A morning Game Drive in the Moremi Game Reserve

Mc and I moved to Camp Moremi nearly 3 months ago. Time flies and one always has good intentions of doing so many things and sometimes those good intentions fall short. One of those intentions was to write more blog stories about the most amazing place we are very fortunate to be able to call home – Camp Moremi, situated in the heart of Moremi Game Reserve.

Before managing Camp Moremi we where managing Camp Okavango. Camp Okavango is another beautiful piece of paradise. Each camp is so diverse and each offers something quite unique. Camp Moremi has its own charm. The last 3 months have been full of interesting sightings. As a manger we don’t always get a chance to see all the activity for ourselves but instead get to live it through the guest’s eyes and their wonderful photos and their rendition of their game drive.

Today was a very exciting day for all our guests on the morning safari. The game reserve is looking stunning. We have had a lot of rain. That creates for an interesting safari just in itself. The water is endless and there are many deep puddles to cross. The well known Jessie’s pool is full to the brim.



The hippos are just loving all this water. The birdlife is also something to watch out for with plenty of different species of ducks enjoying the water as well as the ever watching Fish Eagle waiting for the perfect catch. Not to mention the crocodiles quietly cruising the water, looking for some unexpectant prey.


After enjoying all the wildlife at Jessie’s pool the guide continued with the safari, unsure of what he may come across next. Looking carefully at the road for any tracks and listening to the sounds for any warning calls. The tracks where clear, there had been a chase and possible a kill. Who was chasing who? By the looks of things it looked like the buffaloes got to close to the lions. It was an unlucky day for the buffalo but in this world, it is always survival of the fittest.

This made fantastic viewing for all our guests. They missed the actual kill but they where able to enjoy the lions relishing their meal. At this particular sighting there where at least 10 lions consisting of 3 or 4 adult lioness and a number of cubs. In the distances not to far from the kill where the hungry hyenas waiting to get their share of the meal. They where constantly checking to see if the lions where done with their feast and waiting to see if any scraps had been left behind for them to enjoy. One might think that hyenas are dirty good for nothing animals but in fact they play an essential role in keeping the environment clean. Hyenas clean up a kill. They are able to eat parts of a kill that other animals see as insignificant. Hyenas will eat everything left behind except for the hair and the teeth. In this way they are able to get calcium from the bones. That is why hyena’s faeces are white in colour and one may see a tortoise eating from them. The tortoise will do this to get calcium to help their shell develop.


After all this exciting viewing it was back into camp to enjoy a well deserved brunch and to share sighting stories and photos with each other and the envious camp managers. As camp managers it always gives us great satisfaction to hear these stories and to know our guests have had an unforgettable experience in the African bush that they will be able to cherish for many years to come.

Written by: Michelle Fowler, Manageress, Camp Moremi

Desert & Delta Safaris Annual Service Excellence Award

Desert & Delta Safaris introduced the Annual Service Excellence Award, The Elephant Trophy, eight years ago to identify the lodge that best personifies our guest centric service ethos. Since then the trophy has always been keenly contested, testament to our staff’s proud commitment to that ethos.

Lodges are evaluated throughout the year. Every detail is considered, often with guest feedback. Departmental evaluation then takes place with the human resources, operations, finance, maintenance and the food and beverage departments being assessed.

Over the past eight years The Elephant Trophy has been awarded to Savute Safari Lodge five times, Camp Moremi twice and Xugana Island Lodge once.

After an exceptionally busy year the 2008 Desert & Delta Safaris Service Excellence Award went to Camp Okavango for a consistently excellent performance in all areas of operations.

Leroo La Tau, Khumaga Primary school outing

14th Feb, Leroo La Tau

As part of the ongoing and close association between Leroo La Tau and the local Khumaga community, the twelve top performing pupils, and two teachers, from Khumaga Primary School, were rewarded for their hard work with a morning game drive at Leroo La Tau.

Under the experienced tutorage of Fred and Lance, the students set out to experience at close quarters the wildlife and ecology of this unique area and were not disappointed with sightings of lion, a first for some, elephants, giraffe, hippo, impala, kudu and many other species of mammals and birds.

Following the drive they were taken to the lodge where they enjoyed sandwiches, cake and soft drinks.

A great deal of fun was had all round, the day ending with a choir competition between the Khumaga children and the Leroo La Tau staff culminating with all combining to form a single magnificent choir.

After a photo session a tired but elated group of pupils were returned to school. Such outings are vital for children, not only to learn about the wildlife that exists in their backyard but also for them to gain an understanding of how important the protection of the environment is for future generations.

Guest feedback, Savute Safari Lodge

Feedback from Flavio Poggi & Cristina Bordoli Poggi
Savute Safari Lodge

We are back home to a freezing Switzerland and just wanted to send you our greetings – please say hello also to Energy, Ben and all the staff. We hope in the meanwhile you are all doing well.

We are fascinated by your country and we hope to be able to visit it again soon.

You simply made it perfect for us, so thank you again for everything!
I would like to say “Wowwww!!” to your staff at the Savute Safari Lodge. Everything was done in a professional way, great!!

As a Microsoft Teacher and a freelance photographer I know that the customer satisfaction comes first and I know as well that it brings a lot of efforts to achieve that.

Anyway thanks in advance and take care of you.

PS: I attached some pictures about our stay in Savute Images here (two or three)

You’ll find some more (if you need some just let me know which you like most) on my “holyday web site”, please follow this link: http://www.metrosauro.com/Photo%20Gallery/GALLERIE%20WEB/LEMIEGALLERIE.htm and click the “Vacanze” link.

Guests : Flavio + Cristina

Profile on Kangura Dikoma, Guide at Xugana Island Lodge

Guide: Kangura Dikoma
(Dikoma means papyrus in the Setswana language)
Goes by: Coca

Date of Birth: Feb. 12, 1979
Home village: Etsha 6

Desert & Delta Safaris guide since: 2007

Favorite animal or bird: Leopard because of “the beautiful colors, and he’s not easy to find. You have to struggle.”

Favorite reference book or tool: “Beat about the Bush: Mammals” by Trevor Carnaby and his Canon 8 X 40 binoculars

Favorite food: chicken
Special talent: reading

A hope for his lifetime: “To study more about guiding so that I know more about the bush, the environment and what’s around us.”

Most memorable experience at Xugana: He was mock charged by elephants and lions. “I won’t forget. I have seen miracles on that day.”


Best thing about Xugana: “Walking safari. To me it’s better than a game drive because you can study small things that you cannot manage from a car.”

What makes Botswana special: “The environment, together with the wilderness. (In Botswana) you feel like you’re safe, and you feel like you’re at home.”

December Environmental news Chobe Game Lodge

Environmental News, Chobe Game Lodge
December 2008

Wild Dog taking a break during the heat of the day

Chobe has received more than 260mm of rain during December – almost half of our annual average. The heaviest showers fell on the 22nd when we had a total of 97mm for the day. The Chobe River has also started pushing up its levels and we are anticipating another year of exceptional flood waters as it seems to be raining quite heavily in the Chobe’s catchment areas.

This is now truly a time of plenty for just about all life forms out here in the bush, albeit not always the life forms our visitors are all equally keen to see. It is especially the six legged inhabitants of Chobe that are very conspicuous in the rainy season, and dinner time is always punctuated by random shrieks of horror when our guests make the acquaintance of some of the larger insects attracted to the lights. They are all quite harmless and all have an important role to play in our ecosystem out here. Their sheer abundance is a good indication that we live in a healthy ecosystem. It is not only the insect species that are now trying to complete their life cycles before the dry season starts again, but just about everything else out there from plants to mammals, birds and amphibians all seem to be either hard at work making new babies, or hard at work raising the new babies! We have seen an incredible amount of newcomers to the Chobe district, from the thousands of baby impala around to the local hyena clans’ pups. The hyena pups we reported on last month are now very accustomed to getting attention when vehicles pass by the den, and will quite often come over for a closer inspection of the vehicles and their passengers. The next new arrivals at Chobe will most probably be the baby kudu, as there are many heavily pregnant females around.

Some of Chobe’s new residents:

Spotted hyena cub Photo: Kai van Dongen

Leopard sightings were a bit hard to come by due to the lush vegetation. Unless they did us a favour by posing up in a dead tree!

The lush vegetation as well as the constant rain made the game activities a bit more challenging than normal but we were well rewarded with some excellent sightings of leopard, lion and wild dogs. The dogs have yet again been absent for a month or two but graced us again with their presence over the last week as they quite curiously always seem to visit us over Christmas and New Year.

A pair of male giraffe.

Two of our local lionesses. The were quite active hunting on the floodplains along Watercart Loop.

For those interested in birding, Chobe is the place to be right now! The Chobe Game Lodge team of guides participating in the Birding Big Day of November 29th is now the current holder of the new record for the Chobe region with 192 species counted in one day! Our team started counting early on the morning of the 29th going out in a Game Drive vehicle and switched to a boat for the afternoon leg of the count. 192 species was not a bad total at all, but can still be improved upon next year as the Chobe National Park is home to more than 460 species of birds.

Male and female ostriches with their new family. Photo: Kai van Dongen

Ostrich chick up close Photo: Kai van Dongen

We anticipate receiving even more rain for the next month and may be heading to a record year if it keeps raining like it does now. The rain and subsequent lush vegetation may make game viewing a little harder than normal, but it certainly is the time of year when the bush is at its most beautiful. We do also have a lot of smaller creatures that inhabits Chobe, most of them perhaps not as charismatic or majestic as the big cats, but in many respects just as interesting and rewarding to watch.

From the Chobe Game Lodge Guides Team we wish everyone all the best for 2009 and will report back on all the news in our area early in the New Year.

Compiled By: Wouter Theron, Environmentalist, Chobe Game Lodge

Profile on Guide, Kagiso Gabanne

Guide: Kagiso Gabanne

Camp Moremi

Goes by: Kagiso (which means “peace” in Setswana)
Date of Birth: March 10, 1962
Home village: Etsha 6
Desert & Delta guide since: 2003

Favorite animal or bird: Leopard because “he’s more difficult than other animals to see him.”

Favorite reference book or tool: “Newman’s Birds of Southern African Birds” by Kenneth Newman

Favorite food: maize meal

Special talent: carving wooden animals

A hope for his lifetime: “To do good things in my life.”

Most memorable experience at Camp Moremi: One night he heard something moving outside his room. He opened his door and found a hippo standing face-to-face with him, “just standing watching me. I go back and close (the door) very quick. I wonder when I can get out. I go back and dream of hippo coming in my room.”

Best thing about Camp Moremi: “Most of the animals are here.”

What makes Botswana special: “I think the people living in Botswana are most friendly. It’s a peaceful country and has good game that people like to come and see.”

Interviewed by Maria Henson, volunteer, Desert & Delta Safaris