Dumela!
There's something about Botswana that takes hold of your soul and doesn't let go. Maybe it's the quiet glide of a mokoro through golden reeds. Maybe it's the sudden stillness before lions emerge from the brush. Or maybe it's that feeling — coffee in hand at sunrise, nothing in sight but floodplains bathed in morning light — where you realize the world is bigger and wilder and more extraordinary than you ever gave it credit for.
Botswana started as a daunting destination for me. Early in my career as a Safari designer, I didn't know it as well as my home of East Africa, and it felt complex. But over the years I've visited, tried and tested many of the top camps and lodges, found our favorites, and it has slowly become one of the most rewarding Safaris to put together. Now so many of our guests are choosing it — and I couldn't be more thrilled.
If Botswana isn't on your Safari list yet, let me change that.
Mefi
On the Okavango Delta
Why Botswana is unlike anywhere else in Africa
Botswana is one of the most wildlife-rich countries on the continent, and it does things differently. Low-volume, high-quality tourism means fewer vehicles, more space, and a feeling of genuine wilderness that is increasingly rare. The government has committed to conservation over mass tourism for decades — and it shows in everything from the density of wildlife to the quality of the guiding.
What makes it feel truly singular is the sheer variety of landscapes in one country: the water-laced channels of the Okavango Delta, the vast elephant highways of Chobe, the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi, and the red dunes of the Kalahari. No two days look the same.
My trip to Botswana in February
The Okavango Delta — a non-negotiable
The Delta is a must. Full stop.
Every year, rains from the Angolan highlands fill this inland delta — the only one of its kind in the world — transforming dry plains into shimmering lagoons, swelling channels, and breathing life into one of Africa's most extraordinary ecosystems. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Okavango is home to lions that have adapted to the wetlands and grown larger and more powerful for it, termite islands built over hundreds of years, enormous elephant herds moving through floodplains, and bird species you simply won't see anywhere else.
I've been on Safari across this continent for over twenty years. The Okavango Delta is still unlike anything else I've seen.
Wet camps vs dry camps — and why the difference matters
Something I always explain to guests before we start planning the places-you-will stay in the Okavango Delta: your experience in the Delta shifts dramatically depending on whether you're staying at a wet camp or a dry camp, and understanding the difference helps you plan the right trip.
Wet camps are surrounded by permanent water. Activities here are water-based — and the star of the show is the mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe poled silently through narrow channels. You won't hear an engine. Just birdsong, the gentle swish of reeds, and the occasional splash as red lechwe leap across the shallows. It's peaceful, intimate, and wildly beautiful. Coming from the East African Safari world and used to bumpy game drives, this was totally enchanting - a truly immersive way to experience your surroundings.
Dry camps sit on islands within the Delta and deliver classic game drives across open savannah — elegant giraffes, stealthy leopards in leadwood trees, and if you're lucky, African wild dogs. The wildlife here is exceptional and the pace of a traditional game drive feels very different from the stillness of a mokoro.
The best part? Many of our favourite camps offer both experiences, so you don't have to choose.
Mokoro Rides through the Delta - gliding through the peaceful channels, loving life!
Our lovely guests Dr Hendricks & Vicki enjoyed a Heli ride over the Delta whilst staying at Kiri Camp in Khwai Concession.
When to visit the Delta
May to September is the golden window. This is when the floodwaters are at their peak — channels are high, mokoro rides are at their best, and the concentration of wildlife around the water is extraordinary. Hippos peek from the shallows. Elephants gather at newly-filled pools. Over 400 bird species fill the air.
Can't travel between May and September? Don't wait. I was in the Delta in February — channels lower, yes, but the wildlife is still there. That's me in the photo above, on a mokoro in February, having just seen leopard, lion, wild dogs, and a sitatunga in one day. The animals don't take the dry season off, and neither should you.
One thing worth noting: October and November can be extremely hot in Botswana before the rains arrive. Not impossible, but something to factor in.
The cherry on top: A helicopter flight over the Delta is something our guests consistently say is one of the most breathtaking things they've ever done. Seeing the scale of the channels, islands and floodplains from above - with wildlife moving through it all below you - completely changes how you understand this landscape.
“It produced a wonderful overview of the Okavango Delta and an understanding of how abundant the wildlife is there. We must have flown over literally 400 elephants during the flight.” Our JTA Guests on their Helicopter Ride over the Delta.
Chobe National Park — where the elephants rule
If the Delta is about intimacy and water, Chobe is about scale and abundance. Home to the largest elephant population on earth — over 130,000 elephants — Chobe delivers game viewing that is genuinely hard to believe until you're in it. Herds of hundreds moving through the floodplains. Lions on the bank. Buffalo, sable, roan antelope. And boat Safaris on the Chobe River that put you right at eye level with it all.
Chobe is a great place to combine a river Safari with a land Safari — the two activities complement each other beautifully and give you completely different perspectives on the same landscape.
Best time: Year-round, but the dry season (May to October) brings the most dramatic game viewing as wildlife concentrates along the river.
Safari Tip: Chobe National Park can also be visited on a day trip from Livingstone if you are visiting Victoria Falls in Zambia.
The Kalahari — Botswana's best-kept secret
Most guests come to Botswana for the Delta and leave without experiencing the Kalahari. The semi-arid desert of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in the world, and it offers a completely different Safari experience: open, ancient, and hauntingly beautiful.
The black-maned Kalahari lion is the star here, along with massive gemsbok, springbok, cheetah, and brown hyena. The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans — white, utterly vast — sit on the Kalahari's edge and offer one of the most otherworldly landscapes in Africa. In the summer months (November to April), the pans fill with water and attract huge flocks of flamingos.
For guests looking to add something genuinely unexpected to their Okavango Delta Safari, the Kalahari is an incredible way to experience Botswana’s two extremes.
Practical notes for planning
Getting there: Most international guests fly into Maun (for the Delta) or Kasane (for Chobe) via Johannesburg. Internal bush flights between camps are a standard part of any multi-camp itinerary and add to the adventure.
How long to go for: We recommend a minimum of seven nights in Botswana to do it justice. Ten to twelve nights allows you to move properly between areas without rushing.
Budget: Botswana sits at the premium end of the Safari market — the low-volumm tourism model means camps are intentionally small and exclusive, and that comes at a price. We're always transparent with our guests about budget from the first conversation. The quality of what you get in return is genuinely exceptional. Botswana Safaris typically start at approximately $1,200 per person, per night.
Best overall season: May to October for peak game viewing and the best Delta water levels. November to April for lower rates, fewer guests, lush green landscapes, and the flamingos on the pans.
Wild dog pup in the Savute Region of Chobe, photo from our partners at Desert & Delta
Our favourite camps and areas
We're very deliberate about the camps we recommend. Over the years we've tried and tested across all the key areas, and these are the places we come back to again and again. Our list of favorite places is always evolving and growing.
In the Okavango Delta: We love the Kwando circuit of camps for their exceptional guiding and beautiful positions, and the Natural Selection camps for guests looking for something more intimate and design-led. Khwai Private Reserve — on the eastern edge of the Delta — is fantastic for dry land game viewing combined with the atmosphere of the Delta, and consistently delivers wild dog and leopard sightings.
In Chobe: Chobe-area camps that combine river Safaris with land game drives are our go-to. The quality of the boat Safari experience here is something we always highlight to guests.
In the Kalahari: Kalahari Plains Camp by Natural Selection is one of our favourites — remote, beautifully designed, and the gateway to some of the most extraordinary desert wildlife encounters we've seen.
Some of the wonderful team at Kiri Camp from our Journey to Africa guests Botswana Safari. They loved Kiri Camp - the people, place and little touches!
Ready to start planning?
Botswana has a way of getting under your skin. Guests who go once almost always come back — often bringing friends or family the second time, wanting to share something they can't quite put into words.
If you're ready to start thinking about your Botswana Safari, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us when you're thinking of going, who you're travelling with, and what kind of experience you're after — and we'll start building something extraordinary for you.
Start planning your Botswana Safari
Mefi & Georgie