Chief's Island
Roughly 70 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide, Chief's Island is the largest island in the Okavango Delta. Once the private hunting ground of the BaTawana chief Moremi, it now forms the wild core of Moremi Game Reserve and one of the most rewarding big-game areas among Botswana tourist attractions.
The island's landscape is a patchwork of mopane and acacia woodland, open grassland, termite-mound islands crowned with palms and sausage trees, and seasonal floodplains along its edges. When the reserve was created in 1963, the island was included as its heartland, and in recent years it has also become an important area for the reintroduction of black and white rhinos.
Why visit Chief's Island?
Geological faults lifted the island above the surrounding floodplains, so its woodland and grassland stay dry when the annual flood arrives. Animals retreat here in large numbers, giving it one of the delta's highest concentrations of lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, buffalo, elephant and reintroduced rhino.
Because there is no public road access and only a handful of camps operate here, sightings are uncrowded and often extraordinary. Large buffalo herds attract lion prides, wild dogs hunt across the open plains, and red lechwe and tsessebe graze at the water's edge. Few places in Africa combine such a density of predators with the beauty of the delta's waterways.
Getting there and around
No public road reaches the island. Lodge guests fly in from Maun – a 20 to 30-minute hop – while the 3-day boat safari travels here along the channels and camps under the stars. Once there, you explore by game drive, on foot or by mokoro.
The flight itself is part of the experience, revealing the island's outline and the surrounding maze of channels, lagoons and elephant paths. Activities are run by the camps, so most stays are fully inclusive, with two activities a day plus optional walks.
Highlights not to miss
- Walking safaris: Read tracks across open grassland with an armed guide – a thrilling way to feel the scale of the wilderness.
- Canoe trips: Lily-covered channels fringe the island's shoreline, home to reed frogs, kingfishers and painted reed frogs.
- Predator sightings: Lions and wild dogs hunt across its plains, and leopards rest in the shade of sausage trees.
- From the air: The island's outline among the waterways is striking on a scenic flight.
Practical tips
Pack light for small aircraft, use soft bags, and stay inside camp after dark unless escorted – the camps here are unfenced.
Wear neutral colours on walks and mokoro trips, and bring a good hat, sun protection and binoculars. Mosquitoes are present, especially in the wet season, so take advice on malaria prevention and use repellent in the evenings.
Best time to visit
Between June and October the flood surrounds the island and game crowds onto dry land. From November to March you will find newborn animals, migrant birds and lower rates.
July to September combines high water for mokoro trips with excellent game viewing and pleasant temperatures. October is the hottest month but often the most dramatic for predator action, as animals concentrate around shrinking water sources.
Accommodation and food
A few upmarket tented camps share the island with simpler options such as Oddballs' Enclave on its south-western edge. Meals are generally included.
The luxury camps feature spacious tents with private decks overlooking the floodplains, while the simpler camps focus on walking and mokoro trips with a more rustic, back-to-nature feel.
How does it compare to other Botswana tourist attractions?
Chobe is famed for elephants and the Khwai Concession for night drives; Chief's Island offers the purest island wilderness, with few vehicles and wildlife surrounded by water.
It is more remote and exclusive than the self-drive areas of Moremi's mainland, and for many visitors it is the closest thing to a true wilderness experience in Botswana.
In summary
Land and water safaris meet on this remarkable island. Give it at least three nights, or reach it by canoe on the 3-day mokoro safari.
