6 March 2026
Botswana’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism has closed the Moremi Game Reserve for three weeks after heavy rains caused extensive flooding and made many of the reserve’s internal routes inaccessible.
The closure, effective from 5 to 26 March, was announced on Friday as authorities moved to protect visitors and staff from hazardous conditions.
The ministry said the temporary shutdown is necessary to ensure public safety, noting that several key access roads and wildlife‑viewing tracks have been submerged or washed out.
“The closure is necessary to ensure the safety of the public as many routes are currently inaccessible,” the ministry said.
Tourists planning to visit the Central Kalahari Game Reserve were also warned of possible flooding in the northern parts of that park as the rainy season intensifies.
Moremi Game Reserve, located on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, is one of Botswana’s most celebrated conservation areas and a major tourism draw.
Established in 1963, it is renowned for its rich biodiversity, including elephants, lions, leopards, wild dogs and hundreds of bird species.
The reserve combines permanent waterways, floodplains and dry woodland, making it particularly vulnerable to seasonal flooding. Moremi is also a key component of Botswana’s high‑value, low‑impact tourism model, which relies on controlled visitor numbers and strict conservation management.
Flooding events, while natural in the delta ecosystem, can severely disrupt access to lodges, campsites and wildlife corridors. The closure is expected to affect safari operators and self‑drive tourists during one of the wetter periods of the year.
Source: https://shorturl.at/cvckR
