Where to stay in Moremi Game Reserve: areas, prices and the best lodges for 2026

Inside the reserve: Xakanaxa, Chief's Island and the campsites

The Xakanaxa lagoon is the heart of Moremi for most visitors. The dry Mopane Tongue meets permanent water here, so a single camp offers game drives in the morning and a motorboat to the Gcodikwe heronry in the afternoon. Camp Xakanaxa, in Meru tents on the lagoon since the 1970s, and Camp Moremi, both Desert & Delta, quote from about $690 in low season to $1,290 in high season on third-party 2026 calendars. Okuti, Ker & Downey's reed chalets on the Maunachira channel, publishes $740 to $1,410 on its 2027 sheet. All three share the Xakanaxa airstrip. Monachira Camp, opened in May 2025 in the north-eastern water country, is the newest camp inside the reserve, from $966.

Chief's Island is the fly-in end of the reserve. Mombo Camp, Wilderness's flagship, runs from $2,889 to $5,043 per person per night in 2026, and Chief's Camp, A&K Sanctuary's pavilions with air conditioning, from about $2,400 to $4,350. Xigera Safari Lodge, an art-filled water lodge in the west, is from $2,750 and may close January to April. You pay for game density and exclusivity, not for extra freedoms: the reserve rules still apply.

The four public campsites, South Gate, Xakanaxa, Third Bridge and North Gate, are where self-drivers sleep. They are unfenced, have ablutions and no power, and none has an airstrip for visitors. Third Bridge stayed closed after the record 2026 floods and on 23 October 2026 we still found no confirmation it has reopened, so treat it as a maybe until the Xomae Group says otherwise. Our camping page covers each site in detail.

Outside the boundary: Khwai and the Delta concessions

Khwai is the busiest and most varied area. Across the river from North Gate, the Khwai community concession (NG19) holds Machaba Camp ($754 to $1,315), its four-tent sister Little Machaba (from $718, minimum age 12), Khwai Leadwood (from $630, third-party), the new Sediba Sa Rona (from $690, opened March 2026 on the old Khwai River Lodge site) and the best-value full-service camp in the area, Sango Safari Camp at $435 to $760. Khwai Guest House offers thatched bungalows in the village from about $166. The trust's own campsite, Magotho, costs P400 per person.

East of that, the Khwai Private Reserve (NG18) is operated by Natural Selection: Tuludi ($1,545 to $3,545), Sable Alley ($995 to $1,995), Little Sable ($660 to $1,445) and Elephant Pan ($595 to $1,045), each with a $60 per person per night conservation fee on top. Skybeds, open-air sleeping platforms above a waterhole, can only be added to a stay at one of those four.

The south-eastern Delta concessions are quieter and more exclusive. Chitabe Camp (from $1,710), &Beyond Sandibe (from $2,680) and Sandibe Under Canvas (from $715) share one concession; Gomoti Plains (from $1,095), Kiri Camp (from $1,159) and the exclusive-use Gomoti Private (from $1,494) sit on the Gomoti and NG32 country; Qorokwe Camp publishes a full ladder from $1,480. Kwando's Rra Dinare and Mma Dinare and the island water camp Moremi Crossing publish no rates; ask.

Budget: camping and the cheapest beds

Camping is the only way to sleep cheaply inside Moremi, and it comes in two layers. The first is the operator's rate: about $40 per person per night at South Gate and Xakanaxa (Kwalate Safaris, on enquiry), $50 at North Gate on the SKL tariff, and P561 at Third Bridge on Xomae's 2023/24 card, which has probably risen. The second is paid at the gate: the DWNP camping fee of P60 per person per night, park entry of P270 per person per day for non-residents and a vehicle fee. Our costs page works it through: two people, three nights, about P7,650 or $570, before food and the vehicle.

These campsites are DWNP-owned but leased to private operators, and DWNP takes no campsite bookings. You book each one directly with its operator, never through a specialist's lodge package, and you cannot enter the reserve without a confirmed booking.

Just outside, the Khwai Development Trust runs Magotho at P400 (about $30) per person, the cheapest bed in the area, booked directly with the trust. If you want walls, Khwai Guest House in the village starts around $166 per person depending on season and board basis, and in Maun, Thamalakane River Lodge is from $190 per person bed and breakfast on its rate sheet dated 1 May 2026 to 31 March 2027.

Mid-range and luxury: what the money buys

Mid-range in Moremi means roughly $435 to $760 per person per night, and almost all of it sits in Khwai. Sango Safari Camp is the cheapest full-service tented camp, though activities, park fees and transfers cost extra. Elephant Pan ($595 green season) and Little Sable ($660) get you into the Khwai Private Reserve with night drives; add the $60 conservation fee. Sandibe Under Canvas, from $715 in 2026, is the cheap door to a top-end private concession, at roughly a quarter of the rate of the lodge next door.

Inside the reserve the floor is higher: about $690 at the Xakanaxa camps in low season. From around $1,000 upwards you are buying fewer vehicles at sightings, smaller camps and full inclusions. Mombo, Chief's Camp, Xigera and Sandibe sit at $2,400 or above in their cheapest season. Check what the rate covers: Sandibe states park fees and airstrip transfers are included, Okuti lists meals, drinks, activities, taxes and laundry, while Sango and the Natural Selection camps add charges on top.

How to book: direct, through a specialist, or online

Lodges and camps can be booked directly with the operator: Wilderness, Natural Selection, Machaba, &Beyond, Bush Ways, Desert & Delta (reservations@desertdelta.com) and the others all take direct enquiries. Several publish rates; Desert & Delta, Kwando and Kwalate do not. A single camp is easy to book yourself.

A trip with two or three camps is where a safari specialist earns their keep. Each camp sits on its own airstrip, the light-aircraft seats have to be stitched together from Maun, and an agent who books the Delta every week knows which camps have space and how the shuttle routing works. We do not take bookings ourselves: a booking request sent through this site goes to a safari specialist we work with, who may pay us a commission. It does not change our prices or our picks.

Campsites are different. The public campsites inside the reserve are owned by DWNP but booked only with their private operators: Xomae Group for Third Bridge, Kwalate Safaris for Xakanaxa and South Gate, SKL Camps for North Gate. Only SKL has an online booking portal; the others work by email with full prepayment. Community campsites in Khwai are booked with the Khwai Development Trust. Park entry is paid in pula cash at the gate, or in advance by card at the DWNP office in Maun.

When to book

For the June to October flood season, and above all July and August, book camps 9 to 12 months ahead. Small camps such as Little Machaba with four tents and Skybeds with three platforms go first. For shoulder months (April, May, November) and the green season, four to six months is usually enough, with one exception: the Christmas and New Year fortnight books up at the lodges months ahead despite the rain.

Campsite availability opens about 12 months out, and Xakanaxa and North Gate sell out 6 to 8 months ahead for June to October. Book the campsites first and the flights and vehicle hire around the dates you secured. Rates differ sharply by season: Qorokwe, for example, charges $1,480 from January to March and $2,940 from June to October in 2026. Our best time to visit page explains why the flood peaks in the dry season, and the green season page covers the cheap months.

Common mistakes when choosing a Moremi camp

• Paying Chief's Island prices and expecting night drives. Mombo, Chief's Camp and Xigera are inside the reserve, so there are none.
• Booking flights before campsites. Without a confirmed campsite you cannot enter, and the good sites go 6 to 8 months ahead.
• Mixing up the two Sable Alleys. Natural Selection's camp ($995 and up) and the Khwai trust's basic campsite share a name.
• Comparing rates without the extras. The $60 conservation fee in NG18 and the $35 levy at Kiri and Gomoti Plains add up over five nights.
• Counting on Third Bridge. After the 2026 floods, confirm with Xomae and keep a Xakanaxa or South Gate fallback.
• Using old names. Elephant Pan was Hyena Pan, Little Sable was Jackal & Hide, Khwai Leadwood was Khwai Tented Camp, and Sediba Sa Rona replaced Belmond Khwai River Lodge.