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Camp Okuti
A house of reeds on the water, inside the reserve itself.
From our guest surveys — how we gather evidence
The house of reeds
Okuti breaks from safari canvas altogether: its suites are mosasas — an old word for “house of reeds” — curved, thatched structures whose arched forms nod to the reed architecture of the Delta and to the curves of Botswana's own parliament. The camp sits right at the edge of the Monachira River where it runs through the Xakanaxa Lagoon, inside Moremi Game Reserve, and everything faces the water: the lounge opens to the river through shaded decks, the firepit is set for dusk, and hippo climb out to mow the lawns after dark.
The interiors run to brown leather, teal and brass — relaxed rather than showy — and the hosting keeps the same note: morning tea and coffee arrives at your suite before the drive, and the bar works on trust, open and self-serve whenever you want it. A pool beside the lounge covers the midday hours.
Curved suites on teak decks
Inside a mosasa, the architecture does the mood: the reed-and-canvas roof curves overhead like an upturned hull, holding the rooms shaded and naturally cool while the channel glitters through the doorway. Brown leather, teal and brass warm the light; the bed faces the water; and the teak deck outside puts you a few unhurried metres from the Delta's passing trade — elephant hock-deep at the crossing, storks patrolling the shallows, hippo announcing the hour. At night the frogs take the lagoon up like an orchestra tuning, and the curved roof gathers the sound in.
Five mosasas take a double or twin, the honeymoon mosasa adds seclusion at the row's end, and the two family units hold two bedrooms apiece — each en-suite with indoor and outdoor showers, hot and cold running water and a ceiling fan for the still afternoons.
The reserve by land, the lagoon by boat
Two activities run daily and split naturally between land and water. Game drives work the Mopane Tongue's woodland and floodplain — the shared heart of Moremi, with lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo in the densities that made Xakanaxa's name — in vehicles carrying six. The boats take the other half of the day: cruises onto the Xakanaxa Lagoon and along the Monachira's channels, where sundowners on mirror-still water and the lagoon's prodigious birdlife are the point. Birding is a scheduled pursuit in its own right here, not an afterthought.
The guiding is patient, deeply knowledgeable, and repeatedly the first thing guests mention.
Okuti drives the reserve's shared ground: Moremi's rules apply — no night drives, no walking — and other camps use the same tracks. In exchange you sleep inside the reserve itself, with its game density outside the mosasa door. If after-dark drives and walks matter most, a concession camp is the better fit.
From September to December the Xakanaxa lagoon's heronries fill with breeding storks, herons and egrets — whole trees crowded with nests, one of the Delta's great bird spectacles, and the boats put you at the front of it.
Young Explorers, with a programme
Okuti takes children from six and gives them a programme rather than a colouring book: the Young Explorers course runs track identification, bow-and-arrow practice and bush skills with the guides. The two family mosasas hold two bedrooms each — two adults and two children under sixteen behind one door — and the boat safaris are made for young attention spans. Families travelling with children under sixteen pre-book a private vehicle for the stay.
On the channel through Xakanaxa
Camp Okuti stands on the Monachira River as it flows through the Xakanaxa Lagoon, in the north-central reaches of Moremi Game Reserve — inside the reserve proper, in one of its richest corners. Light aircraft from Maun land at Xakanaxa Airstrip, followed by a twenty-minute game-drive transfer.
What it costs.
Rates are per person per night, based on two guests travelling together (sharing).
Five nights for the price of four through the green season: migrant birds return, storks and herons sit their nests on the lagoon islands, and with the grass tall and the water up, the boat earns its half of every day.
Character, water and children welcome
Three camps share the Xakanaxa area, and Okuti is the one that answers three questions at once: something architecturally its own, the lagoon's boats in the daily rhythm, and a real programme for children. Add the reserve-proper game density and hosting guests rank with the sightings, and it holds its place on the Moremi leg of any journey — particularly a family's.
Is this for you
- ✓You want to sleep inside Moremi with land and water in every day
- ✓You're travelling with children and want them engaged, not merely permitted
- ✓You'd take architectural character over standard safari canvas
Loved the ambience, design of rooms, food was excellent. Great tracker, and location on the river was phenomenal. The boat cruises were a great change of pace after a few days of driving safaris.
Tell us your dates and party — we'll build the journey around Okuti, from the flights to the family mosasas to the lagoon's best months.
The fine print.
- —All meals
- —Selected local-brand drinks
- —Two scheduled safari activities daily
- —Park fees
- —Return Xakanaxa airstrip transfers
- —Laundry
- —Flights to and from Xakanaxa Airstrip
- —Premium-brand drinks
- —Chobe impact fee (charged per person per night)
- —Private vehicle hire
- —Travel and medical insurance
- —Gratuities and items of a personal nature
Children from six years are welcome, with the Young Explorers programme to keep them busy. The family mosasas take two adults and two children under sixteen, and families travelling with children under sixteen pre-book a private vehicle for the stay.
By light aircraft from Maun to Xakanaxa Airstrip — about thirty minutes — then a twenty-minute game-drive transfer to camp.
In heavy flood years the reserve's roads can close to self-drivers entirely, leaving fly-in guests the ground almost to themselves. The camp is unfenced — hippo graze through at night, and staff walk you to your mosasa after dark.