Safari in the Okavango Delta

remarkable wildlife viewing experiences

The Okavango Delta is, without doubt, one of the very best safari areas in Africa, a truly amazing place, a stunningly beautiful and vibrant wetland in the heart of the Kalahari Desert.

The real miracle of the Okavango Delta is that its floodwaters arrive here from Angola at the start of the May-Oct dry season. As the forests and grasslands of the surrounding Kalahari dry out, vast numbers of animals migrate into the delta.

The wildlife viewing here can be incredibly strong, with a broad range of savanna species, including large herds of semi-aquatic lechwe antelopes, giraffes, zebras, elephants and all the usual suspects. Predator viewing is exceptional in some key areas, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and wild-dogs.

Another major positive is the range of safari activities on offer, with mokoro canoe safari and motorboat safari adding to the usual vehicle safari, walking safari and night vehicle safari. There are also opportunities for horse-back safari in some areas.

The Okavango contains a remarkable collection of around sixty five high quality lodges, which range from opulent and lavish creations to simple tented bush camps.

The delta is divided into nineteen enormous sub-areas, most of which are private concessions containing between two and six camps.

Each area offers significantly different landscapes and wildlife that varies enormously through the seasons. The safari experience also varies enormously between concession areas, as each safari company has its own particular style and way of operating.

Perhaps the most important difference between concessions is the level and style of the safari guiding. In the majority of areas, the safari experience is rather too gentle and lazy for our taste.

We prefer to focus on the few areas where the operators take their safari guiding very seriously, intent on delivering rich and intense sightings for guests, day and night, whatever the conditions.

If that sounds too intense, you can always ask them to take it easy or you can opt out of a drive. By contrast, if you are at a lodge where the safari is flabby, you can’t ask them to turn it up, they don’t know how.

When it comes to trip shapes and durations in Botswana, most visitors combine 2, 3 or 4 lodges by light aircraft over 6-12 nights, one or two of which will usually be here in Okavango Delta, combined with the Linyanti Waterfront and/or Makgadikgadi areas.

These trips are often done in combination with further nights at the Victoria Falls and/or down in the Cape.

Seasonality

It is important to understand the seasonality of safari in Okavango Delta, which also has a very significant impact on the costs.

The most popular period is the Jun-Oct dry season, when the flood arrives from Angola. The resulting waterfront and marshes act as a magnet for wildlife from a vast dry hinterland, providing some of the richest and most reliable wildlife viewing on the continent.

Prices during this season are unavoidably high, in the range USD 1000-4500 per person per night.

These prices are around 30% higher than equivalent properties in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, around 50% more than South Africa.

The Okavango Delta is so rich that even the converse months can deliver prolific sightings.

During the Nov-Mar green season, discounts of over 50% are not uncommon, with prices from as low as USD 500 per person per night.

The conditions in the early part of that season can be a little challenging, but Feb-Mar is much improved, with lots of wildflowers and baby animals, making this a major ‘secret season’ that needs to be booked at least 18 months in advance.

The intermediate Apr-May season is a really nice time to be in the bush, with prices towards the upper end of the range. Notably the wild-dogs often go to den during May, which is a major highlight of the safari calendar.

Jun-Oct very
expensive, Feb-Mar great value