Situated in the east of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve ranks as one of the most beautiful reserves in Africa. In 2008, it was voted the ‘best game reserve in Africa’ by the prestigious African Travel and Tourism Association.
Moremi Game Reserve is the first reserve in Africa that was established by local residents. Concerned about the rapid depletion of wildlife in their ancestral lands – due to uncontrolled hunting and cattle encroachment – the Batawana people of Ngamiland, under the leadership of the deceased Chief Moremi III’s wife, Mrs. Moremi, took the bold initiative to proclaim Moremi a game reserve in 1963.
It is the only officially protected area of the Okavango Delta, and as such holds tremendous scientific, environmental and conservation importance, and undoubtedly, Moremi ranks as one of the most beautiful reserves in Africa, possibly in the world.
This makes for spectacular game viewing and bird watching, including all major naturally occurring herbivore and carnivore species in the region, and over 400 species of birds, many migratory and some endangered. Both Black and White Rhino have recently been re-introduced, now making the reserve a ‘Big Five’ destination.
Contained within an area of approximately 3,900 sq kms, here land and water meet to create an exceedingly picturesque preserve of floodplains – either seasonally or perennially wet, waterways, lagoons, pools, pans, grasslands and riparian, riverine and mopane forests. This terrain makes driving Moremi’s many loops and trails both delightful and, at times, totally inspiring.
Welcome to Khwai Private Reserve, 440 000 acres bordering onto both the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It is an innovative community based joint venture partnership that adjoins onto the world famous Okavango Delta eco-system. The Reserve was established to create a meaningful bridge between the tourism industry and local villagers, ensuring significant economic income for local communities, first world environmentally sensitive practices and a superb safari experience. The massive Khwai Private Reserve comprises of some of the most fantastically diverse habitats in northern Botswana, including riverine woodlands, floodplains, open savannah, mopane woodland, rivers and lagoons. This range of habitats results in a range of wildlife, including elephant, lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah and of course the eponymous sable antelope.
The site of Derek and Beverley Joubert’s amazing films “Ultimate Enemies” and “Eternal Enemies”, Savuti is a location of unfamiliar splendour and lies in the heart of Botswana's beautiful Chobe National Park. The Savuti Channel, which is fed from the Linyanti and has now been flowing for a few years, following a 20 year dry period, boasts excellent wildlife viewing.
The Savuti Marsh sits further to the South-East and is a huge area dotted with old dead leadwood trees, and scattered with pockets of game roaming the endless plains. The marsh is easily accessible during the dry season and can become slightly boggy during the rains, but whenever you choose to go, you will be met with life at some stage, in some form, and undoubtedly fascinating.
Savuti has very strong lion, leopard and spotted hyena populations and the night sounds are always dotted by their quixotic calls. More recently, wild dog and cheetah sightings have been good.
Geographically, Savuti is an area of many curiosities. One of its greatest mysteries is the Savuti channel itself, which has over the past 100 year inexplicably dried up and recommenced its flow several times. This irregular water flow explains the numerous dead trees that line the channel, for they have germinated and grown when the channel was dry and drowned when the channel flowed again.
Situated in Northern Botswana bordering the Chobe National Park, the Linyanti Concessions stretch across the Kwando-Linyanti river system. They are known for their exotic animal species and luxury safari options. An abundance of wildlife roams freely between the woodland habitats, ancient floodplains and forests that make up these lush, unfenced reserves. The big game in this area increases dramatically during the dry season when the area hosts large herds of impala, blue wildebeest, giraffe and buffalo as well as the world’s highest density of elephant. Several packs of wild dog are found in the area and lion, leopard and cheetah are frequently sighted. Night drives allow for the discovery of nocturnal creatures such as civets, genets, honey badgers and spring hares. This vast, untamed wilderness is the perfect location for those seeking a unique African adventure in an exclusive and remote big game habitat.
