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Khwai Community Concession

A Community-Driven Safari Experience in the Okavango Delta

Discover Botswana from a New Perspective

The Khwai Community Concession, situated next to the Moremi Game Reserve, offers a unique safari experience in one of Botswana’s most renowned wildlife regions – the Okavango Delta. Once a hunting concession, it was established by the local Khwai villagers. This community plays a vital role in the conservation and management of the area. Today, the concession is overseen by the Khwai Community Trust, making it a leading example of sustainable eco-tourism.

Named after the Khwai River, which forms the northern boundary of the Okavango Delta, the Concession serves as a vital water source for wildlife and local communities. All tourism income benefits the community, promoting economic empowerment and environmental conservation. During Amber Season and Diamond Season, the river draws large concentrations of wildlife, making it the ideal time for game viewing.

Within the Concession, enjoy extraordinary daily game drives and embark on unique night drives to observe the nocturnal activity of safari. Explore the waterways of the Khwai River on a traditional mokoro (a wooden, dugout canoe), expertly guided by one of our local polers. Walking safaris offer a chance to track animals on foot, while cultural visits provide insight into the local community’s traditions and way of life.

Khwai Community Concession is known for its large herds of elephants and buffalo. Lions are frequently spotted in the area, along with thriving leopard populations. Other wildlife includes lechwe antelopes, giraffes, wild dogs, hyenas, and migrating species like zebras and antelope. Khwai is also a birdwatcher’s paradise, with a variety of species such as egrets, cranes, vultures, and eagles, often seen hunting catfish along the waterways.

For an authentic, community-driven safari experience, the Khwai Community Concession offers a fantastic opportunity to experience Botswana’s revered Okavango Delta.

Gallery

Moremi Reserve Botswana Walking Safari

  • Emerald season
  • Amber season
  • Diamond season

January is the summertime, with warm daytime temperatures around 30°C. The afternoon summer rains bring a freshness to the season and landscapes, replenishing the plants, waterholes and rivers. Summertime in the Khwai Community Concession brings dramatic late-afternoon thunderstorms, which are an exhilarating show of the power of Mother Nature.

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In February, the summertime climate of high temperatures (around 30°C during the day) and late afternoon thunderstorms, continue. At night, witness the skies light up with breathtaking lightning storms, while the summer rain showers generally settle into a pattern: typically expected around late afternoon.

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March is the tail-end of the summer season, thanks to a summer season of plentiful rain that has wound its way downriver filling up the Khwai River – a spectacular time to experience a river in one of Earth’s natural wonders – the Okavango Delta.

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In April there are still warm days to enjoy as temperatures continue to hover around 29°C. The nights bring cooler weather, as the mercury drops to the mid-to-late teens.

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Daytime and evening temperatures have cooled slightly, with averages around 27°C and 10°C respectively. Most notable is the transition from the rainy summer season to the dry winter season. May marks the start of the winter season and sees far less rain than the previous months.

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Wildlife numbers are at their highest during the dry season – June to September – as they congregate around the water sources in the concession – the best time to go on a mokoro safari.

Plan your Safari

Wildlife numbers are at their highest during the dry season – June to September – as they congregate around the water sources in the concession – the best time to go on a mokoro safari.

Plan your Safari

Wildlife numbers are at their highest during the dry season – June to September – as they congregate around the water sources in the concession – the best time to go on a mokoro safari.

Plan your Safari

September sees the beginning of the low water months in the concession.

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October sees temperatures reach their peak during the day, around 32°C.

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November usually brings the start of the rainy season. Summer temperatures in the Khwai Community Concession reach average highs of 33°C and lows of 20°C, making for a great summer getaway.

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December is usually the rainiest month of the year, seeing around 11 days of afternoon rains, which helps to reinvigorate the fauna and flora after months of dry weather.

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Our Experience in the Khwai Community Area

Wildlife

Khwai is a predator-rich area. There are high concentrations of predators and a healthy population of wild dog. Wildlife is much the same as the Moremi Game Reserve. The magnificent Khwai river is the hub for some of the most outstanding wildlife viewing both on the Moremi and in the Khwai area. Species to be viewed include elephant, buffalo, zebra, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, eland, sable, hippo, hyena and various other nocturnal species.

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