5 BEST REASONS TO VISIT MOKOLODI

5 Best Reasons To Visit Mokolodi Nature Reserve In Botswana

The 5 best reasons to visit Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Botswana provides services such as; Game drives, Rhino Tracking, Giraffe tracking, Game walks, Horse-back safaris among others.

Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Botswana is a private non-profit game reserve that was initially opened in 1990’s in the southern part of Botswana 10 km sq from Gaborone the capital city of the country. The reserve is sited on a 30Km piece of land, small enough to be navigated through by the tourists. The word mokolodi meaning refers to a hawfinch and there are several things to do in mokolodi nature reserve botswana.

 

1. Game Driving in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Mokolodi nature reserve is blessed with wildlife including Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebra, Kudu, Impala and much more that visitors at the reserve have a view at them while having the game drive. Tourist 4 wheel vehicles are used as recommended at the reserve. The vehicle is well established with an open roof at the top and open windows for proper viewing of the nature and animals within the reserve.

Each tourist vehicle is accompanied with a tour guide to explain and show tourists the animals and their behaviors and some other information about them and a game ranger too to provide protection to the tourists. The game ranger moves with a gun to scare away the attacking animals if the incidence occurs and where necessary shot to injure not kill an animal.

Several spots in the game reserve are placed for tourists who wish to come down and have a walk in the presence of game rangers. At these points visitors can have their feeding, relaxing and much more. Then they proceed to the next spot. The most unfortunate thing is that, no one makes an appointment with any animal to meet, so tourists have a chance to miss seeing a certain animal of interest during a game reserve. However, tour guides have specific hours they believe a tourist has a chance to spot a certain animal of interest and they even know the spots.

In general, game drive is a tourist activity that is so impressing if one really found and spotted animal of interest, and tour guides play a good role of further more explaining to the tourists much about the animal. Without doubt this is the best experience in Mokolodi nature reserve.

 

2. Rhino Tracking in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Due to the presence of Rhinos at Mokolodi nature reserve, visitors too go to the reserve with interest to track these Rhinos and study on their life style and biography. One should note that a Rhino is one of the big 5 animals in Africa. They are called the big 5 because of their great influence in the ecosystem in the parks. Rhino tracking is so interesting activity because one has to search for the Rhinos in the wilderness.

Think of such an adventure. Where a tourist wakes up very early in the morning, moves to the bush with a guide or ranger, finds spots and studies the Rhinos and in the process other animals can be spotted. such as antelopes, kudu, giraffes among others which acts as a supplement on the adventure of Rhino tracking in Mokolodi nature reserve.

When tracking Rhinos a tourist may keep in mind of the seasons in the nature reserve. During the wet season, Rhinos tend to move long distances and tracking them may get difficult. And they stay in one place during the dry season because of the heat from the sun. Rhinos also have a poor sight as they can’t necessarily see things that are far.

Rhinos can also be called beasts, they really portray a large body size that weighs over 2 tones and the horn they poses on the forehead. These are the unique features a Rhino posses. Rhinos are also mostly herbivorous and they feed on mostly grass, fruits, buds, leaves among others as their main food in the nature reserve.

 

3. Giraffe Tracking in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Mokolodi nature reserve also has a number of giraffes and tourists visit the reserve to watch its unique way of life, and feature on its body. Giraffes are well known of being the tallest animal in the whole world estimated at a height of 4.3 to 5.5 meters tall. Even the very young giraffe is taller than a human being. The giraffe is amazing with its long neck as it picks leaves from tress and feed on them.

Giraffes are herbivorous animals in nature that feed on mostly leaves from trees. In Mokolodi nature reserve, there are Acacia tress and these are the main source of food for the giraffes. The acacia trees have thorns on them as protection, but the giraffe has the advantage of a long neck to stand relatively above the acacia tree and then use its tough tongue to pick the leaves from the tree.

The tourist may not be able to recognize the male and female giraffe difference, but with the presence of a guide, they will differentiate them for a tourist. The male and old one has black spots as for the female, its brown in color.

 

4. Game Walks in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

At Mokolodi nature reserve, game walking is one of the activities of interest to the tourists. The variety of animals and nature in the reserve give the game walking activity a great performance at the reserve. Game walking is an activity done by tourists guided by a ranger and tour guide to inform the tourist more about the nature of the reserve. This is mostly done on foot.

Mokolodi nature reserve has nature that a tourist can take a walk as he/she views the environment and its surroundings and participate in some activities if any exists. Here the visitor is most likely to meet so many rare animals, birds, vegetation among others that they would not have seen if they had used a game drive route. The ranger in this activity is so keen to see the tourist safe from any harm at the game reserve.

Nature walks gives the exact feeling of the wilderness to the tourists, as they really experience being among deadly wild animals. Some tourists at times request to camp in such areas but specific camp areas are always strategized for the camping visitors. The reserve administration wants to meet the visitors needs and wants and operates in a wild environment, but put the visitors safety as priority and so restrictions exist in the reserve.

 

5. Horse-back Safaris in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Horse-back rides are one of the charming activities found in Mokolodi nature reserve. Mokolodi has several horses that tourists can ride on as they tour the reserve. Horse-back riding is an activity specialized for tourists with the skill to ride a horse. Tourists should note that not all tourists are allowed to engage in the activity of horse riding because there is a possibility that a tourist can fall off and get injured.

These horses are well trained and skilled tourists are accepted to ride the horses. Tourists ride the horses within the reserve as they take a close view of nature and animals in the reserve. The horses are trained to obey the orders from the tourist whose riding it and the horse trainer always keeps monitoring the progress of the activity. So tourists go for nature walks and game viewing on horse-backs which has an advantage of close viewing of things of interest to the visitors.

 

When To Visit Mokolodi Nature Reserve

The Mokolodi Nature reserve is open through out the whole year although there are specific advantageous periods to visit the Nature reserve. From the Months of May to around September, the region experiences the dry season which best for the Nature reserve activities such as Game driving as the roads are dry and good for movement, Rhino tracking is also best done in the dry season since they tend to live in one place due to the heat from the sun and so many other activities.

During the rainy season, these activities can still be done in the nature reserve but at a slow pace and so difficult to track animals. Game driving would also be so difficult to access spots in time due to the mud in the park that hinder smooth movement of vehicles. Otherwise, anytime a tourist feels like having the tour at Mokolodi nature reserve, its all possible be it in the dry or wet season.

 

How To Access Mokolodi Nature Reserve

Mokolodi nature reserve can be accessed most easily by road transportation. Either by self driving or in the tourism vehicle that can access the Nature reserve. The bus too can pick you from the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone to the Nature reserve. The distance is 11 km sq from the capital to the nature reserve.

Air transport is another option to access Botswana through its main airport Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE), 7km away from the capital city, Gaborone. From there then the tourists can pick a 4×4 wheel vehicle if booked earlier for self drive or the tour company picks the tourists and then move to the nature reserve. For more details mokolodi map can be found in google.

 

Accommodation in Mokolodi Nature Reserve

There is a variety of accommodation at Mokolodi nature reserve ranging from Lodges, tents, hotels among as with different pricing for each. Their luxurious accommodation in Mokolodi nature reserve such as Mokolodi house for visitors in need of a luxury accommodation.

Mokolodi nature reserve too has Lodges as another option to the tourists for accommodation purposes. Tourists who need a room to rest and have some simple services not so luxurious in the mokolodi hotels, Mokolodi Backpackers, Regent Kgale lodge, Lesirane lodgings are some of the options one can consider among the many.  Guest houses are also another accommodation facility at Mokolodi nature reserve such as the Arianna and Cycad palm boutique guest houses.

 

In Conclusion

Mokolodi Nature Reserve posses good reasons as to why a tourist should add visiting the reserve on their travel bucket lists. Kubwa Five Safaris can moderate the tourists dream to visit the reserve with the best tour guides and bookings can be online preferably one month before the tour. You can contact Kubwa Five Safaris through their Email: reservations@kubwafive-safaris.com