9 Day Moremi to Chobe Safari: Botswana Mobile Camping

Botswana Tour Overview

• 2 Nights camping in the Xakanaxa (Third Bridge) Area of Moremi Game Reserve
• 2 Nights camping in the Khwai River Area bordering Moremi Game Reserve
• 2 nights camping in Savute, Chobe National Park
• 2 Nights camping in Chobe Riverfront, Chobe National Park

Day 1 & 2: Xakanaxa, Moremi Game Reserve - Botswana

Dumela (hello) and welcome to Botswana! Upon arrival at Maun Airport, your guide will be waiting to warmly welcome you and introduce you to your pilot for a scenic flight in a light aircraft, beginning your Botswana Mobile Camping Safari with a breathtaking bird’s eye view of Moremi Game Reserve. Be blown away by the stunning scenery and marvel at the amazing ecosystem of the reserve, which protects around a third of the Okavango Delta ecosystem, about 5000 km2 or 1930 square miles! The Okavango is considered one of the world’s natural wonders and is a UNESCO Heritage area with a still pristine yet fragile and dynamic ecosystem, rich in wildlife like cheetahs, African wild dogs, hippos, as well as the Big 5 like lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo and a large variety of diverse birdlife, flora, and fauna. The wildlife synchronizes its cycles with the annual seasonal flood of this unique ecosystem, making for a spectacular interaction between the wildlife and water.

We land at a remote bush airstrip in the Moremi Game Reserve, where your guide will be waiting to meet you and take you on a game drive en route to a mobile camp at a pristine campsite in the Xakanaxa/Third Bridge area of the Moremi Game Reserve. From the safari camp, you will explore the surrounding wilderness on game drives during the day. We camp here for our first two nights in Botswana, and our friendly camp crew will make you feel at home and brief you on what to look forward to on your Botswana safari. Enjoy pre-dinner drinks around the campfire, watch the African sunset, and dine under the stars. As you fall asleep to the sounds of the African bush, the magic of a mobile camp sinks in, and you awake refreshed and ready to take in the African sunrise and soak up the African sun, spending days exploring on game drives.

Day 3 & 4: Khwai Area, Moremi Game Reserve - Botswana

Our third day on safari in Moremi Game Reserve starts with an early breakfast before breaking camp and heading on to Khwai. Khwai is a drier area compared to Xakanaxa, which is more of a seasonally inundated area. The Khwai River forms the boundary between the local Khwai Community Area and the Moremi Reserve.

We stop to enjoy a bush picnic en route to our campsite in the Khwai River Area, where we will camp for the next two nights while exploring the Khwai floodplains on game drives. A highlight of our time here is a very slow, relaxing 2.5-hour river safari in a traditional dug-out canoe, called a mokoro. The quietness and slowness of the mokoro make for an unforgettable safari experience, discovering channels and lagoons and spotting wildlife that you wouldn’t normally see from a game drive vehicle.

Day 5 & 6: Savute, Chobe National Park - Botswana

Our Moremi to Chobe Safari continues as we head further north within Chobe National Park to Savute, where we set up camp at a pristine bush campsite for the next two nights. We spend our time here exploring this dry landscape on game drives looking for zebra, wildebeest, kudu, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah, and lion.

Savute is well-known for the transience of two of its most important landmarks, the Savute Marsh and the Savute Channel, which supplies it. Savute is a region that you have to experience for yourself, as you never know what could happen next, since the landscape and the character of the place can change dramatically depending on whether the Savute Channel is flowing or dried up. 2010 saw the water from the Savute River reach the Marsh for the first time in 30 years after a long dry period. During this dry spell, resident lions learned to prey on elephants drinking at isolated waterholes. It’s truly amazing what the absence or presence of water can do to transform the dynamics of this area.

Day 7 & 8: Chobe Riverfront, Chobe National Park - Botswana

On day 7, we break camp, leave this dry landscape, and continue north to the contrasting Chobe region of this famous Botswana park. We spend our last two nights camping at a pristine bush campsite near the Chobe River, from where we explore the riverbanks and surrounding flood plains on game drives. The highlight on day 8 of our Moremi to Chobe Safari is an afternoon safari boat cruise along the Chobe River, which departs from Kasane, just a short drive away from the campsite. The safari boat cruise is a real treat for birdwatching and spotting the abundance of wildlife of the Chobe River, such as fish eagles, hippos, elephants, and buffalo herds.

Day 9: Chobe Riverfront to Kasane, Chobe National Park – Botswana

Enjoy your last breakfast and a short game drive in Chobe National Park before being transferred to Kasane, where your Botswana Mobile Camping Tour will end at around 09h00.

Moremi to Chobe Safari Note

Private departures of this Botswana Mobile Camping Tour are also available on request. For prices and more details about the private departures, please get in touch with African Budget Safaris.

The above itinerary is subject to changes, depending on local road and weather conditions, as well as availability. We do our best to follow the schedule and activities outlined above and will notify you in the event of any changes. We reserve the right to switch from a Mokoro safari to a motorboat cruise based on local conditions. Rates are subject to National Park increases made by the Botswana government, without prior notice.

This Moremi to Chobe Safari also runs in the opposite direction, as the 9-Day Chobe to Moremi Safari, departing from Kasane and ending in Maun.

Botswana Safari Accommodation

This mobile, tented camping safari makes use of private campsites wherever possible. The private campsites are unfenced, immersing you in the prime wilderness areas of Botswana.

Stay in spacious Meru-style tents (walk-in safari tents), with a built-in floor and mosquito netting on the windows and over the entrance, and sleep on proper beds with full provided bed linen. There is an en suite bathroom fitted with a bucket shower and bush toilet, as well as a provided bath towel. The camps include an open-sided dining tent with a table and chairs, and camping chairs for sitting around the campfire. The crew sets up the mobile camps for you, so your participation is not required.

Transport on Botswana Camping Safari

All game drives and local transfers are conducted in custom-made safari vehicles with open sides, shade roofs, game-viewing seats, and long-range fuel tanks. The group size on this Botswana Mobile Camping Safari is limited to seven, ensuring that each guest gets a window seat. Each group is accompanied by a backup crew of staff travelling in a separate vehicle.