Okavango Delta
Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
July 6, 2021
The Okavango Delta is the crown jewel of the country and every Botswana safari should include some time here.
It is a massive fan-shaped wetland which provides its inhabitants with one of the most pristine habitats on the planet. The Okavango River system which feeds it begins its journey in the highlands of Angola before it is swallowed up by the sands of the Kalahari. The area generally experiences two flood periods – the early floods (January-March) and the main floods (April-June). The first is caused by local rainfall and the second is brought on when the floodwaters arrive from Angola.
The scale and magnificence of the Okavango Delta helped it to secure a position as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. Although not a reserve as such, the wetland is surrounded by massive private concessions which are each home to very few camps indeed. Because of the nature of the terrain the area is accessed almost exclusively by fly-in safaris. This all equates to one of the most private and exclusive safari experiences available in Africa today.
Through our experience, we have found that it is very important to carefully select which areas you visit here. In general, the more water there is within an area, the less big game there will be. These wet areas are incredibly beautiful and will give you a taste of the classic Okavango but they must be combined with a drier area elsewhere in the Delta or even in the Linyanti region for an injection of big game.
We especially love the area around the northern side of the Delta (Duba, Vumbura, Kwara, Shinde) because the concessions here allow for a perfect combination of wet and dry activities (approx 30/70% mix). This also equates to an exceptionally diverse habitat which plays host to an incredible array of species. Further east, the Khwai concession still offers phenomenal game viewing with a much more affordable price tag due to the fact that it is not a private area. To the south-east, the drier Chitabe/Sandibe concession offers possibly the richest big game viewing of all. Moving south and west, the concessions become more heavily inundated by the flood and the game viewing here becomes less reliable.
The classic Okavango Delta activity is a makoro safari. The locals have for centuries used these traditional dug-out canoes to travel around the Delta and they will allow you to slide quietly through the lilies in search of some of the smaller creatures which inhabit the area. You should definitely try at least one whilst you are there! The walking safaris here also tend to focus on the finer details of the ecosystem whilst game drives will allow you to cover more ground and see more big game. Finally, boating safaris will allow you to get around and explore more of the pristine waterways and channels in the shortest time possible.
Okavango Delta FAQs
The best time to visit the Okavango Delta is during the drier months from April to August, when the rains stop for a bit but the water finally reaches the Delta - drawing wildlife from all-over Botswana and Namibia. You don't always have to go on a game drive to experience the wildlife in the Okavango, when a walking safari or a mokoro boat ride is exceptionally thrilling way to get up close and personal to the wildlife including the Big Five.
The wilderness area and the wildlife that live in the area are just unbelievable. You can expect to see lechwe, sitatunga, reedbuck, bushbuck, hippo, crocodile, elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, impala and tsessebe. Predators include lion, hyena, wild dog, leopard and cheetah which have adapted to life in the delta.
The Delta has some of the most diverse choice of accommodation in Botswana if not Africa. The list is almost endless, but some of our recommended camps and lodges are Kwara Camp, Abu Camp, Chiefs Camp, Mombo Camp, Sandibe Safari Lodge, Tubu Tree Camp and Vumbura Plains Camp.
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is one of the world's largest inland deltas and waterways. While most river deltas usually lead to an ocean, the Okavango River empties onto open land, flooding the savanna and creating a unique and ever-changing inland delta. The Delta is deemed one of the world’s premier wilderness areas with more than 150,000 islands. Some are just a few metres wide while the larger islands can be longer than 10 kilometres.
One of the most sought after wilderness destination areas in the world, the Okavango Delta is the gateway to the spectacle of wild Africa which dreams are made of – the heart-stopping excitement of big game viewing, the supreme tranquility and serenity of an untouched wild space, and evocative scenes of extraordinary natural wonder. In our opinion it's the fact that the region is so different and who doesn't want to see a leopard or lion crossing one of its greatest fears, water.
OKAVANGO DELTACONCESSIONS
- Kwara Concession
- Nxabega Concession
- Ranns Concession
- Stanley's Concession
- Abu Concession
- Moremi Central National Park
- Chitabe Concession
- Duba Concession
- Jao Concession
- Vumbura Concession
The private Kwara Concession is one of the largest in Botswana at around 440,000 acres. This massive area is shared by only two camps and a maximum 26 guests. Safari really doesn’t get much more exclusive than this. It is accessed almost exclusively by light aircraft but can also be reached by boat from the Mopane Tongue area during the flood. Situated in the productive northern Okavango Delta, it shares a 20 mile boundary with the world famous Moremi Game Reserve. There is therefore a tremendous benefit from the movement of wildlife onto the private concession but none of the restrictions associated with the national park.
There are ample deep water channels, permanent swamps, lagoons and floodplains in the south which support good numbers of hippo, crocodile, red lechwe and a huge diversity of waterbirds. The expanses of dry land further north mean that great predator sightings are commonplace and Kwara is particularly well known for reasonably regular sightings of African Wild Dog. These are complemented by a multitude of herbivores and often large numbers of Elephants, Buffalo and Zebra. Giraffe, Wildebeest, Tsessebe and Kudu are other commonly seen species. The Kwara concession does have have incredible sightings of the big predators, especially Lion and leopard.
This diverse range of habitats allows for the ideal mix of wet and dry activities. The dry activities will allow you to cover more ground in your search for big game whilst the wet activities will allow you to experience the beauty of the classic Okavango habitats. Day and night drives, walking safaris, boating safaris and makoros are all possible here as well as fishing in season.
Because it is a private concession off-road driving is also permitted in search of special sightings. Unusually for the Delta, the game viewing is actually very consistent and reliable throughout the year. Speaking purely in terms of an authentic safari experience, this is our top pick in the Delta.
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The Nxabega Concession lies in the south of the Okavango Delta and is around 40,000 hectares in size which by comparison is fairly small. However as high dry land mass is hard to come by in this concession there are limited offerings of vehicle safari making the concession more than large enough for water based activities. The wet safari activities here comprise of Mokoro boat and motor boat safari and occur all year round. The waterways and Papyus Islands are really quite beautiful and the Nxabega is one of the best places to experience the wet nature of the Delta.
There are just 3 small camps in this concession all very different from each other and span the spectrum of cost and degrees of luxury. Pom Pom, Nxabega Camp and Kanana Camp. All of them are very good at what they do however but all need to be combined with at least one other predominantly dry camp in the Okavango or Linyanti region.
Birds, Amphibians and other aquatic life in Nxabega is of a very high quality which help to bulk out the safari days sightings and interests. The Nxabega concession is not somewhere we would send people too only but as part of longer trip it would be a welcome part of any itinerary especially if one is needing to watch costs a little.
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This wonderful concession in the southern part of the Okavango Delta is huge. At around 125,000 Hectares of pristine wilderness comprising mainly of palm laden Islands and Papyrus waterways, Ranns represents all that is great about the Okavango Delta in full flood.
There are just two small luxury camps owned by one of our favourite suppliers in Africa. Of course this gives you an incredibly low visitor density per Hectare per person which we love and totally epitomises why Botswana has such a strong reputation for private, exclusive safari experiences.
The concession boasts some of the most beautiful waterways on which to travel either by Mokoro, Canoe or Motor boat. The game viewing here is quite strong considering how much water there is and certainly once the floodwaters have receded and wildlife movements are more regular overmore ground, it takes on a new lease of life.
It is of course the Birdlife, amphibians and aquatic life that take centre stage for a good majority of the time filling in the space between traditional wildlife sightings. Thankfully there are many splendid sightings set against one of the prettiest backdrops in the Delta.
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This very exclusive and private concession, owned by Sanctuary Retreats, lies in the Eastern region of the Okavango Delta close to the Boro River. There are just 2 camps in a vast wilderness area of 115,000 Hectares. Both camps are owned and managed by one company who have an excellent reputation for high-end safari camps and lodges in Africa.
Being on the Eastern edge of the Delta the floodwaters can be sporadic from year to year on reaching this beautiful part of the Okavango making wet safari a little less reliable. It should be noted however that the land based game viewing of Vehicle safari and walking safaris are excellent all year round with wildlife numbers being very good.
Both camps share the benefits of the highly respected Elephant rehabilitation project of Stanley’s and offer guests quite extraordinary experiences with the Rehabilitated resident Elephant. It is hard to overstate quite how well managed this concession is or the quality of the Elephant safaris. Importantly there is no focus on Elephant back safari but rather walking alongside, hand in trunk whilst the Elephant do what Elephants do. Eat, walk, drink and bathe.
Birding in the varied ecosystem of riverine, grassland and forest habitat is particularly good with the guiding expertise to match. The concession is a worthy investment of your time combined with a more traditional game viewing region of Botswana.
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This private concession of the Okavango Delta lies in the Southwest region and is approximately 180,000 Hectares in size with just 3 camps. Visitor numbers are restricted to just 48 at any one time between those camps giving a very favourable visitor density ratio. This epitomizes why safari in Botswana is sought after, for these exclusive free roaming areas of pristine wilderness.
Being this far south means that even in the full flood of the Delta all 3 camps are able to offer a great mix of land and water based activities which we feel is hugely important to the overall experience of safari in the Okavango. It does however mean that once the flood water recedes, there can be a reduction in the quality of the wet safari activities namely Mokoro and motor boat safari.
The game viewing is pretty reliable all year round though as with everywhere there are peaks and troughs. The 3 camps of Abu, Macatoo and Seba all have very particular focusses which dramatically help with any shortfall in traditional game viewing expectations. General plains game and woodland or forest species remain good all year round with predator numbers perhaps being more prolific in the concession further north and east of Abu. We therefore recommend the Abu concession be combined with another location in Botswana to balance the experience.
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The Moremi Central National Park is a vast landmass at around 198,000 hectares running through the centre of the Okavango Delta that is home to some of the most amazing wildlife sightings and experiences in Africa. The park has 2 distinct regions. The Mopane Tongue which is generally a very busy sector of visitors given its ease of access and Chiefs Island, far from the reaches of the general public accessible only by light aircraft.
For this giant area there are just 4 camps, all of which are quite special and offer very different experiences. The extremely famous Mombo and Little Mombo which are the 2 flagship camps of this area, the all luxury pampering Chiefs Camp and the more understated but beautiful Xigera.
It is the wildlife viewing that commands such respect and fervor to clamber over one another to stay at these camps, mostly true with the Mombo camps. Lion and Leopard and just about common place with good herds of Elephant and buffalo and a dizzying array of woodland and pains game to back up this wonderful card of wildlife. Cheifs camp and Xigera are the only two camps that offer wet and dry safari, with the Mombo camps only offering vehicle safaris.
Another great allure of this region is how few people there are here. In fact other than the few other visitors from camp you will not see another soul whilst out on safari.
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When it comes to debating the best concessions in the Okavango Delta this slice of paradise must surely make the shortlist. Although it is not the largest area in the Delta, the three camps on the reserve share an area of almost 70,000 acres, so the guest density is still relatively low. With the Santandibe River forming the western boundary and the Gomoti River in the east the concession is surrounded by enough water to sustain a huge amount of life. The core of the area is however dry and this equates to consistently good game viewing throughout the year.
During previous visits we have managed to find lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena in a single day. These sought-after sightings are well supported by large numbers of elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe and zebra as well as a plethora of antelope and plains game species. Other rare and unusual species seem to make regular appearances as well and these may include honey badger, aardwolf and bat-eared fox.
The only downside to this area is the complete lack of water-based safari activities. Because of this we always recommend combining it with other areas such as Jao, Vumbura or Xigera to gain a full understanding of the classic Okavango Delta wetlands. We will end off by saying though, that this place offers without doubt some of the best big game viewing in Botswana and simply must be considered!
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The Duba Concession in this north-west region of the Delta is up there with one of the best wilderness areas in Africa. It is not an exaggeration to say that it simply astonishing what can occur in this beautiful but raw, even primaeval part of the Okavango. The extreme experiences one can have here is aided fully by there being only one camp offering, Duba Expedition camp as it is known now, whilst Duba Plains is rebuilt.
Wildlife filmmakers Derek and Beverly Joubert own the company that has some of Africa’s finest camps, Duba Expedition/Plains being firmly among that list. Their view and ethos of how a safari should be run is uncompromising and frankly the gold standard that everyone should follow.
At Duba, the concession is run by the Lion and Buffalo. This age old rivalry of hunter and prey comes to the fore in the most extreme of ways in this concession as the Lion here primarily only hunt Buffalo and do so in and around water. The lionesses in this region are impossibly large and powerful, stirring huge respect and a little fear in one’s heart. It is thrilling to say the least to be in amongst this raw wilderness and we would recommend to everyone that they should experience the Duba concession.
The area is not just about Lion and Buffalo and in fact the rest of the traditional game viewing is surprisingly good with Birding even having a shout out for being particularly high quality. This is due mainly because both wet and dry safari are possible here for the majority of the year with a good mix of habitat and vegetation.
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If there is one area which particularly captures and embodies what the Okavango Delta is all about, then it must surely be the Jao Concession. The Jao Flats in the east are a wetland paradise, consisting of shallow swamps and extensive floodplains teeming with herds of red lechwe and other herbivores, followed by their predators, lion and leopard. Good numbers of hippo and crocodile make the deeper channels their home. During the floods there is water as far as the eye can see and makoros or boats become the main mode of transport.
Further to the west, a large sand tongue culminates in the form of Hunda Island. Having access to more dry land means that the game viewing here is more reliable throughout the year. Larger herds of zebra, wildebeest and impala are to be found here and this means that hyena and leopard viewing is particularly impressive.
The concession is home to six different camps, but as they are small and spread out over such a large area, the density of other guests is still very low. The full suite of safari activities is offered here and you will have a choice between game drives, night drives, walking safaris, makoros, boating and even fishing. The water levels very enormously depending on the season and this will have a large bearing on your mode of exploration.
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This massive 220,000-acre wilderness must surely be one of our favourite areas anywhere in Africa. Situated in a remote part of the northern Okavango Delta, it is accessed exclusively by light aircraft from Maun, Kasane or other camps in Botswana. In this wonderfully healthy ecosystem, you can even drink the water straight from the swamp itself!
The unique combination of habitats means that almost every species to be found in the Delta may be seen here. For instance, it is one of the few places in the world where sable antelope and red lechwe are found together. The predator viewing can be fantastic with lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah and hyena all making regular appearances. The larger iconic species such as elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe and zebra are also present in good numbers. This is all rounded off with an exceptionally diverse range of birds to keep anyone delighted.
Another product of this unique combination of habitats is the ideal mix of 70% dry activities and 30% wet activities. The dry activities will allow you to cover more ground in your search for big game whilst the wet activities will allow you to experience the beauty and serenity of the classic Okavango habitats. Day and night drives, walking safaris, makoros and boating safaris are all possible here, as well as fishing in season.
Because it is a private concession off-road driving is also permitted in search of special sightings. Unusually for the Delta, the game viewing is actually very consistent and reliable throughout the year. In fact, we strongly believe that this is one of the very best concessions in Botswana!
Select an accommodation below to find out more.
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