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All guests will be flown direct by helicopter transfer from Maun that takes about 40 minutes to the lodge. This offers an elevated aerial experience, adding a unique touch to the overall Wilderness Mokete experience. 5 minutes drive from helipad to lodge. If you are coming from Kasane you will have to take a light aircraft to Santawani Airstrip. From, Santawani Airstrip, the onward helicopter transfer to Wilderness Mokete will be direct with no stops along the way.
All nine suites share the same footprint and finish, so selection is about setting rather than size. Guests who prize solitude tend to request one of the far-end tents for the widest grassland panorama, photographers often ask for a tent closest to the Elephant Paradise waterhole and the sunken hide for quicker access at first light.
The kitchen is led by Chef Nkokeland Ntongwane, with a modern African lens. Expect bush brunches and high tea before the afternoon drive, then plated dinners that might include an amasi-dressed Caesar with quail eggs or phuthu tabbouleh alongside slow-cooked stews, with malva pudding or similar classics to finish. Private bush lunches are common when sightings are firing, and alfresco dinners are set under big skies.
Neutral layers for cool dawns and warm middays, a windproof for open vehicles, soft-soled shoes for raised walkways, a dust buff and polarised sunglasses for long drives, beanbag or clamp for lenses in the sunken hide, a soft duffel for light aircraft weight limits.
Build one unbroken all-day drive when the action is running, ask to spend a long stint in the sunken hide when elephant traffic peaks, and if conditions allow, plan a helicopter flip over the marsh for an aerial read of where mega herds are moving before your next drive.
Wilderness operates Mokete in partnership with local community structures to secure a formerly hunted landscape, shifting it to high-value, low-impact photographic tourism. Stays here help fund anti-poaching presence across the Mababe landscape and support Wilderness Trust programmes in education and conservation that ripple through surrounding villages. Wildlife aside, this area is worth protecting for the birds alone. Recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA), there are great numbers of buzzards, falcons, owls, eagles and vultures. Mokete is intentionally minimalist, ensuring the lightest footprint.
