Botswana is where a southern African safari peaks for game. This guide covers the five areas our Botswana itineraries use, the months that suit each one, what a luxury trip costs, and the questions travellers ask most on the safari forums.

The Okavango Delta and Moremi

The Delta is fed by rain that falls in the highlands of Angola, which takes about four months to reach Botswana, so the flood arrives in the dry season and is at its largest in July (okavango.com). That timing is what makes the Delta unusual: water spreads across the desert just when the rest of the country is driest, and herds of elephant, buffalo, red lechwe and zebra come in to drink. It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2014 (UNESCO).

Some Delta camps are built for water, some for game drives, and many do both depending on the water level. Mokoro trips in a traditional dugout canoe need enough water in the channels, so they are seasonal at most camps.

In the Delta we use Kanana, on the Xudum River in a private concession in the south-west of the Delta; Atzaró Okavango Camp; Duba Explorers Camp, an island camp in the private Duba Concession; and Moremi Crossing.

Khwai

Khwai lies in the north-east of the Delta, along the Khwai River on the edge of Moremi Game Reserve. The private reserve and community concession here offer game drives and, when the water allows, mokoro and boat trips.

Our Khwai camps are Little Sable in the Khwai Private Reserve; Skybeds, three raised sleep-out platforms in the same reserve that are booked as a night out from a sister camp such as Little Sable; and Khwai Lediba and Khwai Leadwood, both in the Khwai Community Concession on the Khwai River.

Linyanti and Selinda

The Linyanti wetlands and the Selinda Spillway are private concessions in northern Botswana, between the Delta and Chobe National Park. Travellers on the forums rate the Linyanti in particular for predator sightings.

We use Linyanti Bush Camp, in a private concession on the border of Chobe National Park, and Selinda Explorers Camp on the Selinda Spillway, where canoeing depends on the winter flood.

Chobe: the elephant river

Chobe National Park is not part of the Okavango Delta. Its riverfront runs along the Chobe River near Kasane, and its seasons follow local rain rather than the Angolan flood. From May to October, as water inland dries up, tens of thousands of elephants come down to the river, with the peak in June and July (chobe.com). Most Chobe lodges offer boat trips on the river as well as game drives.

Chobe Game Lodge is the only one of our Chobe lodges inside the national park. Chobe Chilwero sits on the edge of the park above the river; Chobe Safari Lodge and Tlouwana Camp are in Kasane; Chobe Elephant Camp overlooks the Chobe Forest Reserve; and Nogatsaa Pans Chobe Lodge is in the interior of the park, among pans and waterholes about 80 km south of the river.

Makgadikgadi and the Boteti River

The Makgadikgadi salt pans, about two hours’ drive from Maun, are a different kind of Botswana. The Boteti River is the only permanent water in the area, and from April to October zebra and wildebeest come to it in large numbers, a migration the camp describes as Africa’s second largest (Natural Selection).

Our camp here is Meno a Kwena, on the western boundary of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, overlooking the Boteti.

When to go

Seasons and rates for the Delta are from okavango.com; Chobe from chobe.com; the Boteti from Natural Selection. Forum travellers planning September trips describe it as peak season.

What a Botswana safari costs

With Desert Tracks, luxury camps in Botswana run at roughly US$1,000 to US$2,500 per person per night. The range reflects the camp and the season: forum travellers report that dry-season rates can be double or triple the green-season rates (Tripadvisor Botswana forum).

We plan three nights per camp, so a nine-night safari covers three areas. Our 9-Day Botswana Focus Safari moves from the Chobe riverfront to Khwai and the Delta; the 10-Day Delta Explorer Deluxe goes from Linyanti to Khwai and the Delta; the 11-Day Desert and Delta Safari adds the Makgadikgadi; and the 11-Day Botswana Safari Experience includes the interior of Chobe. All of them are on our Botswana safaris and tours page.

Getting there and between camps

Camps in the inner Delta are reached by light aircraft. On those flights the luggage limit is 20 kg in total per person, including 5 kg of hand luggage, in soft-sided bags with no wheels or frame (Mack Air terms).

If you are coming from Namibia, most flight connections between Windhoek and Maun route through Johannesburg, in both directions. By road, our Namibia combinations stop at Divava, on the Okavango River near Popa Falls, before continuing into Botswana.

Health and safety

The US State Department rates Botswana at Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, because of crime (travel.state.gov, updated 25 June 2026). Malaria is present all year and highest from November to June, and the risk is greatest in Chobe and Ngamiland, the districts that hold the Delta and the Chobe riverfront; antimalarial tablets are usually advised for those areas (NHS fitfortravel).

Combining Botswana with Namibia and Victoria Falls

Namibia is the landscape half of a combined trip and Botswana is the game half. Our luxury African safari comparison sets the two side by side. The 18-day Namibia, Delta, Chobe and Victoria Falls self-drive and the 16-day guided version cover all three countries, and the 5-day Victoria Falls and Chobe getaway works as a short add-on. For the practicalities of the Falls, see combining a Namibia safari with Victoria Falls.

Frequently asked questions

Is Chobe part of the Okavango Delta?

No. Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta are separate areas in northern Botswana. Moremi Game Reserve sits inside the Delta, while Chobe lies to the north-east along the Chobe River near Kasane. Many of our itineraries visit both.

Can I skip Chobe on a Botswana safari?

You can, but we don’t recommend it. Travellers on the forums point out that the Delta and Linyanti also have plenty of elephants and that the Chobe river road gets busy in June and July. The Chobe riverfront in the dry season is still a different experience from the Delta, with elephant herds that can number in the hundreds coming down to drink, so we keep it in our Botswana itineraries.

How many nights should I spend at each camp?

Three nights per camp. Forum travellers make the same point: Delta camps take time and money to reach, so a shorter stay is poor value, and three nights gives you enough drives and water activities to see the area properly. A nine-night trip therefore covers three camps.

Should I choose a water camp or a land camp in the Delta?

Choose a camp that offers both if you can. Water activities such as mokoro (dugout canoe) trips depend on the flood level, and game drives depend on dry land, so a camp that does both gives you the most variety. Most of the Delta camps in our itineraries offer both.

Can I see Victoria Falls, Chobe and the Okavango Delta in five or six days?

Only just. Forum travellers who tried it mostly dropped the Delta, because it takes time and money to reach and a night or two there is poor value. Our five-day Victoria Falls and Chobe getaway covers the first two; for all three, plan on nine to eleven days.

When is the best time for a Botswana safari?

May to October is the best time for game viewing. The Okavango flood is at its largest in July, and from May to October elephants gather on the Chobe riverfront. December to February is the green season, with the lowest rates of the year and over 200 migratory bird species.

How much does a Botswana safari cost?

With Desert Tracks, luxury camps in Botswana cost roughly US$1,000 to US$2,500 per person per night. Forum travellers report that dry-season rates can be double or triple green-season rates, so the month you travel makes a large difference.

Is Botswana safe for a safari?

The US State Department rates Botswana at Level 2, “exercise increased caution”, because of crime (updated 25 June 2026). Northern Botswana also carries a malaria risk all year, highest from November to June, and UK travel-health advice says antimalarial tablets are usually advised for those areas. Check your own government’s advice and see a travel clinic before you go.