We are fully aware of our safari guests’ expectations of an African safari to experience the highlights of the continent’s spectacular wildlife.  Our safari trips are designed to maximise all year round wildlife viewing opportunities while considering safety and comfort.

Viewing wildlife from the comfort of camp is an underrated experience that really ought to be encouraged on every safari.  Meno A Kwena Tented Camp is in one of the most ideal locations where spectacular wildlife sightings are experienced within view of the camp.  We also have year round access to two national parks and a wildlife reserve.  Nomadic and migrant wildlife is influenced by water availability and this determines exactly where we operate safaris from season to season.  

SUGGESTIONS

A minimum of three nights is encouraged to make the most of safari experiences available to our guests.  See below suggestions determined by length of stay.

Day 1 – Arrival in camp to enjoy the stunning afternoon view over the Boteti River where wildlife concentrates to drink and elephants spend hours swimming and playing.

Day 2 – Morning walking safari with Bushman group for a rare insight into their ancient relationaship with nature, light exercise and seeing wildlife activity along the banks of the Boteti River.  Afternoon wildlife viewing by specially designed 4X4 safari vehicle into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

Day 3 – Whole day trip drive into Makgadikgadi and/or Nxai Pans National Parks with a picnic lunch to view and experience both Okavango and Kalahari wildlife.

Additional days with us include the following available safari options…

• Sleep under the stars in the saltpans
• Scenic flight over the saltpans
• Star gazing show with high tech, high power telescope
• The meerkat experience
• Cultural trips including rural horse riding
• Mobile camping in Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pans National Parks and Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR)

SAFARI GUIDES

Our professional licensed guides have many years experience, not only in game drives but as safari operators who lead mobile safaris throughout Botswana.  They also have the added quality of being characters and share the magic of flora and fauna with fascinating stories of personal safari and wildlife experiences.  Their knowledge and experience is necessary for the safety and enjoyment of the safari experience.

THE NEW BUSHMAN WALKING EXPERIENCE

The Bushman nature walking activity enhances the variety of wildlife safari experiences available to our guests while at the same time maximising sustainable benefits to the people of Botswana.  In the short time we have offered this extraordinary insight into the ancient relationship between man and nature, our guests have responded with increased positive feedback about their experiences at Meno A Kwena Tented Camp & Safaris.

ALL YEAR ROUND WILDLIFE VIEWING

The migratory water-dependant zebra and wildebeest herds concentrate along the Boteti River during the dry winter months (June to November), although obviously this is determined by the rains and water availability in the saltpans.

As the Okavango Delta experiences higher than average water levels we expect wildlife populations to spread to previously dry fringe areas, including the Boteti River as it extends deep into the Kalahari.

BOTETI RIVER, OKAVANGO

The Okavango’s deep Boteti River gorge is a unique environment, in an otherwise flat country, of riverine habitat that snakes its way through the Kalahari. This creates a rich diversity of wildlife all year round. Some of Botswana’s most impressive wildlife concentrations occur along the river during the dry season.  These include large herds of zebra and wildebeest (population – 20 to 30 000), antelopes, elephant, white rhino, predators, giraffe, hippo, crocodile and many bird species as well as spectacularly contrasting habitats.  A number of resident species do not migrate away at the onset of the rains and so the Boteti area maintains a population of wildlife all year round.

THE NEW FLOATING WILDLIFE VIEWING HIDE

We expect our new floating wildlife viewing hide to be ready and fully operational during September 2011.  The twenty five square metre floating vessel adds to our list of wildlife viewing opportunities while further reducing negative impact on the environment.  We will include images here when the floating hide has been launched.

MAKGADIKGADI PANS NATIONAL PARK

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park covers a vast area from the Boteti River, through its interior of scrublands, palm belt and grasslands, to the extraordinary saltpans to the east. The interior of the park supports desert-adapted wildlife such as oryx, springbok, ostrich, jackal and meerkats, to name some of the common species. During the wet summer months (November to June), the zebra and wildebeest form impressive herds in the open grass plains and pans.

The saltpans are accessible during the dry months (June to October), this is when we travel deep into the dry saltpans for the spiritual experience of space and where meerkats are to be found.

NXAI PANS NATIONAL PARK

Nxai Pan National Park adjoins the northern boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park to create a vast 12,000 square-kilometre protected ecosystem within the Kalahari. It takes us an hour to get to the park from camp and so requires a day-trip with picnic lunch. Baines Baobabs is a group of seven Baobab trees painted by 1800s explorer and naturalist Thomas Baines. This grove of massive trees is a spectacular sight to behold against a backdrop of saltpan and endless horizons.

CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, CKGR, as we call it, is over fifty-thousand square kilometres in size!  To cover this vast Kalahari reserve would involve a major safari expedition, we concentrate our efforts on Deception Valley in the north of the reserve. The ancient riverbed is the maternity ward for countless antelope particularly springbok and oryx, that migrate from the sandy waterless scrublands of the interior at the start of the rains (November/December). And of course there are the opportunist predators concentrated here during the wet season, particularly cheetah.

Deception Valley is too far for us to visit on day-trips and so we operate with a mobile camp.  A mobile safari is simple yet comfortable and highly mobile equipped with the bare necessities.  A visit to this remote region, even with a basic camp, is often the highlight of the trips we have on offer for the slightly more adventurous. Don’t be misled by basic either; the bedrolls, in the safety of bow tents, are a luxury in this remote wildlife reserve.  We carry all the equipment, supplies and water with us for anything from one to six nights.

SAFARI VEHICLES

We operate specially designed 4X4 safari cars that go pretty much anywhere any time in safety and to maximise wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities.