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African Safaris and Tours
Botswana Budget Safaris
Botswana Budget Safaris – Small-Group Camping and Accommodated Trips
Botswana has a reputation as a high-end safari destination, but a fly-in lodge package isn't the only way to see it. Our budget safaris share a guided safari vehicle in a small group, travel mostly by road, and stay in campsites or simpler lodges, tented camps and chalets. They still reach the country's headline wildlife areas.
There are two styles to choose from:
- Camping safaris – nights under canvas, for travellers who want to be out in the bush from sunset to sunrise.
- Accommodated safaris – similar routes, with nights in lodges, tented camps or chalets instead of tents.
Between them, the routes take in:
- Khama Rhino Sanctuary, on the routes that start in Johannesburg
- The Okavango Delta, including mokoro trips and island nights on the Wildside and Wild Parks safaris, water levels permitting
- Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai
- Savuti and Chobe National Park, including the Chobe River
- The Makgadikgadi Pans
- The Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse and Mabuasehube on the Trans Kalahari Safari
Road travel takes time, so these trips run longer: the safaris below range from 9 to 14 days. Some start in Johannesburg, others in Maun, and several continue to Victoria Falls, finishing on the Zimbabwean or Zambian side depending on the route. For a breakdown of where the money goes on each style of trip, see how much a Botswana safari costs.
Most of these routes run through northern Botswana, where the malaria risk is seasonal. See malaria in Botswana and malaria in Africa. For water levels, rain and the best months for each area, see when to visit Botswana.
Choose Your Botswana Budget Safari
Botswana Adventure Safari
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Thirteen days by road through the Okavango, Khwai, Chobe National Park and the Makgadikgadi Pans, then across into Zimbabwe for Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park. A long, varied route for travellers who want Botswana's big landscapes and a taste of its neighbour.
Botswana Baobabs Safari
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Nine days from Maun to Victoria Falls: a light-aircraft hop to Khwai for game drives in Moremi Game Reserve, then by road to Savuti and the Chobe River for a boat cruise. Nights are in lodges and a serviced tented camp.
Botswana Delta And Wildlife Adventure
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
A 12-day accommodated safari linking Moremi Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta with Chobe National Park, with Victoria Falls included. Nights are in budget lodges and camps rather than tents, for travellers who want the northern circuit without camping.
Botswana Wild Parks Safari
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Fourteen days from Johannesburg by way of Khama Rhino Sanctuary, with mokoro trips and island nights in the Okavango Delta, game drives in Moremi, the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Chobe River, ending at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Accommodated throughout in lodges, chalets and tented camps.
Botswana Wildside Safari
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Fourteen days camping from Johannesburg via Khama Rhino Sanctuary: three days by mokoro in the Okavango Delta with nights on remote islands, then Moremi, Savuti and Chobe National Park, finishing at Livingstone on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. A limited-participation camping trip.
This is Botswana
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Ten days from Maun through the Makgadikgadi Pans, the Okavango Delta, Khwai and Chobe National Park, ending at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. An accommodated route that covers the north's main wildlife areas in a shorter trip.
Trans Kalahari Safari
This Safari is Tailor-made Rates On request
Fourteen days in Botswana's Kalahari reserves: the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse Game Reserve and Mabuasehube in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Rolling grasslands, ancient dry riverbeds and desert-adapted wildlife, for travellers who want the Kalahari rather than the Delta.
Botswana Budget Safari Questions
What is a budget safari in Botswana?
A budget safari in Botswana is a small-group trip that shares a guided vehicle and uses campsites or simpler lodges, tented camps and chalets instead of fly-in camps. It still reaches the main wildlife areas, including the Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe and the Makgadikgadi Pans, travelling between them mostly by road.
What is the difference between a camping and an accommodated budget safari?
On a camping budget safari you sleep in tents; on an accommodated budget safari you stay in lodges, tented camps or chalets. Routes can be very similar. The Botswana Wildside Safari camps its way from Johannesburg through the Delta, Moremi and Chobe, while the Botswana Wild Parks Safari covers much of the same ground in lodges and chalets.
Which parts of Botswana do budget safaris cover?
Our Botswana budget safaris cover the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai, Savuti and Chobe National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Several northern routes continue to Victoria Falls, finishing on the Zimbabwean or Zambian side depending on the itinerary, while the Trans Kalahari Safari stays in the Kalahari reserves throughout.
Can you see the Okavango Delta on a budget safari?
Yes, most of our budget itineraries include the Okavango Delta. The Botswana Wildside and Wild Parks safaris both spend three days there by mokoro, the traditional dug-out canoe, with nights on remote islands, water levels permitting. The Delta And Wildlife Adventure and the Adventure Safari also include time in the Delta.
Is there a budget safari in the Kalahari?
Yes, the Trans Kalahari Safari spends 14 days in Botswana's Kalahari reserves: the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khutse Game Reserve and Mabuasehube, on the Botswana side of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Expect open grasslands, ancient dry riverbeds and desert-adapted wildlife instead of the water and floodplains of the Delta.
How do budget safaris keep costs down?
Budget safaris keep costs down through how the trip runs. You share a guided safari vehicle with other travellers, cover most distances by road, and stay in campsites or simpler lodges, tented camps and chalets. You still visit the same national parks and game reserves. The savings come from logistics and accommodation, not from leaving out wildlife areas.
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.