Okavango Ranns

one of the wettest regions of the delta

At around 1250 square kilometres, the Okavango Ranns Concession is a high quality safari area, one of the wettest parts of the delta, which usually experiences a strong and reliable flood during the middle and later parts of the dry season, creating a lovely network of floodplains for water-based safari Jun-Oct.

The concession is restricted to 60 guests in four small camps, around 20 square kilometres per person, which is a very low guest density by local standards.

This private concession is an utterly pristine wilderness, free from all signs of humanity other than these small-scale safari operations and where you are free to explore unhindered by the strict regulations and often chronic vehicle traffic of the national parks.

Ranns is usually one of the wettest parts of the delta, the northern part of the concession comprising about a third each of permanent flood, seasonal flood and dry land. It is an absolutely classic Okavango landscape, a very pretty mix of seasonally flooded plains, deep-water channels and lightly forested islands.

The area usually experiences a strong and reliable flood during the middle and later parts of the dry season, creating a lovely network of floodplains for water-based safari Jun-Oct.

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.

The usual stay duration here on the Ranns Concession is 3-5 nights.

Seasonality

The May-Jun flood season is a period of transition from the summer to the cool dry winter and is a great time to visit, with lots of baby animals around as the floodwaters arrive into the delta.

Temperatures can drop towards freezing during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around.

The majority of camps are also significantly discounted at this time.

The flood in this southeastern part of the delta is usually late but often heavy. Before the waters arrive, the focus is largely on vehicle safari and walking safari. But once the area becomes flooded there is a pronounced shift towards boating activities and vehicle safari can be very reduced.

At this time, the area is usually combined with another more reliable dry safari location.

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit the Okavango Delta and is considered the best time for wildlife viewing, as many animals are drawn to water from the surrounding dry hinterland.

Cooler temperatures persist, particularly at night, but safari conditions are great.

With the floodwaters reaching or just passing their peak in most areas, there is usually good access to both land and water activities.

This is very much the high season in terms of prices and visitor numbers, but restrictions on visitor numbers ensure that it does not get too busy.

Here the flood usually arrives during Jul-Aug, meaning that the focus is usually very much on boating activities.

As the floodwaters recede, through September, most likely there will be a move back to vehicle safari, with a corresponding increase in wildlife sightings.

The Oct-Dec hot wet season represents the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the rains.

Temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains, particularly in Oct-Nov.

With the floods having receded in most areas, the wildlife tends to become very concentrated around the few remaining water sources, making for very strong wildlife viewing.

Boating activities may become much less widely available, only camps with access to permanent deepwater channels can continue operations.

If significant rainfall does arrive, it usually comes in short sharp showers and generally has little negative effect on safari conditions. Some animals may start to migrate outwards from the delta but sightings remain strong.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during Nov-Dec making it a smart time to travel.

The flood should have largely subsided by this time, meaning that the main focus should be on vehicle safari, with a reasonable level of sightings, although perhaps not as strong as most core concession areas in Okavango. Boating activities are likely to be significantly reduced.

The period Jan-Apr is the main green season in the Okavango Delta, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall and temperatures and humidity have dropped slightly.

At this time the landscapes tend to be verdant and beautiful, the animals well fed and there’s lots of babies around.

Dec-Feb is when there is the greatest chance of prolonged cloud and rain.

As the seasonal waterholes become replenished, a proportion of the animals disperse in search of better grazing. But despite these effects, safari remains strong.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted throughout this season, especially moving into April.

Water levels are likely to be low during this period, meaning that the main focus should be on vehicle safari.

Boating activities are likely to be significantly reduced. If there are strong rains, the plains can become flooded, but this would be unusual.

Getting there

The camps in the Okavango Ranns Concession area can only be accessed by light aircraft into the local bush airstrips.

There are daily flight connections between all the camps in Okavango, Linyanti, the main airport at Maun and Kasane.

excellent water-based safari Jun-Oct