Moremi & Khwai
Moremi is genuine, remote big game country, yet is found only a short drive away from Maun. Making up around one third of the Okavango Delta, Moremi is the public area of the delta that can be visited by either boat or land vehicle. We stick with land vehicles but sometimes have boat trips too! The Khwai Community Concession borders the Moremi Game Reserve, being separated only by the Khwai River – the animals do not know the difference and the game viewing is actually often better outside the park! This park and concession are extremely productive for predator viewing and a go-to place to observe wild dogs.
The ‘Flood’
Moremi and Khwai is in the Okavango Delta and so is influenced by the annual flood cycle of the Okavango River. Permanent swamps and rivers overflow, fed by the annual pulse from Angolan rain, to inundate most of the park. This sustains the life here, renewing the nutrient cycle. This water in fact, arrives in the lower reaches of the Delta in our ‘dry season’, which is between June and August. This ‘flood’ is different from the local rains that fall in the delta between November and March. Game viewing is productive in both the seasons (so all year). Floods and local rains do influence where we can drive, although it is extremely rare for the park to become totally inaccessible due to this and we pick times when this is not a risk.
Game Viewing
These parks boast large herds of buffalo and elephants, while predator viewing is also exceptional, with lion, leopard, wild dog and cheetah all present. Moremi is perhaps the best destination for following the behaviour of the predators – the whole park has an excellent game drive network, with all of the predators fully habituated to the vehicles and the background of genuine Okavango scenery making every sighting unforgettable.
Furthermore, Moremi offers the most varied and productive game viewing of any of the Botswana parks, with healthy populations of all the antelope and giraffe. It is common to find massive herds of buffalo numbering in the hundreds, while the breeding herds of elephants are relaxed in the presence of vehicles and fairly easy to find.
Khwai is a park for serious game viewing. The Khwai River is at its most distal point here, drawing in congregations of animals from great distances. This concession is a perfect location to follow the behaviour of predators, with interactions quite common as they share a confined resource. Indeed, in many instances, rival predators have to fight over kills and territory. One must also point out that Khwai has an excellent road network, which makes tracking predators easier.
Habituated leopards, hyena dens and resident packs of wild dogs mean the quality of game viewing in the concession is second to none and excitement aplenty awaits!
Furthermore, Khwai offers varied and productive game viewing, with healthy populations of antelope, giraffe and elephant. Walking is allowed in the concession so we can track animals on foot if the vehicle can no longer pass through thick bush. A highlight of Khwai is that it offers a chance to see various animals swimming in or crossing the water. Elephants regularly cross the rivers and you may even get a chance to watch wild dogs do the same!
Accommodation
As outlined in our itinerary, we self drive around Moremi & Khwai, staying at the public campsites (South Gate, 3rd Bridge, Xakanaxa, North Gate, Magothlo). These campsites offer a very limited number of ‘pitches’, which are private, spacious and unfenced, so essentially are just designated areas to camp in the midst of the bush. Most have separate amenity blocks with hot and cold running water, toilets and showers, however, don’t expect electricity or Wi-Fi! Magothlo is a true wilderness camp where we have to take our own water and make our own toilets.
Our transport and homes are our self-drive vehicles, therefore safety and comfort are paramount. We partner with the best vehicle suppliers, who have the latest vehicle models which are regularly maintained. We only select top of the range, fully equipped vehicles with the highest quality features, such as all-terrain tyres, upgraded suspension, tyre pressure monitoring systems plus more, thus ensuring your trip is a safe one.
Kitted out with all of the equipment needed for a great self-drive overlanding experience, our 4×4 vehicles come with roof top tents (to let you enjoy the starry nights whilst off the floor away from any camp visitors), fridges, portable showers, cooking rings, water tanks, long-range fuel tanks, awnings, solar power plus a whole lot more. This helps ensure that camping is very comfortable and enjoyable, allowing maximum enjoyment of the surroundings and African skies.