The final portion of our Botswana safari took place in the Khwai Community Area and Moremi Game Reserve in the northeastern part of the Okavango delta. We spent one night in a lodge in Khwai while our campsite in Moremi was readied, and then camped there for four nights. The Okavango is an inland delta where the rivers that feed it, including the Okavango and Khwai, do not flow into an ocean but instead evaporate and simply disappear in the swampy land. Unlike the Savuti, water in Moremi was everywhere and this created a tremendous concentration of wildlife.
This is the final part of a four part series on my trip to Botswana. All photographs are mine and are available for sale in my gallery. Click on the links below to read the rest of the story.
- Intro, Logistics and Camping
- Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park
- The Savuti
- Khwai and Moremi Game Reserve (this post)
Almost as soon as we crossed into the Khwai reserve, we were greeted by dozens of elephants at a large watering hole. As the group walked passed, they would stop for a drink and some went for a swim as well. This was the largest concentration of elephants I had seen during our trip – they just kept coming!
The next morning began with another game drive and we soon found two male lions relaxing in a field. The morning light help create great conditions for photography. One of them had a recent wound on his forehead. It was clear as we traveled that many animals bore wounds and scars from past battles.
Next we came across a large hippopotamus walking along the side of the road and stopping for the occasional snack. This was our closest encounter with a hippo during the trip and at one point it seemed to briefly charge in the direction of our vehicle. Fortunately it decided that eating was a more fruitful exercise.
We also came across another type of antelope: the waterbuck. These were larger and “fluffier” than most of the others we had seen.
I then had an opportunity to spend some time on the water in a traditional mokoro. The mokoro is a small canoe-like boat propelled by a pilot with a pole. The result is very quiet and peaceful. Outside of one elephant along the river, I didn’t see much wildlife but did manage to capture a few photos.
As we entered the Moremi game reserve we were greeted by a group of vervet monkeys. We spent some time watching them while they also seemed to be watching us.
The Moremi reserve has a lot of different environments. There are large savannahs as well as marshy areas and rivers. Some areas were wide open grassland and others had more trees – although it was obvious that the trees faced a regular threat from elephants. The photo below shows one of the marsh areas that we drove by.
Below is a group of lechwe antelope watching us warily under the shelter of some trees.
One large open area near our camp was a particular favorite in the evenings. Large groups of giraffes and elephants typically gathered here, as well as zebras and impala.
The many ponds and waterways provided some nice locations for sunsets as well.
In the morning we found a lone lioness on the move. She was making her way toward a group of impala, who spotted her before she could make a move on them.
We then found a group of four adult lionesses with two 6-8 month old cubs. It was again interesting watching their interactions as they showed affection to each other and spent time grooming as well.
We returned to the large open area that evening and found a group of elephants coating themselves in dust, which caught the light nicely.
A pair of leopards with a recent kill were found by another driver the next morning: a mother with a cub 6-8 months old. When we arrived the mother was clearly done with the kill, a lechwe antelope, but the cub was still moving it around and nibbling at it. We had over two hours at close range with the two active leopards which was the overall highlight of the whole safari. Needless to say, I have a few photos…
We spent the afternoon on a boat exploring the river, spotting several species of birds as well as a few crocodiles. The day ended with watching a newborn zebra and another nice sunset.
The next morning was the last full day of the safari. We began by looking for the leopards we’d seen the previous day, but they were nowhere to be found. We ended up by a lake watching a group of hippos and trying to capture them with their mouths open. I also photographed some of the birds in the area.
Wildlife was a challenge to find for the rest of the day. Late in the afternoon we spotted some vultures circling off in the distance and decided to head that way to see if there was something going on. As we got close, there were hundreds of vultures everywhere. Eventually we found out why: a wildebeest had been killed and the vultures were picking it clean.
Nearby we found another likely contributor to the wildebeest feast – a group of hyenas were resting in the grass. They were larger than I expected and definitely not the most attractive animals I had ever seen.
While we were there, a side-striped jackal began walking toward the hyenas. They eventually chased it off.
On our last morning we awakened to a herd of elephants walking by our camp. For those who wonder what keeps you separated from the wildlife when camping in Africa, the answer is “nothing!”. One elephant had a newborn with her and they needed to be photographed.
Our plan for the day was to have a brief game drive in the morning before driving to Maun where we would be flying to South Africa to head home. The lionesses and cubs that we had photographed a few days earlier were on the move, hunting a group of giraffes and zebras. While we watched the lions move toward their prey, the animals were on the alert and clearly knew that something was up.
One lion started a brief chase but the zebras and giraffes easily ran to safety, leaving the lions to sit in frustration. It was interesting watching each of the lions stop by the one that made the chase and seemingly comfort her afterwards.
Our drive to Maun and trip home were uneventful. I hope that you found this series of posts both interesting and informative. If you have dreamed of taking an African safari, I highly recommend it. I never thought I would spend so much time so close to these impressive animals. If you have no desire to make the trip, I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I experienced. If nothing else, I wanted to document the trip for my own memory.
As always, prints are available for sale so please let me know if there is something I can help you with. I came home with over 6500 images so I am sure that I can find something for you. Feel free to leave comments and subscribe for future updates. I have compiled a video of some of these experiences as well, which you can see by clicking the video link below.