The Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is one of the greatest wildlife wildernesses on earth, a vast, pristine inland delta where the Okavango River, instead of flowing to the sea, spills out and vanishes into the sands of the Kalahari, creating a shifting labyrinth of crystal channels, lagoons, reed beds and palm-fringed islands. A UNESCO site teeming with elephants, lions, hippos, wild dogs and abundant birds, it is explored uniquely by traditional dugout canoe, or mokoro, poled silently through the waterways, as well as by boat and game drive.

What you actually see

• The mokoro safari - the silent glide through the channels by dugout canoe.
• The wildlife - the elephants, lions, hippos, wild dogs and birds.
• The waterways and islands - the channels, lagoons and palm islands.
• The remote bush camps - the fly-in safari camps in the wilderness.

When to go

The dry season, May to October, is the classic time, when the floodwaters from Angola paradoxically arrive to fill the delta, drawing concentrations of wildlife, while the surrounding land dries out; the water level peaks around June to August, ideal for mokoro trips.

Honest expectations

It is one of the world's premier, and most exclusive and expensive, safari destinations, reached mainly by light aircraft to remote fly-in camps, so it is a serious, high-budget trip. Botswana pursues a deliberate high-cost, low-volume tourism model to protect the wilderness. The reward is an unrivalled, pristine and uncrowded wildlife experience of the highest quality.

Nearby

The town of Maun is the gateway; the Moremi Game Reserve lies within the delta.