Moremi Game Reserve

The Moremi Game Reserve is a beautiful wildlife park in Botswana, north-east of the ‘tourist capital’ Maun. Moremi is located on the east side of the Okavango Delta and due to the overlap with this wet area there is a huge variety of flora and fauna. The park is named after Chief Moremi of the Batawana people who lived in this area. The reserve was named the best game reserve in Africa in 2008 by the prestigious African Travel and Tourism Association. Places you shouldn’t miss during your visit to Moremi are the Moremi Tongue and Chiefs Island.

Although the park is not very large, around 4000 square kilometers, it is enormously diverse. On the Okavango Delta side there are places where there is water all year round and in the rest of the park the amount of water is seasonal. In terms of landscapes, the area varies from lagoons, Mopane forest, Acacia forests to grassland. Animals that you can see here during a safari include: buffalo, lions, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, impala and African wild dogs. Both white and black rhinos have been reintroduced in the park, making Moremi now officially a Big Five reserve. Bird watchers can look out for around 500 different bird species that live in the area or settle there during their trek. The months of July to October are the peak months for spotting wild animals as this is the dry season and the wildlife is gathering around the places where water is still to be found. November and December can be extremely hot, normally the rainy season starts around December.

To prevent mass tourism, there are only a few lodges in the park itself and only four campsites. It is necessary to discuss your accommodation or campsite in advance. Outside the reserve there are also lodges from which you can take day safaris to Moremi. Game drives can be done per 4×4 vehicle, on foot with a guide or in the wet section by mokoro (a kind of canoe that is propelled by a ‘poler’ with a stick). The lodges in the Delta section have a small runway so that you can fly from lodge to lodge with a small plane if desired. Staying overnight at these lodges is pricey but well worth it.