10-Day Botswana Luxury Safari

Fly into Maun Airport and connect almost immediately to a Cessna Caravan bush flight into the heart of the Okavango Delta. The 30-minute flight gives you an aerial introduction to the delta's maze of channels, lagoons, and palm-fringed islands. Land on a grass airstrip and transfer by boat to your camp. Settle in with afternoon tea on the deck before a sunset mokoro glide through the lily pads.

A full day exploring the delta by mokoro and on foot. Your poler (a local guide born in the delta) navigates the shallow channels in a traditional dugout canoe, pointing out kingfishers, water monitors, and the occasional sitatunga antelope hiding in the reeds. After landing on an island, walk with an armed guide through mopane woodland looking for elephant, giraffe, and red lechwe. Return to camp for a long lunch, then take an afternoon boat safari through deeper channels where hippos surface and fish eagles call overhead.

After a morning game drive on the larger islands, transfer by mokoro to a remote island fly camp for an overnight wilderness experience. The fly camp is a simple setup: dome tents on raised platforms, a bush shower, a campfire, and nothing else but the sounds of the delta. Your guide prepares dinner over the fire while you watch the southern sky fill with stars. This is the night that stays with you long after you leave Botswana.

Wake at dawn to the sound of birds in the reed beds. After breakfast, take the mokoro back to the main camp, pack up, and fly by light aircraft to the Moremi Game Reserve. Moremi covers the eastern portion of the delta and is drier, with mopane forests and seasonal floodplains that attract big concentrations of predators. An afternoon game drive introduces you to the Moremi landscape, where wild dogs, leopards, and lion prides are regularly tracked.

Morning and afternoon game drives through Moremi's varied habitats. The Xakanaxa Lagoon area is famous for its birdlife (over 500 species recorded in the reserve) and large herds of buffalo that attract lions. Your guide tracks predators using radio communication with other camps, and Moremi's low visitor density means you often have sightings entirely to yourself. A bush lunch under a jackalberry tree breaks up the day.

Start the morning with a guided bush walk, learning to read tracks, identify dung, and understand the smaller details of the ecosystem that you miss from a vehicle. The walk lasts about two hours and covers five to six kilometres at a gentle pace. After a relaxed lunch and siesta, head out for a late afternoon game drive that extends into a spotlit night drive, searching for nocturnal species like serval, aardvark, and African wildcat.

Fly from Moremi to Kasane, the gateway town to Chobe National Park, in about 45 minutes. The transition is striking: from the delta's watery labyrinth to Chobe's broad floodplains and dense riverine forest along the Chobe River. Check into your riverside lodge and head straight out for an afternoon boat safari. Chobe is home to an estimated 120,000 elephants, and from the boat you can watch herds of 50 or more crossing the river at eye level.

A full day combining a morning game drive along the Chobe riverfront with an afternoon boat safari. The morning drive focuses on the Serondela area, where lions and leopards hunt in the riverine forest and large herds of sable antelope and puku graze the floodplains. The afternoon boat safari catches the golden light as elephants bathe, hippos yawn, and Carmine bee-eaters nest in the riverbank. Sundowners on the water with a cold gin and tonic are a Chobe tradition.

Cross the Botswana-Zimbabwe border at Kazungula (about 90 minutes including formalities) and spend the day at Victoria Falls. Walk the rainforest trail along the gorge rim for views of the 108-metre-wide curtain of water, feeling the spray from hundreds of metres away during high water season. Optional add-ons include a helicopter flight over the falls (the Flight of Angels, about $170 per person) or a gorge swing. Return to Kasane by late afternoon for a final dinner at your lodge.

If your flight is in the afternoon, enjoy a final early morning game drive or boat trip on the Chobe River. The light at dawn is exceptional and the animals are active before the day heats up. Transfer to Kasane Airport for your flight to Johannesburg, Maun, or your next destination. Many travellers connect through Johannesburg for international departures.

Why is Botswana more expensive than Kenya or Tanzania?

Botswana's government deliberately maintains a high-value, low-volume tourism model. Park fees are higher (around $50 per person per day in the delta), camps are small and exclusive, and most transfers are by light aircraft. The result is far fewer tourists and a much more intimate wildlife experience. You are paying for solitude and quality, not luxury for its own sake.

What is a mokoro, and is it safe?

A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe (now often made from fibreglass to protect trees) poled by a local guide through the shallow channels of the Okavango Delta. It is very stable and the water is shallow, typically less than a metre deep. Your poler has grown up on the delta and reads the water expertly. Hippos and crocodiles are present but the poler knows how to avoid them.

What is the fly camp like?

The fly camp is a one-night bush camping experience on a remote delta island. You sleep in a dome tent on a raised platform with a proper mattress and bedding. There is a bush shower (hot water heated over a fire) and a long-drop toilet. Dinner is cooked over an open fire. It is not roughing it, but it is stripped back compared to the lodges. Most guests rate it as the highlight of the trip.

Do I need a visa for the Victoria Falls day trip?

You are crossing into Zimbabwe for the day, so check your visa requirements. Many nationalities can get a Zimbabwe visa on arrival ($30 for single entry). A KAZA UniVisa ($50) covers both Zimbabwe and Zambia if you plan to visit both sides of the falls. Your lodge will advise on the latest requirements for your nationality.

Is this trip suitable for children?

Most luxury delta camps have a minimum age of 12 for mokoro and walking activities, and some require children to be 16. The fly camp is not suitable for young children. If you are travelling with kids aged 12 and above, we can adjust the itinerary to include family-friendly camps. For younger children, a different Botswana route focusing on Chobe (which has no age restrictions for boat safaris) would be more appropriate.

What weight limit applies to the bush flights?

Light aircraft in the delta have a strict 20kg luggage limit per person, including hand luggage. Bags must be soft-sided (no hard suitcases or rolling bags). You can leave excess luggage in storage at Maun Airport. Most camps provide laundry service, so you need less clothing than you think.