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African Safaris and Tours
Botswana Safaris
Botswana Safari Packages – Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe And The Kalahari
A Botswana safari can take you from floodplain to salt pan in a single trip. In the north, rain that falls on the Angolan highlands in summer reaches the Okavango Delta months later, so the flood peaks during Botswana's dry winter. The Delta is one of the world's largest inland deltas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You glide along papyrus-lined channels by mokoro and fly between island camps. Moremi Game Reserve covers much of the central and eastern Delta, including Chief's Island. To the north-east, elephant herds gather along the Chobe River in Chobe National Park during the dry season. Further south, the Makgadikgadi salt pans and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve swap water for open skies and desert-adapted wildlife.
We build Botswana safaris in six styles, and many itineraries mix two or more:
- Fly-in safaris – light aircraft between remote camps, so your days go on wildlife rather than roads.
- Luxury tented safaris – a private camp of large Meru-style tents with en-suite bathrooms, set up in wild country before you arrive.
- Mobile safaris – a guide and camp crew who move with you, pitching camp and cooking at each stop.
- Camping safaris – small-group, semi-participation trips in the spirit of the old safaris: you help pitch tents, the crew cooks.
- Family safaris – lodges and activities chosen to keep children and adults engaged.
- Budget safaris – overland trips for travellers happy to share camp duties.
The camps on our mobile and camping safaris are unfenced, so an elephant browsing beside your tent or hyenas calling after dark is all part of the experience. Your guide's knowledge of the bush turns a game drive into a lesson in tracks, behaviour and birdsong, and the camp team looks after everything else.
Before you choose dates, see when to visit Botswana for seasons and the flood. Our Botswana malaria guide and malaria in Africa page cover health precautions, and getting to Botswana covers airports and border posts.
Scheduled departure or fully private journey, every safari we arrange starts with your brief. Tell us your dates, who's travelling and what you most want to see, and we'll build it around you. We've been arranging safaris since 1999.
Tell Us The Botswana Safari You Have In Mind
Botswana Fly In Safaris
Hop between remote camps by light aircraft and spend your days on safari, not on the road. Fly-in safaris reach the Okavango Delta's island camps, Moremi, Linyanti and the Kalahari, with every route, camp and night count tailored to you.
Botswana Luxury Tented Safaris
A private camp of large Meru-style tents with en-suite bathrooms, set up in wild, remote country before you arrive. The camp is unfenced, so wildlife wanders through day and night – the traditional Botswana safari, with a proper bed and bathroom.
Botswana Family Safaris
Safaris paced for families, with lodges and activities chosen to keep children and adults engaged in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe National Park. Minimum ages vary by camp and activity, so we match the itinerary to your children.
Botswana Mobile Safaris
A private guide and camp crew travel with you, setting up camp at wild sites and cooking every meal while you're out tracking wildlife. Camps are unfenced, so wildlife can pass through at any hour, and dinner is round the fire.
Botswana Camping Safaris
Small-group, semi-participation camping in the style of the old safaris: you help pitch tents and load the vehicle, the crew does the cooking. Routes take in the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Savuti and Chobe, some starting or ending at Victoria Falls.
Botswana Budget Safaris
Overland trips for travellers happy to muck in, staying in dome tents or rustic camps and sharing camp set-up, cooking and cleaning. Most start or end in Johannesburg or Victoria Falls and take in Botswana's best-known wildlife areas.
Botswana Safaris: Frequently Asked Questions
What types of safari can you do in Botswana?
Botswana safaris range from fly-in trips between remote camps to mobile, camping and overland journeys by road. Each style has its own page: fly-in, luxury tented, mobile, camping, family and budget. Many itineraries combine two styles.
What activities can you do on a Botswana safari?
Game drives in open 4x4 vehicles are the backbone of most safaris, and water activities take over where there's water. Mokoro trips are poled through shallow Delta channels when water levels allow. Motorboats cruise deeper channels and the Chobe River. Night drives and off-road driving aren't permitted in Botswana's national parks and game reserves. They're offered on private concessions, which also host most guided walks.
How long should a Botswana safari be?
There's no fixed length. A well-paced itinerary usually combines two or three contrasting areas, such as a water camp in the Delta with a land camp in Moremi, Linyanti or Chobe. Give each stop enough nights to settle in, because every transfer uses part of a day. Your dates and budget decide the rest.
Should you fly or drive between safari areas in Botswana?
Fly if your trip centres on the Okavango Delta, where many camps are reached by light aircraft from Maun. Road travel suits Chobe and Kasane, the Makgadikgadi, the Central Kalahari and mobile or camping safaris, using 4x4 vehicles inside parks and reserves. Many itineraries mix both. Luggage limits for light aircraft are on our getting to Botswana page.
What does a typical day on a Botswana safari look like?
Days start early, with a wake-up call before sunrise, coffee by the fire, then the morning activity while it's cool and animals are moving. Brunch and a midday rest follow. After afternoon tea comes a second activity, ending with sundowners as the light fades. Dinner is often round the fire, though timings vary by camp.
Can you combine a Botswana safari with other countries?
Yes. The easiest pairing is Chobe with Victoria Falls, a short road transfer from Kasane through the Kazungula Road border post into Zimbabwe; see our distance table. South Africa combines easily too, with scheduled flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Maun, and Namibia and Zambia link by road. Check Botswana entry rules for each crossing.
Can you customise a Botswana safari itinerary?
Yes. Alongside scheduled departures, we arrange fully private, tailor-made safaris. Tell us your dates, budget, who's travelling and what you most want to see, and we'll suggest the areas, camps and safari style to match. Start with our safari planner. We've been building safaris around our travellers' wishes since 1999.
Map of Lodges in and around Botswana
Botswana Travel Topics
10 Reasons To Visit Botswana
Ten reasons, from the Okavango's flood and Chobe's elephant herds to the Makgadikgadi salt pans, Kalahari lions and San trackers, wild dogs in the Linyanti, mokoro trips, and a low-volume tourism policy that keeps vehicle numbers down.
Best Botswana Safari Lodges
Our pick of Botswana's safari lodges, region by region: Mombo and Xigera in the Delta, Chobe Game Lodge on the river, Jack's Camp on the pans and Savute Elephant Lodge, plus how to choose between them.
Botswana Chobe National Park
A practical guide to Chobe: getting there from Kasane, river cruises versus game drives, where the elephants come down to drink, the lodges we use, and how to add Victoria Falls on the way in or out.
The Perfect Okavango Delta Honeymoon Safari
Planning a honeymoon in the Okavango Delta: the camps that suit couples, from Camp Okavango to Mombo, with sunrise boat cruises, mokoro trips, and private dinners and helicopter flights where the camp offers them.
10 Reasons To Visit The Savuti
Ten reasons to put Savuti on your route: bull elephants, big lion prides, wild dogs, the Savuti Marsh, San rock art in the Gubatsa Hills, and a channel with a habit of drying up for years at a time.
5 Best Lodges In The Chobe National Park
Five lodges in and around Chobe National Park that we would happily send you to: Chobe Game Lodge with its all-female guiding team, Ngoma, Muchenje, Chobe Chilwero, and &Beyond Chobe Under Canvas, which moves camp to follow the game.
How Much Does It Cost to Go on a Safari in Botswana?
What a Botswana safari actually costs, and why: camping versus mobile versus lodge, the season you travel, flights between camps, park fees and tips, and where a few honest savings can be made.
10 Best Lodges In Okavango Delta
Ten Okavango Delta camps we rate, from Eagle Island and Xigera to Jao, Jacana and Duba Plains, with what each does best, from mokoro trips on the water to family suites and walking safaris.