Botswana: The Okavango Delta and Chobe
Small camps, few vehicles and water safaris in one of Africa’s great wildernesses.
Get a Free Safari QuoteBotswana: The Okavango Delta and Chobe
Botswana is the safari for travelers who want space and quiet. Much of its prime wildlife country is divided into large private concessions where only a few small camps operate, so it is common to watch a pride of lions without another vehicle in sight. The country’s tourism has long been built around fewer visitors in remote camps, and most guests fly between camps in light aircraft.
The Okavango Delta
The Okavango River flows inland from Angola and spreads into a vast inland delta in the Kalahari, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its channels, lagoons and islands draw elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards, wild dogs, hippos and hundreds of bird species. Depending on water levels, camps offer game drives, mokoro canoe trips, motorboat outings and guided walks on the islands. Moremi Game Reserve protects the eastern part of the delta.
Chobe, the Kalahari and the Salt Pans
Chobe National Park in the north is famous for elephants, which gather along the Chobe River in the dry season in great numbers. Boat safaris on the river, often from Kasane, are a highlight and easy to combine with Victoria Falls, a short drive away. River cruise options, including multi-night boats on the Chobe, are covered on Africa River Cruising.
In the green season, roughly November to April, the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Central Kalahari come alive with zebras, wildebeest and the predators that follow them, while desert camps offer walks with San guides. Official visitor information is on Botswana Tourism.
Is Botswana Right for You?
- Choose Botswana if you value small camps, few vehicles and water-based activities.
- Expect light-aircraft transfers between camps with strict limits on soft-sided luggage; check the limit with your camp before packing.
- Combine it with Victoria Falls (Zambia or Zimbabwe side) or with Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and Etosha.
- Remember that water levels decide which activities are possible at each camp in a given month.
Visas, malaria advice for northern Botswana and the best flights from the United States are covered on Plan It Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a mokoro?
A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe, today usually made of fiberglass, poled by a guide standing at the back. Mokoro trips glide through the shallow channels of the Okavango Delta at water level, and they are one of the quietest ways to see wildlife and birds.
When is the Okavango Delta flooded?
Rain falls in Angola’s highlands in the southern summer, and the floodwater takes months to arrive. The delta is usually at its fullest in the dry winter months, roughly June to August, when animals gather around the water.
Design a Botswana Safari
Delta camps, Chobe, the salt pans or Victoria Falls: a safari specialist can put them together. Free quotes.
Get a Free Safari Quote