Okavango Delta

Botswana and the Okavango Delta

I spent one month in Botswana and from the moment we crossed the border from Namibia we were greeted with incredibly warm and friendly people and a whole host of amazing wildlife everywhere we looked! Its Africa so the weather was sunny and hot but not unbearable at all.

Our base camp was the Old Bridge Backpackers in Maun which is just on the edge of the Okavango delta and the Moremi Game reserve which made it easier to access the Okavango Delta. The backpackers backs directly on to the Thamalakene River and Hippos, Crocodiles, Elephants and amazing birds such as the Lilac-breasted Roller, Malachite Kingfisher and Fish Eagles were often seen. We stayed in a tent in the backpackers which opened directly onto a balcony overlooking the river with a group of Pied Kingfishers using our balcony rail as a perch to fish from which made for some excellent breakfast viewing!

The Old Bridge Backpackers was a perfect base camp with extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff who helped us to organise Safaris, scenic aeroplane rides, boat trips and other activities very easily and at competitive prices. This backpackers has to be up there for best location award! Plus the food was excellent!

The Okavango Delta was the main reason we took a trip up to Botswana and we were not disappointed! With cheap eco friendly safari operators who employ very knowledgeable and experienced guides to choose from you can be sure to have an amazing experience in the Okavango and in Botswana. We also took an scenic aeroplane ride over the Okavango before and during sunset which was an experience I shall never forget. You were able to see the beautiful delta as a whole and see the animals from a unique perspective and offered some incredible photographic opportunities. I am a keen bird watcher and for me I wanted the opportunity to get closer to the beautiful birds of Botswana, so I had to take a boat tour through the delta water ways. This was also an amazing experience which brought you face to face with hippos, crocodiles, herds of elephants and of course the all important birds!

Start to finish an amazing trip and I cant wait to go back!

The nature, the animals, - one of the best journeys of mine

On the road with the tent, but there was nothing missing. Very good kitchen. Good teamwork within the group, experienced guide, transport in open landrover, therefore good opportunities for taking pictures. The temperatures were very high, 44 degrees, very dry, but many animals at the water places. Landscape not very varied. Very few tourists. Highlights? For me the whole trip.

Beautiful and exciting destination!

The Delta is a photographer's dream come true. The wildlife (elephants, hippos, crocodiles, etc) and birds are abundant and accessible. The guides were respectful of the wildlife and tried not to disturb them. All of our guides were knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. The first part of November was an excellent time to visit. The crowds have died down and the rains haven't really started yet (although it was HOT). Our small group of 9 stayed on a houseboat. The food was good; the houseboat was in need of a good scrubbing, but it was easy to overlook its shortcomings with the beauty surrounding us. Elephants walking through the grass at sunrise while hippos swam by in the river. We spent hours in a small boat in the Delta, weaving in and out of the inlets, spotting birds. We saw crocodiles eating a buffalo! Sunsets were simply stunning.

It was very wet while we were there, which sometimes made travel challenging, but even so, the safari vehicles navigated through the water over the sandy bottom. We didn't see quite as much wildlife here as in Chobe, probably because of the water levels, but had great looks at hippos and numerous birds.

On foot, spotting elephant. On a mokoro, looking at hyppos

I loved spending 2 nights in the Okavango delta, camping and navigating with the traditional mokoros. Tracking animals on foot and spotting them from the mokoros has been the highlight of the trip. The food (prepared on a campfire) and the local guides were excellent!

Fantastic

A safari on foot in the Okavango Delta is an unforgettable experience.

Beautiful, absolute serenity and once in a lifetime experience

Experiencing the delta through the mokoro boats is an incredibly peaceful and beautiful experience. I did the boat trip as well as a helicopter ride to see the vastness of the delta itself and it was stunning. Our mokoro guide was personable and even let us practice rowing ourselves. Camping inside the delta was great and morning bush walks allowed us to see elephants, wildebeast, giraffes, and zebras. Nature at its best.

Be Sure to See It From the Sky!

The Okavango Delta is truly a special place but to truly appreciate it nothing beats a flight tour offered by any number of charter companies operating out of the Maun airport. On our flight, we flew over herds of elephants, Antelope and Impala grazing at sunset. Hippos and Crocs bathed in swampy grassland ponds. Lots of wildlife and an incredible view from a couple thousand feet in the air. We took in this region and flight experience while on a three-week 2,200+ on and off-road motorcycle ride from Victoria Falls to Cape Town. We rented BMW
GS800s and stayed at a dozen or so places along the route. Incredible "bucket list" trip and the Okavango Delta was a special part of it.

A safari full of humour and beauty

The Okavango Delta provided more beauty than any of other safari destinations we stayed at. The beautiful sunsets over the water gave us memories to always remember. The scenery was incredible. In terms of accomodation we had great food and excellent service. Our rooms gave us our own private balcony with a stunning view. The staff were very funny and good with kids. However, sometimes they joked around and would miss small details like birds. As we also stayed in safari lodges in Zambia, we found that the staff at the Botswana safari lodges had a lot more humour and seemed to love a laugh. One night they even sung and danced to us and the other guests. In conclusion, the Okavango Delta was a beautiful, enjoyable and fun experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

Amazing place to visit

Everything was perfect about this safari, except the season. We've been there at the end of still wet season, with too much water around and too tall grass to hide for wildlife. Did not spot big cats at all. However, a lot of hypos, zebras, giraffes, elephants, different kinds of antelopes, beautiful birds.