The delta is the heart of northern Botswana, but it sits in a remarkable neighbourhood: the predator country of Moremi and Khwai, the elephant rivers of Chobe, Victoria Falls just across the border and the salt pans and grasslands of the Kalahari. These are the eight places we would build an itinerary around, each with its own guide covering what to do, how to get there and which tours cover it.
Places to See in and around the Okavango
Eight places that turn a delta trip into a complete Botswana safari.
The Okavango Delta & Moremi
The Okavango Delta & Moremi Okavango Delta
The river that never reaches the sea
The Okavango rises in the Angolan highlands and spills into the Kalahari sand instead of the ocean, spreading into a fan of channels, lagoons and islands the size of a small country. UNESCO listed it in 2014 as the world’s 1,000th World Heritage Site. Explore it by mokoro, by boat, on foot and from the air.
The Okavango Delta & Moremi Moremi Game Reserve
The delta’s protected heart
Covering much of the eastern delta, Moremi combines permanent swamp, seasonal floodplain and dry mopane woodland — which is why it holds such a range of wildlife. It is one of the best places in Africa to see African wild dog, alongside lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and hundreds of bird species. Reachable by road from Maun.
The Okavango Delta & Moremi Khwai
Moremi’s wilder neighbour
The Khwai River forms the northern boundary of Moremi, and the community-run concession on its far bank offers the same wildlife with more freedom: night drives, bush walks and off-road tracking are all possible here. Famous for leopard, wild dog and big elephant herds in the dry season.
The Okavango Delta & Moremi Maun
Gateway to the delta
A spread-out frontier town on the Thamalakane River, Maun is where almost every Okavango safari begins: the airport handles a steady stream of light aircraft into the camps, and the town has the supermarkets, 4x4 hire, mokoro operators and riverside lodges you need before heading out.
Chobe & Victoria Falls
Chobe & Victoria Falls Chobe National Park
Elephant country
Botswana’s first national park stretches from the Chobe River at Kasane down to the predator plains of Savuti. In the dry season the riverfront hosts one of the greatest concentrations of elephant on earth, and the boat cruises here are among the best wildlife experiences in Africa.
Chobe & Victoria Falls Victoria Falls
The smoke that thunders
About 80 km from Kasane, the Zambezi drops more than 100 metres into a basalt gorge along a front of around 1.7 kilometres — the largest curtain of falling water in the world. A UNESCO site shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the natural start or finish for a Botswana safari.
The Kalahari & salt pans
The Kalahari & salt pans Makgadikgadi Pans
Salt flats to the horizon
The remains of a vast prehistoric lake, the Makgadikgadi and Nxai pans are among the largest salt flats on earth. In the dry season they are blinding white emptiness, habituated meerkats and ancient baobabs; in the rains they fill with zebra, wildebeest and flamingos.
The Kalahari & salt pans Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Africa’s great thirstland
One of the largest protected areas in Africa, the Central Kalahari is a sea of grassland and fossil river valleys like Deception Valley. It is remote, self-sufficient safari country known for black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah, gemsbok and, after the rains, huge herds of springbok.
A sensible ten-day plan: Fly into Victoria Falls and spend two nights. Cross to Kasane for two nights on the Chobe. Fly or drive to Maun, then spend four nights in the delta and Moremi — ideally split between a water camp and a land camp. Finish with a night in Maun and a scenic flight before you leave.
Plan your safari
Make the Okavango Delta the heart of your Botswana trip
Glide through papyrus channels by mokoro, fly over the floodplains and track lions in Moremi. Compare day trips from Maun, multi-day safaris and Chobe & Victoria Falls combinations — and book in a couple of taps.