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OVERVIEW:
Wilderness have designed some of the finest camps across Africa, so it’s with great excitement we announce their latest offering, due to open April, 2024. Set in a previously unexplored part of Botswana, in pristine land that has only just been opened up for conservation, Wilderness Mokete is a pioneering, luxurious tented camp of nine rooms, with all of the supreme guiding, service, and fine dining we’ve come to expect from Wilderness. The ecosystem here is unique and home to some of the most impressive wildlife interactions (and concentrations) on the continent. It’s a land of giants – vast mega-herds patrol the open grasslands of the legendary Mababe Marsh – with sightings unique to the vast majority of the continent. Herds of buffalo mass into their thousands, multitudes of elephant pilgrimage here, prides of lion regularly hunt in daylight, while other predators such as cheetah, wild dog, bat-eared fox, jackal, African wild cat, and clans of hyena all vie for dominance in a prehistoric scene. As well as the marshlands, which draw in these huge numbers, there’s also mopane woodland to the east – this is home to leopard and a huge array of important birdlife, including buzzards, owls, eagles, falcons, and vultures.
Wilderness Mokete is the only camp in a vast 50,000 hectares, meaning this spectacular congregation of animals can be enjoyed in remarkable solitude. The word Mokete means “feast”, and all this is certainly a feast for the senses! This magnificent expanse of land, only recently given to conservation, is sure to become the stuff of legends and offers stunning safari on an epic scale.
ACCESS & LOCATION:
Wilderness Mokete is located in the enormous Mababe Concession, which lies on the eastern fringe of the Okavango Delta. Mokete Tented Camp is located in the enormous Mababe Concession, which lies on the eastern fringe of the Okavango Delta. It borders the famed Moremi Game Reserve, and Chobe National Park lies to the north. Nutrient-rich grasses here are nourished with a constant supply of water from the Mababe River, creating a unique habitat where great herds and a wealth of predators thrive. The Mababe Marsh fills in the summer season and creates a wetland of some 2,600 hectares. This slowly disappears in the dry season, although never completely, which is what brings the herds to this region in such great numbers.
To access Wilderness Mokete, guests will usually helicopter transfer from Santawani airstrip, having arrived there by scheduled light aircraft flight from either Maun or another camp in the Delta. It’s a spectacular 7-minute flight and a great way to arrive. It is also possible to self-drive from Maun, Moremi, or Chobe, and vehicles can be securely kept in Mababe village, from where guests are then transferred to camp. From mid-2024, the camp’s own Mababe Airstrip will open up, with flights on Wilderness Air.
ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT WILDERNESS MOKETE:
The camp is a limited edition, meaning a more permanent lodge will be developed here by 2026, but you can be the first to enjoy this magnificent new game area before anyone else! Wilderness Mokete is chic and minimalist in design, featuring private tents raised on their own decking with comfortable beds, air conditioning, outdoor showers, and a separate lounge area from which to enjoy panoramic views of the grasslands all around you. The highlight of the rooms is an innovative retractable roof, so you can see the expanse of the night sky and star-gaze from the comfort of your own bed! And you can listen to the sounds of the African wild – a magical touch.
The main area has a small pool for cooling off in the middle of the day, a firepit for those safari tales before supper, and communal dining under the stars (although a private meal is always possible). The camp is fully solar-powered and constructed to ensure the lightest footprint possible. Low-impact photographic tourism is what Wilderness has set out to achieve, so this is not a camp for those perhaps looking for extraordinary luxury. Rather, it’s a comfortable, elegant outpost and front-row seat to one of the best game-viewing experiences in Botswana.
ACTIVITIES AT WILDERNESS MOKETE:
Activities at Wilderness Mokete are predominantly land-based safari, so it is worth discussing with one of our specialists how to combine your time to include a “wet” camp in the Delta as a good counterbalance to your itinerary. That said, the game viewing on offer here doesn’t get much better than this! Please note that some activities listed below are not operational until 2024.
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Expertly guided game drives
- You will see incredible predator–prey interactions at this camp. Among the highlights are lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. You can look out for smaller predators such as cheetah, hyena, jackal, serval, civet, honey badger, and the rare wild dog, while the herbivore collection features giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, and a fine assortment of antelopes. -
Night drives
- You can also venture out at night, when all the big predators come alive. It’s always an unforgettable experience, watching what goes on in the dark of the night! You might see porcupines, genets, civets, bush babies… and occasionally a larger predator, with its prey. -
Walking safaris
- These are accompanied by an expert guide, armed for your protection. The activity is perfect for travelers who want to get to know the smaller lives of Mababe, such as the park’s plants, insects, and hundreds of types of bird. You can occasionally track big game too. -
Hot Air Ballooning (from April 2024)
- This activity needs to be pre-booked and comes at an additional cost. Guests can enjoy the Delta in all its magnificence from the skies and see the curvature of the Earth discernible on the distant horizon. -
Community visits (from April 2024)
- Why not visit the local village for an authentic cultural experience? You’ll learn the ancient art of tracking, sing and dance alongside an African choir, watch a basket-weaving demonstration, join the children for an afternoon of soccer practice, sample some traditional cuisine, or simply sit down with the village elders for an evening of storytelling around the fire.
*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.
