Technically the Linyanti Reserve is a 'multi-purpose concession' which means that both photographic safaris and hunting are allowed. However, currently Sable Safaris and Wilderness, the companies running the reserve, have a no-hunting policy in order to concentrate on photographic tourism, and reduce the negative impacts that hunting has on the animal populations.

Flora

As with the animals, in many ways the vegetation here is very similar to that of the Chobe riverfront area, though it generally seems in much better condition. It's thicker, older and more lush – though perhaps that is simply the result of much less logging by humans and slightly less pressure from the animals.

In the dry season there is usually at least a kilometre of open ground between the slightly raised riverbank, dotted with mature riparian forest, and the actual waters of the Linyanti. Most of this is open grassland (making a conveniently smooth runway for King's Pool), and this will flood occasionally at times of very high water in the river system.

In this area you'll find some smaller bushes, like russet bush-willows (Combretum hereoense) and Kalahari star-apples (Diospyros lycoides) – the latter also known as toothbrush bushes after a surprisingly effective use for their thinner branches. (You may also hear this called the blue bush.)

Beyond the floodplain, and up the riverbank, you'll find classic riparian forest with plenty of tall species like knobthorn (Acacia negrescens), raintree ((Lonchocarpus capassa), leadwood (Combretum imberbe), jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), African mangosteen (Gardenia livingstonei) and some marvellous spreading sycamore figs (Ficus sycomorus). There are some woolly caper-bushes (Capparis tomentosa) in the lower vegetation, but fewer of them than you'll notice beside the Chobe.

Inland, far from the river, is dominated by mopane (Colophospermum mopane), though there are also mixed areas, notable for their Kalahari appleleaf (Lonchocarpus nelsii), wild seringa (Burkea africana), and others in the areas of deeper sand, like old watercourses. Baobabs (Adansonia digitata) are dotted around infrequently.

The area around Savuti Camp is very much like this dry woodland, interlaced with sandy fossil riverbeds, whilst along the narrow Savuti Channel itself you'll find more open grassland.

Fauna

All year round here you're likely to see impala, kudu, giraffe, reedbuck, steenbok, warthog, baboon and vervet monkeys throughout the area. Lion and spotted hyena are common, and generally the dominant predators, whilst leopard are often seen in the riparian forest and can be the highlight of night drives.

Cheetah occur here, but not very frequently – though the Savuti Channel is perhaps an exception to this as they are seen here periodically. Wild dog usually stay near their dens from around June to September (with July and August being the most reliable time for them), and then range widely over most of northern Botswana. A den hasn't been located here recently, though pups were being seen here (in September 2001), so there must have been one in the region somewhere. (This is no surprise, as most dens are never found in wild areas like this.)

Blue wildebeest and Burchell's zebra are around all year, although around May they will arrive in larger numbers, remaining within reach of the water until just before the rains begin in around November–December when they head off southeast towards Savuti Marsh.

Elephants and buffalo follow a similar pattern with small groups around all year, often only bulls, but with much larger breeding herds arriving in June–July and staying until December. During this time you'll regularly find very large herds of both buffalo and elephant, hundreds strong.

Tsessebe occur, but are uncommon. In very dry years sable and roan start appearing around September–October. Eland are very rare here, and gemsbok don't occur this far north.

Waterbuck are permanent residents, especially towards the northeast of the concession. This is one of relatively few areas of Botswana where they're found. Keep a look out around King's Pool and Linyanti Tented Camp, particularly at the interface between the mopane woodlands of the interior and the riparian forest by the river. Sitatunga are occasionally sighted from boat trips on the river.

Side-striped and black-backed jackal are around, the latter reaching the extreme northern edge of its distribution here (and so isn't common). Bat-eared fox are regularly seen; the area around King's Pool airstrip seems to be a particularly favourite. Mongooses are always around, especially the banded and dwarf.

Serval, caracal, African wildcat and aardwolf occur, and Savuti Camp has a notably excellent record of sightings in the channel for these, especially serval. Aardvark are occasionally seen, and one local expert reports they used to be spotted frequently in the riverine forest near the Zibadianja Lagoon. I've no reports of pangolin here.

When you're out on night drives, you've also got a chance to see scrub hares, spring hares, lesser bushbabies, porcupines, genets (small-spotted and large-spotted), civets and honey badgers.

Birdlife

In the riparian woodlands, birds of particular interest include wood owls, swamp boubous, brown firefinches, white-rumped babblers and collared sunbirds. Of particular note is the beautiful Schalow's lourie, a local race of the Knysna lourie found in this region.

There are numerous summer migrants, including carmine bee-eaters that nest here. There are several colonies in the area, including one almost opposite the Livingstone hide. Carmines tend to arrive around September and leave March–April. Some appear to have learnt to follow vehicles down the Savuti Channel, catching the crickets that jump away from the moving wheels. Others use the kori bustards, which frequent the channel as moving perches.

Other summer visitors include the thick-billed cuckoo and the narina trogon, although one expert on the area's birdlife, Mark Tennant, comments that the latter may be resident.

The raptors are well represented. Bateleur and fish eagles are probably the most numerous, but you're also likely to spot African hawk, and tawny, martial and black-breasted snake eagles. Gymnogenes are relatively common. When the first rains come in December, migrants like Wahlberg's and steppe eagles seem notably attracted to the first flush of green in the Savuti Channel – hence December to February can be a particularly good time here.

Throughout the year, western banded snake eagles are also sometimes seen, though they're not common, along with giant eagle owls, bat hawks (look out on the edge of the forest, by the river, in the evening) and the occasional Pel's fishing owl.

On the water there's a host of different species, though some of the marshes and lagoons here can be difficult to access, even from the camps. (The canoeing possible at Linyanti Tented Camp goes some way to remedy this.) Some of the more unusual residents include slaty and black egret, rufous-bellied heron, painted snipe, long-toed plover, African rail and wattled crane. African skimmers usually nest here in September, with Zibadianja Lagoon, amongst others, being a favourite spot for them.