Jao Camp -Botswana

Jao straddles the divide between the permanent and seasonal water habitats, allowing visitors an insight to both systems and the faunal and floral highlights that are associated with each.

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The Okavango Delta comprises approximately 18 000 square kilometres of pristine wilderness that covers both permanent water and seasonal floodplains. Within both these ecosystems one will find various localised habitats ranging from deep -water lagoons and shallow wetlands to riverine forests and dry woodland, all linked by a myriad waterways and extensive tracts of grassland. Visitors to the Delta often ask which of the many destinations is most representative or typical of the Okavango. Any objective answer would surely include the Jao Concession very near the top of that list. Situated in the central regions of the Delta, Jao straddles the divide between the permanent and seasonal water habitats, allowing visitors an insight to both systems and the faunal and floral highlights that are associated with each. There is very little of the Okavango's terrain that is not in some way captivating, but there is something seductive about the mix of extensive floodplains, waterways and heavily wooded islands that make up most of this concession. Besides the visual splendour, Jao offers fantastic birding and great game-viewing throughout the year, and is one of the Delta's prime areas for being poled about in a mokoro (a traditional dug-out canoe).

Until 1998, the Jao Concession had been in the hands of one of Botswana's most notorious hunting operations. That era came to an end when the Kayes family was awarded the concession for what is in effect a 15-year lease. Now fifth-generation Motswanan, the Kayes have a long and distinguished association with Ngamiland, which includes being proud members of the Batawana tribe. It is fitting that one of the Okavango's prime concessions should now be in responsible local hands.

Since the change-over, Jao has lost its association with notorious hunting practices and assumed the mantle of innovator. The design and layout of the concession's flagship lodge, which also goes by the name of Jao, has forsaken the concept of what the traditional Okavango camp has become over the last two decades. It has made an audacious and courageous statement about the way a segment of the tourism market in Botswana may be headed by accommodating the finer comforts, which until now have been the domain of lodges in East and South Africa. In so doing, it has brought a fresh and expansive dimension to the photographic sector and has placed itself firmly amongst the top few of what can only be termed the luxury end of the market. Its sister camp, Kwetsani, offers similar safari refinement but on a smaller scale.

On a less conspicuous level, but with potentially far more significant ramifications, is the decision by the Kayes to forgo all hunting and fishing rights for the time being on what is categorised by Botswana's wildlife authorities as a hunting concession. In doing so they have become the first concession-holders in the Okavango Delta to take a bold stand on the issue of hunting. Besides the obvious ethical and emotional issues, the decision will challenge some of the long-held socio-economic beliefs about hunting's contribution to the tourism economy. In essence, the Kayes believe that photographic safaris can be as financially lucrative as hunting safaris but, more importantly, in the long term they believe there are far more substantial benefits to be gained that involve investment, employment, education, training and the environment.

Some of the statistics make interesting reading. For the 1999 and 2000 seasons combined, the Jao Concession was entitled to shoot a total of 693 animals covering 24 different species, which included three lion, eight leopard, 14 buffalo, 12 elephants, 40 zebra, 46 wildebeest, 188 lechwe, 10 kudu and 20 hyena. For the hunting operators, the big money is in the big game. On average, a 21-day elephant hunt (which would in all likelihood include other species as well) will cost a client between US$38 000 and US$45 000. Over the two-year period with 12 elephants on license, that is a total of approximately US$498 000 gross income. By comparison, 12 photographic tourists each spending 21 days on safari would only gross approximately US$126 000. (The fact that hunting operations are able to charge upwards of three times the daily accommodation rate that photographic lodges do has always been an intriguing anomaly between the two industries. There has to be a reason, although it has yet to be articulated logically.)

Notwithstanding these numbers, the Kayes have chosen not to hunt Jao's quota of animals and have instead turned the concession's allocated areas into photographic camps. They are banking on sound marketing over a 12-month period (the hunting season is a six-month period) to make the camps profitable.

Another way of looking at it is that they have chosen to invest a greater amount of capital in the tourism industry by building a photographic camp. A camp of this nature will also entail employing a lot more people over a longer period - all to make less money in the short term. Whatever the eventual outcome, they deserve to be applauded for having the courage to put social and environmental benevolence ahead of financial gain. Maybe they are just ahead of their time?

Although Jao and the Kayes have not been without criticism, most of which has stemmed from their detractors' inability to accept a fundamental departure away from what has been the norm, they have seen through their first season very successfully.

In embracing change, the concession has set new standards that will in all likelihood become the yardstick in years to come. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the industry responds.

The Jao Concession presently has three camps within its boundaries, with a fourth to be built in the near future. Jao, a 16-bedded lodge, and Kwetsani, an eight-bedded lodge, both cater to the luxury end of the market, while Jacana is a more rustic eight-bedded option.

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