Safari at the Moremi Game Reserve

The Moremi Game Reserve is one of the best places in Botswana, and all over Southern Africa, to carry on safaris, as there is a high concentration of animals.

We chose to stay at the Moremi Camp, located in Xakanaxa, one of the best spots for sightseeing.

Here are elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, spotted hyenas, red hartebeests, greater kudus, impalas, red lechwes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeests, antelopes of waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, and many bird species, both water-borne and terrestrial, as well as birds of prey.

We were very lucky because we were able to see the wild dogs twice, one morning we saw them while they were hunting, we followed them for a while, without disturbing them; the light was phenomenal and seeing them walking fast between the high dry and yellow grass was a show.

We saw them one evening almost by accident, they were always on the move and they passed where we were passing through; with their slender bodies, their pointed and wedgeous muzzle, their large rounded ears ready to capture every bit of noise, they are really spectacular to be observed.

We have seen several times a young female leopard, young enough, who was standing on the tree with its prey; every day a different prey, it definitely learned the art of hunting from its mother before moving away from it at the age of two.

It was beautiful lying with its legs dangling from the branch or standing attentively to scrutinize what was happening around; its yellow-green eyes were marvelous, almost hypnotic, and the grace with which it rose and descended from the tree was worthy of a classical ballerina.

We also saw the lions who, with all the places they could go in the reserve and be quiet, decided to get near the track where the small planes are landing; it was funny to observe how, when a plane landed, they suddenly woke up from their sleepy torpor and looked curious at it, in these moments they really looked like cats.

The male and female were mating and so we were there for a while waiting to observe them, after we went away to not disturb them too much, even though they did not seem to be interested in us at all.

We also saw several elephants, almost all alone or in small groups, who roamed among the trees, eating leaves, branches, bushes and grass.

Then we also saw impalas, buffaloes, red lechwes, greater kudus, common warthogs, bushbucks and several giraffes, of which some male specimens were practicing for fights for dominance on females.

We have seen several water birds; there is still plenty of water and therefore it is quite common to see pelicans, yellow-billed storks, saddle-billed storks, several herons, egrets, several geese, lapwings and plovers; we also saw several African fish eagles and some terrestrial birds such as francolins, coucals and doves.

Landscapes are spectacular as well, both around the Moremi Camp, and at Veronica Island, or at Marula Island and Dead Trees Island, where many mopane trees have died due to the excessive flooding and are now spooky in the lagoon.

Two days of intense and spectacular safaris, the Moremi Reserve never disappoints, we are leaving but we are already looking forward to returning.