Our guide to mobile safaris in Botswana

Widely-regarded as one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, Botswana is a wildlife enthusiasts’ haven offering some of the best game viewing on the Continent. One of the key aspects that really sets Botswana apart is the diversity of experience on offer, in large part because of the unique environments that there are to explore, with the <a style="color: #f2b618;" href="https://www.imaginetravel.com/imagine-africa/holiday-destination/botswana/places/okavango-delta-and-moremi" target="_blank">Okavango Delta</a> being one of the most impressive wildlife habitats in the world which can be explored by a variety of methods – whether on foot, by vehicle or on a boat cruise and the - recently becoming UNESCO’s 1000th World Heritage Site – whilst <a style="color: #f2b618;" href="https://www.imaginetravel.com/imagine-africa/holiday-destination/botswana/places/makgadikgadi" target="_blank">Makgadikgadi</a> offers a truly unique landscape as the largest salt pan in the world, with game viewing to match.

Blog: Botswana on foot

Botswana has long held the crown of being Africa’s premier safari destination and attracts many with the diversity of safari activities on offer, with traditional mokoro canoes used as well as vehicles for wildlife viewing. Here our Botswana specialist Emma shows why getting out on foot is one of the most exciting ways to experience the Okavango Delta.

Botswana's zebra migration

Botswana’s raw beauty will always be a massive draw for anyone seeking a true wilderness experience in Africa. Well known for its density of game and wildlife and the largest inland delta in the world, Botswana is often at the top of many peoples' list when seeking a safari in Africa yet competitive prices keep Botswana exclusive and untouched.

Botswana on horseback

As arguably the most exciting African country to go on safari, Botswana offers one of the greatest diversities of safari activities with game drives, bush walks, mokoros and motor boats amongst the most popular. Here our Botswana specialist, Annie, makes the case for why exploring the Botswanan bush on horseback should be top of your list.

The Delta throughout the year

The Okavango Delta offers one of most exceptional safari experiences on the continent with a range of activities. Whilst we never fail to be wowed by the Delta no matter what time of year we visit, water levels do have a direct impact on the activities and game viewing experience on offer. The rains and resultant flood vary year-on-year but the below can be used as a rough guide as to what to expect through the seasons.

Botswana

Botswana offers one of the most exceptional opportunities for a safari holiday imaginable. The game viewing is considered amongst the best on the continent and there is a strong cultural element too with the endangered Bushmen culture well worth exploring. Botswana is best known for the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta offering a unique wetland safari experience which contrasts greatly with the red sands of the Kalahari Desert and the Makgadikgadi salt pans – it’s no surprise that it is often described as the pride of Africa.

Botswana is considered Africa’s greatest success story with a stable economy and political scene. Landlocked between Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Botswana leads the way in offering one of the most impressive safari experiences with a range of options on offer from authentic mobile safaris to luxurious lodges in prime-game viewing territory. Botswana owes its safari success in part to the fact that 17 percent of the country is protected as national parks and game reserves, coupled with having one of the lowest population densities in the world meaning that there are few clashes between nature and people.

The jewel in Botswana’s safari crown is undoubtedly the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa’s most iconic landscapes. The world’s largest inland delta, the Okavango is rather unique in that it is formed as the Okavango River flows inland from Angola with an outlet in landlocked Botswana, rather than the sea as you might expect. The Delta is an area of intense natural beauty, with a network of channels punctuated by islands home to a variety of luxury safari camps and lodges. The Moremi Wildlife Reserve lies to the northeast of the Delta and offers some of the finest game viewing in the whole of Africa with all of the big five present, rarer species of antelope including roan, sable, red lechwe and tsessebe as well as being considered the best spot on the continent for wild dog sightings. Nestled between the northern reaches of the Delta and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, Linyanti is a private wildlife concession offering wonderful wildlife sightings during the dry season, whilst during the green season, it is sometimes linked to the Okavango Delta through the Selinda spillway.

One of Botswana’s most-accessible parks, Chobe National Park is the country’s second largest national park and belongs to the greater Okavango region, linked to the Delta through Moremi and Savute. Best known for its impressive elephant population, Chobe offers all-round rewarding game viewing but is busier thanks to its easy accessibility both from elsewhere in Botswana as well as Victoria Falls, making it popular with day-trippers.

Standing in stark contrast to the verdant richness of the Okavango Delta, the Kalahari Desert is another of Botswana’s most well-known regions and makes up three-quarters of the country. Contrary to popular belief it is not strictly speaking a desert, but rather offers a unique wilderness experience. The game viewing in the Kalahari is rich and varied, and this is one of the best places on the continent to see meerkats, as well as offering the chance to interact with the last remaining San Bushmen. Another of the most impressive sights in Botswana is the Makgadikgadi Pans which lie in the northern Kalahari. A photographer’s paradise, the pans offer a magical feeling of complete solitude. From January to March during the height of the rains, the pans flood which not only attract impressive birdlife including flamingos, but also one of the most breath-taking wildlife spectacles as zebra and wildebeest migrate across the pans.

Laura from our product team recently went out to explore Botswana. Here, she tells us why travelling along the Okavango Delta by mokoro was one of her personal highlights.


To start planning your tailor-made holiday, call us on (646) 934-8870

Did you know?

The largest concentration of African Elephants is rumoured to be in Chobe National Park, although figures vary hugely as to how many elephants live there and estimates are as high as 120,000.

Did you know?

Botswana is home to one of the world’s largest salt flats, the Makgadikadi Pans. The collection of pans situated in the northeast of Botswana covers an area almost the size of Portugal.

Meet our specialists

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Kanana Camp is a classic tented camp in a particularly beautiful and varied habitat in the heart of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Kanana Camp is a small and intimate camp with excellent safari guides, and even boasts its own heronry - a magnet for birders.

Kanana Camp

Kwara Concession, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Little Kwara is a superb fly-in tented camp on the edge of Botswana's Okavango Delta close to Moremi Reserve. Little Kwara is a birder's delight, with special boats allowing you to peer into the nesting bird colonies on amazing Godikwe Lagoon.

Little Kwara

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Shinde is an exclusive tented camp set on the edge of a lagoon in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Offering superb service, stylish accommodation and a wonderfully romantic atmosphere, Shinde is perfect for a safari honeymoon and keen wildlife photographers.

Shinde

Kwara Concession, Okavango Delta

Kwara Camp is a magical rustic tented camp located in a huge wilderness area of the Okavango bordering Moremi Reserve. A stay at Kwara Camp allows you to enjoy Botswana's incredible wildlife and explore the Okavango waterways by mokoro year-round.

Kwara Camp

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana

Camp Okuti, located in Botswana's wildlife rich Moremi Reserve, is a delightful small camp offering simple comforts, and especially good for families and keen birders. Consistent year round wildlife makes Camp Okuti ideal for a first time Botswana safari.

Camp Okuti

Linyanti, Botswana

Famed as Africa's top venue for wild dog viewing, Kwando Lagoon Camp is located in the Kwando Concession, Botswana’s largest private reserve. Relaxed and well-run, Kwando Lagoon Camp offers a wonderful safari adventure and all the creature comforts.

Kwando Lagoon Camp

Kwando Reserve, Botswana

Lebala Camp is a laid-back and elegant tented camp in Botswana's vast Kwando Concession, where predator sightings are commonplace. The floodplains and savannahs around Lebala Camp are rich in game and offer a superbly varied safari adventure.

Lebala Camp

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

Machaba Camp is a well-run classic tented camp in the game-rich Khwai Concession on the eastern edge of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Family-friendly and offering excellent value, Machaba Camp is very relaxed and the guides really know their stuff.

Machaba Camp

Chobe and the Zambezi, Botswana

Muchenje Safari Lodge is a very welcoming small Botswana game lodge in Chobe Forest Reserve. Simple and down-to-earth, but offering really knowledgeable guiding and relaxed hospitality, Muchenje is great value, and one of Chobe's best options.

Muchenje Safari Lodge

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

Sango Safari Camp is a comfortable classic safari camp in the Khwai Concession near Botswana's world-famous Moremi Reserve. Sango Safari Camp really focuses on your wildlife experience, with superb guiding in an area of consistent and varied sightings.

Sango Safari Camp

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Makgadikgadi, Botswana

Spend a night under the stars for the most amazing experience sleeping out on the Makgadikgadi Pans. A heightened wilderness experience, this is one of the wildest sleep outs imaginable with nothing for miles around. Expect spectacular sunsets and rises.

Makgadikgadi Sleep Out

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

Go out after dark in search of elusive nocturnal animals including serval, leopard, porcupines, genets and more. This is also a fantastic time to observe the beauty of the night sky with little light pollution and the perfect opportunity to star gaze.

Night drives in the Okavango Delta

The Kalahari, Botswana

A game drive after dark is the perfect way to spot some of the lesser seen nocturnal animals that only come out after the sun has gone. Although hard to spot, you could see porcupine, aardwolf, bat eared fox or the Kalahari lion having a night time stalk.

Night Drives in The Kalahari

Makgadikgadi, Botswana

Explore the mesmerising Makgadikgadi Pans on an exciting quad bike tour for the ultimate Kalahari adventure. You will appreciate the wilderness and vastness of these salt pans with this truly unique experience which is a highlight of a visit to this area.

Quad biking in the Makgadikgadi

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

Spend an afternoon exploring the Okavango Delta on a boat safari with wonderful wildlife sightings and bird watching on offer. A relaxing and peaceful experience, make sure you keep your camera handy for sunset, which is always spectacular.

Explore the Delta by boat

Makgadikgadi, Botswana

Take the opportunity when visiting the Kalahari to visit one of its most fascinating and entertaining inhabitants - meerkats. Get up close and personal with these characterful creatures for an experience that you'll remember for a long time to come.

Meerkat encounter

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world, and the best way to explore the myriad of water channels is by mokoro. Gliding silently through these channels with no noise pollution is a completely tranquil experience.

Mokoro trips in the Okavango Delta

Makgadikgadi and Kalahari, Botswana

A stay in the Makadikgadi wouldn't be complete without encountering the San tribe to learn more about their hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the harsh conditions of the Kalahari. Let them take you on a guided walk through the bush for a unique perspective.

San Bushmen interaction

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

The waters of the Okavango Delta attract a wide variety of bird life, much of which is incredibly colourful. Birding highlights include Pel's fishing owl, African skimmer and colourful bee-eaters - guides will be on hand to assist.

Birding in Botswana

Okavango Delta and Moremi, Botswana

Explore the open plains of the Okavango Delta on an open 4x4 game drive with an expert guide who will explain the sights and sounds of the Delta. Track big game and explore further afield than you could on foot to make the most of your time in the Delta.

Game drives in the Okavango Delta

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