MOREMI GAME RESERVE
Moremi Game Reserve is in northern Botswana, in the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during seasonal floods. Dugout canoes are used to navigate past birdlife, hippos and crocodiles on waterways like the Xakanaxa Lagoon. On land, wildlife includes lions, leopards and rhinos. Safari camps are common, with several dotted around large Chief's Island and the forested Mopane Tongue Peninsula.
The Reserve offers the opportunity to explore not only in 4x4's but on foot and by mokoro—a dug-out canoe, hewn from either ebony or sausage-tree, and poled by your personal guide. Although, today most of the mekoro (plural of mokoro), are made from fibreglass, thus helping to preserve the magnificent, and old, trees of the area.
Game viewing is at its peak from July to October, when seasonal pans dry up and the wildlife concentrates on the permanent water. From October until the start of the rains in late November or early December, the weather can be extremely hot.
Malarial mosquitoes are prevalent throughout the Reserve and it is strongly recommended that visitors should take precautions before, during and after a visit.
Botswana has been able to develop its tourism without the urgent need for revenues that face many other African countries. An eco-tourism policy of high yield, but low impact, has resulted in visitors being able to experience an Africa in its most natural, unspoilt and impressive condition. Thus the Reserve itself has very few lodges, and only four areas set-aside for camping (at South Gate, Third Bridge, Xakanaxa, and Khwai). There are a number of lodges on the outskirts of the Reserve, whose guests visit on daily game drives.
Travel between lodges is accomplished by light aircraft and helicopter transfers, as most lodges have their own airstrips. Therefore, you can easily combine a number of lodges in a variety of areas. Helicopter game viewing flights are available from most lodge
MOKORO SAFARIS
The mokoro (plural mekoro) is a flat-bottomed canoe traditionally dug-out of a ebony or sausage tree, but now being made from fibre-glass as a more ecologically sensitive material. Each mokoro can take two passengers, and is piloted by a poler who stands at the back of the craft, much like punters on the Cam. You will have a team of polers, depending on how large your group is, plus a guide performing the usual duties of looking out for anything of interest and answering any questions you may have.
After the bumpy, dusty off-road game drives, the serene, noiseless quality of a mokoro safari on the Okavango Delta's myriad waterways can be priceless. Travelling by mokoro takes you to parts of the reserves that off-road vehicles and motor launches cannot reach, particularly when waters are high from May to September. You will be able to glide up to elephant, hippo or buffalo herds with ease, providing unique game-viewing and photographic opportunities.