Discover Eretsha, Botswana’s untapped corner

In Botswana, the northern floodplains of the Okavango Delta remain little explored. That deserves to change, according to Anton Poplett, who recently visited Eretsha.

It was one of Anton Poplett’s humanitarian trips that first took him to Eretsha. As 4×4 Out Far, he travels to out-of-the-way places to run eye tests and provide glasses. “We circumnavigated the whole of the Okavango Delta: once in the dry season, once in the wet. And Eretsha is just such an untapped, beautiful place,” he says.

The village sits on the northern edge of the Okavango Delta. To the west lies the Panhandle, the deep channel of the Okavango River that feeds the Delta. Seronga, 33km to the west, is the last sizable settlement. To the east is Gudigwa, the last village before several private concessions. To the north lie the drylands.

Practically off the map

Think of the Okavango Delta as an open left hand, palm facing up, fingers pointing down. While the fingers reach towards Maun, the thumb points in the direction of Mamili (Nkasa Rupara) National Park. It’s on this thumb portion, the northern section of the Delta, that Eretsha lies. 

This is a landscape of ephemeral pans, dotted with large trees and cloaked in tender green grass after the rains. These northern floodplains of the Okavango Delta are little developed. There are a couple of lodges, like Mapula Lodge, but these lie along the southern stretch. On the north side, there’s only one formal campsite, Sausage Tree Camp, which is in Eretsha.   

Ephemeral pans dot the northern floodplains of the Okavango. Pictures supplied by Anton Poplett of 4x4OutFar

Although the village is on the Tracks4Africa map, very few overlanders make it to this area and that’s a shame, says Anton. Its remote location offers true solitude and will appeal to self-sufficient overlanders who want to get off the beaten track. 

Getting to Eretsha

For this trip, Anton approached from Maun, driving up the western side of the Panhandle. Be warned, the road between Gumare and Shakawe is in a poor state. It’s not just a case of potholes; the tar has been eaten away on the sides. So what used to be two lanes, one going each way, is now effectively one lane in the middle of the road. “Half the time we ended up leaving the tar and driving on the dirt,” says Anton.

It’s also slow going because of all the elephants in the area. Before Anton passed through, there had been heavy rain and elephants were drawn to the pools of water on the side of the road. “We came around a corner and saw 15 elephants having an absolute party in the water. We sat back and let them have their fun until the matriarch felt it was time to go. Then she gathered her herd and led them off towards the west.”

The road up to the panhandle asks for focused driving. The tar has been eroded and elephants may cross at any time.
An elephant enjoying water that had pooled along the side of the road.

Shakawe is the main town on the Panhandle. From there it’s 15 minutes to the border, but before you get there, you turn east to cross the Okavango River at Mohembo. Completed in 2022, the Mohembo Bridge replaced the ferry that used to convey travellers to the eastern shores of the Panhandle. The bridge is an attraction in its own right, with massive pylons in the shape of elephant tusks.

From Mohembo the route leads down the side of the Panhandle on a long, not particularly good, dirt road. Roughly 2.5 hours later, Eretsha heaves into view.

Anton at a sign for the five OCT (Okavango Community Trust) villages, of which Eretsha is one. The OCT ensures that ecotourism in the area benefits villagers.

Elephant corridors

While Eretsha may be a small village, it offers a fascinating window into life in the Okavango Delta. “You’re getting an experience that you don’t get anywhere else in Botswana. There’s a lot of cultural stuff to do, a lot to learn from the local conservation foundations,” says Anton. Because this area is so undeveloped, a visit captures that sense of exploration, of discovering new horizons.

Anton looking out over the landscape.
After dark, the campfire must be extinguished, so as not to upset passing elephants.

But just because it’s undeveloped, it doesn’t mean that this is a place to pitch camp wherever you like. On the contrary, in fact. “There are elephant corridors all over and you’ve got a lot of elephants to contend with if you get it wrong.” Better to ask the local Kgosi for permission to camp – the communities know where it’s safe to set up.

The people of Eretsha have lived alongside elephants and other wildlife for generations. Today there are several organisations working to make their existence safer. The Elephant Express is a kombi service by EcoExist to transport kids to school in areas crossed by elephant highways. CLAWS (Communities Living Alongside Wildlife Sustainably) has erected predator-proof bomas for the community’s livestock. 

Elephants abound in this area and various initiatives help villagers live alongside them.

Anton got a unique perspective on Eretsha’s cultural appeal when he attended a performance arranged by CLAWS. Using dance and skits, the organisation depicted their work and encouraged villagers to entrust their cattle to the communal herding programme. “The portrayal of the animals through sound and movement was amazing. My jaw dropped,” he says.

“I’m talking to the locals about how we can make it easier for overlanders to visit Eretsha by offering safe camping, arranging food through the village, cultural experiences. There are also people wanting to start mokoro rides.” 

For now though, you need a sense of adventure and a well-equipped vehicle to visit this captivating corner of Botswana.

Good to know

  • The best time to visit Eretsha is between April and November, when the dry season draws animals to the water.
  • You need to be self-sufficient in terms of your power needs. Water from the well-point is good – no need to boil before drinking. 
  • Stock up in Shakawe: there’s a Choppies supermarket, a big trading store and a fuel stop.
  • In Seronga, you can buy long-life milk, canned food and magwinya (vetkoek). They also sell “little square rolls that they bake there, which are out of this world,” says Anton.
  • Sausage Tree Camp has shaded campsites and ablutions with hot water and a flush toilet. “There’s a beautiful tented boma where you can eat at a big table.” Owner James Eretshe can arrange meals and cultural experiences like community visits.

Get the essential guide to exploring Botswana’s off-the-beaten track destinations. The Tracks4Africa Botswana Self-drive Guide offers information on where to go, what to see and do, and how to prepare for a trip. Along with destination descriptions and accommodation listings, it features atlas pages for planning and navigation.

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