5 Best Wilderness destinations to see African wild dogs

Sadly, African wild dogs are classified as Endangered on the IUCN’s Red List. Despite renewed global interest following Sir David Attenborough’s Dynasties series, their numbers continue to decline due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and disease.

Curious to learn more about their behaviour, communication and pack dynamics? Discover more about these captivating animals here.

As leaders in conservation tourism, Wilderness offers exceptional opportunities to see African wild dogs in their natural habitat – often up close. If the ‘painted wolf’ is on your wildlife wish list, these are the camps you need to visit…

Chitabe is located in the Chitabe Concession, which covers 22,000 hectares of pristine Okavango Delta wilderness. This unique area harbours a massive variety of habitats within close proximity, giving rise to a surprising diversity of species. The mix of Okavango and Kalahari ecosystems makes for an excellent home to an abundant array of herbivores: giraffe, buffalo, red lechwe, tsessebe, impala and elephant, which in turn support the larger predators: lion, leopard, spotted hyaena, cheetah, and of course, wild dog.

Read here about Camp Manager Moalosi Livi’s African wild dog adventures during lockdown, and how he spent time watching and learning more about these wondrous creatures who make up the Chitabe logo. 

The Mombo Wildlife Area is known as the Place of Plenty, highlighted by the massive concentrations of plains game and predators that live here. These include all the big cats, of which lion sightings are frequent. Leopard, spotted hyena, large herds of buffalo, elephant, giraffe, blue wildebeest, Burchell's zebra and more abound, while cheetah and wild dog often move through the area.

The Motsumi Pack — Motsumi meaning ’to hunt’ — was first seen on the island in 2014 and has provided exceptional sightings over the years. At its peak, the pack numbered 15 African wild dogs. Today, five of its members still roam the Mombo area. 

The annually flooded grasslands of the Okavango Delta surrounding Vumbura Plains are locally referred to as melapo, and offer good seasonal viewing of elephant, giraffe, impala, sable antelope, kudu, zebra, common waterbuck and reedbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, red lechwe and Cape buffalo. Hippo and crocodile are common in the waterways. Predators include the African wild dog, several resident prides of lion, as well as leopard, cheetah and African wildcat. Birding is also exceptional all year round.

Vumbura Plains has delighted us with images of the Golden Pack that frequents Vumbura Plains. The pack’s colouration is famous for its distinctive light brown to gold patterning. 

DumaTau, located in the Linyanti Wilife Reserve, a region of woodland and watercourses in northern Botswana, boasts the famous Savuti Channel, an ancient and sporadic watercourse that supports abundant wildlife, and the productive Linyanti River. This area is famous for its huge concentrations of elephant in the dry season, and year-round game viewing. The varied woodland habitats and ancient floodplains along the Linyanti fault line make the area an essential part of any Botswana itinerary.

We encourage our guides and guests to report wild dog sightings, to allow us to monitor the packs as part of our broader Wilderness Impact initiatives.

Chikwenya Camp in Mana Pools National Park lies at the heart of the Zambezi Valley (and was the area where the aforementioned Dynasties documentary was filmed), a remote, beautiful place with spectacular views. The area offers large concentrations of buffalo and elephant, while predators such as lion, wild dog, leopard and cheetah are often sighted. Greater kudu, plains zebra, impala, warthog and common waterbuck can be seen on the surrounding plains, and the grunting of hippo can be heard all day. Birdlife is superb, with numerous local specials like collared palm-thrush and racket-tailed roller.

With a large number of predators in the area, Chikwenya is known to offer jaw-dropping safari excitement. Read about one such experience here, when a pack of African wild dogs fought for their kill against savage hyaena: Tug of War at Chikwenya.