Activities in the beautiful Moremi Game Reserve and Okavango Delta
The Moremi Game Reserve is located north-east of Maun town and covers nearly 5000 sq-km, encompassing over 40% of the World Heritage site listed Okavango Delta, and it was the first area of Botswana to be declared game reserve in 1963.
The Okavango Delta is a unique ecosystem of water-lily lagoons, papyrus-lined waterways, knee-deep floodplains, shady forest glades and rich savannah grasslands.
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The different habitats within Moremi Reserve also include the semi-arid mopane scrub in the wetter areas mixed woodland, tall mopane woodland mixed forest, riparian woodland and large grassland areas that ensure a diversity of game and birdlife.
The most prominent of Game Reserve’s several distinctive components is Chief’s Island, a vast game-rich expanse of forest and savannah between the Boro and Santantadibe rivers to the west. This pristine island is also a paradise for birdwatching.
The Reserve boasts major predators like lion, leopard, spotted and brown hyena, cheetah and the endangered wild dog.
It is both a permanent and seasonal home to a wide variety of wildlife: elephant, giraffes, buffalo, hippo, blue wildebeest, jackal, impala, kudu, red lechwe, sable antelope, roan antelope, Nile crocodile and other species of antelope are part of the resident Game Reserve population and all love to have a splash in Moremi’s freshwaters.
The chance to see the “big five” are high since the white rhino was reintroduced in the Reserve in the Chief’s Island area. Moremi boats over 500 species of bird, including the slaty egret and the wattled cranes.
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If you are coming through Chobe National Park and plan to spend some days around the Reserve, the entrance is the North Gate of Khwai.
If you are not crossing Chobe but only visiting its riverfront around Kasane, you’ll get to Maun by driving on the main road. Maun is the gateway town for all the activities through Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. You can try a game drive (the Maqwee south gate is 99 km), a scenic flight over the Delta, a trip with a motorboat to cruise along the narrow papyrus-lines channels of the mighty Okavango Delta.
During our trip around Botswana, after crossing Chobe National Park, we spent 3 days in Moremi Reserve and Okavango Delta camping first at “Xakanaka” (we also had the boat cruise along the delta channels here), one of the most beautiful parts of the Okavango Delta in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve well known for its varied game sightings.
Then we camped at the so-called “third bridge“, one of the most game-rich area’s of the Reserve, before reaching Maun. Here we had the pleasant scenic flight over the Okavango Delta with its freshwater wetland dotted by herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra before going on with our tour and heading to the charming Kubu Island.
Need to Know about Moremi Game Reserve
1) When to goThe best time to visit Moremi and Botswana is the dry season from June to September when game concentrations are at their highest, the climate is cold and dry, and the risk of malaria is low. Moremi Reserve Website. 2) Where to sleep Maun offers the right choice of accommodations, and here you’ll also find local tour operators that can arrange the daily trip or a long safari through the area. We slept in our tent at Sedia Riverside Hotel (they also have a restaurant facing a pool and a big area to camp). Through the Park, the best choice is to bring your tent as you can live a real and breathtaking experience in the middle of wild nature. 3) Where to eat Maun offers a few restaurants where you can have a tasty dinner. Click below on the Tripadvisor.com banner to see all the restaurants and the customer reviews.
4) Tour Operators If you are looking for a good tour operator to visit Botswana or the southern part of Africa, we suggest Undhuvu Safari and Tours. You can also check with Desert and Delta safaris, Kalahari Tours, Afro-trek Safaris or Cape Fig Safaris. If you are a professional photographer or a photography enthusiast, we suggest looking at Pangolin Photographic Safaris. 5) Okavango Delta scenic flight We had a 45 minutes scenic flight with Delta Air (the office opposite the Maun airport entrance). Check more info here at Okavango Delta Air Charter.
6) Are you looking for the best websites and companies to save money with? Check out our Travel Resources for the best companies to use for arranging your trip! And don’t forget your Travel Insurance.
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