AREA & ACTIVITIES

Habitat & Wildlife
Golden Africa operate throughout Northern Botswana and can provided mobile camps in Moremi, Khwai, Savuti, Chobe, CKGR, Nxai and Makgadikgadi. About half the Okavango Delta region is made up of the gazetted Moremi Game Reserve which includes Chiefs Island. The Moremi is one of the most beautiful game reserves in southern Africa – an area of mopane woodland interlaced with giant fig and knobthorn trees, open vleis and river courses. Animals commonly seen in the area include elephant, lion, leopard, lechwe, wild dog, tsessebe, impala, reedbuck, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, genet, civet and serval, and many of the smaller mammal species. The birdlife of the region is equally spectacular. White rhino were re-introduced to Chiefs Island a few years ago and can sometimes be seen in Moremi.

Outside Moremi (close to the North Gate entrance in the north-east section of the reserve on the north banks of the Khwai River), the Khwai Concession offers excellent game viewing as well as the chance to undertake walking safaris and night drives. Although the Khwai concession can occasionally be busier than remote parts of Moremi or Chobe, it is a natural stopping off point on the journey from Moremi to Savuti (or vice versa) and the diversity of activities on offer makes it worth including in most mobile safaris through northern Botswana.

The Chobe covers an area of 11,000 sq. kms and its habitats range from the floodplain and backwaters of the river to sand ridges, dry lake beds, riverine thickets/bush and mopane forest. The Chobe stretches south-westwards from Kasane and the river in the north, to the Mababe Depression (a dead lake area fed by the Savuti Channel and Khwai River). Except for the network of roads and one lodge along the river and three in the Savuti, there is little development within the park. Most travellers to the Chobe concentrate either along the river frontage, or in the Savuti area. Travellers using mobile tented camps may have the option to move away from these busier areas.

The birdlife is prolific – kingfishers, bee-eaters, the majestic fish eagle, martial eagle, ducks, egrets, plovers, herons, cranes, storks, geese, woodpeckers, shrikes, thrushes, buntings, chats and owls are just a few of the many species found here. However, Chobe is famous for its large animal herds, particularly elephant and buffalo which frequent the river courses, where hippo laze all day, to quench their thirst. Amongst the 16 antelope species present in Chobe, kudu are common, and the near endemic puku can also be seen. The Chobe bushbuck is a sub-species of bushbuck found only here. Giraffe, lion, leopard, waterbuck, mongoose, tsessebe, roan and sable antelope, lechwe, impala, warthog, wild dog, hyaena, baboon and vervet monkeys are among the other animals to be seen.

The Central Kalahari is an area of semi-desert, where trees, bushes and grass do exist within an otherwise hostile desert environment. This allows a variety of birds and animals to exist in the region, including the rare brown hyaena, lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, giraffe, oryx, red hartebeest, eland, kudu, wildebeest, springbok, steenbok, black-backed jackal, meerkat, ostrich and a variety of smaller game including the nocturnal species such as aardwolf, honey badger, bat-eared foxes, serval, caracal, porcupine, African wild cat and genet. The region is best visited during the ‘green’ season from November to March/April, when game concentrates on the various open ‘pans’ within the reserve. During the dry season, the landscape is harsher and game is more spread out throughout the reserve (especially the late dry season from August to October). However recently introduced ‘pumped’ waterholes will become focal drinking spots during these drier months, and should improve game viewing.

Nxai Pan National Park lies just north of the Maun-Nata road and adjoins the northern border of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Originally state land, an area of 1676 sq.km. of Nxai was declared a game reserve in 1970. In 1992 the boundaries were extended to include Baines Baobabs to give the present total area of 2578 sq.km. and National Park status was granted. The Nxai were once part of the great lake that covered central Botswana which also included The Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi and Lake Ngami to name a few. In 1861, the famous painter Thomas Baines arrived to paint an unusual group of baobab trees – one of which lies on its side. This beautiful group of trees became known as ‘Baines Baobabs’ and they can be seen on the southern side of the park. The Pan itself is a fossil lakebed about 40 sq.km. in size. The landscape is largely covered by grassland, and dotted with clusters of umbrella acacia trees and mopane woodland towards the north. During the rains from November to April, the pans become covered in grass which is a landscape very similar to the Kalahari. Nxai is well known for its huge springbok population and once the rains have started, giraffe, gemsbok, elephant, eland, greater kudu, red hartebeest and zebra also migrate to the region. The zebra come in their thousands to drop their young, and the giraffe congregate to form large groups. The birdlife too is excellent with a large number of raptors in particular. The large herds of herbivores attract all the major predators including lion, cheetah, spotted hyaena, wild dog, leopard and jackal. Brown hyena and large numbers of bat-eared fox can also be seen. During the dry season some species move out to other areas, in particular the zebra herds and a high proportion of the elephants, but a ‘pumped’ waterhole supports the resident game and so there is good game viewing all year round.

Activities
In Moremi Game Reserve and other National Parks activities are limited primarily to game drives by day. However, other activities (often third party) can be built into your itinerary, both in Moremi and further afield. In both Moremi and Chobe boat cruises can be included, whilst in Khwai it is possible to include guided walks (subject to your safari being hosted by a suitably qualified guide), night drives and mekoro excursions on the Khwai River.

Seasons
Whilst mobile safaris in Botswana are possible year round, Golden Africa tend to favour March through to November, avoiding operating during the wettest months. Game viewing in the Moremi Game Reserve and other key wildlife regions is best between June and early November.