Mokoro heldagstur-Okavango Delta

My partner and I had a wonderful day trip into the Delta by mokoro, albeit during the ‘wet’ season. We were picked up at our hotel in Maun at the agreed time and driven to the mokoro station (Morutsha NG32) where we met the team that would take us into the Delta for the day. Our lead guide/poler was extremely knowledgeable about the Delta environment and was only too happy to share his knowledge with us. A thicket of reeds and grass became a list of invaluable house building materials and which reed type was best suited for which component, not just hippo food. And the tapping of the mokoro was our poler having a ‘chat’ with the nearby hippo bull letting him know we were in the area and bore him no malice. He also kept the mokoro pointed to the bank to demonstrate to the hippo that we had no aggressive intensions! We asked how he navigated in the swamps and he explained that he knew all the trees by walking through this area as a child with his father, and if he got disoriented, he would look at the nearest termite mound as these always point to the west. Pretty flowers (yellow pistol) are used to treat sore eyes and wild sage is excellent for keeping mosquitoes at bay. After a being filled up with a tasty lunch by the catering team, we were taken on a guided walk where we saw some animals and burrows, before being poled back to the starting point and returned to the hotel at the scheduled time. Our lead guide was always polite and courteous, at one stage he asked if he may wear his sunglasses while talking to us, as he had been told some tourists get offended if they are spoken to by a person wearing sunglasses. We were stunned by this, as good eye-care, particularly in the harsh African sun, is most important and we immediately agreed that he could wear his sunglasses, which he gratefully thanked us for. Maybe it is time for a change in procedure (I grew up in Africa at a time when the philosophy was that children should not be allowed to wear sunglasses to ‘toughen’ our eyes; I have already had cataract surgery to repair the damage done by the sun to my eyes). May I suggest that the tour operators take the lead in this, provide the guides with appropriate training for good eye health and advise Clients not to be offended if their guides wear sunglasses, as these are to protect their eyes. Sunglasses must become standard bush wear. This tour is operated by the local community who live in the Okavongo Delta. It is an initiative to include local citizens in tourism, both showing and maintaining their traditional way of life, while earning a living. We both believe this to be a wonderful initiative and strongly recommend this tour.

Shaba was our amazing guide for this day. It is a long journey from Maun. We were picked up around 5.15 from our B&B. Shaba provided us with ponchos we could use to keep us warm for the first leg of the trip. We arrived at the gate around 845. That was also a bit later than expected because we already spotted so many animals even before we reached South Gate. A part of the road is very bumpy and it made it quite tiring. We received a lovely breakfast at the gate and used the bathrooms. The rest of the day we drove around and admired the changing and beautiful nature of Moremi. Shaba was a great and safe driver. He was very patient with us and gave us many opportunities to stop and take pictures. He was very knowledgeable about animals, birds and the surroundings. It was an overwhelming experience to see so many beautiful animals. The park was not busy and Shaba choose a different route when we encountered another car. We had a delicious picnic lunch halfway. We were dropped off at our B&B in Maun at 19.00. A long and unforgettable experience at Moremi with Mosu!

I was supposed to join a tour with 4 other people, but when it turned out that they wanted to return early, Mosu Safari very kindly provided me with my own driver and guide and I ended up having a private tour. It was a great day with a very knowledgeable guide. I can wholeheartedly recommend Mosu Safari Tours as a very organized company, that really delivers on their promises!

Great day with helpful and informative quide, saw elephants hippos and giraffes. Peaceful ride on the canoes and saw lots of birds very knowledgeable guide, great lunch in the shade after a hot walk

The communication, service, value of money and the reliability of Mosu Safari was just great. I can totally recommend this company (and already did). Toni, our guide, did a great job. From pick up to drop off we felt absolutely in good hands.