Botswana
Botswana's north is where the Kalahari meets water.
The Okavango River spills out of Angola and fans across the sand into the largest inland delta on Earth, a maze of papyrus channels, palm islands and floodplains that fills in the dry winter, just when the land around it is at its driest. A few hundred kilometres east, the Chobe River marks the border with Namibia and draws some of Africa's largest herds of elephant to its banks. This guide books both halves of the trip properly: gliding through the Delta in a mokoro poled by a local guide from Maun, camping on a palm island, game drives into Moremi Game Reserve where the floodplain meets the bush, and from Kasane the river cruises and game drives that put you at eye level with elephants, hippos and buffalo on the Chobe. It also matches you to a lodge or hotel in Maun or Kasane, explains the seasons honestly, from the green wet months of November to March to the flood peak of June to August, and leaves Victoria Falls to its own guide.
Okavango Delta World Heritage Site
The world's largest inland delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Okavango River fans out across the Kalahari instead of reaching the sea. Understand the annual flood, the best months and the ways in, from Maun by mokoro, 4x4 or light aircraft, before you choose what to book.
Chobe National Park and the Chobe Riverfront
Botswana's elephant park, entered from Kasane: the riverfront for cruises and game drives, plus Savuti and Linyanti further inland. A planning overview from the national tourism board, with seasons and the options that follow.
Okavango Delta Mokoro Day Trip from Maun
The essential Delta experience in a day: a hand-poled mokoro glide through papyrus channels, lunch on an island and a nature walk, with Maun hotel pickup. This small-group trip has one of the largest review counts of any Maun product.
Moremi Game Reserve Full-Day Trip from Maun
A long day of game driving in Moremi, the only officially protected part of the Okavango Delta, where floodplain, mopane woodland and lagoons hold the Big Five. Highly rated by over thirty travellers, and doable from Maun in a day.
Hand-picked: every experience here has strong traveler reviews and a verified booking link.
FreeThe world's largest inland delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Okavango River fans out across the Kalahari instead of reaching the sea. Understand the annual flood, the best months and the ways in, from Maun by mokoro, 4x4 or light aircraft, before you choose what to book.
The essential Delta experience in a day: a hand-poled mokoro glide through papyrus channels, lunch on an island and a nature walk, with Maun hotel pickup. This small-group trip has one of the largest review counts of any Maun product.
Two nights of wild camping on a Delta island, travelling by mokoro and on foot with local guides. All-inclusive, with a strong review record, this is the immersive step up from a day trip, and the best way to hear the Delta at night.
A three-day Delta safari tour from Maun for travellers who want more time than a day trip but a simple, good-value package. Reviewed by a dozen travellers, it is a middle path between a quick excursion and a lodge stay.
A long day of game driving in Moremi, the only officially protected part of the Okavango Delta, where floodplain, mopane woodland and lagoons hold the Big Five. Highly rated by over thirty travellers, and doable from Maun in a day.
A guided one-day game drive safari into Moremi Game Reserve from Maun, rated 5.0 by a dozen travellers. A second good Moremi option if the busier day trip is full, with the same floodplain and woodland scenery.
The best single day in Kasane: a morning game drive in Chobe National Park, lunch, then an afternoon river cruise along the Chobe River for elephants at the water. Rated 5.0 by sixteen travellers.
A shorter small-group option that pairs a Chobe game drive with a river cruise from Kasane. A good fit if you want both views without committing to a full day, and reviewed by a dozen travellers.
A fishing trip on the Chobe River with wildlife as a backdrop, one of the most-reviewed Kasane products with over two hundred reviews. A fun alternative for anglers and anyone who wants a relaxed day on the water.
Botswana's elephant park, entered from Kasane: the riverfront for cruises and game drives, plus Savuti and Linyanti further inland. A planning overview from the national tourism board, with seasons and the options that follow.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Chobe National Park, near Kasane
The splurge: a lodge set inside Chobe National Park itself, on the river near Kasane, with game drives and river cruises at the door. Best for travellers who want to sleep among the elephants rather than commute to them.
Rates on Expedia →
$$Kasane riverfront
A riverside lodge on the edge of Kasane, near the park gate. A practical mid-range base for river cruises and game drives, with a pool, a restaurant and the Chobe River at the bottom of the garden.
Rates on Expedia →Central Maun
A long-established hotel in central Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. A comfortable mid-range base for pre- and post-safari nights, close to the airport, shops and the operators who collect you for mokoro and Moremi trips.
Rates on Expedia →Thamalakane River, Maun
A riverside lodge outside Maun on the Thamalakane River, for travellers who want a quieter bush setting between Delta trips. Mid-range, with a restaurant and pool, and easier on the nerves than a town hotel.
Rates on Expedia →Maun
The budget-minded Maun option: a straightforward lodge for short stays before or after a Delta trip. Check the Expedia page for current rates and room types, and expect simpler comforts than a safari lodge.
Rates on Expedia →What to book ahead, how the seasons work (wet November to March, flood peak June to August), how to get around Maun and Kasane, and how many days to allow for the Delta and Chobe.
How to choose between Maun for the Okavango Delta and Kasane for Chobe, with five lodges and hotels from a splurge inside the park to a budget base, and what each area suits.
