pebrinic

My wife and I are planning on visiting the Okavango in mid-July. We have so far been planning on staying at Camp Moremi in the Moremi Game Reserve. I had a couple of questions:

1) Is there much of a difference in staying in the Moremi Reserve rather than the greater Okavango? other than no night-time game rides from what I understand.

2) Is $550/night/person a usual rate for mid-July in this area? Any tips on getting good deals?

Thanks so much!

-Paul

jcasale

Having not been to the Moremi Reserve, I can't compare it to the Okavanga. But I can tell you that going on night drives in the Okavanga Delta is amazing(actually I thought the night drives were a highlight of our safari experience in South Africa also). Being in the delta was an experience I would not have wanted to miss, especially after reading about it in National Geographic a couple of years ago. We stayed at Nxbega which is part of the CCAfrica group of camps. it might be a bit more expensive than Camp Moremi, but it was also well worth every penny. They wwere fabulous and everything was included (laundry, alcohol, etc) which I think balanaced things out.

As for tips on getting good deals, Botswana is pricey. The government has restricted the number of camps and people and so that raises demand and prices. Our travel agent had suggested to us that we rework our schedule slightly so that we could be in Botswana in June since the prices went up July 1st. I'm guessing your dates are set at this point, but if they aren't and you have some flexibility, that's one option. Otherwise, I think that $550 is not an unreasonable price.

Hope this all helps. Enjoy your time in Africa!

atravelynn

I've never been at Camp Moremi, only the Mombos on Chief's Island in Moremi. But I was near the Moremi border when I stayed at Chitabe. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Chitabe and even extended my stay there from 4 to 8 days. But I'll recount something about Moremi that I mentioned in the original report. The biggest herds of antelope and zebra, the most (I think only) hippo action, the best and most relaxed leopard sighting, and some of the most attractive scenery was right at the Moremi border. There was a distinct, posted boundary that we were not allowed to cross and it was at that boundary that the terrain changed. We could look across and see herds of various hooved animals in much greater abundance than on our side. So my experience is that Moremi is a land of diverse and abundant wildlife.

Price looks good.

All my Botswana travel has been late July or Aug, similar to your time, for purposes of comparison.

HariS

Paul: would appreciate feedback of the game sightings from your stay at camp Moremi.

pebrinic

Thanks so much for all your thoughts guys. We went ahead and booked three night in Camp Moremi in July. I'll definitely post my thoughts on the trip when we get back towards end of July. Thanks!

Momliz

Lynn - you say that there was abundant wildlife in Moremi, but less in Chitabe - was there a fence? why so much in one area and not another? I can't imagine the habitat changed so much in a few feet...

nyama

A few feet? Chitabe is about 30 kms south of Camp Moremi, and about 60 kms south-east of Mombo area. The habitat is more dry in the Chitabe concession, you only have one permanent channel, the Santantadibe. The area around Camp Moremi has much more water and lagoons, also the Mombo area which is located on the edge of Chief's Island.

atravelynn

This was my observation: When we drove to the Moremi-Chitabe border I could see a distinct difference in habitat. I could see where the Chitabe concession ended and the greener Moremi began.

There was no fence, just a couple of signs. Nothing prevented us from crossing the border except the rules.

Not that Chitabe was undesirable or I would not have doubled my nights there. That's where the wild dog den with 8 adorable pups was. A pride of lions with numerous cubs of different ages was visible from Chitabe Trails camp and hung around about four days, eating a buffalo carcass. Two young hyenas could be seen playing outside their den nightly. I saw on average a leopard a day. A mother leopard, with a cub, killed an impala in camp and treed the carcass next to my shower. We routinely had ele and kudu and very relaxed bushbuck in camp.

Momliz

Ooops, sorry, I got the impression from Lynn's post that it was closer. I have been studying my maps trying to get a feel for the area, and I don't have good maps yet. I think one thing that I have been having trouble with is the idea of really huge private parks - they seem inconceivable.

It looks to me, having never visited Botswana or South Africa, and so far without good maps, that the concessions are kind of split up according to terrain. is that true?