Southern Africa’s November sun is more than a backdrop for two properties in the Kaelo Destinations portfolio; it is a working energy source. At Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, most camps draw their power from solar panels, while Pambele Beach House in Mozambique operates completely off-grid. As the summer season opens, Kaelo Destinations is lifting the curtain on how these properties run day to day, and on what each guest’s visit gives back to the surrounding land and communities.
Built around natural beauty, authenticity and purpose, Kaelo Destinations is an expanding collection whose first two destinations are Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana and Pambele Beach House in Mozambique. Its name is taken from a Setswana word that translates as “to guide”, “guardian” or “to nurture”, a meaning that mirrors the group’s ambition to lead travellers and partners on a journey rooted in care and respect for the land and its people. Maggie and Stephen Lansdown CBE founded the collection with a vision centred on conservation-first tourism, authentic experiences and community upliftment.
Solar-powered camps in the Tuli
Spread across 42,000 hectares of privately owned land, Mashatu Game Reserve lies within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in eastern Botswana. Kaelo Destinations reports that five of the reserve’s six camps run on solar energy and are classified as green camps, a model made practical by the many days of sunshine Botswana enjoys each year. Laundry dries in the sun, gardens feature indigenous plants, and every guest is given a refillable flask to cut down on single-use plastic and water consumption.
Local spending is another pillar of the operation. Some 95% of Mashatu’s supplies, covering everything from food and drinks to building materials and vehicle parts, are bought within Botswana. At Merryhill, the reserve’s headquarters, a central recycling plant processes glass and tins and manages waste reuse across the property. Guests choosing a Botswana safari lodge will rarely notice these systems, but they quietly determine how every camp functions.
Wild spaces with no fences
Eight rivers create natural corridors that draw wildlife across Mashatu, where animals roam freely and are never hunted or culled. A conservation levy built into every stay funds projects that, according to the collection, save roughly a million litres of water each month and protect over 86 of Mashatu’s iconic trees. Continuing efforts include rehabilitating eroded land, controlling alien plants and installing elephant-safe fencing around those trees.
That same levy pays for anti-poaching units, the management of human-wildlife conflict and restoration projects run through the Tuli Conservation Trust and NOTUGRE. Tracking systems generate spatial data that feeds research on elephants, big cats and migratory birds. Booking a Botswana safari at Mashatu therefore supports long-term efforts in one of the region’s richest wilderness areas, celebrated for its large elephant herds and reliable big cat sightings.
Living off-grid on the coast
Pambele Beach House brings this philosophy to the shoreline of Mozambique’s San Sebastian Peninsula. Set within the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary and looking out over the Bazaruto Archipelago, the exclusive-use house relies solely on solar energy and has no link to city power. Desalination supplies all of the lodge’s water, and drinking water is drawn straight from the air, with humidity converted into fresh water for both guests and staff.
Instead of single-use plastic bottles, every guest is handed a refillable bottle made from biodegradable wheat straw. Pambele partners with neighbouring island suppliers and small local producers wherever it can, helping sustain livelihoods while keeping its environmental impact light. A new community clinic is among the projects currently under development. Few Mozambique beach resorts can point to a stay that is powered, watered and supplied in quite this way.
Why the timing matters
Summer arrives in southern Africa in November. Across the Tuli, the heat builds, migrant birds come back and young antelope begin to dot the plains. Along the Mozambican coastline, the dry season winds down with warm weather and clear skies. Sunshine is abundant in both places, highlighting how the collection’s properties are built to work alongside their climate instead of fighting it.
The advantage for travellers is straightforward. Because the conservation levy is already part of every Kaelo stay, each booking automatically supports the conservation, community and culture initiatives outlined above. Guests also enjoy properties built for small numbers, with private access and interiors that sit comfortably within the landscape.
Camps and homes across the collection
The Kaelo offering at Mashatu spans Euphorbia Mashatu, a five-star lodge with eight private villas; Kolokolo Safari Home, an exclusive-use home sleeping up to eight; Mashatu Lodge; Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu, whose eight luxury tented suites line the bank of the Limpopo River; and Mashatu Tent Camp. Groups of eight can choose Shalimpo Safari Home or Fika Futi Safari Camp, both exclusive-use and self-catering. For something more immersive, WalkMashatu combines a walking safari with nights beneath the stars in custom-designed tents.
Over in Mozambique, Pambele hosts up to 10 guests, offering direct access to the beach and a wide choice of land and sea activities, including snorkelling, kayaking through the mangroves and bush drives within the sanctuary.
Plenty of travellers choose to do both, following time in the Botswana bush with days beside the Indian Ocean. The combination connects two destinations united by a shared approach to conservation, community and design.
What’s next
According to Kaelo Destinations, new journeys, new destinations and fresh ways to experience meaningful travel are on the way, as the group curates a portfolio of places with the same sense of purpose. In the meantime, its two founding destinations demonstrate what that purpose looks like on the ground, from solar panels and sun-dried laundry in Botswana to drinking water drawn from sea air in Mozambique.
To explore the full collection, current offers and the group’s conservation work, visit https://kaelodestinations.com/.
About Kaelo Destinations
Founded under the vision of Maggie and Stephen Lansdown CBE, Kaelo Destinations is a collection of luxury safari lodges and beach retreats across southern Africa. Its founding destinations are Mashatu Game Reserve, a 42,000-hectare private reserve within Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, and Pambele Beach House, an exclusive-use, off-grid beach house in Mozambique’s Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary. A conservation levy included in every stay supports conservation and community initiatives.
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Alan Straton
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