Discover a new safari destination in Botswana

Click here to download and save as a PDF

 

On my first drive in the Mababe Depression, we come across a mass of mischief and mud in the form of 14 lions, including six cubs all rolling around in the afternoon sun, their two-tone coats a combination of matted black soil and golden fur.

 

Meanwhile, two of the larger lions try climbing a stunted mopane tree far too small for them, and they both tumble gracelessly to the ground.

 

These are a few of the majestic members of the Chobe pride, named after the wildlife-rich national park that borders Mababe to the north.

 

Once a hunting area, Mababe – an ancient lake on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta – has recently made moves into luxury safari tourism.

 

The new Wilderness Mokete opened last year, gaining exclusive rights to this expansive concession, which measures almost 200 square miles.

 

On my 40-minute helicopter flight from the safari launchpad of Maun to the new tented camp, I’d glimpsed a fascinating bird’s-eye view of the great, green Mababe Depression, with its reputation for spectacular wildlife.

 

It wasn’t always this way. At various points in the 20th century, the Mababe River dried up, leaving a grassy plain that was only a habitat in the rainy season. But when the river’s waters trickled back in 2007, it became a year-round haven for thirsty wildlife.

 

Wildlife in the Mababe Depression