Khwai Concession (NG 19)

Khwai Concession (NG 19)

The Khwai Community Concession (NG 19) is situated in the extreme north east of the Okavango Delta and is controlled by the Khwai Community through the Khwai Development Trust. The camps and lodges of this concession benefit both from the Moremi Game Reserve’s and the Chobe National Park’s excellent game and high numbers of elephant and buffalo in particular and the enhanced activities the concession offers allowing for night game drives and walking safaris. This concession links the Okavango Delta to the Linyanti and has a focus on land activities. It has become a busy area in terms of tourist density and human traffic and Khwai village is an area of human habitation that has grown recently. Tours of Khwai Village can be organised either directly with the community or via a lodge in order to meet members of the community and understand about their traditional way of life and also to ask how tourism is benefitting them.

Animals – Large herds of elephant and buffalo are drawn to the Khwai River in the dry months from April until October.  Khwai is also known as a good area for lion sightings with large prides.  Leopards are also in the Khwai area in good number; they love the mix of riparian forest with its large trees and open areas.  Roan antelope is more likely to be sighted here than in many other concessions.

Birds- Birdlife is excellent and varied: see the stunningly colourful lilac-breasted roller and numerous other species including both saddle-billed and marabou storks.  There are many more aquatic birds in the wet season as the concession has only a small area of the Khwai River in terms of permanent water.  Raptors are particularly numerous here.

Plantlife – Khwai Community Concession has a range of flora from mopane forest to acacia, especially rather fine camel thorn and bands of riverine forest in the vicinity of the Khwai River which includes sausage tree, leadwood, sycamore fig, fever-berry and jackalberry. The waterways sport beautiful lilies on the slower flowing lagoons.

Best Months – The Khwai River is a vital source of water for large numbers of game from the southern Chobe National Park when ground water has dried up in the winter months.  So to see game concentrations here at their best, visit in the dry season.

Access – Many tourists self-drive between Maun and Khwai.  Many roads become much more difficult during the rainy season and some will be submerged.  Most visitors to the below camps will fly in on from Maun on a light aircraft.