Moremi Game Reserve

3 days on More Game Reserve

I had the chance to spend 3 nights and 4 days in the area of the Okavango Delta/ More Game reserve. Me and my girlfriends stayed at Okavango River Lodge, really nice location with a bar/restaurant right next to the river where you can see a beautiful sunset every evening.

The reserve is a beautiful area where I had the chance to see Hippos, a mother lioness with her cubs, group of hyenas and lots (lots lots lots) of Elephants. We had a large group cross the road all around us one day when we were returning from the reserve. Rhinos are very hard to see at Moremi but not impossible, seems the local anti-poaching unit is keeping the Rhinos on a more restricted area deep within the delta so the Rhino population can be boosted up. As for the driving, Moremi does allow for self drive but I do not recommend it for the average tourist(my case). The road condition is fine as long as it is dry and you stick to the main roads within the reserve. On the secondary roads there are no signs and you pretty much have to be offroading for a good amount of time, chances of getting lost are not low there.

The guides know how to get you in and out of the best spots to see Wildlife without you having to worry to step out of the car to lock your differentials in the same area where you saw a pride of Lions the day before :)

So my overall suggestion is to book a guided a tour within the reserve, bring your camera and your tele lens if you have one and enjoy.

The Okavango delta boat tour gives you the chance to see elephants along the shallow parts, water birds, eagles, crocodiles. You have to be lucky to see water buffalos but it is possible. We did not see any :(

the best park in Botswana

drive yourself!
take your time
watch for signs and track of wildlife

Do this and you'll have the best wildlife experience in your life!

Arriving at the gate we were warned that it was very wet in the reserve and that certain tracks were impassable, one of which was the track into the Khwai reserve that we were due to take a few days later. Undaunted we set off and although we did encounter some very large and deep puddles our initial impression was that the situation wasn't too bad.

The drive was fairly uneventful as far as animals were concerned, apart from a first ever sighting of a Lesser Spotted Eagle and the first Red Lechwe of the trip.

We were entertained for quite a while by a couple of Yellow-billed Storks expertly fishing and also by a Monitor Lizard basking in the late afternoon sun on a termite mound.

Our first full day in Moremi dawned dry and overcast after another night of rain and thunder. Little did we realize how quickly a significant sighting would be made and within 5 minutes of leaving camp we were parked and watching a male Leopard in a tree. We spent almost two hours watching him before he finally came down the tree and moved away.

We headed off to see what else was on offer, but very soon it became apparent that there was even more standing water after the overnight rain. This fact was later born out when we spotted a crocodile actually swimming in the flooded wheel tracks. OK, it was a young one, but even so, it’s not a very common sight. The day was mainly one of spotting and photographing birds, including a couple more to add to our all time list.

Our second full day in Moremi was much the same as our first, although the weather was drier and there was no early surprise Leopard sighting. A couple more new bird species, but perhaps the highlight was our first encounter with a Rock Monitor Lizard. We witnessed a rather serious disagreement in a Baboon troop as an alpha-male chased an interloper round and around a lake at speed until he had been seen off and found another tree.

The remainder of the day was again mainly bird photography, punctuated by Wildebeest, Impala, Giraffe, Red Lechwe, Kudu and Leopard sightings.

Probably the highlight was the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. We had spotted them the day before, but this time it appeared we were disturbing potential food sources for them as we drove along. We were being accompanied by up to four birds flying alongside us, it really was a beautiful sight.

We finished the day with another visit to the Yellow-billed Storks fishing and then back to camp for dinner. What greeted us when we got there was one of the best sunsets we were to witness during the whole trip.

All that remained in Moremi was the following day’s game drive to the gate and then the transfer into Khwai. Three memorable sightings were in store for us between the camp and the gate, which strangely happened at the same location. We were watching a large group of Red Lechwe, the most we had seen all trip, as overhead was flying a majestic African Marsh Harrier. As we were concentrating on these, there was a commotion behind and to our right hand side and what was probably the largest pod of Hippos we have ever seen were running down a track to a new flooded area. Magical to watch.

Plenty of animals - even in 40C weather in Moremi Game Park

I traveled to Moremi Game Reserve with my husband, 5 year old son and my parents as part of a private game tour. The weather during the November trip was very hot - over 40 degrees C (100F) each day. Our trip included driving to the game park in the morning, stopping just outside the gate for a picnic lunch, and then driving through the park slowly to reach our camp for a sun-downer and some snacks. After an additional sunset game-drive we returned to camp for dinner and camping. We got up at 5am the next day for a sunrise drive before brunch at camp and a final game drive on our return trip to Maun.
The game sightings were incredible - we managed to spot a pride of lions including a glorious male, about 6 females and countless cubs. As luck would have it, our guide, LT, managed to find this same pride on each of our outings and we could observe their different behaviors at each time of day - absolutely amazing.
The tracks we followed were often very faint which made it feel like we were really in the wild. This gave us the opportunity to see many rare birds and animals in their natural setting.
Sunrise and sunset in the park were the most magical times when the animals are often most active and the lighting is soft and warm. This is only possible to observe if camping within the park - which was an experience in itself - we had cute tents with sleeping bags and an outside bucket-shower which was also fun - and we even had some camp visitors during the night - a honey badger and a hippo, snuffling through the camp.
Despite the heat, this trip was an incredible experience - and one to tick off the bucket list - I still can't get the grin off my son's face!

We stayed in tented "camps" that were more like 4 and 5 star hotels! The food and accommodations were first rate. The wildlife was nearby - I mean really CLOSE. Elephants would suddenly pop out of the bush. We were also fortunate enough to see a leopard hunting and lions mating. The roads are rough, so be prepared for some long, hot days in a safari vehicle. But, remember that there will be a lovely glass of South African wine and a spectacular sunset at the end of the road!

No large groups of animals, but scenically gave me the Moremi a little like better.

Best in Botswana

Amazing sightings - Leopards, Lions, Wild Dogs, Elephants, Hippos, Crocs, Antelope, Birds etc etc etc.
On my trip to Botswana I visited the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Moremi. As much as the other places were great, Moremi was certainly the best for wildlife. Not only was there lots of variety, you could get close to the animals so its great for photography. I'd always wanted to see a leopard in a tree and a leopard with a kill and I got both of these in one day. Another day it was lions swimming across a river, another day was a pack of Wild Dogs running along the river banks. So much to see and so much beauty, I fully recommend visiting Moremi GR.

Great Place for Wildlife Viewing

Interesting combination of bush and water allows the viewing of a large variety of wildlife. Some of the tracks are "iffy" requiring a certain 4x4 driving skill. One very negative experience was the sightin of a leopard, when our guide reported it to his colleagues from our lodge on a supposedly "private frequency" a total of 14 vehicles, 12 of them either from other lodges or self-drive descended on the place jostling for the best view.

Moremi was another favorite destination. So many active animals in June. Hundreds of elephants and many lions, buffalo, wild dog, hyena and leopard. I especially liked our campground which was near one of the bridges. Beautiful spot!

Photography. Exceptional bird life and wildlife. Would highly recommend