Okavango Moremi Mopane

a very scenic area, with well-located campgrounds

The Mopane Tongue is a peninsula of land which projects into the northeastern corner of the Okavango Delta.

It is an extremely pretty area, especially towards the western tip where cathedral mopane forests and open grasslands host high concentrations of reasonably accessible wildlife.

The channels and lagoons on the western side provide excellent opportunities for motorboat safari.

However, in stark contrast to the wonderful private concessions that cover the majority of the Okavango Delta, this is a part of the Moremi Game Reserve. As a public access area, it endures a heavy stream of self-drive and budget overland traffic, making it a lot less attractive for safari.

If you are intending to travel through this area by self-drive or as part of a budget overland safari, then you will be suitably compensated for these deficits by significantly lower prices than the prime areas, especially if you are using the public campgrounds..

At the busy western tip of the Mopane Tongue, three lodges are, rather ridiculously, lined up side by side on adjacent plots. You might think that these properties would be perfectly placed to offer higher volume and lower cost safari, but in reality they are sorely over-priced.

A major downside of being located inside the national park is that the camps are not allowed to offer walking safari, night vehicle safari and, in some cases, motorboat safari and mokoro canoe safari.

The Mopane Tongue area can be visited year round, but there are considerable seasonal variations.

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit and is generally considered to be the best time for wildlife viewing as many animals are drawn to the floodwaters from the surrounding areas. Temperatures can be cool at night, but the days remain perfect for safari, particularly Aug-Sep. With the floodwaters reaching or just passing their peak in most areas, there is usually good access to both land and water activities. Camps are primarily focused on vehicle safari and Motorboat safari is usually available in the extensive lagoons around the tip of the Tongue, although the floodwater may substantially recede into September. Unfortunately, the area can get very busy with self-drivers and overland safaris throughout this period.

The May-Jun flood season is a period of transition from the hot wet summer to the cool dry winter and is a great time to visit, with lots of baby animals around. Temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari and there are virtually no insects around. The majority of camps are also significantly discounted during this period. Camps at this time are primarily focused on vehicle safari and motorboat safari is usually also available in the extensive lagoons around the tip of the Tongue, so long as sufficient floodwater has arrived. Unfortunately, the area can get very busy with self-drivers, since June is the main South African school holiday period.

The Oct-Dec hot wet season is the transition from the peak of the dry season and the start of the rains. Temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains, particularly in Oct-Nov. Floods have receded in most areas and wildlife tends to become very concentrated around the few remaining water sources, making for very strong wildlife viewing. Boating activities become much less widely available, only those camps with access to permanent deepwater channels being able to continue operations.

If significant rainfall does arrive it usually comes in short showers and generally has little negative effect on safari conditions. Some animals may disperse during this period but sightings remain strong. The majority of camps are significantly discounted during Nov-Dec making it a smart time to travel. Vehicle safari should be relatively strong throughout this period and motorboat safari may also be available in the extensive lagoons around the tip of the Tongue, although this will be very dependent on water levels. For this reason the area is commonly combined with another wetter concession for boating activities.

Jan-Apr is the main green season in the Okavango Delta, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall and landscapes are green, with many baby animals around. As the seasonal waterholes become replenished, some animals disperse from the area in search of better grazing. But despite these effects, sightings remain strong. The majority of camps are significantly discounted throughout this season making it a smart time to travel, especially towards April. Camps are primarily focused on vehicle safari, which should be relatively strong throughout this period. Motorboat safari may also be available in the extensive lagoons around the tip of the Tongue, although this will be very dependent on water levels. It may well be better to take advantage of some of the keen prices in more central concession areas such as Okavango Kwara during this period.

Getting there

Most people visit this area as part of an overland safari from Maun to Kasane, which is not a route that we recommend, mainly due to the high volumes of traffic.

It is possible to access the main camps on the tip of the Mopane Tongue by light aircraft, but we would rarely recommend them for inclusion in a flying safari, they simply aren’t good enough.

simply not good enough to be included in a decent safari