Moremi
Stay & safaris
When to go
Wildlife & experiences
Areas of the reserve
Planning your trip
Booking with us
Two camps, four nights, one light aircraft between them. You begin on Nxaragha Island in the permanent Okavango, where the day is set by a poler's rhythm and the nearest road is a flight away. Then you fly east to the Xakanaxa Lagoon inside Moremi Game Reserve for game drives through mopane and floodplain, and boat afternoons on the lagoon. Meals, local drinks, scheduled activities and the flights are in the rate. Of every route we sell from Maun, this is the shortest that still holds both halves of the Delta: the water and the land.
From the aircraft window you see the Delta as a map of itself: dark channels through pale floodplain, islands ringed with palms, water in every direction. Your flight from Maun lands on a bush airstrip and a short boat transfer brings you to Camp Okavango, a solar-powered water camp on a private island. There are no vehicles here. Raised wooden walkways link your tented suite to two lounges, a library and a rim-flow pool, and the sounds are water, birds and the boards underfoot. In the late afternoon you go out by motorboat through the papyrus channels; dinner is on the open terrace, with the frogs and nightjars starting up as the light goes.
A full day on and around the water, with the morning in a mokoro. Your poler stands at the stern and pushes you along channels fringed with papyrus and water lilies, and because you sit at water level you notice what a vehicle passes: a malachite kingfisher on a reed, a red lechwe splashing off through the shallows, a reed frog on a stem. Later there is a guided walk on a neighbouring island, where elephant, giraffe and lechwe are tracked on foot and lion are possible. Birders do well here in every month: wattled crane, African jacana, pied kingfisher, and Pel's fishing owl for those who search the ebony trees. Evening is at the fire pit under a sky with no other light in it.
One more water outing and brunch at Camp Okavango, then the flight to Moremi. Out of the window the pattern changes: channels and floating islands give way to open grassland, mopane woodland and dry ground. You land at the Xakanaxa airstrip and transfer to Camp Moremi, which sits under old ebony and jackalberry trees on the bank of the lagoon. The first sounds you hear are hippo, and a fish eagle somewhere down the shore. Your tented suite has sliding glass doors onto the bush; you settle in, and the afternoon game drive goes out. Moremi's mix of woodland, grassland and floodplain carries a high density of predators, and lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and spotted hyena all use this ground.
You leave at first light with your guide for the mopane, the open grassland and the floodplain edge. Elephant herds, lion, giraffe and antelope in numbers are the regular sightings here: impala, kudu, waterbuck and red lechwe. Wild dog den in this part of the reserve in some years, and the camp's guides know the ground well enough to give it a fair try. After brunch the middle of the day is yours, at the pool over the lagoon or on the raised platform where the hippo cross the water and herons work the far bank. In the late afternoon a motorboat takes you along the Xakanaxa Lagoon and its channels, where hippo and elephant come close at the water's edge and the birdlife is dense. Your last dinner is outside, under the stars.
A last sunrise over the Xakanaxa Lagoon and, if your onward flight allows, one more early game drive. After brunch a light aircraft takes you back to Maun Airport for your connection, most often through Johannesburg. If you would rather keep going, Maun is also where the longer Botswana routes begin.
Every leg of this route is flown. A fly-in safari means light aircraft between Maun and the camps rather than long hours on a road: a Cessna Caravan or similar, a dozen or so seats, flying low enough to see the channels, islands and floodplain laid out beneath you, and on the third day the change to dry woodland as you cross into Moremi. The flights are arranged by the camps and included in the price; there is no road transfer anywhere on the itinerary and no driving between camps. On the ground the guiding is the camp's own: a poler and a boat guide at Camp Okavango, a driver-guide in an open vehicle at Camp Moremi, so you are always with someone who works that water or that ground for a living. Luggage is soft bags only, with a 20 kg per person limit set by the aircraft.
Camp Okavango stands on Nxaragha Island in the permanent Delta, so mokoro and motorboat outings run in every open month, not only at high flood. The flood itself peaks between June and August.
Day 1 · Maun Airport — Arrive; the light aircraft to the Delta leaves from here.
Days 1–2 · Camp Okavango — Nxaragha Island in the permanent Delta: mokoro and motorboat outings from camp.
Days 3–4 · Camp Moremi — The Xakanaxa Lagoon: game drives in the reserve, the lagoon by boat.
Day 5 · Maun Airport — The morning 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 September for most people: the flood is high in the Delta, the winter days are dry and clear, and Moremi's game gathers at the water. October is the hottest month and the one with the largest concentrations. January, March, April and November to December are the green months, with lower rates and more birds. Both camps close in February.
- —The Okavango's annual flood is at its height; the island channels are at their fullest for mokoro
- —Dry winter weather: cold early mornings, clear days, no rain on the drives
- —Water draws the game together in Moremi; predator sightings are at their most frequent
- —The sleep-out deck at Camp Okavango runs April to October, at a surcharge
- —The remaining water holds the largest concentrations of the year in Moremi
- —Hot by midday; mornings and evenings are still comfortable for drives and mokoro
- —Thunderheads build in the afternoons and the light is at its best for photographs
- —Still peak-season rates, and the first rain can come on any day
- —Lower rates than the peak months on this itinerary
- —In April the flood begins to arrive and the bush is at its greenest
- —November brings migrant birds and newborn antelope to both areas
- —Fewer aircraft and fewer guests at each camp
- —Both camps on this itinerary close for annual maintenance in February
- —Early January and March are open, at the year's lowest rates
- —The bush is at its greenest either side of the closure and the birding is at its best
- —Ask us about alternative dates or a different pairing of camps for this period
Only had five days and this was just right. The little plane flights were fun and our mokoro afternoon was so peaceful. Moremi drives were excellent.
This route works as written: two camps, four nights, every flight in place. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will confirm both camps and hold the seats.
- —Four nights at the two camps as described
- —All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- —Local spirits, wines, beers and soft drinks (premium brands excluded)
- —All scheduled activities at each camp: mokoro, motorboat outings, guided island walks, game drives and lagoon boating
- —All scheduled light-aircraft flights between Maun and the camps
- —Park fees 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 camp staff
- —Personal items, and any activity not listed as included
Children of six and over travel on this itinerary. Under-16s share a room with a parent or guardian throughout, and at some camps an activity may have its own age limit. Ask us for a family quote and we will set the rooms and activities to your children's ages.
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.