Visiting two of northern Botswana’s prime wildlife areas, this luxury mobile camping safari trip focuses on the region's endangered wild dogs, with a chance to see a variety of other wildlife including lion, leopard and elephant.
One of the most charismatic and sought after mammals on the continent, the African wild dog can evoke so many emotions in us. From their fascinating vocalisations, tender parenting to athletic hunting abilities, watching these beautiful yet highly endangered canids go about their daily lives is a treasured wildlife experience.
On this trip we explore a mosaic of habitats, from seasonal lagoons and acacia-studded plains to fabulous forests of leadwood in both the Moremi Game Reserve and Mababe Private Reserve. Both are prime wild dog locations with abundant prey and resident packs that we hope to track down as they den in the area. We begin in the Moremi Game Reserve - on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta - a stunningly beautiful area of floodplain and mopane woodland that attracts a wealth of wildlife and then move to Mababe with its dry and wet grasslands. Both locations offer exceptional opportunities to see and study the area’s most fascinating inhabitant: the African wild dog. In addition, we have great opportunities to see many of the delta’s other iconic and lesser known wildlife.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Depart UK
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Maun via Johannesburg.
Day2: Arrive Maun & transfer to Moremi Game Reserve
We arrive in Maun early afternoon, where our guide will be waiting to meet and assist us with our onward light aircraft flight over the Delta to our first campsite in the Moremi Game Reserve.
Once we arrive, we are met by the crew who will be accompanying us for our first six nights. There's time to settle in and unpack before a late afternoon safari and then enjoying dinner under the night sky.
Accommodation: Fully-serviced Mobile Camping, 3-nights
Days3-4: Game drives in Moremi Game Reserve
Situated on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled reserves in Africa, and the huge variety of wildlife here will not disappoint. This is one of the best places in Africa to see our target species - the endangered African wild dog - and the Xakanaxa area is home to a resident herd of buffalo, which in turn attracts lions. Moremi’s birdlife is also exceptional, with swamps and open areas of water attracting a variety of species. Our primary focus will be seeking out and observing Moremi’s resident wild dog packs, possibly witnessing the first steps of the young pups or witnessing the thrill and brutality of a hunt.
Day5: Transfer to Mababe Private Reserve
Today we set off on a thrilling safari drive through Moremi Game Reserve and out to the north-east towards into the Mababe Private Reserve. On this moving day, we stop to enjoy a mokoro excursion in the calm back-waters of the Khwai and Mbudi channels, and visit pools frequented by hippos and bull elephants. We pass through open plains where herds of zebra and impala are joined by the occasional sable or roan antelope, and also pass mopane woodlands where various predators hold their territories. We arrive at our new camp in time for dinner and a night drive.
Accommodation: Fully-serviced Mobile Camping, 4-nights
Days6-8: Game drives in Mababe Private Reserve
We have three full days of exciting wildlife drives in Mababe Private Reserve, starting after breakfast each day and returning to camp mid to late morning where we have free time until the mid-afternoon, when we set out again on another wildlife drive. Our exact programme will be dictated by the latest sightings, but we can expect to encounter of wealth of mammals and birds. Our primary focus will be to locate one of the two packs of wild dogs that hunt in this rich environment. As they raise their pups in the dens, their territory size shrinks, increasing our chances to enjoy some memorable encounters with these fascinating mammals. If we're very lucky, we get to see some intimate encounters amongst the pack or even follow them as they hunt.
Mababe is also home to an excellent range of other charismatic wildlife, and with the freedom to drive off-road we may be fortunate to find lion, leopard, spotted hyena and African wildcat in addition to great herds of buffalo and many nocturnal mammals on night drives.
Day9: Transfer to Maun & depart
Today it's sadly time for us to leave the delta as we make our way to the Khwai Airstrip where we take our scheduled light aircraft flight back to Maun. This gives us a final chance to look down on the beauty of the Okavango Delta from above. We then take our flight to Johannesburg and connect with our onward flight back to the UK.
Day10: Arrive UK
Please note: This is fully-serviced camping and you are not expected to help with any camp chores such as setting up tents, cooking and washing-up.
Key info
Duration and price including flights from/to UK: 10 daysfrom £6,155 pp
Duration and price excluding international flights: 8 daysfrom £5,155 pp
Moremi is an unspoilt and stunningly beautiful reserve, considered to be one of Africa’s finest sanctuaries. Its 3,000 sqkm of woodland, floodplain and reedbed includes the waters of the Okavango Delta, attracting high concentrations of plains game and predators which can be viewed by river or on land.
Find Out More about {acc:title}
Where: Northern Botswana
Ideal for viewing: Pel’s fishing owl, red lechwe, sitatunga, fire-crowned bishop, scops owl
Excellent for: Walking safaris, Vehicle safaris, River safaris
This private reserve is situated in the Okavango Delta, allowing visitors to venture off-road and enjoy night drives to watch some of its rarer inhabitants. Wildlife highlights include lion, leopard, wild dog, spotted hyena and a rich variety of birdlife such as African jacana and secretarybird.
Find Out More about {acc:title}
