Fantastic article by a guide who considers the Okavango Delta his office. Travel well Kabelo Ras Kunta Kgafela
Posted by Afro Trek Safaris on Wednesday, 2 March 2016
Showing posts with label okavango_delta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label okavango_delta. Show all posts
Thursday, March 03, 2016
Okavango Delta - Termites Role
Saturday, July 06, 2013
Afro Trek Safaris - The Okavango Delta
Afro Trek Safaris - the perfect time to reflect on your life.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Safari Year
Afro Trek Safaris ends a very successful safari year with their Christmas Special Package. Over 20 people took advantage of a 3 day special - Moremi day trip, mokoro day trip, game flight camping.... An excellent opportunity for Motswana to experience the Okavango Delta firsthand.Above is a look at the fleet of vehicles that take guests on safari. Perfect for game viewing, photo taking, videos, sharing the experience with others and collecting memories you will never forget. Happy New Year!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Maun Safari - Mokoro Trails,The Transparent Reality
Over the past few years, the Okavango Delta and Maun in particular, has become perceived as an expensive destination with many Overland Companies no longer stopping in Maun due to what are considered to be high rates for activities such as Mokoro Trails. Even when Overland Companies do stopover in Maun, a growing number of passengers choose not to do key activities such as the Mokoro Trails because of the rates being quoted.
The rates at Sedia Riverside Hotel and Afro Trek Safaris are constantly reviewed taking in to consideration the declining value of the Botswana Pula against the US dollar, so that we always offer the best possible rates to our guests.
Below, we have described how the Mokoro Trails activity is arranged through the Community Trust that owns the concession area in which the trails are done and the rates the Trust charge locally based licensed safari operators , such as ourselves, for the Mokoro Trails activity. The Mokoro Trails activity forms a part of the Community Based Tourism Policy promoted by the Botswana Government in order to encourage rural communities to generate work and earn an income from the resources of the rural areas in which they live, namely the wilderness.
All drive-in Mokoro Trails from Maun are undertaken in the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust , known as the OKMCT. The OKMCT have outsourced the Mokoro Trail activity to various Safari Operators based in Maun who market the trails and provide transport for the transfers from Maun into the Mokoro Poling stations within the OKMCT Concession Area. The most popular poling Station being at Boro, which is used by virtually all safari operators from Maun.
Afro Trek Rates for the Mokoro Trails Activity, including transfer charges are :
2 Day / 1 Night Trail US $ 110 - 00 per person
3 Day / 2 Night Trail US $ 125 - 00 per person
1 Day Mokoro Trail US $ 90 - 00 per person
( Rates valid for a minimum of four or more persons.)
The OKMCT is totally autonomous in the management of the Mokoro Trails activity and have fixed the daily rates which safari operators are charged as follows :
Licensed Guide with Mokoro US $ 25 - 00 per day
Licensed Poler with Mokoro US $ 20 - 00 per day
Entrance Fee to Concession US $ 6 - 50 per day
These rates exclude transfer charges into the concession poling station, this transfer is provided and charged for by the Maun based safari operator, the transfer charge being added to the OKMCT fixed rates for the mekoro and entrance fees , by the Maun based safari operator.
For a group of say 10 doing a two day / one night mokoro trail , the charges by the OKMCT would be just under US $ 40 per person. Afro Trek transfer charges into the Mokoro Poling station in the concession area are about US$ 40 per person ( In and Out of the concession area ) and are included in our rates given above.
Since the Boro Poling station lies under 20 kms from Maun and, we feel this rate to be fair and reasonable and covers our transfer costs , ground crew costs , public liability insurance costs, administration costs and vehicle maintenance costs.
The Afro Trek Mokoro Trails depart from the Riverside Hotel campsite for the Boro or Ditshipi Poling Stations. For the Mokoro Trails Transfers we use customised Toyota Landcruisers with rear mounted game viewing seats with a trailer for the luggage.
We feel the above transparency in our rate structuring is important, so that our passengers know where their money is going and that it will encourage more people to participate in a Mokoro Trails and in so doing meet some of the Bayei Tribe who live in the OKMCT concession area and have a real eco-tourism experience at a fair rate. All our guides and drivers are from the region, two of them being from the Kopano Trust area so passengers are given a good insight into the culture and traditions of the people.
The rates at Sedia Riverside Hotel and Afro Trek Safaris are constantly reviewed taking in to consideration the declining value of the Botswana Pula against the US dollar, so that we always offer the best possible rates to our guests.
Below, we have described how the Mokoro Trails activity is arranged through the Community Trust that owns the concession area in which the trails are done and the rates the Trust charge locally based licensed safari operators , such as ourselves, for the Mokoro Trails activity. The Mokoro Trails activity forms a part of the Community Based Tourism Policy promoted by the Botswana Government in order to encourage rural communities to generate work and earn an income from the resources of the rural areas in which they live, namely the wilderness.
All drive-in Mokoro Trails from Maun are undertaken in the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust , known as the OKMCT. The OKMCT have outsourced the Mokoro Trail activity to various Safari Operators based in Maun who market the trails and provide transport for the transfers from Maun into the Mokoro Poling stations within the OKMCT Concession Area. The most popular poling Station being at Boro, which is used by virtually all safari operators from Maun.
Afro Trek Rates for the Mokoro Trails Activity, including transfer charges are :
2 Day / 1 Night Trail US $ 110 - 00 per person
3 Day / 2 Night Trail US $ 125 - 00 per person
1 Day Mokoro Trail US $ 90 - 00 per person
( Rates valid for a minimum of four or more persons.)
The OKMCT is totally autonomous in the management of the Mokoro Trails activity and have fixed the daily rates which safari operators are charged as follows :
Licensed Guide with Mokoro US $ 25 - 00 per day
Licensed Poler with Mokoro US $ 20 - 00 per day
Entrance Fee to Concession US $ 6 - 50 per day
These rates exclude transfer charges into the concession poling station, this transfer is provided and charged for by the Maun based safari operator, the transfer charge being added to the OKMCT fixed rates for the mekoro and entrance fees , by the Maun based safari operator.
For a group of say 10 doing a two day / one night mokoro trail , the charges by the OKMCT would be just under US $ 40 per person. Afro Trek transfer charges into the Mokoro Poling station in the concession area are about US$ 40 per person ( In and Out of the concession area ) and are included in our rates given above.
Since the Boro Poling station lies under 20 kms from Maun and, we feel this rate to be fair and reasonable and covers our transfer costs , ground crew costs , public liability insurance costs, administration costs and vehicle maintenance costs.
The Afro Trek Mokoro Trails depart from the Riverside Hotel campsite for the Boro or Ditshipi Poling Stations. For the Mokoro Trails Transfers we use customised Toyota Landcruisers with rear mounted game viewing seats with a trailer for the luggage.
We feel the above transparency in our rate structuring is important, so that our passengers know where their money is going and that it will encourage more people to participate in a Mokoro Trails and in so doing meet some of the Bayei Tribe who live in the OKMCT concession area and have a real eco-tourism experience at a fair rate. All our guides and drivers are from the region, two of them being from the Kopano Trust area so passengers are given a good insight into the culture and traditions of the people.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Maun Safari - Game Flight Or Game Drive
Game Flight or Game Drive?
Let’s assume you have just arrived in Maun, Botswana and you have to plan your activity for the next day. If you have to choose between either doing a game flight or going on a day game drive to Moremi Game Reserve, what should you consider?
The game flight only takes about an hour. It leaves you plenty of time during the next day to rest, shop or catch up on some writing or reading. Mainly the participants seem to remember seeing herds of elephant or cape buffalo. Flying in a small Piper Cub is fun and if you are like me, you see the ground as a real life map.
On the other hand, a game drive starts early in the morning and is a full day activity. The potential to get close to lions, leopards, elephant, giraffe, hippo, wildebeest and a bounty of bird life are reasonably high. The packed lunch and chance for a short midday rest never disappoint.
If getting close to nature in a world renowned game reserve is your idea of fun, then the game drive is for you. If you need a rest and prefer a unique aerial perspective of the Delta, then go for the game flight.
Let’s assume you have just arrived in Maun, Botswana and you have to plan your activity for the next day. If you have to choose between either doing a game flight or going on a day game drive to Moremi Game Reserve, what should you consider?
The game flight only takes about an hour. It leaves you plenty of time during the next day to rest, shop or catch up on some writing or reading. Mainly the participants seem to remember seeing herds of elephant or cape buffalo. Flying in a small Piper Cub is fun and if you are like me, you see the ground as a real life map.
On the other hand, a game drive starts early in the morning and is a full day activity. The potential to get close to lions, leopards, elephant, giraffe, hippo, wildebeest and a bounty of bird life are reasonably high. The packed lunch and chance for a short midday rest never disappoint.
If getting close to nature in a world renowned game reserve is your idea of fun, then the game drive is for you. If you need a rest and prefer a unique aerial perspective of the Delta, then go for the game flight.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Moremi Gami Reserve - 1st Amongst Equals
Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi is often described as the most beautiful of all wildlife sanctuaries in Africa, covering almost a third of the entire Okavango Delta. It is a diverse habitat where the desert and delta meet - an area made up of floodplains, pans, lagoons, channels, woodlands and forests.
In 1963, the wife of the late Batawana Chief, Moremi the Third, developed the Moremi Game Reserve in his honour. It it was the first wildlife reserve to be set aside in southern Africa voluntarily, by an African community on their own land. In 1970, the Chief's royal hunting grounds, Chief's Island was added with a further area to the northeast in 1991.
The Reserve is a haven to wide variety of wildlife and many water dependant animals. Birdlife is prolific and also varied, ranging from water birds to shy forest dwellers. Elephants are numerous, particularly in the dry season, as well as a range of other wildlife species from buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal and the full range of antelope, large and small including the Red Lechwe.
Moremi is often described as the most beautiful of all wildlife sanctuaries in Africa, covering almost a third of the entire Okavango Delta. It is a diverse habitat where the desert and delta meet - an area made up of floodplains, pans, lagoons, channels, woodlands and forests.
In 1963, the wife of the late Batawana Chief, Moremi the Third, developed the Moremi Game Reserve in his honour. It it was the first wildlife reserve to be set aside in southern Africa voluntarily, by an African community on their own land. In 1970, the Chief's royal hunting grounds, Chief's Island was added with a further area to the northeast in 1991.
The Reserve is a haven to wide variety of wildlife and many water dependant animals. Birdlife is prolific and also varied, ranging from water birds to shy forest dwellers. Elephants are numerous, particularly in the dry season, as well as a range of other wildlife species from buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, hyena, jackal and the full range of antelope, large and small including the Red Lechwe.
Moremi Game Reserve is best visited in the dry season, game viewing is at its peak from June to October, when the pans have dried up. The winter months of May to August can be very cold at night and early mornings, but pleasantly warm during the day. From October until the rains break in late November or early December, the weather can be very hot, with temperatures regularly topping 40 Celsius (105 Far.) in the day.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Okavango Delta Flooding
Okavango Delta - Wetlands Getting Wetter
Travellers from around the world are following, with growing interest, the strong floods pouring into the Okavango Delta. A post in the Maun, Botswana Blog about the flow rates at Mohembo is creating worldwide interest. Click on the above link to follow the developing story.
What has started as a strong annual flood with flow rates of over 400 cubic metres per second, has spike over 200 cubes in just 10 days. Kasane is experiencing wide ranging flooding as we speak and it is very possible a similiar situation is developing in the Okavango Delta. A new flow rate chart will be out after April 10th.
Travellers from around the world are following, with growing interest, the strong floods pouring into the Okavango Delta. A post in the Maun, Botswana Blog about the flow rates at Mohembo is creating worldwide interest. Click on the above link to follow the developing story.
What has started as a strong annual flood with flow rates of over 400 cubic metres per second, has spike over 200 cubes in just 10 days. Kasane is experiencing wide ranging flooding as we speak and it is very possible a similiar situation is developing in the Okavango Delta. A new flow rate chart will be out after April 10th.
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