Moremi Game Reserve is situated in the Okavango Delta in the wilderness of Northern Botswana. While South African game reserves are clearly defined and fenced, Moremi is merely a loosely recognized area within a far greater wilderness. The Okavango Delta, encompassing Moremi, is one of the last true wilderness areas in Africa.

Until the Earth-Touch crew set up camp here, there was nothing besides the natural vegetation. The nearest town, and thus the nearest shops of any shape or form, is Maun. This is a 4-hour drive away - if the roads are good. So anything that is needed in camp needs to be carefully planned for and remembered when in town. There is no 'popping down to the local convenience store' for bread and milk or fuel.

Camp is entirely under canvas and is very much part of the natural environment. Animals of every description often wander straight through the middle of camp. We are totally enmeshed in the environment.

Cooking is done over the fire and using gas cookers. Showers are bucket showers. This literally is a canvas bucket with a shower nozzle attached that is filled with water heated over the fire and then hoisted into a tree. Toilets are pit toilets or long-drops. "Flushing" is achieved by tossing a cup of ash from the fire into the hole. Water is gathered manually out of a nearby river. All waste and rubbish is carefully packaged and stored and taken out to Maun weekly. Refrigeration is gas driven. Camp life is thus a very basic, but perfectly comfortable, existence.

There is no AA on call so any vehicle maintenance, indeed virtually any maintenance or repair work at all, is done by ourselves on-site. One becomes, through necessity, a 'jack of all trades'. One of the greatest attributes one can posses in the bush is ingenuity.

The vast amounts of camera, satellite, and computer equipment that we use needs to be very carefully looked after and managed in this harsh and exposed environment. One of the biggest challenges we face is having access to adequate power. The post-production computers, satellite equipment, camera battery chargers and other necessary electronic gear are power-hungry. We need to ensure an adequate supply of clean power if we are to get our footage through on a daily basis. This is achieved mainly through battery stored solar power, which is by far the most environmentally friendly option. Problems, such as overcast days, do arise and for this reason we keep a standby generator in camp.

Living and working in such a remote area has it's fair share of challenges, but the rewards and the pleasures of living in such a pristine wilderness area more than makes up for any difficulties. In fact, ironically, many of the challenges we face in some strange way contribute to the joy of such an existence. Knowing that one must be almost completely self-sufficient (and obviously acquiring the requisite skills) is liberating in many ways.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is the largest freshwater wetland ecosystem in southern Africa, covering a region 192 500km² in extent.

An estimated 200 000 large mammals live in the delta region, which extends 2 000km (1 240mi) north to south and 1 000km (620mi) east to west, where it meets with the sands of the Kalahari Desert. The great abundance of antelope in the delta attracts predators like lions, jackals, spotted hyenas, cheetah, leopards and African wild dogs.

One of the lion prides found in the heart of the Okavango Delta, in the Moremi Game Reserve, is the Xakanaka pride, which the Earth-Touch crew, headed by Brad Bestelink, started filming early in 2008.

The Earth-Touch Moremi crew, comprises a group of dedicated individuals that are all, first and foremost, naturalists and environmentalists. Passionate about the natural world, and specifically the Okavango delta, they work to share their experiences and lives through creative interpretation of the environment in which they live and work.

Earth-Touch crews

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