Bordering both the Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park in the northeastern stretch of the Okavango Delta, the private Khwai Concession is a well-kept safari secret in Botswana.
Spanning 40,000 acres, this private reserve has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife and one of the most diverse ecosystems. The Khwai area is made up of open grasslands, floodplains, mopane forests, and a maze of lagoons carpeted in blue and white water lilies, providing a beautifully scenic backdrop for your safari.
Head out on game drives for the chance to spot lions, leopards, cheetahs, zebras, spotted hyenas, sable and roan antelopes, kudus, wildebeests, tsessebes, and the endangered African wild dogs. You may also spot large herds of migrating elephants munching on the mopane woodlands in the central Khwai area.
A drive along the stunning Khwai River, that flows through the concession, offers the chance to spot a high concentration of animals, as this is the first major water source for wildlife migrating from the Linyanti Concession.
Birdwatchers have the chance to spot migratory, wetland and desert species, including Long Toed Lapwings, Senegal Coucals and Verreaux's Eagle Owl.
This massive private concession is an incredible community-based partnership, formed by the local Khwai villagers and managed by the Khwai Development Trust.
Once a hunting concession, the area is now an active conservation area, with the local communities running ecotourism initiatives that provide sustainable economic income and an environmentally responsible safari experience for tourists.
Made up of just 400 people of BaBukakhwe or River Bushmen descent, the Khwai community work to conserve the environment and manage the wildlife populations within the reserve.