Okavango Delta

Botswana

Okavango Delta

The Okavango is the world’s largest inland delta, a vast ecosystem that houses a diversity of wildlife. Buffalo herds numbering in their hundreds coincide with prides of lion on the plains, while the waters play host to all manner of species, from fish eagles and kingfishers to mammoth hippo pods.

The game viewing was excellent. The guides, trackers, cooks, and other staff were amazing.
Randall and Sarah

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s great wilderness areas, rivalling even the Serengeti and Ngorongoro for sheer beauty. The world’s largest inland delta, it’s an ecosystem unlike any other in southern Africa, a wetland paradise comprised of myriad channels, lagoons, floodplains and tiny pockets of land, all teeming with game.

The Okavango Delta is in effect a huge oasis. With no outlet to the sea, the Okavango River empties directly onto the sands of the Kalahari Desert, irrigating some 1,500,000 hectares of land and creating the complex maze of waterways and channels that make up the Delta. The lushness of the environment makes it a magnet for a huge array of wildlife, much of which is permanent to the region.

The wildlife of the Okavango Delta is incredibly diverse. Nile crocodile and hippo populate the waters, while elephant, leopard, giraffe, cheetah, lion, baboon and several species of antelope are all regularly seen on the plains or at the water's edge. Less often sighted is the rare wild dog, though the Okavango Delta is one of the last strongholds in Africa of this heavily endangered species. Other rarities include aardwolf and pangolin.

The Okavango’s birdlife is equally prolific, with over 450 species present (though no endemics). The Delta’s flooded channels and lagoons make it particularly rich terrain for water birds, such as egret, heron and fishing owl. There are a number of heronries—at Gadikwe for instance—which offer particularly fascinating viewing during the breeding season. Keen birders will find much to appreciate in the Delta.

The Okavango Delta can be explored in a number of ways. The region is of course most famous for its water-based safaris. Exploring the Delta’s complex network of waterways in a dugout canoe is a one-of-a-kind safari experience that few will ever forget. But the Delta also offers great opportunities for land-based safaris. Large pockets of land in Moremi and in the many private reserves surrounding the Delta proper offer good terrain for both driven and walking safaris.

The Okavango Delta is generally best visited during the dry season (June-September), when the water levels are at their highest following the long rains that occur during the green season, the heavy flood water typically reaching the Okavango from upstream beginning around May. During this time of year, the Delta comes alive with game, as huge herds of zebra migrate from the Kalahari & Makgadikgadi in the south and Chobe in the north, in what is one of Africa’s largest wildlife migrations. The temperatures are cooler during the dry season, and the shorter grasses can make for more rewarding game-viewing. That being said, the green season in the Okavango Delta has real advantages, not least more affordable camp rates and a lower number of visitors, as well as being the most popular time of year for birding safaris owing to a greater presence of migratory species.

In and around the Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Okavango Delta offers some of the best game viewing, on land and on water, of any region in Africa. Boating safaris are of course a highlight, and certainly the image—and memory—that most carry of the Delta is of gliding silently through its narrow waterways in a dugout canoe, peering through papyrus reeds to view wildlife at close range. But visit the right camps and you’ll find that the Delta also offers excellent opportunities for 4x4 safaris and, to a lesser extent, walking safaris. Tracking wild dog and big cats by 4x4 is an experience as exciting as anything to be had in the Serengeti or the Kruger, and a contrast to the more sedate, leisurely pace of a mokoro safari.

Making the most of the Delta often requires that you visit two or more camps during your stay, ideally including a camp that specialises in water-based activities and another where the emphasis is on land-based game-viewing. (Note that activities at most camps are seasonal, and there will usually be an emphasis on either water-based or land-based activities, though some camps specialise equally in both.) See below for a list of recommended camps and reviews, or get in touch with our team to discuss your plans.

The Okavango Delta is a standard fixture of most Botswana safari holidays—just as you wouldn’t visit Kenya without experiencing the Masai Mara, you wouldn’t overlook the Delta during your first visit to Botswana. Despite this, the Delta isn’t overly crowded. Outside of Moremi, the public but vast reserve at the heart of the region, the Delta is largely made up of private concessions, most of which have a small number of camps and a limit on the number of visitors. This has the unfortunate effect of pushing up prices greatly, but it does mean that you aren’t likely to encounter the crowds sometimes present in the classic safari parks of East Africa when you visit the Okavango Delta.

Between the many private reserves, the camps specialising in different activities, and the seasonal character of much of the game-viewing, planning a safari to the Okavango can be a great deal more complicated than other safari parks. We can help, however. Whether you’re interested in a specialist safari (birding, wild dog tracking), a particular activity (mokoro rides, walking, light mobile camping), or want to arrange a safari within a particular budget, we can help you plan a holiday to the Okavango Delta that fits your requirements.

Featured itineraries

Botswana Wildlife Safari

Journey to the Linyanti Reserve and the Okavango Delta, among the most outstanding wilderness regions of Botswana, on this ten-day private safari.

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays

Prices from £3595 pp

Southern Africa Odyssey

20-day small group safari exploring Cape Town, Chobe National Park, the Caprivi Strip, and the Victoria Falls. This is a small group tour departing at fixed dates throughout the year.

Destination

Botswana
Namibia
South Africa
Zambia

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays

Prices from £3060 pp

Botswana Green Season Special

This one week safari itinerary visits the most exclusive wildlife areas of Botswana - Linyanti and the Okavango Delta. You will experience superb game viewing with knowledgeable guides and will be accommodated in luxury, fully-inclusive safari camps throughout.

Destination

Botswana

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays

Prices from £2795 pp

Botswana Focus

Visiting the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls over the course of 9 days, this comprehensive safari itinerary takes in northern Botswana’s most spectacular wilderness areas. On what is one of our best-value private safaris, you will stay in mid to high-range safari camps and lodges, and can expect excellent service and fabulous game-viewing throughout.

Destination

Botswana

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays

Prices from £2695 pp

Gomoti Plains and Machaba

Discover the eastern Okavango Delta’s private concessions and stay at intimate & luxurious bush camps, including the fabulous Gomoti Plains, as you explore the vast oasis that is the Okavango Delta on this 6-night guided safari.

Destination

Botswana

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays

Prices from £3210 pp

Complete Botswana (Light Mobile Safari)

2024 DEPARTURES AVAILABLE | 18-Day small group light mobile safari, visiting the Kalahari, Okavango Delta & Chobe National Park. This is a semi-participation safari, using private campsites. Please see price guide tab for available departure dates.

Destination

Botswana

Experience

Safari and Wildlife Holidays
Group Travel

Prices from £2940 pp