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Zebra herd wading through shallow delta water

Destination guide

Khwai Concession Safaris

A community-run area on the far bank of the Khwai River, where you can drive after dark and walk through the same wildlife country as Moremi.

Plan my safari hereSafaris that go here
TypeCommunity concession managed by a Khwai village trust
LocationNorth bank of the Khwai River, facing Moremi’s North Gate
Best timeJune–October, when the river draws elephant and predators
Recommended stay2–3 nights, paired with Moremi or a Delta camp
AccessKhwai River airstrip from Maun, or by road via Moremi or Mababe
Known forNight drives, guided walks and river elephant

Khwai

Why Visit

The Khwai concession lies across the Khwai River from Moremi Game Reserve, on the north-eastern edge of the Okavango Delta. The river forms part of the reserve’s northern boundary and animals cross it freely, so you look into the same floodplains, lagoons and woodland as visitors inside Moremi. The difference is the rulebook: this is community land rather than a reserve, and that changes what you can do.

Inside Moremi, you drive on the tracks and return to camp before dark. In Khwai, camps commonly offer night drives with a spotlight, guided walks and, when the river runs high enough, mokoro outings on the Khwai itself. Those extra hours are when leopard patrol, hyena move and the small nocturnal species appear, and they are the main reason to spend two or three nights here rather than only in the reserve.

The concession is managed by a trust representing Khwai village, home of the BaBukakhwe, a San community whose village sits close to North Gate. Lease fees and tourism income go to that trust, so your stay supports the people who share this land with its wildlife. Be clear-eyed, though: parts of the river frontage are shared by several camps and by mobile safaris using the public campsites, so Khwai can feel busier than a private concession. The right camp and well-timed drives make most of the difference.

Best for

  • Night drives and guided walks next to Moremi
  • A gentler price level than the private Delta concessions
  • Dry-season elephant and predators on the river
  • Mobile safaris between Moremi and Savuti
  • Travelers who want tourism income to reach a local community

Khwai

Wildlife & Highlights

  • Elephant herds drinking and crossing the Khwai River in the dry months
  • African wild dog, which have denned in the area in some years
  • Leopard in the riverine woodland, often most active after dark
  • Lion and spotted hyena moving between the concession and Moremi
  • Hippo in the river’s deeper pools
  • Night-drive species such as genet, civet, serval, springhare and bushbaby
  • Red lechwe, tsessebe, kudu and giraffe
  • Saddle-billed stork, African fish eagle and wattled crane along the river

Season

Best Time to Visit

  1. January
  2. February
  3. March
  4. April
  5. May
  6. June
  7. July
  8. August
  9. September
  10. October
  11. November
  12. December
June–OctoberThe river is often the only reliable water for miles, and elephant herds file down to drink through the afternoon. Predators follow the prey to the banks, and night drives run in cool, clear air until the heat builds in September and October. This is also when the most vehicles are about, so drives that head away from the busiest stretch pay off.
November–MarchRain fills pans across the concession and game spreads out into the woodland. The landscape turns green, the birding is excellent and the river frontage is at its quietest. Tracks can be heavy after storms, and a few become impassable for a while.
April–MayA transition: the bush dries, grass begins to fall back and the Khwai River changes as the Delta’s flood water works through the system. How high the river runs, and whether mokoro outings are possible, varies considerably from year to year.

Khwai

Areas to Know

The Khwai River frontage

The river’s northern bank is the concession’s main stage: a ribbon of floodplain, lagoon and big riverine trees facing Moremi across the water. In the dry season elephant, buffalo and plains game come to drink, and lion and leopard work the edges. It is also where vehicles concentrate, so the best guides use it at the quieter hours and explore elsewhere at peak times.

Best for: Dry-season elephant and riverside predators

The woodland interior

Away from the water, mopane and mixed woodland stretches north toward the Mababe Depression. Game is thinner, but this is where guided walks and night drives come into their own, and where wild dog have denned in some years. Few vehicles venture far in, so a morning here can feel entirely private.

Best for: Walks, night drives and quieter game viewing

Khwai village and the community campsites

Khwai village lies within the concession near North Gate, and the trust also manages campsites used by mobile safaris and self-drive travelers. Staying with a camp that pays into the trust, rather than simply driving through, is the most direct way your trip supports the village, and it gives the people living beside the wildlife a real stake in protecting it.

Best for: Travelers who want their spend to reach the community

Privately leased blocks

Parts of the wider Khwai area are sub-leased to individual camps with exclusive traversing rights, away from the public river road. Vehicle numbers drop sharply, and activities such as night drives and walks are run by each camp to its own programme. These leases usually sit at a higher price level than the community-area camps, with a matching step up in privacy.

Best for: Khwai’s freedoms with far fewer vehicles

The Mababe road

East of the village, a sand road runs across the Mababe Depression toward Savuti, about 4–5 hours of driving. It is the route most mobile safaris take between the Delta and Chobe, which turns a Khwai stay into a natural stepping stone. See Savuti for what waits at the other end.

Best for: Road trips from Moremi to Chobe

Khwai

Getting There

Most fly-in guests land at the Khwai River airstrip, a short light-aircraft hop from Maun, and are met by their camp. By road, Khwai links to Maun, to Moremi through North Gate and to Savuti across the Mababe Depression, all on sand. That flexibility is why Khwai appears both on fly-in routes such as the 11-day Botswana and Victoria Falls safari and on the mobile safari from Moremi to Chobe.

Drive or fly?

Khwai is one of the few Delta-edge areas where road and air both work well. Flying is quicker and slots neatly into a fly-in circuit of camps; driving suits a mobile safari, because Khwai sits on the natural line between Moremi and Savuti. If you arrive by road, you can also cross the bridge at North Gate for a day in Moremi, paying the reserve’s fees, then return to the concession for a night drive.

Airstrips & airports

  • Khwai River airstrip
  • Maun (MUB)

Typical travel times

Maun to Khwai
About 20–45 minutes by light aircraft
Maun to Khwai by road
Roughly 3–4 hours on tar and sand
Khwai to Savuti via Mababe
About 4–5 hours on deep sand

Stays

Where to Stay

Khwai’s camps span a wide range, from comfortable, characterful tented camps in the community area to intimate luxury camps on privately leased land, and many sit at a gentler price level than the Delta’s private concessions. Mobile safaris also use the community campsites. Location matters more than usual here: a camp tucked away from the busiest stretch of the river road, with its own walking and night-drive programme, gives you a very different stay from one in the thick of it.

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campComfort

Khwai · community concession

Village-Trust Tented Camp · Khwai

Tented camp

In the Khwai community area, across the river that forms Moremi’s northern edge, simpler tented camps share the same floodplains and wildlife as the reserve at a gentler price level. Because this is community land rather than a reserve, night drives and guided walks are commonly offered, and the fees you pay help support the village trust.

  • Classic en-suite safari tents
  • Night drives and walks where the community area allows
  • Floodplain views at some
  • Reached by light aircraft or on a road-based route

Ideal for: Families and value-minded travelers who want night drives and walks without a private-concession price

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

Khwai · on the Khwai River

Hippo-Pool Canvas Camp · Khwai River

Tented camp

Tents here line the Khwai River itself, where hippos grunt in the pools below the deck and elephants cross between the community area and Moremi. When the river runs high enough, guides pole mokoros along its reedy margins; when it drops, drives along the banks can turn up leopards and, in some seasons, wild dogs in the riverine woodland.

  • River-facing tents with private verandas
  • Mokoro on the Khwai River when water allows
  • Night drives and guided walks
  • Quiet river viewpoints or hides at some

Ideal for: Photographers and couples who want river life on the doorstep and night drives in the same stay

A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campLuxury

Khwai · private lease

Private-Lease Luxury Camp · Khwai

Tented camp

A few camps hold private leases within the Khwai area, giving them their own stretch of land away from the busier public tracks beside the river. Expect large, stylish tents, a vehicle for your party on request and the freedom to head out after dark with a spotlight in search of aardwolf, genet and leopard.

  • A handful of widely spaced luxury tents
  • Night drives and walks on the lease area
  • Photographic vehicles at some
  • Plunge pools at many

Ideal for: Couples and photographers who want Khwai’s wildlife with more space and fewer vehicles

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsComfort

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

Classic Dome-Tent Mobile Safari

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

A private mobile safari is the original way to travel in northern Botswana: your guide drives you through Moremi, Khwai and Savuti while a small crew goes ahead to pitch camp at pre-booked public campsites. At this level the tents are walk-in domes with camp beds, bucket showers and toilet tents are shared, and dinner is cooked over the fire.

  • Walk-in dome tents with camp beds and bedding
  • Shared bucket-shower and toilet tents
  • Fireside meals cooked by the camp crew
  • One private guide from start to finish

Ideal for: Adventurous travelers happy with simple comforts in return for being deep in the bush

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsPremium

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

En-Suite Mobile Camp

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

The same moving safari with more comfort: every walk-in tent has its own attached bucket shower and toilet, proper beds and a small veranda. The crew sets up ahead of you at each campsite, so after the afternoon drive you arrive to lanterns already lit, hot water for the shower and a table laid beside the fire.

  • Walk-in tents with en-suite bucket showers and toilets
  • Beds made up with linen and duvets
  • Camp crew and cook travelling ahead of you
  • Same private guide and vehicle throughout

Ideal for: Couples and families who want the freedom of a mobile safari with private bathrooms

Tented camp glowing at sunrise over golden hillsLuxury

Moremi · Khwai · Savuti — moves with your route

Luxury Private Mobile Camp

Seasonal mobile camp · Typically operates April–November

At the top end, a mobile camp becomes a private travelling lodge: spacious furnished tents with en-suite bathrooms, a dining and lounge tent, fine linen and a chef who cooks over the coals. One guide stays with you from Moremi to Savuti, and the camp is set up for your party alone, so the campsite, the pace and the dinner table are all your own.

  • Large furnished tents with en-suite facilities
  • Private dining and lounge tent
  • Chef-prepared meals by the fire
  • Exclusive to your party

Ideal for: Honeymooners and private groups who want wilderness camping without giving up comfort

See all stays in this area

Experiences

Experiences

Aerial view over the winding channels and islands of the Okavango Delta

On the water

Mokoro Excursions

Glide through the Okavango’s papyrus channels in a poled canoe, low enough to meet reed frogs and lily-trotters at eye level.

Aerial view over the winding channels and islands of the Okavango Delta

In the air

Helicopter & Scenic Flights over the Delta

See the Okavango’s channels, islands and wading herds from the air, on a doors-off helicopter flight or a fixed-wing scenic flight from Maun.

On foot

Walking Safaris in Botswana

Follow a qualified walking guide across Delta islands, Linyanti floodplains or Kalahari sand, and read the bush from ground level.

Safaris

Safaris That Go Here

Aerial view of Victoria Falls plunging into the gorge
11 daysFalls + Delta

Botswana & Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls · Kasane · Chobe Riverfront · Khwai · Okavango Delta · Maun

First-time visitors who want Victoria Falls and Botswana’s finest water country in one trip, without rushing either

Best months
April–October, ideally May–July
Comfort levels
Comfort · Premium · Luxury
Individually quoted
A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented camp
10 daysOverland classic

Private Mobile Safari

Maun · Moremi Game Reserve · Khwai · Savuti · Chobe Riverfront · Kasane

Travelers who value wilderness and a guide’s company over lodge comforts, and don’t mind long, sandy drives

Best months
May–October, in the dry season
Comfort levels
Comfort · Premium · Luxury
Individually quoted

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Can you do night drives in Khwai?

Yes. Night drives are one of the main reasons to stay in the Khwai concession, because they are not permitted across the river in Moremi. Camps usually head out after sundowners with a spotlight, looking for leopard, hyena and smaller nocturnal species. The details are set by the concession and each camp, so confirm them when you book.

Is Khwai part of Moremi Game Reserve?

No. Khwai is community land on the north bank of the Khwai River, which forms part of Moremi’s northern boundary. Wildlife moves freely between the two, and from Khwai you can enter Moremi at North Gate for a day of reserve driving if you pay the park fees.

Is Khwai crowded?

It can be busier than a private concession, especially along the river road from July to October, because several camps and the public campsites share it. It is still far quieter than the busiest parks in East or South Africa. A well-placed camp, a private vehicle and early or late drives usually keep other vehicles out of your photographs.

Who benefits from tourism in Khwai?

The concession is held through a trust representing Khwai village, so lease fees and a share of tourism income flow back to the community. Camps also employ local staff and guides. Choosing a camp that works closely with the trust is a simple way to make your safari count.

Is Khwai worth adding if I am already staying in the Delta?

Often, yes. Khwai adds night drives and a river-and-woodland landscape that complements a water camp, and it is the easiest bridge to Savuti by road. If your Delta camp already sits in a private concession with night drives, Linyanti may add more variety than Khwai.

More Places to Explore

Continue exploring

Wetland channels of Moremi Game Reserve

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