Okavango Delta
Camp Okuti
Okuti is situated alongside the Maunachira River where it flows into the Xakanaxa Lagoon within the Moremi Wildlife Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Moremi is a park rich in wildlife, and game viewing is consistent year round so it is ideal for the first time visitor to Botswana.
This luxury camp, designed in the African village style, accommodates a maximum of eighteen guests in stylish and spacious units, each on raised platforms and containing en-suite bathrooms, featuring an outdoor shower with an incredible view. Okuti is also extremely child friendly and boasts two family units with two rooms sharing a bathroom. The camp features an open dining area with stunning views across the lagoon, outdoor boma area and a swimming pool.
Activities offered include game drives in open safari vehicles exploring the diverse range of habitats within the reserve – from open floodplains to belts of mopane woodland. Guests can also venture out onto the open waters of the Okavango by motorboat, visiting the Xakanaxa Lagoon and beyond up to the seasonal heronry at Gadikwe. Moremi Game Reserve offers some of the most spectacular game viewing in Botswana and guests may encounter breeding herds of elephant, a hunting lioness or a sleeping pride of lion, grazing impalas, kudus and much more.
Facilities
Large tented rooms, en-suite bathrooms, outdoor showers, open dining, outdoor boma area and swimming pool.
Local Wildlife
Game drives within the Moremi Game Reserve can reveal an astonishing amount of wildlife. Possible sightings could include lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, hippo, crocodile, giraffe, red lechwe, tsessebe, sitatunga, otters, honey-badgers, pangolin, smaller wild cats such as serval, and viverids such as civet and genet. Bird highlights can include fish eagle, malachite kingfisher and rare Pel’s fishing owl.
Optional Activities
Game drives in open safari vehicles and boat trips to the Xakanaxa Lagoon and seasonal heronry at Gadikwe.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
No off-road driving is allowed in the Moremi Game Reserve, so sightings can often be from quite a distance. Make sure you pack a good pair of binoculars, and your big telephoto lens for the best photography.
If you have any questions regarding our Botswana tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to thank all at Reef and Rainforest for arranging so superbly yet another exceptional wildlife experience. As you are aware our ‘expeditions’ tend to be species led and this year’s brief was to observe and photograph the ‘Three Big Cats of Africa’ in a truly wild setting (i.e. no fences). Your recommended destination, Botswana, did not let us down, in fact the whole trip proved an outstanding success in all aspects.
We stayed in three camps (three nights in each) across the Okavango Delta and surrounding area, each provided a different environment which ensured our aims were met. Each camp was run to a very high standard, was extremely comfortable and provided excellent meals. The quality of guiding and tracking in all our camps was of the highest standard. As Botswana manages its natural resources so well all the camps were small (no more than 18 guests) ensuring a very intimate safari experience in pristine wild African habitat.
I am delighted to report our big cat objectives were realised. All observations were lengthy and offered excellent photographic opportunities. However, unexpectedly, the highlight of our spectacular trip turned out to be sightings of two separate packs of African Painted Dogs. We visited two dens, the first had a very healthy number of adult dogs, approximately fifteen and eighteen pups. The second had seven adult dogs and sixteen pups. At Lebala we had the privilege of spending a prolonged period of time following the pack of dogs as they hunted, an experience we will never forget.
When one also considers the significant mammal and bird species we observed, Botswana is truly a must visit destination for the wildlife enthusiast. Incidentally we also observed three serval and two African wild cats. We also thoroughly enjoyed our few days at Victoria Falls, possibly the most spectacular waterfall in the world, the hotel in Zimbabwe was excellent. Viewing the falls from the Zambian side and also the helicopter flight are both well worth doing.
This was our third consecutive trip with Reef and Rainforest, and I would be very surprised if there is not a fourth being planned very soon. Thank you all once again.