnight stop on our 9-Day Victoria Falls & Okavango Delta safari, between Chobe and the Delta.

On This Page

  1. What Is Elephant Sands?
  2. Where Is It?
  3. No Fence - Is That Actually Safe?
  4. When To See The Most Elephants
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Elephant Sands?

Elephant Sands is a bush lodge and campsite built around one simple idea: don't fence off the thing everyone's there to see. The camp sits right beside a natural waterhole, and instead of game drives going out to find elephants, the elephants come to you — walking in to drink at all hours, sometimes in herds, sometimes as solitary bulls taking their time about it, often close enough that you'll forget you're holding a cup of coffee rather than a pair of binoculars.

Elephant Sands lodge deck overlooking the waterhole, Botswana
The entire design brief here was apparently "get out of the elephants' way."

Where Is It?

Elephant Sands sits near the town of Nata, roughly 250km from Chobe National Park and Kasane, on the route most travelers take between Chobe and the Okavango Delta. That makes it a natural overnight stop rather than a detour — you're already driving past this stretch of Botswana, so stopping to let elephants walk past your dinner table isn't exactly a hardship.

No Fence - Is That Actually Safe?

Yes, and it's safe precisely because the camp takes the lack of a fence seriously rather than treating it as a gimmick. The lodge deck and key walkways sit raised above ground level, guests get clear briefings on movement after dark, and the waterhole has operated this way for years with wild, genuinely wild, elephants simply doing what elephants do. Nobody approaches the animals. The animals approach the waterhole, and you watch from a designated, respectful distance — which, it turns out, is plenty close enough.

When To See The Most Elephants

Sightings happen throughout the day, but late afternoon into evening is when numbers typically build, as elephants come to drink after the heat breaks. Dry season, roughly May to October, tends to bring the highest traffic at the waterhole, since other water sources in the surrounding bush become scarce and this one doesn't.

Elephant Sands is built into our 9-Day Victoria Falls & Okavango Delta safari as an overnight stop between Chobe National Park and the Delta. Send us your dates if you'd like it included in a custom route instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Elephant Sands is a bush lodge and campsite in Botswana built directly around a natural waterhole. There's no fence between the camp and the waterhole, so elephants walk in to drink throughout the day and evening, often just meters from the lodge deck or your tent.
Elephant Sands is roughly 250km from Chobe National Park and Kasane, along the route between Chobe and the Okavango Delta, near the town of Nata in northern Botswana.
Elephants at Elephant Sands are wild and treated with full respect, not habituated pets, but the camp is designed and staffed around safe coexistence - raised decks, clear guidance on movement after dark, and decades of the waterhole working exactly this way. Guests don't approach the elephants; the elephants simply come to drink while you watch from a safe, designated distance.
Throughout the day, but sightings pick up noticeably in the late afternoon and continue into the evening, when elephants come to drink after the day's heat. Dry season (May to October) tends to bring the highest numbers, as other water sources in the area become scarce.

Related Topics

9-Day Victoria Falls & Okavango Delta safari Is Chobe worth visiting Where is the Okavango Delta Elephant Sands Botswana waterhole lodge Botswana