The Okavango is a river that loses its way. It rises in the highlands of Angola, crosses the Caprivi Strip into Botswana and then, instead of reaching the sea, fans out across the Kalahari sand into roughly 15,000 square kilometres of channels, lagoons, papyrus swamp and palm-fringed islands before evaporating into the desert. It is one of the very few large inland deltas in the world, and in 2014 it became the 1,000th site on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
What makes it extraordinary is the timing. The rain falls in Angola between roughly November and March, but the water takes months to creep through the flat delta, so the flood peaks in the middle of Botswana’s dry winter, around June to August. Just as the surrounding bush turns brown, the delta swells and wildlife from hundreds of kilometres around converges on it. That is the moment most safaris are built around.
Top things to do: Okavango Delta
Glide through the channels by mokoro
The mokoro — a narrow dugout canoe, today usually made of fibreglass to protect the big trees — is the delta’s signature experience. A poler stands at the stern and pushes you silently through lily-covered channels at eye level with reed frogs, kingfishers and, now and then, a wading elephant. Day trips from Maun reach the eastern delta; fly-in camps offer it from the doorstep. Compare the mokoro trips from Maun.
See the delta from the air
No drive or boat trip shows you the scale of the place. A scenic flight in a light aircraft or helicopter from Maun reveals the pattern of islands and channels — and the elephants, buffalo and hippo moving between them. Helicopter flights with the doors off are the photographers’ choice; 45 minutes is enough to reach the permanent swamps.
Walk the islands with a guide
Most mokoro trips include a bush walk on one of the islands. On foot, with a trained guide, you learn to read tracks and dung and to approach plains game quietly. You will see less than from a vehicle, but you will remember it more.
Stay in a fly-in camp
The deep delta — Chief’s Island, the Jao and Vumbura concessions, the permanent Panhandle-fed swamps — is reached only by light aircraft. The camps here are small, expensive and unforgettable, combining boating, mokoro, walking and game drives depending on water levels. See where to stay.
How to get to Okavango Delta
- By air to Maun: Maun Airport (MUB) has regular flights from Johannesburg and Gaborone and seasonal links from Cape Town and Kasane. From here, light aircraft fly into the delta camps. See our getting there guide.
- By road from Maun: mokoro stations on the eastern edge of the delta are roughly an hour or more from town by 4x4 or boat, which is why day trips include transfers.
- Self-drive: only the eastern side (Moremi and Khwai) is accessible by vehicle, and only in a properly equipped 4x4. The inner delta is not drivable.
Insider tips
- The flood peaks around June to August; in the low-water months (roughly October to December) some mokoro areas become too shallow and camps switch to game drives and boating.
- Light aircraft have strict luggage limits — typically about 20 kg per person including hand luggage, in a soft-sided bag. Check your operator’s exact rule.
- The delta is a malaria area. Take advice on prophylaxis before you travel, and use repellent and long sleeves at dusk.
- Book fly-in camps early: many have fewer than ten tents and sell out a year ahead for July to September.
Best tours & safaris: Okavango Delta
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Okavango Delta:
Day trip from €151 Okavango Delta: Full-Day Mokoro/Canoe Tour All-Inclusive
The classic delta day and the most-reviewed Okavango experience on GetYourGuide. Members of the local polers’ community take you out along the reed-lined waterways in a mokoro, you stop for lunch on an island and then walk with your guide to read tracks and look for plains game. Transfers from Maun and meals are included.
- Poled through the channels in a traditional mokoro
- Lunch on an island in the delta
- Guided nature walk to look for game on foot
Helicopter flight from €295 Maun: 45-Minute Doors-Off Scenic Flight
The delta only makes sense from the air: a maze of channels, lagoons and palm islands that no road can show you. This private helicopter flight leaves from Maun with the doors removed, so nothing sits between your lens and the herds wading below.
- Private doors-off helicopter over the delta
- Unobstructed views for photographers
- Elephants, buffalo and hippo seen from above
Day trip from €220 Okavango Delta: Mokoro or Power Boat Day Tour
A flexible alternative to the standard mokoro day: you explore by traditional dugout or by motorboat, which covers more distance through the channels. Strong reviews from travellers who liked the extra range and the birdlife.
- Explore by mokoro or by power boat
- Aquatic game, hippos and water birds
- Island stop and lunch
Camping safari from €1345 Okavango Delta Mobile Safari Camping
Four days that combine the delta’s three ways of seeing wildlife — by vehicle, by mokoro and on foot — with nights in a comfortable tented camp. A good-value alternative to the fly-in lodges for travellers who want the full experience.
- Game drives, mokoro trips and guided walks
- Three nights under canvas
- Starts and ends in Maun
