The mokoro
A quiet trip through the channels.
Hp.Baumeler — CC BY-SA 4.0 · User:Africanprince10 — CC BY 2.5 · diego_cue — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mothusi Sekhomba — CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Walker — Public domain
Moremi Game Reserve is a protected area on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, covering just under 5,000 square kilometres. It combines permanent water with drier ground, so lagoons and floodplains sit beside mopane woodland and acacia forest, which makes it one of the country's best known safari destinations. It was proclaimed a reserve in 1963 and named after Chief Moremi III of the Batawana people. His widow, Elizabeth Pulane Moremi, was ruling the area at the time and took steps to protect the wildlife, concerned about the toll of hunting. The royal hunting grounds were added in the 1970s, and only about 30 percent of the reserve is mainland. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, black rhino, hippos and giraffes live here, and it is an important habitat for African wild dogs, some of which wear collars fitted by researchers. Nearly 500 bird species have been recorded. You can explore by 4x4, on foot with a guide, or in a traditional mokoro canoe. It is 82 km in a straight line from Maun, and game viewing peaks from July to October, when the seasonal pans dry up. Malaria is present, so see your doctor before travelling. Roads change greatly with the water level and help is far away off the main routes, so a 4x4 and recovery kit are essential. Campsites are few, so book early.
A quiet trip through the channels.
An important habitat.
Water and dry land side by side.
Eastern Okavango Delta, northern Botswana
July to October, when wildlife gathers at the permanent water.
Yes if driving yourself, with a recovery kit, otherwise join an organised trip.