There is a special group of people behind the Selinda Reserve, and that begins with the dedicated staff of around 70 people in the field and local office in Kasane. Without people who are proud and eager to share their culture and the well cared for wild areas of their country, Selinda would be just another safari destination. Their enthusiasm and special commitment to your trip brings it alive, sets it aside from most other camps and infuses this with the charm of our natural Botswana hospitality, the kind you will experience in remote villages where strangers are viewed as bearers of knowledge and stimulation, as well as lost family members, even from a distant tribe to be welcomed, fed and taken care of. It is our tradition to be hospitable, although we are a shy and modest people.

David and Alice first visited Botswana in May 2009 travelling through the Delta on a two week mobile safari, their lives have never been the same since. What was planned as a once in a lifetime holiday changed into a life and career altering experience. The country, wilderness, wildlife and most of all people captured something indescribable inside them. On their return to Scotland they decided immediately to return and within 6 months were back in Botswana working as camp managers.

They both have professional backgrounds, David in finance having studied engineering at University and Alice worked in the equestrian world in Scotland and is also a professional cook. Having been brought up in the countryside of the UK, Alice from England and David from Scotland, they have a real passion for wildlife and the outdoors although meeting different people is what they really love. Their first month in Botswana was spent completing a field guide course which has helped identify the exceptional wildlife to be seen from the camp.

They have settled very quickly into the African way of life and pride themselves in making Selinda a home from home for those who visit, providing a warm feel where people can fully relax. To them Selinda is one large family looking after our guests in their own special way. Although David keeps threatening we have not heard his talents on the bagpipes yet, maybe you could be the first!

It takes a special group of people to look after an area as cherished as the Selinda Reserve. A dedicated staff of 70 is at its core. Based in the Reserve or in our local Kasane office, they are the true stewards of the area. Each of them is proud and eager to share their culture and country with all the guests. Their enthusiasm and commitment ensure that the Selinda Reserve is an exceptional safari destination. They bring the safari alive, infusing it with the charm of local Batswana hospitality. It's the kind of hospitality found in Africa's remote villages, where strangers are viewed as bearers of knowledge and stimulation, as lost family members from a distant tribe to be welcomed, fed and cared for. It is Batswana's tradition to be hospitable, although a shy and modest people.

Pete Unwin and Sharon Stevens manage the Selinda Reserve from their tented camp between Zarafa and Selinda Camps. With a propensity for the outdoors, Botswana lured them both. As a country with unspoiled beauty, true wilderness and dense wildlife, it was a natural fit. They began their Botswana adventure in 2003, working in the Okavango Delta for four and half years before migrating "north" to the Selinda Reserve. They feel extremely privileged and lucky to be able to do what they love while calling Botswana home.

Pete originates from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He first moved to a private game reserve in the Eastern Cape, where he worked for five years honing his skills and passion for the "bush". Ready for a challenge, he looked north to Botswana to further his career. Now, after more than 10 years in the industry, his knowledge and expertise in field operations are unrivaled. Each year has further intensified his personal belief in how crucial a healthy environment is to our soul.

Sharon also hails from Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After finishing school in South Africa, she moved to the USA. The time she spent away from Africa accentuated her love and appreciation of its wild places, diverse cultures and found her even more eager to learn its nuances. Upon returning, she enrolled in a tourism course, and after graduation she moved to the bush. And so the love affair began, she's even more absorbed now in enhancing the natural habitats of her home.

Pete and Sharon, along with a superb team of people, have created an experience of which we are all proud. Together, Selinda Reserve is a leader in conservation tourism.

Dereck and Beverly Joubert are renowned National Geographic wildlife filmmakers, photographers, authors and conservationists, who have spent an enormous amount of time in the Selinda Reserve. Their films include the Emmy, and Peabody award winning series filmed in Botswana over the past 25 years, some footage shot right in Selinda Reserve. These films include Eye of the Leopard, Relentless Enemies, Eternal Enemies, Ultimate Enemies, Lions of Darkness and Wildlife Warriors. Most recently the Jouberts became National Geographic Society Explorers-in-Residence. They still spend 10 months each year filming throughout the remote regions of Botswana. When they heard about this Selinda Reserve's lease availability, they decided it was a good opportunity to step in and impose a long needed moratorium on hunting in the area.

Colin Bell, a tourism and wildlife specialist has spent the last 30 years living and working throughout the more remote corners of southern Africa. Colin founded Wilderness Safaris, which grew to become one of the world's foremost eco-tourism companies, managing some of Africa's most pristine wilderness on the African sub-continent. In early 2006, Colin retired from Wilderness Safaris. Then, on a journey down the Zambezi with friends, he imagined a new type of tourism, conservation tourism. And so, Great Plains Conservation took shape and is now his new venture, embarking throughout Africa, the Indian Ocean islands and India.

Thank you, and welcome on safari in the Selinda Reserve. Please join us. You can help us make a difference, help us make to this a better, greener, more viable planet, where wildlife can find or even expand its range. It is a place where people can visit and be inspired, and in turn inspire others to be a part of the natural world, not apart from it.