Desert Island Dreams

Luxury Mobile Camping through the Central Kalahari and Moremi Game Reserves

Day 1.2.3.4

MOBILE CAMPING – CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE

A representative of John Chase Safaris will meet you on arrival in Maun where you will connect to a light aircraft charter flight to the Kalahari. Your guide will meet you and then it is another 3 hour drive to the campsite, with game-viewing en-route.

Activities consist of game drives in the early mornings and afternoons. We have an early light breakfast, and then head out on our morning activity, returning for a hearty brunch. Then there is a short siesta time to relax and your showers are filled with warm water at your request, usually in the afternoon, as the morning breeze can be quite cold. As the midday hours are very hot, most of the animals retreat to the shade and are harder to spot during this time.

After tea we embark on the afternoon game drive. As the sun sets on the African savannah, we enjoy sundowners and head back to camp for dinner. Three course meals are cooked over an open fire and dinner is served either in the marquee tent or under the stars. The evening is spent around the fire listening to the sounds of the wild, discussing the events of the day.

In the Kalahari, the landscape, vegetation and game quantities vary immensely between the dry and wet seasons, when the rains arrive you can just imagine hearing the land and its inhabitants sigh in relief.
Varying from sand dunes with many species of trees and shrubs in the north, to flat bushveld in the central area, the reserve is more heavily wooded in the south, with Mopane forests to the south and east. Rainfall is sparse and sporadic and can vary from 170 to 700 millimetres per year. Many of the river valleys are scattered with salt pans, relics of the great salty lake that once filled the area. Four fossilized rivers meander through the reserve including Deception Valley. The vegetation to be seen in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve consists mainly of a variety of acacia thorn trees and shrubs. The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, leopard, lion, wildebeest, eland, springbok, gemsbok, kudu and red hartebeest.

The people commonly known throughout the world as Bushmen, but more properly referred to as the Basarwa or San, have been resident in and around the area for probably thousands of years. Originally nomadic hunters and gathers, the lifestyle of the Basarwa has gradually changed with the times and they now live in settlements, some of which are situated within the southern half of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Day 5

MOBILE CAMPING - MOREMI GAME RESERVE - Mboma Island

After Breakfast we will drive back to the Airstrip where we connect with a scenic charter flight to the Moremi Game Reserve. The 20 minute flight gives you the opportunity to view the southern reaches of the Okavango Delta, sightings of elephant, giraffe, zebra and buffalo are common from the air. We are met by our boat driver, and taken to our exclusive, isolated island camp. The trip will take between 1 and 3 hours depending on which island we camp. We stop for a picnic lunch on the way, or if time is short, we picnic on the boat. We will arrive in a rustic, pre-erected island camp consisting of dome tents equipped with bedrolls with linen and battery lights. External shower and toilet tents are provided; there is one toilet and one shower which are shared between every two tents. Dinner is served under the stars, surrounded by the wildness of the Okavango, and the chorus of the reed frogs.

Part of the Okavango Delta, the Moremi Game Reserve covers a variety of habitats including permanent swamp, seasonally swamped areas as well as dry land.

The fauna and flora of the area differ immensely from the wet swampland to the dry Mopane belts. As there is a limit on how much equipment is allowed on the island, the island night is very rustic but still comfortable. To see the Delta by boat is an amazing experience, and the bird life can be incredible. Spending the night in a private island campsite is an event not to be missed!

Day 6.7.8.9

MOBILE CAMPING - MOREMI GAME RESERVE – Xakanaxa Area

We enjoy a light breakfast on the island and then board the boat for the return journey to the boat station where our vehicle awaits. The morning is spent game-viewing on our way to Xakanaxa, our base for the next 4 nights.

Moremi Game Reserve is completely surrounded by either company owned or community based wildlife management areas. It is accessible by both road and by air with landing strips in both Xakanaxa and Khwai. The road conditions in Moremi vary drastically; the roads can very sandy in places particularly around Xakanaxa and Third Bridge areas during the dry season and in the wet season entire sections of road may be under water. During the rains, in the Mopane woodlands the water puddles in the road, making it practically inaccessible, the end result can be driving in water so deep it flows over the bonnet of a Toyota Land Cruiser!

The reserve enjoys a wide diversity of habitat and is well known for the height of the trees in the mopane tongue, which covers the central area. Birdlife is prolific and varied, ranging from water birds to shy forest dwellers. Elephants are numerous, particularly during the dry season, as well as a range of other wildlife species from buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyaena, jackal and the full range of antelope, large and small, including the red lechwe. Wild dog, whose numbers are so rapidly dwindling elsewhere, are regularly sighted in the Moremi and have been subject to a project being run in the area since 1989 so these animals are often seen wearing collars placed on them by the researchers. It is claimed that the Moremi area contains about thirty percent of all remaining wild dog.

Day 10

THE END

After a hearty breakfast in camp, we return to the airstrip, game driving en-route if time permits, to meet your charter flight to Maun Airport to meet your connecting flight or other arrangements. 

Further Information

Mobile Camp Description
John Chase camps consist of spacious meru tents with twin beds, fitted with sheets, blankets and warm duvets. The bathroom is ensuite, with a bush bucket shower, and a “long drop” toilet. A fibre-glass base sits over a deep hole, providing a toilet seat and we supply a bucket with ashes and a scoop to maintain a clean environment.

Game Viewing
Game drives are conducted in open sided 4 x 4 vehicles ensuring maximum visibility.

Rates include:
 Meet and Greet at Maun Airport
 Air Charter Maun to Deception Valley Airstrip
 Vehicle transfer to the campsite
 All meals and beverages
 Accommodation for 4 nights in ensuite meru tents in the Central Kalahari
 Charter flight from Deception Valley to Moremi Game Reserve
 Vehicle and boat transfer to an Island in the Okavango Delta
 Accommodation for 1 night in Dome tents, with shared toilets/showers
 Boat and vehicle transfer back to Moremi Game Reserve
 Accommodation for 4 nights in ensuite meru tents in the Moremi Game Reserve
 Charter flight from Moremi to Maun Airport
 All National Park Fees and Camping Fees in Botswana
 All meals and beverages (mineral water, soft drinks, beer, local wines and spirits)
 Daily Laundry Service when there no water restrictions

Rates exclude:
 International flights to and from Maun
 Any extra activities not mentioned on original itinerary and quote.
 Rates quoted for guests are from midday on date of arrival to after breakfast (leaving camp latest 8.30am). This is to avoid additional Park fees due to strict Park regulations. Guests wishing to arrive/depart before or after these stated times will be liable for additional Government Park and Guides fees.
 Tips and gratuities for guides and staff