Okavango Delta Safaris

The delta lies in Botswana’s northwest region and flows in the opposite direction each year. Local farmers used to call the Okavango Delta a ‘useless swamp’ and wanted to drain the areas so that they could use it as farmland. Fortunately, the delta’s significance in wildlife conservation led to it becoming a protected area.

The Okavango Delta is incredibly big, which makes spotting wildlife a little more challenging than your average game park safari tour. Although not for impatient travelers, yet pristine and beautiful. Laid-back travelers will delight in a mokoro ride (dug-out canoe) as they drift through the Delta spotting wildlife on the shores. Walking safaris are one of the best ways to explore the delta. The experienced Okavango Delta guides will provide you with valuable insight about the wildlife, birdlife and plant life of the delta.

Each year the Okavango River floods yet the waters never make it to the ocean. Instead every drop feeds into the dry salt pans in the center of Botswana while the waters sustain the wildlife of this otherwise dry region in Africa.

In the Okavango Delta you’ll find a vast elephant populations living alongside leopard, lion, cheetah, giraffe, wild dog, buffalo and over 400 bird species. Moremi Wildlife Reserve conserves 20% of the eastern side of the Delta. This Reserve is spectacularly diverse in terms of landscapes including forests, floodplains and lagoons. The rest of the Delta consists of private wildlife concessions.

Okavango Delta Tours by length

• 1 – 7 Days Okavango Delta Tours
• 8 – 14 Days Okavango Delta Tours
• 15 – 25 Days Okavango Delta Safaris
• 26 – 40 Days Okavango Delta Tours
• 41 + Days Okavango Delta Tours

Okavango Delta Tours by style

• Camping Okavango Delta Tours
• Accommodated Okavango Delta Tours
• Small Group Okavango Delta Tours
• Most Popular Okavango Delta Tours

Highlights of Okavango Delta Tours

• * Mokoro trips (traditional wooden dug-out canoes)
• * Boat rides
• * Game drives
• * Birding
• * Fishing
• * Walking safaris
• * Indigenous forest walks
• * Horse back safaris
• * Helicopter flights

The Okavango Delta floods during the winter months of June to August. During the floods, water runs into Lake Ngami with the fantastic Moremi Game Reserve opposite. This spectacular region was declared as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa in February 2013.

You can travel from wet to dry land by means of mokoros (dugout canoes) where you are ‘poled’ through the waterways, lined with woodlands, dense plant life and plenty of diverse wildlife. The Delta is fed by the Okavango River, which is the third biggest in all of southern Africa. It was formed over millions of years by sand that was carried downriver from Angola. The flow of the water and its drainage paths are ever-changing, mostly due to underground tectonic activity. A paradise for predators, the Delta is renowned world-wide for its large populations of leopard, as well as its wide variety of rare and uncommon animal and bird species. Explore the region by bush walks, guided game drives or even boat trips.

Wildlife Highlights

The Delta is home to a high population of wildlife, and has become one of the finest areas in the continent to observe different bird and animal species. Throughout the wet season most of the large animals move from the delta in search of the dense, green grass that encircles it. When the grass gets thinner and winter approaches, the animals make their way back.

Some of the magnificent animals that can be seen in the delta include:

• African Buffalo
• Hippopotamus
• African Bush Elephant
• Lechwe
• Topi
• Blue Wildebeest, Greater Kudu and Sable Antelope
• Giraffe
• Nile crocodile
• Lion, Cheetah and Leopard
• Brown Hyena and Spotted Hyena
• Black Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros

The threatened African Wild Dog still manages to survive in the Delta and boasts one of the largest pack densities in the continent. In addition the Delta is also home to numerous bird species and 71 recorded fish species including Tigerfish, Tilapia and Catfish.

Botswana Highlights

Makgadikgadi Pans

Covering 16 000 square kilometres, the Makgadikgadi Pan in the northern Kalahari Desert is the largest salt flat in the world. The landscape is eerie and feels like you’ve arrived on a different planet. In the dry season, the pans are arid and blindingly white yet extraordinarily beautiful. One of the highlights of the pan is Kubu Island which is an island of granite rocks and old baobabs. Considered to be a sacred site by the local people, a mystical atmosphere pervades the island. Camping overnight here under a blanket of stars is a true bucket list experience!

Moremi Game Reserve