Mokolodi Private Nature Reserve

The reserve is both managed and operated by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation employing some 70 staff whose efforts preserve the environmental integrity of the nature preserve. The park is less than 15 km from Gaborone and is easily assessable by day-trippers or those interested in a longer, more intimate stay.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve first started its “Nature Reserve” status in 1994. Before this, it was a simple cattle ranch that employed no more than seven people, both unhelpful to the environment, the animals and the local financial longevity. Now, the park has reclaimed several plant species, reintroduced wildlife and provided an underpinning economic sustainability. Plus, the educational importance the park has provided with its 3,000-hectare conservation area teaches youngsters about the importance of the Mokolodi for the future.

When the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation first took over the park, there wasn’t a lot of wildlife left. However, with reintroduction practices, the park has grown as one of the most internationally recognized education and conservation areas in Africa. A sort of animal orphanage, the Nature Reserve contains a number of Africa’s most rare species: Probably the most famous is the White Rhino in the northern Okavango region of Botswana.

When land was first donated, the first few years of animal reintroduction into the park skyrocketed. With this momentum, the park saw the populations of cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, sable, elephants, hartebeest, and night creatures such as smaller cats, thorny porcupines and jumpy hares among other well-known animal families grow.

At present, visitors to the park can likewise see impalas, hyenas, leopards, water buck, kudu and others. And, because most of the animal population has had to rely on human intervention for survival, visitors can get remarkably close to the wildlife. The elephant walk, for example, allows schoolchildren, tourists and other visitors to saunter with the elephants in their natural habitat. The humans never threaten the animals and therefore the animals do not fear this proximity.

Proximity is the word that makes Mokolodi Nature Reserve so special. The Mokolodi Nature Reserve has interconnecting dirt roads assessable by 4x4 or sedan (after the wet season) to reach most of the animal herds. The “game drives” usually provide the best animal viewing in the littlest amount of time. If groups venture out in the morning or later evening, they’re sure to see animals foraging, eating and drinking. Groups who go out at other times may miss out due to the extreme heat when animals run for the shade and laze about until the evening meal.

And, once you get into the park, you can stay overnight. There is one of two types of accommodations to choose from. For starters, visitors can choose to spend a night or more in the sequestered chalets overlooking the central waterhole in the park. This provides primo vistas of the watering animals. Moreover, the roads are closed to non-guest, insuring seclusion, solitude and stars not found back home. Moreover, barricaded camping spots allow small groups to bivouac since 1999. All eight of the campsites offer hot water showers, flushable toilets, and a communal washing lavabo (sink).

If you like what you hear, this is in all likelihood one of Botswana’s easiest natural destinations. Since this protected area is an easy drive from Gaborone, you can arrive at the main airport, get in your pre-booked 4x4 and see wild rhinos, cheetahs or elephants before a lunch of Seswaa or Chotlho (traditional meat dish). And, though the terrain is flat yet rocky, you can get around on a guided walking tour but you’ll not see as much. If you’ve even got one day to spare in Botswana—say a layover or meeting—then don’t miss your chance to book a tour to see the animals at Mokolodi Nature Reserve.

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