Moremi
Stay & safaris
When to go
Wildlife & experiences
Areas of the reserve
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Khwai Guest House
A real village, a real safari — at the north gate of Moremi.
From our guest surveys — how we gather evidence
Inside the village at the gate
Khwai Guest House stands in Khwai Village itself, on the edge of the Khwai River with Moremi Game Reserve beginning across the water — and here the village is part of the wilderness, not a break from it. Elephant walk the lanes between the houses, hippo and hyena carry the night, and the drive to the reserve gate takes minutes rather than hours. Staying here means the meeting point of community and bush at full strength: children heading to school in the morning, wild dog on the floodplain by afternoon.
The guest house itself keeps things easy and sociable. Meals are taken together at one long table, the evening gathers everyone — guests and staff alike — around the fire, and a small pool handles the midday heat. It is run by the people whose village this is, and the warmth guests describe, review after review, is the ordinary hospitality of hosts at home.
Small rooms, made up each evening
The bungalows are small, clean and comfortable — a proper bed made up each evening with the mosquito net set, an en-suite bathroom, and the outdoor shower that guests name as the highlight. Take the outdoor shower after dark: the village settles to a dog, a radio and then nothing, and the steam goes straight up into a sky with no lights under it. Standard bungalows take two adults, with room for a child under twelve on a bedroll; the family units take four. Nothing here plays at being a lodge, and nothing needs to: the rooms do their job and the village does the rest.
Day drives, night drives, and the river between
Two scheduled activities run daily, and the choice is broader than the rate suggests: morning and afternoon game drives into the Khwai concession and Moremi, night drives after dinner, mokoro trips on the river, and the village tour that no outside camp can give you. The guiding draws consistent praise — these are guides working their home ground, and it shows in what they find: wild dog dens, leopard on a kill, the hyena clans that own the dark. Night drives run with a minimum of two guests and open up the nocturnal shift — the one safari the reserve next door cannot run.
The Khwai concession is community ground, run by the village, so every drive keeps its benefit at home — and the ground itself, the riverine forest and floodplains along the Khwai's last reach, ranks with the most wildlife-rich country in Botswana.
Scheduled drives carry up to nine guests to a vehicle, drinks are not included, and there is no WiFi at the guest house. That is the whole trade — the ground, the guiding and the welcome are the same country the lodges sell.
Moremi was the first game reserve in Africa declared by an African community on its own land — the BaTawana set it aside in 1963 — and Khwai Village stands at its northern gate, still running the concession beside it.
The north gate of Moremi
Khwai Village stands on the Khwai River at Moremi Game Reserve's northern entrance, with the community's own wildlife concession around it and the reserve immediately across the river. Light aircraft from Maun land at Khwai Airstrip, a short transfer from the village; the guest house is also a natural stop for self-drivers crossing between Moremi and Chobe.
What it costs.
Rates are per person per night, based on two guests travelling together (sharing).
| Season | Bungalow (dinner, bed & breakfast) | Bungalow (all meals & activities) |
|---|---|---|
| 01 January – 31 March | 01 January – 31 MarchUS$ 166 | 01 January – 31 MarchUS$ 330 |
| 01 April – 31 May | 01 April – 31 MayUS$ 192 | 01 April – 31 MayUS$ 360 |
| 01 June – 31 October | 01 June – 31 OctoberUS$ 229 | 01 June – 31 OctoberUS$ 400 |
| 01 November – 30 November | 01 November – 30 NovemberUS$ 192 | 01 November – 30 NovemberUS$ 360 |
| 01 December – 31 December | 01 December – 31 DecemberUS$ 166 | 01 December – 31 DecemberUS$ 330 |
The village is the safari
Khwai Guest House offers the one thing no camp in this collection can: a stay inside the community that owns the ground. The wildlife is the same wildlife — the elephant in the lanes make the point nightly — the guides know the concession as home, and the night drives add a safari the reserve cannot run. For self-drivers crossing northern Botswana, for families, and for anyone who wants the Delta with the people still in the picture, this is the honest way in.
Is this for you
- ✓You want a village stay where the community runs the show
- ✓You're crossing between Moremi and Chobe and want a well-placed, well-run base
- ✓Night drives and home-ground guiding matter more to you than lodge polish
The game drives were excellent. Wild dogs were my primary reason for visiting and I saw them on every drive. Staff was kind.
Tell us your dates and route — we'll fit Khwai Guest House into the journey, whether you're flying in or driving through.
The fine print.
- —All meals
- —Two scheduled safari activities daily
- —Park fees
- —Return Khwai airstrip transfers
- —Flights to and from Khwai Airstrip
- —All drinks
- —Laundry
- —Travel and medical insurance
- —Gratuities and items of a personal nature
Children from two years are welcome, sharing with an adult. Game drives take children from six, mokoro trips from twelve, and walking activities from sixteen.
By light aircraft from Maun to Khwai Airstrip, then a short transfer to the village — or by road, on the route between Moremi and Chobe.
There is no WiFi at the guest house and mobile signal is unreliable — plan to be off-grid.
The village is unfenced to the wildlife around it — elephant pass through regularly, and staff will walk you to your bungalow after dark.