Average Expert Rating
Rating Breakdown
Write a User ReviewA New Eden on the Okavango’s Eastern Fringes
Khwai Concession is a relatively recent addition to Botswana’s outstanding portfolio of wildlife reserves. Converted from former hunting concessions by safari operator Natural Selection in collaboration with the local community, its 200,000 hectares extend between Moremi to the west and Chobe to the east, thus offering a broad cross-section of the wildlife you’d expect to find in both, plus a major thoroughfare between the two. Wildlife populations quickly increased after it was established and today the area offers a rich safari experience comparable with anywhere in the nearby Okavango – made possible by a handful of upmarket lodges.
Most activities focus on the south of the reserve, where the Khwai River is a magnet for game – especially during the Dry season, which brings large herds of elephant and buffalo, plus giraffe, zebra and numerous antelope, including impala, greater kudu, waterbuck and red lechwe (an Okavango speciality). The attractive open woodland and
The north of the reserve is dominated by dense mopane woodland – beloved of elephant and much other wildlife, but more challenging for game viewing. Some of the less common antelope species are often seen in this region: we came across roan, sable and tsessebe. There are also some excellent options for visitors. On a guided game walk we met zebra, giraffe and elephant on foot. At a sunken waterhole hide we watched bull elephants drinking at point-blank. And on the celebrated ‘sky-beds’ – raised platforms, open to the stars – we fell asleep to the night noises of the bush and the steady commute of elephants to the waterhole below us. Magical.
Most activities focus on the south of the reserve, where the Khwai River is a magnet for game – especially during the Dry season, which brings large herds of elephant and buffalo, plus giraffe, zebra and numerous antelope, including impala, greater kudu, waterbuck and red lechwe (an Okavango speciality). The attractive open woodland and
Read more
flooded grassland, with its ‘islands’ of fever-berry and other riparian trees, is prime predator country, with lion, leopard and spotted hyena all abundant, plus occasional cheetah and a healthy population of wild dog. With the coming of rains, from December to April/May, the herds disperse and the lush growth makes game viewing more challenging – as elsewhere in the Okavango region. When I visited at this time, large predators took some finding, but we enjoyed several outstanding leopard sightings. Meanwhile mokoro rides along the Khwai’s tributaries brought us eyeball encounters with hippos and an impressive range of birdlife, with inter-African summer migrants such as grey-headed kingfisher and broad-billed roller joining local specials such as coppery-tailed coucal and slaty egret.The north of the reserve is dominated by dense mopane woodland – beloved of elephant and much other wildlife, but more challenging for game viewing. Some of the less common antelope species are often seen in this region: we came across roan, sable and tsessebe. There are also some excellent options for visitors. On a guided game walk we met zebra, giraffe and elephant on foot. At a sunken waterhole hide we watched bull elephants drinking at point-blank. And on the celebrated ‘sky-beds’ – raised platforms, open to the stars – we fell asleep to the night noises of the bush and the steady commute of elephants to the waterhole below us. Magical.
