Kwetsani Camp
KWETSANI CAMP - OKAVANGO DELTA,
BOTSWANA
Kwetsani Island is a large, elongated island surrounded
by enormous open plains in Botswana's Okavango Delta. It is located in
the private Jao Reserve, an area of 60,000 hectares to the west of Mombo
and the Moremi Game Reserve. The island is heavily wooded with palm,
mangosteen and fig trees. The water levels around the island change each
year, depending on the magnitude of the annual floods from central Africa.
The water levels at Kwetsani are at their highest from April or May to
September each year. Kwetsani is operated by Wilderness Safaris.
Accommodation 
For images of Kwetsani, click Kwetsani
Images For Layout map of Kwetsani Camp, click Kwetsani
Map
Kwetsani Camp is a small,
intimate, ten-bedded luxury camp and is raised on wooden decks above the
lush ground vegetation. The five spacious and lavish "tree-house"
chalets are built under thatched roofs and have canvas and pole walls.
En-suite facilities under thatch include a shower, flush toilet and basin,
with an additional outdoor shower. The rooms have an open, airy feel about
them, with a superb view of the surrounding plains. The dining room, lounge
and pub area is situated under cool thatch. Complimentary laundry services
are provided.
Activities
A variety of habitats ensures
diverse and interesting game viewing. Hippo,
Sitatunga antelope and Crocodile reside in the deeper permanent lily-filled
lagoons of the area and these can be explored using the Delta's traditional
form of transport, the mokoro. However, Kwetsani offers superb land and
water activities - with much of the focus depending on the water levels
from the region's annual flood. In addition to stalking game by mokoro,
you will also be able to enjoy exploring palm fringed islands on foot.
Day game drives are a highlight, enabling guests to experience varied
and diverse game viewing. Guests have excellent chances of spotting predators
during the day as well as on night drives. Night drives are permitted
in the Jao Reserve as it falls outside the Moremi Game Reserve and is
not subject to its rules regarding drives after sunset.
Wildlife
Lion, Leopard, Wild Dog, Cheetah, Tsessebe and Red
Lechwe are among the major game attractions at Kwetsani. Nocturnal animals
such as Porcupine, Aardwolf, Serval, Genet and Bush baby can be observed
on the night drives (water levels permitting). The
wildlife at Jao depends largely on the water levels in the area. The
lagoons are home to Hippo and Crocodile and the permanent waters attract
large numbers of waterfowl. In the permanent waters, Sitatunga can be
tracked silently by mokoro. From October to March the waters subside
and enormous open plains are the highlight. This is where the game viewing
is the best. Lion, Cheetah and Leopard are plentiful, while Tsessebe,
Red Lechwe, Zebra and Wildebeest dot the flood plains. During the winter
months, the water levels at Jao rise and the savannah areas become covered
with water.
The Owners
David and Cathy Kays and their families, and Kingsley Mogalakwe are the long-term
leaseholders of Jao Reserve. The Kays are one of Maun's oldest families. David's
great grandfather first came to Ngamiland in 1887. In 1912 the Kays family settled
in Tsau, at that time the headquarters of the Batawana tribe (Maun was not yet
founded). When the Batawana tribe decided to establish a new village at Maun
and move its headquarters there in the mid-1920's, the Kays family moved with
them. David's father, Ronnie, was instrumental in advising the Batawana Tribal
Authorities on the formation of Moremi Game Reserve and assisted in the demarcation
of the reserve's boundaries. Kingsley Mogalakwe is from a prominent and well-known
Maun family. His uncle, Montsho Mogalakwe, was also instrumental in the formation
of Moremi Game Reserve and has now retired from service in Maun as the deputy
chief for Ngamiland.
Like all families raised
in and around the Okavango, wildlife was in their blood, and they spent
most of their lives out in the bush. When they won the rights for the Jao
Reserve in the recent tender process, they were determined to make this
Botswana's finest reserve. They turned their backs on hunting, even though
it is allowed in this reserve. They are only the second reserve in Botswana
not to hunt, when hunting is allowed. They have decided to focus all their
efforts on developing Jao into a superb photographic reserve, but in the
process they lose about US$300,000 in hunting revenue every year to ensure
great game viewing and a superb wildlife product in the long term. The
camps they have built ~ Jao, Kwetsani, Tubu Tree and Seba ~ are some of
the top camps in the Okavango.
Hunting
Kings Pool
Camp,
DumaTau Camp, Savuti
Camp
and Linyanti Tented Camp in the Linyanti
Wildlife Reserve, as well as Kwetsani, Tubu
Tree, Seba Camp, and Jao
Camps in the Jao Reserve, have the right to hunt animals in their areas
in addition to running photographic safaris. They have deliberately
decided not to hunt and forgo about US$300,000 of revenue annually per
reserve. They are also involved in game counts and censuses to help
the parks build up a data base of the animals in the country. Wilderness
Safaris does not allow hunting in any of their operations anywhere.
Top 
Return to Map of Okavango
Delta Camps
Water
/ Land Activity Table for Botswana camps: Water/Land
Botswana
Flying
Times between Botswana camps: Fly
Times Botswana
For further information about the Okavango Delta, click More
Okavango
For further information about Botswana, click More
Botswana
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