November 9, 2026
Explore Botswana’s Okavango Delta with us, from wildlife and waterways to choosing where to stay, when to travel and how to enjoy your time there.
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An Okavango Delta safari brings together remarkable wildlife, seasonal floodplains and the chance to explore by vehicle, boat or mokoro. In northern Botswana, water spreads through islands and grasslands, shaping where animals move and how you spend your days. The area you choose, and when you visit, make a real difference to your experience.
You might arrive thinking mostly about lions and elephants, then find yourself just as interested in a tiny frog balanced on a reed. A morning following tracks can give way to an afternoon on the water, watching lechwe move through the shallows.
That variety is a large part of what we love sharing with guests. There is plenty to be excited about, and time to enjoy the smaller things along the way.
The Okavango is an inland delta: its river spreads into the Kalahari Basin rather than reaching the sea. Water arriving from Angola feeds a landscape of permanent channels, seasonal floodplains and islands. Unusually, the annual flood reaches much of the Delta during Botswana’s dry season.
This means the local rainy season and the highest water levels are not the same thing. The flood travels slowly, and its timing and extent vary between areas and years.
For a safari, those differences matter. One camp may have reliable access to deep channels, while another is better suited to exploring on game drives. Two camps within the Delta can offer quite different days.
Our Botswana safaris begin with understanding which of those experiences you would most enjoy.
Game drives give you the chance to cover ground, follow tracks, and spend time with larger animals. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and giraffes are among the wildlife you may encounter, with sightings varying by habitat and season.
A mokoro excursion brings you much closer to the water. Seated in a narrow canoe, guided by an experienced poler, you can notice water lilies, reed frogs and birds that are easily missed from a vehicle. Motorboat outings allow you to explore larger channels and lagoons.
Some camps also offer guided walks, where tracks, plants and smaller creatures become the focus. Walking and water activities depend on the camp, conditions, and age requirements, so we plan around the experiences that matter most to you.
If you have your heart set on a mokoro outing, tell us early. A camp overlooking water does not automatically offer every water activity throughout the year.
Finding an animal is only the beginning of a sighting. Staying a little longer gives you the chance to notice how it behaves: an elephant choosing its way through a channel, or a lion watching movement across a floodplain.
On a family journey at Duba Plains, Chris watched lions moving through shallow water and hunting among lechwe. Boat outings gave the family another way to appreciate the same landscape.
“That balance between action and quieter time was an important part of what made Duba so rewarding.” - Chris Renshaw, private guide and director, Safari Craftsmen
For more moments from this journey, join Chris as he looks back on a privately guided family safari across Southern Africa.
Choosing where to stay starts with how you would like to spend your days. Some parts of the Delta suit long game drives, while others offer more opportunities to explore the waterways. Combining different settings can give you a lovely balance of both.
For guests who love watching wildlife, we look for areas with varied habitats and good access for game drives. Time here might mean following lion tracks, watching elephants feed or stopping beside a herd of lechwe.
Wilderness Mombo is one of the places we love to include. Set on Chief’s Island in Moremi Game Reserve, its surrounding floodplains offer plenty of reason to spend a morning exploring, with time to stop and enjoy the wildlife along the way.
If you are looking forward to exploring by boat or mokoro, the camp’s location matters. Some have access to permanent channels, while others rely on seasonal floodwaters.
Shinde is another place we love to stay, combining waterway access with dry land for game drives. It offers a lovely opportunity to experience different sides of the Delta from one camp.
We can help you choose one base or bring two areas together, allowing enough time in each to settle in and enjoy it.
The Okavango Delta pairs beautifully with time in another part of Botswana. We choose the combination around your interests, giving you something different to enjoy at each stop.
We would usually suggest choosing one additional area and allowing enough time to enjoy both, with fewer moves and more time to explore.
The Delta offers different experiences throughout the year. The best time for you depends on what you would love to see and how you enjoy travelling.
Water levels follow their own calendar. The annual flood comes from rainfall in Angola, so Botswana’s rainy season does not necessarily mean higher water at your camp. We choose your dates and camp together, especially if boating or mokoro outings are a priority.
For a wider look at the seasons, explore our guide to when to go on safari in Africa.
We suggest three or four nights at one camp as a useful starting point. That gives you time to settle in, enjoy several outings, and leave some room in the day.
With six to eight nights, you could combine two complementary camps, or spend part of your safari in the Linyanti. The aim is to give each move a purpose, whether that is a different habitat, another activity, or time with particular wildlife.
Many remote camps are reached by light aircraft, often through Maun. We consider flight connections, luggage allowances and onward travel alongside the safari itself.
Travelling with a private guide means someone gets to know your interests across the journey. If a boat outing sparks an interest in birds, or the children become fascinated by tracks, that curiosity can carry through to the next camp.
Chris works alongside the resident guides and camp teams, combining their knowledge of current conditions with his understanding of your group. Private vehicles and particular activities need to be arranged where required, allowing us to shape the days around you within each camp’s possibilities.
Our journal on what a private safari guide adds to your journey explains more about that relationship.
Tell us how much time you have, who is coming along, and what you are most looking forward to.
Chris and our team would love to craft a journey around you, with carefully chosen places and enough time to enjoy each one. Whether you have seven days or a fortnight, get in touch, and we can start planning together.
