Plan your safari
Mokoro canoes gliding through the Okavango Delta channels at sunset, Botswana
Experience

Okavango Delta Safari

An Okavango Delta safari explores Africa’s great water wilderness by mokoro and 4x4.

Plan your safari Highlights
Overview

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s most extraordinary ecosystems — a vast inland delta where the Okavango River spills into the Kalahari to create a maze of channels, lagoons and palm islands.

A safari here mixes water and land: glide silently by mokoro past elephants, track lion and wild dog on game drives, and stay in some of the most exclusive camps on the continent.

Highlights

Highlights of Okavango Delta

A guide poling a mokoro through the reed-lined channels of the Okavango Delta

Mokoro safaris

Glide through the channels in a traditional dugout canoe.

A leopard on a fallen log in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Predator viewing

Exceptional lion, leopard and endangered wild dog.

Water & land game drives

A rare mix of boating and 4x4 wildlife viewing.

Exclusive camps

Intimate, low-density lodges deep in private concessions.

Where to go

Where to go for the Okavango

The Delta lies in northern Botswana, but it rarely travels alone. These are the countries we pair it with for a complete Southern Africa journey.

Guides poling mokoro canoes through the Okavango Delta’s channels

By mokoro through the Delta’s quiet channels

For US travelers

Know before you go

The practical details we handle for you — flights, entry, health and money — summarized here so nothing surprises you. Requirements can change, so we confirm everything when you book. Planning for older travelers? Motorboats are easier to board than a mokoro; see our guide to safaris for seniors.

01
Getting there from the USA

Fly to Maun via Johannesburg — Newark and Atlanta nonstops take 15–16 hours, then a two-hour connection. Light aircraft hop you between Delta camps in 15–30 minutes.

02
Visas & entry

Botswana is visa-free for US citizens (up to 90 days). Passport valid six months with blank pages.

03
Health

The Delta is a malaria area — prophylaxis is advised. Camps carry medical kits and evacuation cover is included in our journeys.

04
Money & tipping

Camps are fully inclusive; bring modest US dollars in small bills. Tipping is at your discretion — around $20–25 per guest per day for guides is a common guideline.

When to go

Best time to visit the Okavango Delta

May–Oct

Peak flood and dry season — the best wildlife and water levels.

Jul–Sep

Highest water, ideal for mokoro and boating safaris.

Quieter seasons, considered

In the green months rates ease at many of these camps, the plains empty of vehicles and the light turns dramatic. What each season gives, and what it trades, is set out in our Safari Planning Guide.

Good to know

Planning & cost

Safari cost

Fully tailor-made — priced privately to your camps, season and travel style. No fixed packages.

How we travel

Every journey is privately designed, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. At fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.

Good to know

Practical details,
in one place

Money, health, connectivity and packing work the same way on every safari we plan, so they live in one place rather than on every page.

Good to know

Okavango Delta FAQs

May to October combines the dry season with the annual flood, delivering the best wildlife and the highest water for mokoro and boat safaris.

A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe poled through the Delta’s shallow channels — a quiet, magical way to experience the water wilderness up close.

Outstanding — the Delta is one of the best places in Africa to see lion, leopard and the endangered African wild dog.

Fly to Johannesburg nonstop from Atlanta or Newark (about 15–16 hours), connect two hours to Maun, then a light aircraft hops you to camp in 15–30 minutes. The total journey is typically 22–26 hours — we arrange every leg.

No — US passport holders enter visa-free for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport needs six months’ validity beyond your return date and a few blank pages.

In the rainy months many of the same camps drop their rates by 20–40% — emerald landscapes, newborn wildlife, superb birding and far fewer vehicles. Tell us your budget and we’ll show you what the green season buys.

Yes — prophylaxis is advised, so see a travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure. Camps carry medical kits, and every journey we plan includes emergency evacuation cover and requires travel insurance.

Before you travel

Getting to Botswana — flights, visas and health

Current at the time of writing. We re-confirm every requirement for your exact routing before you travel — and we will tell you what to apply for, and when.

AirportsMaun (MUB) for the Okavango Delta and Kasane (BBK) for the Chobe, both reached via Johannesburg. Camps are reached by light aircraft from there.
Getting thereFly to Johannesburg — nonstop from Atlanta (Delta) or Newark (United) — then a two-hour regional flight. Total journey 22–26 hours from most US cities.
Visa — US citizensNo visa required for US passport holders on tourist stays of up to 90 days. Apply only at the official portal: current entry rules on travel.state.gov.
HealthYellow fever certificate required if arriving from a risk country. The Okavango and Chobe are malarial; the Kalahari is low risk. Country guidance: CDC Travelers’ Health.
PassportSix months’ validity beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages. Travel insurance including medical evacuation is required on every journey we plan.
Full flight guidePlan your safari

Let's design your Okavango Delta journey.

An Okavango Delta safari changes character entirely with the water levels.

Tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation. When you are ready, a $500 USD planning fee covers your personalized itinerary and revisions, and is deducted from your booking deposit when you book.

Inquire now