The Moremi & Chiefs Island

The Majestic Moremi Game Reserve

Today Moremi is described as one of the most beautiful and varied reserves in Africa, with an unprecedented concentration of wildlife. But it has not always been so. By the end of the 19th century the wildlife in the southern Okavango had been practically exterminated by the rinderpest epidemic. It took many years for the game to regain its numbers and it was only with the return of the foot-and-mouth disease-carrying tsetse fly in the late 1940s that encroaching pastoralists were forced to move away. Uncontrolled hunting by European and Batswana hunters also took its toll and by the early 1960s much of the wildlife in this area had again been decimated. Under the leadership of Mrs Moremi, the wife of the late Chief Moremi III, and with the help of Robert and June Kays and other early conservationists, the tribe agreed to set aside the far eastern corner of mainland between the Khwai and Mogogelo rivers as a wildlife reserve. The reserve was proclaimed on 15 March 1963 and was named after Chief Moremi III. The Moremi Game Reserve now covers 4872km2 (1856 sq miles). Moremi is only accessible by air or fourwheel- drive vehicle, and only the eastern side of the reserve is accessible by road as much of the central and all of the eastern side of the park is dense swampland. In the wet season many of the sand roads become impassable.

Moremi's Landmarks

Xakanaxa Lagoon
Xakanaxa Lagoon, which boasts some of the widest varieties of fish to be found anywhere in the Delta, is some 12km (7 miles) north of Fourth Bridge and is a vast expanse of deep, permanent reed-lined waterways. Several private camps and lodges have been established along the edge of the lagoon including Camp Moremi, Camp Okuti and Xakanaxa Camp Site.

Nyandambesi Lediba and Dombo Hippo Pool
It is a long journey of almost 45km (27 miles) from Xakanaxa to North Gate where the fourth camp site is located, and it is worth breaking this trip with a visit to Nyandambesi Lediba and the Dombo Hippo Pool on the way. Nyandambesi Lediba, which means ‘the lagoon where you can barbecue catfish’, is an open series of pools and is less than 10km (6 miles) from the Xakanaxa camp site. At Dombo Hippo Pool there is an observation hide which is signposted and which can be found a short distance off the main Xakanaxa/Khwai road, some 12km (7 miles) from Khwai.

The Bukakhwe San Bushmen’s Gudigwa Camp
In the early 2000s one of southern Africa’s most ancient and vulnerable communities, the Bukakhwe San Bushmen with the help of Conservation International and Okavango Wilderness Safaris launched Gudigwa Camp. This is a unique community-run ecotourism project that offers guests a first-hand insight into the rapidly disappearing San way of life, while preserving their traditional values and generating community income and employment. Gudigwa Camp is located near the community’s tribal village in the upper extremity of the Okavango Delta. The camp can host up to 16 guests in comfortable grass huts modelled on traditional San shelters. Through walking tours, community members teach guests about the ancient San cultural heritage including the use of medicinal plants, gathering water in the dry season, traditional storytelling, song and dance.