Botswana in a Week: Moremi, Kwara & the Kwando

Moremi, Kwara & the Kwando in a Week

Maun • Moremi Game Reserve • Kwara • Kwando Reserve
Duration: 8 Days

Overview

A shorter trip to Botswana that keeps the Delta at the center and costs about half as much as a trip at the flagship camps. You start with two nights inside Moremi Game Reserve on Xakanaxa Lagoon, move to the private Kwara concession for three nights of boating, mokoro and off-road game drives from one camp, and finish with two nights in the Kwando Reserve to the north-east, a drier landscape of floodplain and woodland. There is no Victoria Falls stop, so the whole week is spent on safari.

Every leg is a light-aircraft flight. Maun to Xakanaxa airstrip takes about 25 minutes, the hop to Kwara is shorter still, and Kwara to the Kwando takes under an hour. From there you fly back to Maun or to Kasane for your connection home. Luggage is limited to about 20 kg per person, including hand luggage and camera gear, in soft bags with no hard frame. Kwara is one of the few Delta camps where water and land activities both run all year, which makes the trip less dependent on the flood. June to October is the best time, when the floodplains are full and animals gather near water. Kwara takes guests aged 18 and over only, so this is an adults' trip.

Trip Highlights

Boat trips on Xakanaxa Lagoon and game drives for leopard and lion in Moremi

Mokoro trips in the shallow channels and double-decker boats on the Kwara lagoons

Off-road tracking and night drives with no more than four guests per vehicle at Kwara

Wild dog, lion and big herds of elephant in the Kwando Reserve

Guided walks and night drives on private land

Ideal For

Couples and friends traveling together • First-time visitors to Botswana • Travelers who want a full week of safari • Adults only (Kwara's minimum age is 18)

Preferred Properties

Moremi Game Reserve: Camp Moremi

Okavango Delta (Kwara concession): Kwara Camp

Kwando Reserve: Kwando Lebala Camp

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Days 1–2: Maun & Moremi

Fly into Maun, usually via Johannesburg, and connect to a short light-aircraft flight to Xakanaxa airstrip, then drive about 40 minutes to Camp Moremi at the tip of the Mopane Tongue. You are inside Moremi Game Reserve here, on one of its permanent lagoons. Spend the afternoon and the next day on game drives in an area good for leopard, lion and elephant, and on motorboat trips through the deeper channels. Moremi follows park rules, so there are no night drives, walks or off-road driving, and you may share sightings with other vehicles.
Overnights: Camp Moremi

Days 3–5: Kwara

A short flight takes you to the private Kwara concession in the northern Okavango Delta, which shares a water boundary with Moremi. The camp stands on a tree island looking over a floodplain and a lagoon. This is the core of the trip, with three nights to use everything on offer: game drives with off-road tracking and night drives, double-decker boats through the Kwara and Monachira channels, mokoro trips near camp, guided walks and fishing. From around September, boats can also visit the Godikwe heronry. Lion, giraffe, zebra, elephant and hippo are seen on most stays.
Overnights: Kwara Camp

Days 6–7: Kwando Reserve

Fly north-east to the Kwando Reserve, a private area along the Kwando River near the Linyanti. Lebala looks out over open plains and the Linyanti wetlands, and the game drives here, by day and by night, are good for wild dog, lion and large herds of elephant and buffalo in the dry season. Guided walks are offered too.
Overnights: Kwando Lebala Camp

Day 8: Depart

After a morning drive, fly back to Maun or to Kasane and connect to your flight home, usually through Johannesburg. If you would like to add two nights at Victoria Falls, it is about two hours by road from Kasane, including the border crossing.