Wilderness Mokete

An incredible and breathtaking experience. My family and I spent five days at Mokete Camp in Botswana and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The camp is new and very well maintained. The staff and management were genuinely friendly, attentive, and consistently positive. The tents were beautifully set in the wilderness. As expected in a natural reserve, there were some insects inside the tents, though better sealing of openings could improve comfort. The opening over the bed also felt slightly out of place. The game drives were outstanding. Despite visiting during the wet season, we were extremely lucky thanks to our excellent guides and trackers, Jonah and Timmy, who went above and beyond. After hours of exciting tracking, we even found lions and leopards as promised. Overall, an unforgettable experience and highly recommended for anyone seeking an authentic Botswana safari.

Where Africa still breathes in its wildest form.||There are places in this world that feel almost imagined — where light, air, and life intertwine so beautifully that your heart quietly asks: Is this real?|Mokete is one of those places.||Tucked between the Chobe National Park and the Moremi Game Reserve, Wilderness Mokete reveals Africa at its most untouched: endless grasslands under a sky without edges, silence broken only by the rhythm of hooves, wings, and wind.||This is not a safari that shows itself all at once — it unfolds, slowly and deeply, for those willing to look closely.||⸻||Camp & Hospitality||The camp blends seamlessly into the wilderness. The tents are beautifully appointed — simple in the best way — providing calm and comfort between game drives. The staff were warm, gracious, and always attentive. The meals were excellent, and despite nearby bushfires sparked by lightning during our stay, the camp remained impeccably clean.||While some reviews mentioned issues with cleanliness or service, our experience could not have been more positive.||⸻||Wildlife Encounters||The sheer diversity of life in Mokete is astonishing.||On just one game drive, we encountered:|Lions, Buffalo, Elephants, Roan and Sable Antelopes, Zebras, Waterbucks, Oryx and many other more… and even a leopard on our way back to camp.||And then there is the birdlife — truly a paradise for anyone with a love for wings and wild skies. Marsh Owls, Secretarybirds, White-backed Vultures, Red-headed Weavers — the list goes on and on.||But perhaps the most unforgettable of all was witnessing one of Africa’s great natural spectacles:|the daily swarming of the Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea).||Twice a day, these birds rose and returned in swirling clouds of thousands — sometimes millions — moving as one living, breathing organism. In the morning, they poured across the sky in waves toward their feeding grounds. In the evening, they came home again, their wings creating a soft, thunderous whisper in the air. It was a moment where time felt suspended.||⸻||A Wilderness to Remember||We spent four extraordinary days in Mokete — four days of awe, wonder, and deep gratitude for a world still wild.||To Wesley Hartmann — thank you for steering us here. To Cara and Shelly — thank you for planning everything with such care.|To the entire Wilderness Mokete team — you made these days unforgettable. Special thanks to Jonah, our wonderful guide.||We wish you many, many guests whose hearts are open to wonder.||⸻||For Future Travelers||If you seek Africa’s wilderness in its pure, unpolished form, Mokete is essential.|This is not luxury in the sense of marble floors or hotel chandeliers — this is the luxury of space, of silence, of nature unscripted and entirely real.||Wilderness Mokete offers safari experiences of the absolute highest kind — wild, intimate, and deeply alive.||And yes — we will return. 🌍🧡

My wife and I experienced our 7th safari in Mokete and had an exceptional experience. Our guide, Yompy, was super, knows his birds, was very sensitive to our desire to learn more about the environment, and was willing to put in the long days for maximum wildlife viewing. The lodge was also very professionally run - very friendly and also had everything done just right. Great experience and highly recommended.

This place stands on its own. You are in an isolated part of Botswana where huge herds of buffalo roam wide open grasslands. The camp is lovely. Well appointed rooms. Staff excellent. But the game drives were incredible. We saw a buffalo hunted and killed by the local pride of lions and their cubs joined after. The largest herds of buffalo we've ever seen. There are so many plains animals tsesebe, wildebeest, impala zebra .. and of course elephant. I would definitely recommend this place be included on a safari in Botswana.

Our recent stay at Mokete was good in terms of wildlife sightings. We were lucky enough to see the “big cat trifecta” — lions, cheetahs, and a magnificent leopard — all in just 3 days. We even witnessed multiple hunts from both lions and cheetahs, which was absolutely thrilling.||Due to unusually heavy rains in Angola this year, the mega buffalo herd arrived later than usual, but we were fortunate to see two smaller herd. A real highlight was watching the Mokete pride interact with the buffalo. While their hunting skills might need some sharpening — we didn’t witness a successful kill — the tension and raw drama between predator and prey were captivating. We believe that as the dry season progresses, more kills are likely, making the action even more intense.||While the food and accommodation aren’t at the level some of the more luxury(expensive) lodges like Vumbura Plains, they are more than sufficient and comfortable for a lodge in such a remote, wild setting. Given the extraordinary game viewing and the authentic wilderness experience.

I’m being generous giving this camp a 2 Star rating. We are seasoned safari travelers as this marks our 11th safari trip since 2006, exclusively in Southern Africa, so I know of which I speak. ||This property is just over a year old and suffers from a serious lack of maintenance and housekeeping staff training. The curtain surrounding the bed had about one third of the hanger clips broken, making it difficult to open and close. The desk lamp was broken, but was repaired the next day. We were never told how to use the much ballyhooed skylight over the bed to see the stars and it appeared to be inoperable and was not repaired during our stay. The safe in our room was not attached and could easily be carried away. The room furnishings were very flimsy, though the bed was very comfortable. The AC/heat unit did neither. ||We were there for five days and our room was not swept, vacuumed or mopped the entire time. Spider webs were prevalent in the ceiling in the commons area. ||On the bright side, the food and bar service were excellent. The meals were delicious, though somewhat limited in main course sections. The salads and side dishes were wonderful. ||The greatest disappointment though was the quality of the game viewing. All we had read were glowing reports of great herds of fabulous wildlife. We did see greater numbers of certain species, such as the endangered Kori Bustard, but those heralded herds of wildlife were nowhere to be found.||Sadly this camp definitely does not live up to the hype!

Mokete Wilderness Lodge is a rare and remarkable opportunity to immerse yourself in the raw and unfiltered Botswana. The wildlife here is largely unfamiliar with humans, which makes each encounter feel entirely authentic—untouched and utterly unique. Observing animals in this setting is an experience few safari-goers will ever have.||We chose to helicopter in, which I highly recommend—it bypasses what would otherwise be a long and demanding drive, and offers stunning aerial views that set the tone for the adventure ahead. From the sky alone, we knew this was going to be something special.||Our guide, Johan, exceeded all expectations. He managed the unthinkable—locating a pride of lions with six cubs hidden in thick brush, just after a zebra kill. It was one of the most breathtaking sightings I’ve ever had.||If you're an experienced safari aficionado, Mokete Wilderness Lodge is the next level. Untamed, exclusive, and unforgettable.

We spent 2 nights at Mokete and found it an interesting compliment to the comps we stayed at in the Okavango Delta (Little Mombo and Vumbura Plains). The terrain here is completely different with vast swaths of marsh and a desert-like scape. We saw plenty of animals, including numerous cheetah sightings along with a male lion, jackals, elephants, wildebeest, impala, and a huge herd of water buffalo. ||Although Mokete is quite remote, flying in by helicopter made it easy and efficient. Upon arrival, you are immediately struck by the sleek, modern design of the camp, which is powered entirely by solar. This property is small with only 8 “tents” and a compact common area. However, the smaller size gave it a nice intimacy. Each tented enclosure is beautifully furnished and comes with its own plunge pool. At night, you can choose to have your tent sides zipped up for extra warmth or left open. The night air was filled with the sounds of the birds and animals surrounding us. Perhaps the biggest highlight was the vast open space of stars, exposed to us from our tent each night as we fell asleep. ||As with all the Wilderness properties, the team here was exceptionally warm and friendly. This camp is only a year old, and at times, the service level showed the need for some continued refinement around anticipating needs and also, following up on requests. Our guide Timmy was experienced, knowledgeable and determined when it came to our game drives. We spent our last morning tracking a single cheetah as it seemed to vacillate between hunting and just taking it easy for the day. We typically were the only vehicle at every animal sighting, which reinforced the feeling of remoteness and the uniqueness of the experience. ||All in all, the Mababe Depression area is a really interesting complement to other parts of Botswana and certainly worth seeing. We thoroughly enjoyed it and thank the team at Mokete for our stay.