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Bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the southern Okavango Delta, the Chitabe Concession is both picturesque and rich in game.

Wildlife of the Chitabe Concession

Large elephant bulls trundle through pink hippo grass to thick forests of real fan palms. Here they shake the trees, trunks raised, until palm nuts rain down. Troops of baboon pick through the leftovers, yellow mongoose run under wild sage bushes and sometimes in the first light of morning you can see honey-badgers darting into the tall grass.

Many grazers such as tsessebe, impala, zebra and buffalo can be found on the open plains (and airstrip) whilst giraffe and kudu are found on the forest fringes. Though lion are often seen it is Chitabe’s leopard and wild dog pack that perhaps hold the greatest attraction. Leopard sightings are frequent, with some relaxed leopard happy to be followed by flurries of squawking guineafowl. Wild dog roam widely and sometimes make dens on the concession, so sightings are good.

Although predominantly a dry land concession, when the floodwaters arrive in June mokoro trips become possible, allowing you to float through the channels of the Santantadibe River among swallow-tailed bee-eaters, giant kingfishers and waterlilies.

The Chitabe Walking Trail

The Chitabe Concession is the base for the Chitabe Walking Trail. This lasts for three days and two nights and explores the different environments of the reserve on foot.

Typically, you will walk for a few hours each morning and evening, tracking predators by their spoor and exploring everything from insect life to aardvark holes. Nights are spent under mosquito nets on raised hides and dinner cooked on open fires.

These trips are adventurous ways to get really close to nature and best combined with a night in Chitabe Camp.