Gomoti Plains Camp

Gomoti Plains Camp is located in a community-run concession, on the edge of the Gomoti river system southeast of the Okavango Delta. The Gomoti tree is locally known as the water fig and grows alongside waterways in the Okavango delta. It’s a smallish tree that sometimes grows no bigger than a bush. The area is known for its large concentrations of wildlife which thrive on the Gomoti plains and waterways. The Gomoti trees line the waterways and provide excellent cover for nesting water birds such as herons and storks. This exclusive area has been a well-kept secret for many years. The Gomoti region has been the local haunt of many of the older guides and Okavango dwellers who refer to it in nostalgic terms when they used to camp along with this river system.

The camp offers 10 luxury tents which include 2 luxury family tents and 8 luxury double tents, all with en-suite bathroom facilities. Gomoti Plain's tents and main area are slightly raised on wooden decks overlooking the Gomoti river system

In addition to day and night 4WD game drives, the camp offers water-based activities such as mokoro excursions and motorboat trips.

Mokoros (Dependent on water levels)
This is a dugout canoe poled by an experienced poler in the shallower waters of the Okavango. It is a great way to see the waterways and is tranquil and quiet. These excursions take place in the mornings or longer day trips can be arranged. Explore the islands around camp and come back rested and rejuvenated.

Walking Safaris
Walking safaris are also conducted generally in the morning with armed guides. The walks are leisurely and time is taken to observe the smaller things in the bush that one normally misses when driving. Walking is weather dependent, or dependent on the condition of the terrain.

Morning and Evening Game Drives
Game drives are conducted in the mornings and afternoon/evenings at camp. They usually last about three hours each and are conducted along with the river systems and flood plains around the camp. The wildlife in the area is prolific and chances are good to see some of the larger predators, herds of elephant and buffalo and all the plains animals that occur here. Night drives are conducted in the early evening offering one a chance to see the smaller more nocturnal animals with spotlights.

About the Okavango Delta

The exclusive Gomoti Plains Camp lies in the pristine NG32 concession that spans over 100 000 hectares of the Okavango Delta. Small and luxurious, Gomoti Plains Camp is the ideal place in which to experience the Delta’s world-famous plant and animal life.

The largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango Delta is the most unexpected wonder – water present in a desert. The broad Okavango River sinks into the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert, creating a lush and waterlogged oasis with crystal clear lagoons and channels, reeded islands and fertile floodplains. Dubbed “the river that never finds the sea”, this magical oasis spreads over more than 15 500 km² (almost 6 000 square miles) and yet is so fragile that, if it were denied water for even a decade, it would revert to a semi-desert.

This breath-taking environment constantly adapts and changes with the ebb and flow of the floodwaters that seasonally inundate large portions of the Delta. Although dry for two-thirds of the year, during the winter months the rising floodwaters create a maze of marshes, small wooded islands and shallow lagoons. Water lilies and other aquatic plants flourish in the shallow water, while water birds inhabit the banks of papyrus. As relatively little water can be found elsewhere during this time, the wildlife is drawn to the clear waters of the Delta.

On the edges of the Delta, where land blurs with water, breeding herds of elephant splash gently through shallow channels, the long necks of a family of giraffe materialise slowly out of the Delta skyline and graceful sitatunga antelope hide in the reeds. It is a place where you can wonder at the antics of wild dog in the morning and cast a line for tiger fish in the afternoon, wake in the dappled shade of a forest and enjoy dinner beneath the boughs of a massive baobab at full moon.

Beautiful little reed frogs cling to the water grasses and a variety of incredible bird species make their appearance, from jewelled kingfishers and bee-eaters to ponderous herons and cranes and solemn-looking owls. Red lechwe scamper through the shallows and wild cat, serval and pangolin can be spotted at night, when the moon reflects off the backs of a family of hippo coming out of the water to graze, turning them into slabs of shining silver.

Wildlife
The Okavango Delta is home to a large number of species, including some that are specially adapted to the semi-aquatic lifestyle, like the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga antelope. Lion prides, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog may be encountered, while hippo resides in deeper channels and lagoons. Honey badgers are observed during daylight hours. Roan and sable antelope favour taller grass in open woodlands and families of dwarf and banded mongoose occupy large termite mounds.

Graceful giraffe, with their impossibly long necks, and herds of zebra can be encountered on the floodplains. Lion, as well as other predators, can also be found in the area, particularly in the drier areas. Although predominantly nocturnal and difficult to spot, leopard occurs in the dense forest are the water’s edge. The sparkling channels teem with a variety of fish, while hundreds of bird species, frogs and insects inhabit the reeded banks.