Moremi Game Reserve Botswana rests on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and was named after Chief Moremi of the Batswana tribe. The Moremi Game Reserve covers much of the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and combines permanent water with drier areas, which create some startling and unexpected contrasts. Some prominent geographical features of the Reserve are Chiefs Island and the Moremi Tongue.

Moremi Reserve is the best place to experience excellent views of savannah game as well as bird-watching on the lagoons. There are also thickly wooded areas, which are home to the rare African wild dog and leopard. To the northeast lies the Chobe national park which borders the Moremi Game Reserve.

The Reserve covers 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 sq mi) in extent; it is a surprisingly diverse Reserve, combining mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains, and lagoons. Only about 30% of the Reserve is mainland, with the bulk being within the Okavango Delta itself.

Moremi is the home to nearly 500 species of bird (from water birds to forest dwellers), and a vast array of other species of wildlife, including buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, impala, and red lechwe, and African Wild dog.

A haven for African wildlife, the Moremi Game Reserve one of the best safari areas in Africa.

Activities in Moremi Game reserve Botswana

 From the smaller, luxury camps in the delta, activities in Moremi game reserve are usually included in the fully inclusive rates, and all your drinks and snacks or picnic meals would also be taken care of. Activities focus not only on impressive game viewing but also on the beauty and unique scenery of the Okavango Delta Each camp will have their own collection of excursions which a best suited for the time of year and the location. Moremi has few vehicles and people visiting at any one time, and this means that you get great game sightings with very few (if at all) other people in that same spot.

Traditional Canoe – The Mokoro

Moremi and the Okavango Delta have offered a unique activity – the mokoro canoe safari. Traditionally, a mokoro (or makoro) is a dug-out canoe made from hardwood and used by Botswana to move through the channels. Powered completely by man, the mokoro is moved by poling through the shallow water – the pooler stands at the stern and pushes a long sturdy pole to make the canoe move. Nowadays, mokoros are made with fiberglass in order to reduce the impact on the environment. This activity is a very relaxing way to enjoy the scenery and the crystal clear waterways. Birding and wildlife viewing is a bonus. Not every lodge or camp will offer this activity, so if it is something that is top of your list of things you want to experience while you are in Botswana Contact Great Adventure Safaris so that we can make suggestions for you.

Fishing

Some mokoro trips may include a bit of fishing, but otherwise, fishing in the Okavango would be in a motorboat. Fishing is not a year-round activity in the delta – it is not open in January and February, and usually, safari camps will offer fishing on a catch and release basis.

Game Drives

It’s not a safari if you have not been on a game drive, and Moremi Game Reserve is no different. However, depending on the time of the year, the level of water in the Okavango can prohibit these game viewing drives in some areas. On the other hand, they may get a little wet if the water is on the high side, as safari vehicles cross channels and/or wooden bridges in search of wildlife.

Birding and Walking Safaris

Guided birding and walking safaris are also essential activities in some camps. Here, you get much closer to the magical ecosystem of the Okavango Delta, exploring from the tiniest flora and fauna to encounters with the unique plains game species that are found only in this region.

Boat Cruises

Some safari camps offer motor boat game viewing cruises, if the water levels are high enough, and sometimes as an alternative to game drives.

Helicopter Rides

Very few luxury camps in the delta offer helicopter rides, but with an extra charge. This is a great way to have a bird’s eye view of the amazing landscape that the delta has, as well as seeing the different wildlife from the air.

Elephant Interactions

One other very special activity in a couple of camps is the elephant interaction and walking in the wild with Okavango elephants. The elephants are orphaned and taken care of right by the safari camp, and guests are invited for morning walks in the bush with the giants, accompanied with brunch in the bush while the allies browse and play.

Horseback Safaris

Some safari camps offer horseback safaris – great for getting close to resident wildlife and bird species.

Other Activities in Moremi

In the eastern section of the delta, where self-drivers are allowed to explore, there are a few companies that offer some of the above activities. So if you are camping at one of the bridge campsites, you don’t have to miss out on the special mokoro trips, or the motorboat cruises in the lagoons and channels in that area.

Getting to Moremi Game Reserve Botswana

Getting to Moremi by Road

Driving to Moremi Game Reserve restricts visitors to the dry land area east of the reserve – the South Gate, North Gate, Khwai sections. By road, Moremi can be accessed via two main entrance gates – North Gate near Khwai River which is accessible from Chobe National Park, and South Gate just 90kms from Maun and 30kms from the North Gate. The road from Maun is tarred for 60kms, and then it is a gravel road into the reserve. The roads inside the Moremi gate reserve change with each season, being waterlogged during the rainy season and dry and sandy in the hot summer months. Driving from Maun to the South Gate of Moremi takes less than 2 hours. The other access point into Moremi is via the North Gate of the reserve en-route from Chobe National Park. Self-drivers do require a 4 x 4 vehicle into the Okavango Delta. To get to the rest of the delta, however, you will need to fly in.

Flying Into the Delta

Moremi Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta are most easily reached by light aircraft or helicopter transfer from Maun town and other airstrips/airports. Maun is the nearest hub to the delta and has an airport. There are regional flights into Maun from Johannesburg and Cape Town (South Africa), as well as local ones from Gaborone and Kasane, near Chobe.

Charter flights are another option, and inter-camp air transfers are available when booking packages with sister camps in Botswana. Flights from Maun Airport into the delta take no more than 30 to 45 minutes. Almost all of the private safari camps have a nearby airstrip and charter companies have service to all of them. The transfers from the airstrips to the camps vary with location and season and can be a combination of boat and game drive transfers.

Where to stay in Moremi Game reserve

Belmond Kwai river lodge

Belmond Khwai River Lodge is a luxury safari lodge on the banks of the Khwai River overlooking its floodplain. It’s situated on a private concession just outside the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. It is one of the few luxury tented lodges in Botswana that has to air-condition, and the game viewing in the Khwai River area is absolutely superb.

Camp Moremi

Camp Moremi is a serene tented camp at the edge of the Okavango Delta, within the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. Renowned as one of the best game-viewing areas in Botswana, the Xakanaxa area surrounding this camp offers you the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Okavango from open 4×4 vehicles, motorized riverboats, or even from your private viewing deck.

Camp Xakanaxa

Camp Xakanaxa is a well-established, popular tented safari camp accommodation in the Moremi Game Reserve, built in a prime location overlooking the Xakanaxa Lagoon in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. It’s one of the few Okavango lodges that offer year-round water- and land-based activities in a superb game-viewing area

Chief’s camp

Chief’s Camp is an idyllic luxury safari camp and one of only two lodges situated on Chief’s Island in Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta – the only place in Botswana where rhinos can be found in their natural environment. The area around Chief’s Island is seasonally submerged by floodwaters and offers exceptional game viewing all year round. Chief’s Island is home to the Big Five and is known as the “predator capital of Africa”.

Kwanda splash camp Okavango delta

Opened in July 2018, Splash Camp offers a relaxed, intimate, and friendly safari. Its excellent location offers a range of conditions: permanent and seasonal floodplains as well as extensive dry periods. In high-water season, there are labyrinths of water channels and secret islands to explore. It’s said to be one of the best locations in Botswana for both game viewing and activities.

Rra Dinare Moremi Botswana

Set on the southeastern side of Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana overlooking the Gomoti River and its floodplain, Rra Dinare Camp is within a private concession of over 270km². This pristine, relatively new camp offers an array of game-based activities: mokoro trips, boating safaris, game drives both on- and off-road, night drives and bush walks.

Best time to visit the Moremi Game reserve

Moremi Game Reserve can be visited throughout the year, but the best time for wildlife viewing is in the dry months, from July to October. The wet months, from January to March, are less ideal because some areas become inaccessible and some lodges close.

The seasons in Moremi

That said, we could definitely help you determine what the best time for you to go is. Botswana knows both wet and dry seasons. Most travelers pick the dry season for a visit, but the rainy season is definitely worth considering. During the wet season, most accommodations have fewer visitors, so you are in for a very personal experience. Also, child policies can be more flexible in this period. However, the camps and lodges of the Moremi Game Reserve always feel personal since all of them are intimate and small-scale.

Here’s a little bit about both seasons

Dry season:

• May to November.
• Ideal for a first time Africa trip.
• Nights in the Moremi are never below freezing and the days are seldom unbearably hot.
• Note that in November the weather is variable: rain or shine, hot or cold.

Wet season:

• Between December and April.
• January and February are the rainiest months.
• Spectacular skies can change within minutes from cloudy to sunny to cloudy again.
• Showers are usually short and heavy, but there are days when the sky remains grey.
• Waterproof clothing is necessary, but the rain doesn’t need to stop you from doing anything.

The Traditional Mokoro Canoe Safari

Fishing in Moremi game reserve

Birding safaris n Moremi game reserve

Walking Safaris in Moremi game reserve

Boat Cruises in Moremi game reserve

Camp Moremi

Chief’s Camp

Hyena Pan

Khwai Bush Camp

Little Machaba

Okuti

Khwai River Camp

Little Mambo

Khwai Tented Camp

Machaba Camp

Best time for safaris in Moremi game reserve

7 Days Luxury Moremi game reserve safari

7 Days Ultimate Moremi and Botswana Flying Safari

11 Days Best of Botswana and Moremi Adventure