Your First Safari: A Day at a Lodge, Hour by Hour
From the knock on the tent before dawn to the lions you hear in bed: how a safari day runs, what happens when, and the rules that keep you safe.
19.30° S · 22.90° E · Botswana
Okavango Delta
Experienced safari travellers who want water and land safaris, small camps and true wilderness.
Local time
The Okavango Delta is a vast inland delta in northern Botswana, where a river from the Angolan highlands spreads out into the Kalahari and never reaches the sea. Channels, lagoons and papyrus-fringed islands form a maze that fills and drains each year, sustaining elephants, lions, leopards, wild dogs and rich birdlife. Camps are small and widely spaced, and in many areas you rarely see another vehicle.
What makes the Delta different is the water. You glide through the reeds in a mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe now often made of fibreglass, walk on islands with a guide and track game by vehicle on the drier ground. Many travellers combine a water camp with a land camp, or add the Linyanti, the Kalahari or the Makgadikgadi Pans for contrast.
When to go
The year in the Okavango Delta
June to October is the peak season: the flood from Angola reaches its height in the dry winter, animals gather around the water, and days are sunny and mild, though October is very hot. April, May and November are good shoulder months. December to March is the rainy green season, with hot days, afternoon storms, newborn animals and migrant birds; rates are lower and some camps close.
Typical long term values, indicative. Weather in any single year can differ.
Where to stay
Resort styles here
Most camps lie in private concessions in and around the Delta, each shared by only a handful of camps, which keeps vehicle numbers low and allows night drives and walks. Water camps sit deep in the permanent swamps, ideal for mokoro and boat trips, while land camps on the drier edges and larger islands focus on game drives. Moremi Game Reserve, on the eastern side, has a few camps too, and the permanent channels in the north allow water activities all year.
Getting there
From Europe the usual route is an overnight flight to Johannesburg, around ten and a half hours, then a connecting flight to Maun, the gateway to the Delta. From Maun, a light aircraft takes 30 minutes to an hour to the camp’s airstrip.
Guides that mention the Okavango Delta
Read before you go
Safari Seasons: East or Southern Africa, Month by Month
When to go on safari in East and Southern Africa: the broad pattern of the migration, the dry winter, the green season and the Okavango flood.
How to Choose a Safari Lodge: Reserves, Concessions and Camps
National park or private concession, large lodge or small camp, one stop or three: the decisions that shape a safari far more than the suite.
