Southern Africa

Botswana

A river that never reaches the sea spills into the desert — and around it grows one of Africa's wildest places.

Photo: Mike Koss / Unsplash

In Botswana a safari often begins at an aircraft window. A small plane lifts over the Okavango Delta and below you open thousands of channels, lagoons and palm-fringed islands — a pattern of water redrawn each year by rains in the Angolan highlands. Once you land on a gravel airstrip, the clock stops mattering.

Here you don't only watch wildlife from a vehicle. A mokoro — a slender canoe poled by a guide — slides silently past water lilies and papyrus; walking safaris with experienced guides teach you to read tracks in the sand; and on the Chobe River a boat lets you watch elephant families come down to drink in the evening light. No one can promise what will appear, or when — and that is exactly what makes every day its own.

Botswana is known for small camps and an unhurried pace: relatively few guests across vast areas. After the watery delta, it's worth heading into completely different landscapes — the white, dazzling Makgadikgadi salt pans, where the horizon dissolves into sky, and the grasslands of the Central Kalahari, where at night you hear only the wind and a distant jackal calling.

Why go

01
The Okavango Delta
Floodwater from Angola usually reaches the delta in the dry season, when everything around has dried out, so wildlife tends to gather along the channels and lagoons. You can explore the delta by mokoro, on foot across its islands and by vehicle, while a scenic flight reveals its scale.
02
The Chobe riverfront
The northern edge of Chobe National Park runs along the river, where large herds of elephant and buffalo often gather in the dry season. An afternoon boat trip lets you watch wildlife from the water — quietly, and without the dust.
03
The Makgadikgadi salt pans
The bed of an ancient lake, now one of the largest salt-pan systems on earth. In the dry season it's an endless white silence, nights under the stars and meerkats used to people; in the rains zebra and wildebeest often move in, though each year is different.
04
The Central Kalahari
One of the largest protected areas in Africa — sandy grasslands, fossil river valleys and acacia scrub. Travel here is slow and remote: oryx, springbok and giraffe, and in some areas walks with local guides who share their knowledge of the land's plants and traditions.

Ways to travel

Ways to experience it

Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.

Wildlife & nature
Safari by vehicle, boat, mokoro and on foot — each shows the wild from a different angle. Sightings depend on season and luck, which is why no two days are alike.
Exceptional stays & escapes
Small tented camps on the delta's islands, lodges overlooking lagoons and nights under an open sky on the edge of the salt pans.
Adventure & active travel
A mobile safari with camps that move from place to place, walking safaris with experienced guides and light-aircraft hops between camps.
Honeymoons & special journeys
A quiet afternoon by mokoro, dinner by the fire and a night under the stars — Botswana suits couples who want to be far from everything.
Family journeys
Some camps offer family activities and private vehicles, though others set minimum ages for children — we'll help you weigh this up in advance.
Tailor-made journeys
The mix of camps, light-aircraft flights and time in each place are arranged around the season and the rhythm you're after.

Botswana

Journey inspiration

Illustrative ideas for how a tailor-made journey could look. Not bookable packages: no prices, dates or inclusions are implied.

0110–14 days
Delta, river and salt pans
Two camps in the Okavango Delta — one water-based, one on dry land — a few days on the Chobe riverfront and, to finish, the open expanse of the Makgadikgadi pans.
Wildlife & nature · Exceptional stays & escapes
Plan something like this
0212–15 days
A mobile safari and Victoria Falls
A tented camp that travels with you through Moremi, Savute and Chobe, followed by a few days at nearby Victoria Falls.
Adventure & active travel · Wildlife & nature
Plan something like this
0312–16 days
Kalahari silence and delta waters
A few nights in the Central Kalahari, slow days in the delta and, for those who want more, a continuation into Namibia or South Africa.
Honeymoons & special journeys · Wildlife & nature
Plan something like this

Planning your journey

When to go

The dry season generally runs from around May to October, when wildlife more often gathers near water, and the Okavango flood frequently peaks around the middle of the year. From November to March the rains turn the landscape green, young animals are born and zebra and wildebeest sometimes gather on the pans. Mornings and nights from June to August can be cold. Conditions vary from year to year.

How long to allow

Allow at least 8–10 days for two or three camps — three nights in each works well. Light-aircraft flights save time, but their luggage limits are strict.

Natural combinations

Victoria Falls, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, is just a few hours from Chobe. Botswana also combines easily with Namibia's deserts and with South Africa — Cape Town or the winelands to end the journey. For a different style of safari, Tanzania is worth comparing.

Areas to explore

The Okavango Delta
Channels, lagoons and islands for mokoro, walking and vehicle safaris.
Moremi Game Reserve
The eastern delta, where water meets dry land.
Chobe, Linyanti and Savute
Riverfronts, marshes and open plains in the north.
The Makgadikgadi pans
Salt flats, meerkats and baobabs.
The Central Kalahari
Remote sandy grasslands and fossil river valleys.

General guidance only. Weather, seasons and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

Sample journey