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In contrast to the constant comings and goings of a fly-in safari to lodges and permanent safari camps in Botswana's Moremi and Khwai reserves, a comfortable mobile camping safari offers you a welcome sense of continuity. You'll have the opportunity to really get to know your guide and fellow travelling companions, and thus enhance your wildlife and safari experience.
Guides
Each comfortable camping safari is led by a guide who is passionate about the bush and will draw from a lifetime of experience to enlighten, fascinate and entertain you throughout your wildlife safari. Not only do they have extensive knowledge of Botswana's flora and fauna, but they are also fully trained walking guides; so the opportunity to take guided walks with them can be a highlight of your trip.
Mobile camp sites
Botswana is especially fortunate in that the Hospitality and Tourism Association (HATAB), in conjunction with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, has set aside private wilderness sites for the exclusive use of Botswana licensed mobile operators, ensuring that travellers have a truly exclusive bush experience. These private wilderness camping sites are used wherever possible on the Moremi Wildlife Safari.
Tents
Whilst on the Moremi Wildlife Safari, you will stay in a spacious walk-in tent with an en-suite 'bush' toilet. Each tent is 3x4 metres with a high ceiling and a covered veranda area in front. Each is furnished with two single high camp beds, complete with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows, a bedside table and an LED rechargeable lantern.
The rear door of the safari tent opens to a private 2x3 metre en-suite toilet with no roof, so there's nothing between you and the magnificent African sky. Each en suite bathroom has a short-drop with a toilet seat cover and a bucket shower - water will be heated over the camp fire to your preferred temperature when requested. Note that on days when the camp is being moved from one location to the next you may only arrive in the late afternoon and so showers won't be possible until then. Towels are included.
Each tent will have an oil or paraffin lantern on the veranda and in the bathroom. In front of the tent is a tall washbasin with mirror. This is filled with fresh warm water first thing in the morning and again whenever you return to camp after an excursion.
Dining
There is a dining tent where meals are served, but, because of the excellent weather and wonderful skies, dinner is often served in the open beneath the stars. The safari chef prepares all meals with fresh ingredients and bakes fresh bread daily. Delicious three-course bush dinners, guaranteed to satisfy any appetite, are served in style at a beautifully laid table.
Activities and driving
On a comfortable mobile camping safari, long driving distances between camps are typical and vary between two and six hours. However, like on this Moremi Wildlife Safari, these journeys are commonly within the national parks and reserves, and are incorporated into daily game drives with a picnic lunch en route, so the time is not wasted - you will still be viewing wildlife with knowledgeable safari guides, and enjoying the varying surroundings.
This type of overland travel enables you to appreciate the subtle changes in the environment as you move from one area to the next, and to learn about the forces that caused these changes and shaped the contrasting landscapes around you. In other words the journey itself can be just as much a thrill as the destination.
High water levels occasionally caused by heavier than usual rains in Angola may close certain roads within Botswana's wildlife areas. This could mean that when moving from one campsite location to another you may have to detour, taking a longer than usual route to your destination. Therefore driving times on these days can differ to those advised in the safari itinerary, depending on flood waters and the time of year travelled.
Game drives are the primary activity on this wildlife safari although a boat trip deep into the Okavango Delta is also included during your time in the Moremi Game Reserve. Wherever possible a private campsite is booked within the Khwai community reserve on Days 5 to 7 of the itinerary. Walking safaris and night drives are not allowed in Botswana's national parks including Moremi. However, if you are camping in, or near the Khwai community reserve these activities may become an added bonus to your safari experience.
Vehicles
The vehicles used on these safaris are custom-made open 4WD's created for optimal wildlife viewing. Each is spacious and comfortable with three rows of three individual bucket seats. Each tour will take a maximum of 7 passengers.
Each vehicle is fitted with seat belts. A canvas canopy offers shade from the sun's glare while the windscreen often folds down for uninterrupted views. The vehicles are equipped with a 40-litre fridge to keep drinks refreshingly cool throughout the day, and HF radios for 24-hour communication with the Maun base.
Each vehicle is fitted with an inverter and a strip of plugs allowing travellers the opportunity to charge batteries whilst on safari using the standard two-pin charger that is usually supplied when you buy electrical equipment. If you do not have a two-pin charger, we recommend you purchase an adaptor. Botswana uses type M plugs with 3 large round pins - the same plug that is used in South Africa. It is relatively easy to find an adaptor for use in South Africa, which would also work in Botswana.
The plugs on the vehicles are only to be used to recharge necessary items such as camera batteries; they are not to be used for charging electric toothbrushes or mobile phones.
Camp team
On moving days, the safari team will pack down the camp, travel ahead in the supply vehicle and prepare the camp ready for your arrival at the next location. The team is made up of a safari chef and camp assistants who are there to set up and break down camp and to carry out daily camp chores, helping to make your safari as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
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