Moremi
Stay & safaris
When to go
Wildlife & experiences
Areas of the reserve
Planning your trip
Booking with us
Most five-day routes out of Maun pair two camps that resemble each other. This one does the opposite. You start on the Boteti at the edge of the Makgadikgadi, where a lodge stands on low cliffs over a river that draws zebra out of the pans in the dry months, and the land is one colour to the horizon. Two nights later you fly north-west into Moremi Game Reserve and the colour changes: riverine forest, the Khwai, canvas under big trees at the Xakanaxa Lagoon. The pairing is the idea. In four nights you see more of Botswana's range, arid to wet, open to closed, river to lagoon, than routes twice the length, and the two camps could not be more different in how a day runs at each.
The flight from Maun heads south-east over dry mopane, and then the country under you is open, pale and flat, with the Boteti a dark line across it. Leroo La Tau stands on the west bank, on low cliffs about ten metres over the river, every room facing east towards the national park on the far side; the name is Setswana for lion's paw. After lunch you cross the water to the park-side vehicle for the first drive along the river. In the dry months this is where the Makgadikgadi's zebra and wildebeest come to drink, and lion, spotted hyena and cheetah work the same stretch. Dinner is on the deck with the river going dark and the zebra still calling from the far bank.
First light on the veranda, then the boat across to the vehicle. The morning drive follows the Boteti through mopane and open grassland; besides the zebra, expect elephant, giraffe and wildebeest, and both brown and spotted hyena, which share this ground with lion and cheetah. At midday the best seat is the hide, built into the riverbank at water level: you sit in shade with the water at eye height and the animals come down to drink a few metres off. There is a second drive in the afternoon, and after dark a short night drive on the lodge's own concession, where a spotlight picks out what the park's daytime-only rules keep you from seeing.
A last early drive on the Boteti, then the flight north-west. Out of the window the pale, flat country is behind you and the Delta is under the wing: mopane, then floodplain, then water. You land at the Xakanaxa airstrip and drive to Camp Xakanaxa, on the bank of the Khwai River where it opens into the Xakanaxa Lagoon. This is one of Botswana's oldest camps and it has kept the old shape: twelve Meru-style tents on raised decks under big trees, a self-service bar, paraffin lamps along the walkways at night. After two days of dust, the first thing you take in from your deck is water: the lagoon flat and pale in front of the tent, a hippo grunting somewhere out in it, and the air already cooler than it was on the Boteti an hour ago. The afternoon drive goes into mopane woodland and open savannah, some of the densest predator ground in the reserve; lion, leopard, wild dog, elephant and buffalo all use it.
Coffee before first light and out with your guide into riverine forest and grassland. The predator density here is the reason the camp exists: lion and leopard are the regular sightings, and wild dog have been seen on recent visits. Back at camp the fire deck stands over the Khwai and the plunge pool over the lagoon; hippo graze the grass in front of the tents in the middle of the day, and elephant walk through camp after dark. The afternoon is on the water: a motorboat into the deeper channels of the Xakanaxa Lagoon, and in summer out to the heronry islands where herons, storks and kingfishers nest in numbers. Dinner is by candlelight at a long table.
A final drive or a boat outing at first light, then brunch and the flight to Maun and whatever you have booked onward. If you are staying longer, Maun is also where the water routes into the Delta begin.
Every leg is flown. From Maun a scheduled light aircraft, a Cessna Caravan or similar with its seats shared with guests bound for other camps, takes you south-east to the Makgadikgadi, then north-west across the Delta to Moremi, then back to Maun. At each airstrip there is a short road transfer to camp and nothing longer. The two flights show you the pairing from the air: dry, flat, pale country on the way out; channels, floodplain and forest on the way into Moremi. On the ground the guiding is the lodge's own, in open vehicles at both camps and by boat on the lagoon. Luggage is soft bags only, 20 kg per person.
The Boteti dried up completely in the 1990s and stayed waterless for two decades. The record Okavango floods of 2009 brought the river back, and with it the zebra, the wildebeest and the lion that Leroo La Tau's river frontage is known for.
Day 1 · Maun Airport — Arrive; the light aircraft to the Makgadikgadi leaves from here.
Days 1–2 · Leroo La Tau — On the Boteti at the edge of the Makgadikgadi: river drives, the hide, a night drive.
Days 3–4 · Camp Xakanaxa — The Khwai and the Xakanaxa Lagoon inside Moremi: drives and a boat outing.
Day 5 · Maun Airport — The flight back to Maun for onward connections.
Rates are per person, based on two guests travelling together (sharing).
A single supplement may be applicable to solo occupancy.
May to August for most people: the Makgadikgadi's zebra are on the Boteti and Moremi's game is at the water, in cool dry weather. September and October are hotter and the concentrations larger. March, April, November and December are shoulder months with more birds and lower rates; January and February are the green months, at the lowest rates, with two short closures.
- —Zebra in their thousands on the Boteti frontage, with lion and hyena following them
- —Moremi's drives at their best: cool mornings, low vegetation, game at the permanent water
- —Clear dry days and cold early starts on the open vehicle
- —Peak demand at both camps; book well ahead
- —Hot by midday, with game held at the permanent water on both halves of the route
- —Predator activity peaks before the rains
- —The first green flush on the mopane and thunderheads in the afternoons
- —Still peak-season rates on this route
- —Shoulder rates at both camps
- —Migrant birds arrive; the Xakanaxa heronries are busy through the summer
- —Newborn antelope in November and December
- —Game more dispersed after rain, in both areas
- —The year's lowest rates, and storms most afternoons
- —The zebra may be out on the pans themselves, away from the river
- —Two closure periods fall in these weeks; the rate table shows them
- —Ask us about a different pairing of camps for these dates
The change from dry Makgadikgadi to Moremi was huge, almost felt like two holidays. We had a brilliant lion sighting near Boteti and loved the boat in Moremi.
The pairing works as written: the Boteti first, the lagoon after, both flights in place. Give us your dates and the names in your party, and we will hold the rooms at both lodges.
- —Four nights at the two lodges as described
- —All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- —Local spirits, wines, beers and soft drinks (premium brands excluded)
- —All scheduled activities: game drives at both camps, the night drive on the Boteti concession, the riverbank hide, and the motorboat outing on the Xakanaxa Lagoon
- —All scheduled light-aircraft flights between Maun and the camps
- —Park fees, airport departure tax, and all applicable taxes and government levies
- —Laundry
- —International and regional flights to and from Botswana
- —Premium-brand drinks
- —Travel and medical insurance, which is compulsory
- —Visa fees where they apply
- —Gratuities for guides and lodge staff
- —Personal items, and any activity not listed as included
Children of six and over travel on this itinerary at both lodges. Families with children between six and eleven may be asked to book private activities at an extra cost, at the camp managers' discretion. Tell us the ages and we will confirm what applies before you book.
The light aircraft carry 20 kg per person in a soft-sided bag. A hard suitcase does not fit the hold; we can arrange storage in Maun.