Khwai Community Area – bordering to Moremi Game Reserve

We stayed in the Khwai Community Area for two nights. We were fortunate or unfortunate that big parts of the area had been ravaged by a fire. That made this stop something different. We also meet one of the sleaziest persons ever. A professional guide whom had stolen our camping spot along the Khwai River. He knew he was at fault, but lacked the courage to correct things. Instead he blamed the fires. They had destroyed the camping site he had booked he told us. Not sure how his logic works, but stealing someone elses spot is never okay. We left our spot to them with a bad taste and opted to stay at a public camping spot.

It lies on the road between Moremi and Chobe

Khwai Community Area is adjacent to the Northeastern parts of Moremi Game Reserve and to the southwestern corner of Chobe National Park. The community is a private reserve that is run from the Khwai Village by the Babukahwe. The Babukahwe is a section of the San who was relocated from the Moremi Game Reserve in the 1960s.

Here the community lives in harmony with nature and wildlife along the Khwai River. The river is the first water source for the wildlife that moves between Chobe, Linyati and Okavango Delta. Therefore it attracts huge concentrations of wildlife during the year. I think it’s nice to see that the community is working actively in the conservation of the environment with eco-tourism in mind.

A Community Area is different to a National Park

You can conduct both night drives and game walks in Khwai. That is not the case in most National Parks in Botswana. This makes Khwai a prime spots for seeing the nocturnal animals in Botswana. It is also the place to go if you´re interested in enjoying an up close and personal encounter with the flora and fauna. I recommend anyone to participate in a game walk if they can. It is hugely rewarding to see how differently wildlife reacts to the human silhouette compared to a safari vehicle.

The vegetation is made up of great stands of Leadwood and riverine forest which line wide floodplains and the banks of the Khwai River. For much of the year the floodplains are filled with water that forms shallow lily-covered lagoons which attracts the wildlife, and in particular birds. Away from the river and plains are pockets of Mopane woodland dotted with pans that naturally fill with rain water and act as waterholes, attracting many different animal species.

Photo Album: Khwai Community Area 2011