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Write a User ReviewThe Okavango’s Park
Much of the reserve fronts onto the lagoons of the southern Okavango, making for a good mix of land and water-based sightings; the latter includes fabulous bird-watching and good sightings of hippos and crocodiles. Elsewhere you’ll find giraffe and some unusual antelope species such as the red lechwe. African wild dog is also a possibility – a pack was passing by Third Bridge the last time I was there. The heart of the park –
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Mboma Island (which is one of the delta’s best spots for seeing cheetah), Third Bridge and Xakanaxa – is where the savannah meets the delta and the scenery has the best of both. More exclusive, Chief’s Island ranks among the elite of African wildlife-watching destinations with secluded upmarket lodges to match.If Moremi has a downside, it comes from that same accessibility that we all love. It’s one of the busiest areas of the Delta and its campsites are often booked out for much of the high season. But the animals don’t seem to mind and there are enough trails to make an escape very easy.
Delta Hub
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however, high park entry fees mean that there is no truly cheap option, even if you’re roughing it. You can view wildlife on game drives or (from some lodges) on foot, but don’t pass up the chance of a dugout mokoro trip – an Okavango speciality – which allows an intimate exploration of the reed-fringed labyrinth of waterways. Game of all kinds passes through public campsites, making for exciting evenings around the fire. The wildlife is highly seasonal, so take good advice when booking your trip. Birding is exceptional, in terms of both numbers and variety, especially during the rainy season.Where the Lion Roars
It was the local BaTawana people that created the reserve in 1962 to protect its teeming wildlife, and at the heart of the area they chose lies Chief’s Island, formerly the royal hunting grounds of Chief Moremi. Much of the island is bone dry, covered with beautiful glades of mopane woodland; but on all sides lie a labyrinth of rivers, lagoons and floodplains heaving with big game, and it is here that you’ll find some of Botswana’s most famous safari camps: Mombo, Vumbura, Duba Plains and Eagle Island to name but a few. Perhaps
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the best time to come is in the middle of the year – in the dry season months of the African winter. Paradoxically, this is the time when the Okavango floodwaters peak and game viewing is at its best.Quintessential Safaris on the Edge of the Delta
Lying along the northeastern edge of the Okavango Delta, this reserve offers visitors a taste of Botswana’s magical floodlands during July and August, and the chance to take part in superb land-based activities at other times. I love the fact that it feels thoroughly exclusive, especially in the quiet months of April, May and November, and there’s loads to do, from game drives and horseback rides to close encounters with elephants. There’s a great deal of wildlife to be seen before, during and after the flood season, and exceptional birding during the rainy season (November to March). All the Big Five are here, including the elusive leopard; if you’re lucky, you may also see wild dogs.
Moremi has as wide a choice of places to stay as the Delta itself, from delightful boutique lodges to rustic tented camps. Prices vary widely according to the degree of luxury on offer, but the quality of the wildlife watching is always superb, however humble or lavish your accommodation.
The Predator Capital of Southern Africa
World-renowned Chief’s Island lies at the centre of this prolific wildlife wonderland with some of the best predator-viewing in all of Africa. On one memorable visit to Chief’s Camp, I spotted three leopards just on the short walk from the dining area to my luxurious safari tent! With lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and clans of hyena all in residence, this place is quite literally crawling with wildlife – especially carnivores.
The safari lodges here are not cheap, but you get what you pay for: a chance to explore an unspoilt and wildlife-rich watery wilderness where tourism impact is strictly controlled and crowds do not exist. Moremi
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deserves to feature near the top of every safari goers ‘must see’ bucket list of African safari destinations.Unbeatable Wildlife Watching
I may be biased, because I visited Moremi on honeymoon (on an expedition with Bush Ways Safaris), but this reserve is my favourite safari destination. Everything about it screams Africa: the stellar cast of wildlife, from stars such as leopards in trees, to character actors like warthogs and giraffes; the classic bush landscape, dotted with swamps, savanna and rickety log bridges over the waters of the Okavango Delta; and the wilderness camping, with glinting eyes in the velvety darkness and lions' roars in the dead of night. (We soon realised that it was sage advice to not drink too many beers around the campfire, thus avoiding risky nocturnal toilet visits.) A few days in Moremi promise a breathtaking experience of the Big Five and a whole lot more, in an environment that couldn’t be wilder.
Where the Delta Thins and the Big Game Thickens
When I think back to my experiences of Moremi, I think of beautiful lush wetlands, enormous buffalo herds, wild dogs galore and stellar African sunsets. But this is only a small fraction of what’s on offer at this vibrant and unspoilt reserve on the northeast edge of the Okavango Delta.
The Big 5 are all here, with a number of both black and white rhinos having been successfully rehabilitated to complete the full set. On my only visit to the reserve, we had relative difficulty spotting the big cats, though by the end of our stay we’d still managed to tick off leopard and lion.
The rich array ecosystems make this reserve an absolute winner for scenic beauty, with islands of papyrus reeds, wetlands and floodplains, tall palms and dense woodlands that can be explored either on game drives (you can self-drive here) or, even better, from a traditional mokoro dugout canoe.
Many of the lodges and accommodations are on the edge of the water and I’ll always love falling asleep to the strangely soothing sounds of hippos.
One of the Best Wildlife Destinations in Africa
On game drives, I have witnessed huge herds of buffalo and oodles of elephants, and I have seen lions bring down a zebra, and hyenas battling it out with vultures over scraps. I have watched in awe as wild dogs chased a lechwe into the water (which was subsequently eaten by a crocodile), and I have marveled as a leopard struggled to haul an impala up a tree.
There are plenty of luxury lodges dotted throughout the park, offering a high-end five-star safari experience, whilst conversely, there are also numerous public campgrounds offering very little in the way of amenities. Personally, I love the feeling of setting up
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a tent under a tree in an untouched wilderness, knowing that at any time wildlife can saunter by. Going to the toilet in the middle of the night is always a thrilling endeavour, as there are typically no fences around these camps, and animals are free to come and go as they please – lions included.A trip in a traditional canoe (known as a mokoro) is a highlight, and although there are hippos all over the place in the delta, your guide knows how to keep you safe.