There is often a great deal of confusion regarding the location of Okavango Delta in relation to Moremi Game Reseve with most travel companies promoting them as separate areas.
Where is Moremi in Relation to the Okavango?
The Okavango Delta lies in the Kalahari Desert in Northern Botswana and the Moremi game reserve is a designated part of the Okavango. They are only separate entities in name and for the fact that Moremi has been set aside as a protected area. Looking at the map of the Okavango Delta it can be seen that Moremi makes up a large percentage of the north-eastern part of the delta.
History of Moremi
Moremi was gazetted as game reserve in the early 1960's following a representation by the Batawana peoples to protect the wildlife from uncontrolled hunting. It was the first reserve in Africa to be proclaimed by local people in their own lands.
Some years after the proclamation the government relocated all people that were living in the area to villages on the edge of the reserve. The people living there at the time were mostly the River Bushman who lived of the bounty of the Okavango.
None of the parks in Northern Botswana are fenced and so wildlife ranges freely across the Delta and Moremi. The only barriers to the wildlife are the deep channels in the permanent delta.
