Moremi Game Reserve

Amazing even in winter

We are a family of travelers (as a family we've been to 29 countries on 5 continents together and our daughter is only 8!) and have seen much of the world but Moremi Game Reserve absolutely blew us away. We spent several days in the park during our trip to Africa for the FIFA World Cup and saw everything from bull elephants (one which walked right in front of our tent!), to hippos, to two male lions who put on quite the show for us. We had tracked them for about 45 minutes but when we finally found them we were able to just sit and soak in their presence for over an hour. We saw them two other times that day and discovered that lions are very lazy most of the time :) My daughter fell in love with the wandering flocks of guinea fowl while I was over the moon about getting to see several giraffes. We even had a hyena make a visit to our campsite. The animals were absolutely everywhere and there was always an opportunity to watch nature in action. In the evenings, when all the creatures were sleeping, the space geek in me was mesmerized by the amazing skywatching opportunities as it was crystal clear and, thanks to there being no ambient light for miles, you could see what seemed like a thousand times more stars that what you can see being in the suburbs of America. I felt like I could see whole galaxies at night. We loved the fact that even though the campsite was a game reserve designated one and cleared of brush it still felt like the bush and not like a campsite. Definitely spend the extra money to have a licensed guide take you into the reserve overnight as opposed to staying in the public campgrounds. It is so worth it.

We hardly saw any other vehicles while we there-it felt very exclusive despite the fact we were camping.When we saw out two leopards we were the only two vehicles there.

if you love wildlife then this place will blow you away

We spent 10 days traveling through the Botswana game reserves - in Moremi we bushed camped in the national park. There were lots of widlife to see, especially lions. we stumbled upon a fresh kill of a baby elephant. Not the prettiest but you could appreciate the power of the lion. One of my favorite ever holidays.

I loved the Moremi Game Reserve because it was where I met the elephants; Jabu, Thembi and Morula. All three had been rescued and rehabilitated as part of a scheme set up by the livingwithelephants foundation (http://www.livingwithelephants.org/visit.htm). To be able to interact with these incredible animals in their natural habitat was an enchanting and unforgettable experience.

amazing wildlife experience and everything I imagined a safari would be like

Accommodations - I went through Desert and Delta and really liked all their accommodations and their staff. Everyone was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly at Moremi, out of all the lodges, their staff were the most welcoming and my friends and I had such a good time with them. The food was amazing and they even made a separate dish for my friend who doesn't eat red meat. The tents are very clean and well-maintained and the bathrooms were really nice too. It was funny having a full bathroom in the middle of the wild but I definitely appreciated it.

Weather - it got really cold at night and was cold when we were out on the safari. Definitely bring layers and ask for a hot water bottle for the morning ride! It made a difference.

Scenery and Wildlife - Moremi was by the far my favorite out of the three preserves we visited. We would rarely come across another truck unless there was some really rare wildlife that was hard to spot (ie. a leopardess hunting, a pride of lions, etc). We were incredibly lucky and got to watch a pack of Wild African Dogs hunt and take down an impala, a leopardess stalk and hunt, and a pride of lions who were lounging around after a kill. We also saw zebras, other antelopes, giraffes, elephants, hippos, ox, warthogs, and a lot of rodent type of creatures, plus a lot of birds.

I would definitely love to go back someday!

Camp Okuti is a superb camp in an excellent game reserve.

After arriving in yet another tiny 4 seater plane, we stayed at Camp Okuti for 3 nights. It could not be a better camp to stay at. Attentive staff. Luxurious accommodation. Great food. Even some resident bushbuck. Like all camps in Botswana it is built to be semi-permanent, so it can be removed in the future to leave no trace of it having been there. Our guide was excellent. He had worked over most of Botswana and was very knowledgable indeed. We saw everything we had hoped to, including a Wild Dog pack on a hunt and at the kill. Lion, elephant, giraffe, leopard, buffalo herds, kudu, hippo, bushbuck, reedbuck, waterbuck, dwarf and banded mongooses, and of course the ubiquitous zebra and Impala. A relaxing boat trip on the delta rounded our stay off nicely. A photographer's paradise. There was wildlife around us right up until our guide (and us) had to move the huge bull elephant from the runway before our plane out could land!

Into the Water

Our Safari was a self-drive expedition covering a total distance of 3200km. It commenced in Johannesburg, South Africa taking us past Modimolle, Vaalwater, Lephalale, Mahalapye, Palapye, Serowe, Orapa, Maun, Moremi, Savuti, Kasane, Victoria Falls, Nata, Francistown, Selebi-Phikwe, Zanzibar, Tolwe, Baltimore, Marken, Vaalwater, Modimole and back to Johannesburg.

Our approach to Moremi started in Maun which is a reasonably sized town with most of the amenities you could need. There are a number of supermarkets, restaurants, airport, etc. Moremi do not have any such facilities so one must stock up in Maun.

Making a late start from our accommodation in Maun we headed north to Moremi, Xakanaxa where we would be camping for two nights. The drive to the park, approximately 100km, was easy going on tar at first and then good gravel road for the last 45km to South gate.

Botswana citizens are generally very friendly and help full and we experienced this throughout our visit in the park and country. As a result check in procedures was uneventful, all arrangements had been completed in advance and park entrance fees paid in Maun (no payments are accepted at the gate).

From South gate, we headed north to Xakanaxa. The road heading directly to Xakanaxa was in a reasonable condition and we covered the 42km in about 1.5 hours which left us sufficient time for an afternoon nap before taking a late afternoon game drive.

While the game was more sparse than expected we were very fortunate with a sighting of a large leopard. We made most of the excellent bird watching opportunities and notched up a number of species.

The campsites were excellently placed for privacy and ablution facilities of good standard comparable to national parks in South Africa.

On the second day we took an early morning drive out to 3rd Bridge. Due to the high water levels the route along the water’s edge was closed but an alternative dry route was available. We were able to cross both 4th and 3rd bridge with some good sightings of antelope and bird species.

The afternoon we took a boat trip on the Okavango Delta. Departing at 15:00 we had excellent bird sightings. Game viewing was less successful due to the game being more widely dispersed as a result of the high water levels. The boat trip was however definitely worth the money, one of those must do things when visiting Moremi.

Has everything! Seclusion, bush experience, interesting routes and roads/bridges coupled with diverse wildlife and birds. Water, water, water - in Souther Africa it is like magic bringing everything to life and abundance! A must see/stop over for at least 3-4 days on a tight budget, even longer if you can!

Moremi had fewer animal sitings except that we had quite a good viewing of a mother and baby leopard enjoying a meal. Moremi was nice because it has both water and land activities and offers a good variety. We stayed at Baines Camp, which has some wonderful, romantic options. Weather permitting, they will move the bed out to the balcony so you can sleep under the stars (and mosquito netting). It's a remarkable experience and while you may feel like you prefer the safety of being indoors, it really is an experience not to miss. At one point we were wakened by an elephant casually eating grass next to our balcony. It was literally up against the railing and seeing that from your bed was among the most memorable experiences of the trip. They will also set up outdoor bubble baths on the balcony - very romantic! Getting to the camp requires a long boat ride snaking through paths cut through marsh. How the guides know which paths to take is beyond me. The water is crystal clear and if the guides spot a scrap of paper or other trash in the water they would stop and reverse to pick it up. Pristine beauty.

Moremi was the highlight of the trip. Due to its game reserve status, the number of people allowed into the area provided a much more secluded experience. We honestly did not see another tour group for about a week. The isolation and massive amounts of wildlife made it my premier destination in Botswana. Highly, highly recommend it.