# The Ultimate Botswana Safari Guide *The Okavango Delta, Chobe, Moremi and the Makgadikgadi Pans: where to go, when to travel and what a Botswana safari really costs.* *Published: 2026-10-15* > **Quick answer:** The ultimate Botswana safari combines the Okavango Delta for mokoro and water safaris, Moremi or a private concession for big cats, and Chobe for huge elephant herds, linked by light-aircraft flights. The best time to go is the dry season from June to October, when the Delta floods and wildlife concentrates. Botswana follows a low-volume, high-value model, so expect to pay from about US$800 per person per night, with our Botswana packages starting at US$3,600 per person. Botswana is where seasoned safari travellers go when they want Africa at its wildest. There are no fences between many of its reserves, no crowds at the sightings and, in the Okavango Delta, a vast inland waterway that floods in the middle of the dry season and pulls wildlife from hundreds of kilometres around. It is not the cheapest safari in Africa, by design. But for many guests it is the most unforgettable. This guide covers where to go, when to travel, how much it costs and how to put a Botswana safari together. ## Why Choose Botswana? - **Low-volume, high-value tourism.** Small camps in huge private concessions mean you rarely share a sighting. - **Water and land.** Mokoro trips, motorboat safaris and walking alongside classic game drives. - **Huge elephant numbers.** Botswana is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa. - **Predators.** Lion, leopard, cheetah and African wild dog are all seen regularly. - **Wilderness feel.** Many camps are reached only by light aircraft. ## Where to Go in Botswana | Area | Best for | Ideal stay | | --- | --- | --- | | Okavango Delta | Mokoro, boating, island camps, birding | 3 to 4 nights | | Moremi Game Reserve | Big cats, wild dog, land and water | 2 to 3 nights | | Private concessions | Exclusive game viewing, night drives, walking | 3 to 4 nights | | Chobe National Park | Elephant herds, river cruises | 2 to 3 nights | | Makgadikgadi Pans | Meerkats, quad biking, sleep-outs under the stars | 2 nights | | Linyanti and Selinda | Remote predator country | 3 nights | ### The Okavango Delta A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Delta is a maze of papyrus-lined channels, lagoons and palm islands. Water camps focus on mokoro and boat safaris, while camps on larger islands offer game drives too. Explore our [Okavango Delta destination guide](/destinations/okavango-delta/). > **package okavango-classic:** Four nights at Camp Okavango on Nxaragha Island, with mokoro excursions, guided walks and boat safaris deep in the Delta. ![An elephant family moving through the grasslands of the Okavango Delta. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0](/images/journal/okavango-elephants.webp) ### Moremi Game Reserve Moremi protects the eastern side of the Delta and combines permanent water with dry woodland, which makes it one of the best areas in Africa for predators. Non-residents pay a park fee of BWP 270 per person per day, usually included in lodge rates. ### Chobe Chobe is famous for its elephants, which gather in their thousands along the Chobe River in the dry season. A sunset boat cruise among bathing herds is one of the great sights of African travel, and Chobe is the easiest add-on to Victoria Falls. > **package botswana-classic:** Six nights pairing a Chobe riverside lodge with Camp Moremi, combining river cruises with classic game drives. ### The Makgadikgadi Pans The ancient salt pans offer a completely different Botswana: endless white horizons, habituated meerkats, quad-bike trips in the dry season and, from about December to April, zebra migrations across the grasslands. ## When to Go | Months | Conditions | Price level | | --- | --- | --- | | June to October | Dry, flood at its peak, excellent game viewing | Highest | | November | Hot, first rains, good value | Moderate | | December to March | Green season, newborns, birding, Makgadikgadi migration | Lowest | | April to May | Cooling, floodwaters arriving, quiet | Moderate | > The Okavango floods in winter, not summer. Rain falls in the Angolan highlands from December to March and takes months to travel down to the Delta. ## What a Botswana Safari Costs | Style | Approx. per person per night (USD) | | --- | --- | | Mobile camping safari | 300 to 600 | | Classic tented camp, national park | 600 to 1,000 | | Private concession camp | 1,000 to 2,000 | | Top luxury camp | 2,000 to 4,000 and above | Rates at most camps are fully inclusive: meals, drinks, activities, park and concession fees and laundry. Light-aircraft transfers between camps typically add US$250 to US$500 per person per flight. Visitors also pay a Tourism Development Levy on arrival. > **How we quote prices:** Prices are approximate, per person sharing, in US dollars, excluding international flights. Kasi Africa Safari package prices are our published rates at the time of writing. ## Getting There and Around Most guests fly to Maun for the Delta or Kasane for Chobe, usually via Johannesburg. From there, small aircraft hop between camp airstrips, often giving you a breathtaking view of the Delta from above. Pack in a soft bag of about 20kg, including camera gear. ## Classic Botswana Itineraries ### Six nights: Chobe and Moremi The best introduction to Botswana, combining elephants on the Chobe River with big cats in Moremi. Add Victoria Falls at the start or end. ### Eight nights: Delta, Moremi and the salt pans Water, predators and the open space of the Makgadikgadi, linked by light aircraft. > **package botswana-premium:** Eight nights at luxury tented camps in the Okavango Delta, Moremi and the Makgadikgadi Pans. ### Ten nights: the ultimate Botswana The finest private camps in the country, from the Chobe River to the buffalo-and-lion plains of Duba and the remote Selinda Reserve. > **package botswana-ultimate:** Ten nights at Chobe Chilwero, Duba Plains Camp and Zarafa Camp, with private-concession game viewing throughout. ## Practical Tips - **Visas.** Many nationalities can enter Botswana visa-free. Check your own requirements before you travel. - **Malaria.** Northern Botswana is a malaria area. Consult a travel clinic before you go. - **Children.** Some camps set minimum ages for game drives and mokoro trips, so check before booking with young children. - **Clothing.** Neutral colours, warm layers for June to August mornings, and a hat and sunscreen for the hot months. - **Book early.** Camps have very few rooms, so plan nine to twelve months ahead for July to October. ## Plan Your Botswana Safari with Us Botswana rewards good planning, from matching camps to the flood levels to timing flights between them. Explore our [Botswana destination page](/destinations/botswana/), read our [African safari cost guide](/blogs/african-safari-cost-guide/), then tell us your dates and we will build your route. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why is Botswana so expensive for safari? Botswana deliberately limits visitor numbers to protect its wilderness. Camps are small, remote and supplied by air, and many sit in private concessions with very few beds. The result is uncrowded sightings and some of the wildest safari experiences in Africa. ### When is the best time to visit the Okavango Delta? June to October is peak season. The annual floodwaters from Angola reach the Delta during the dry winter, drawing wildlife to the water. November to March is the green season, with lower rates, newborn animals and superb birding. ### How many days do you need in Botswana? Six to ten nights lets you visit two or three different areas, such as the Delta, Moremi or a private concession and Chobe. Plan at least three nights in each camp. ### Can I combine Botswana with Victoria Falls? Yes. Kasane, the gateway to Chobe, is about an hour by road from Victoria Falls, so many itineraries begin or end at the Falls. ### What is a mokoro safari? A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe, today usually made of fibreglass, poled through the Delta’s channels by a local guide. It is a silent, eye-level way to see water lilies, frogs, birds and sometimes elephants. ### Is there a luggage limit on Botswana safari flights? Yes. Light aircraft usually allow about 20kg per person, including hand luggage and camera gear, packed in soft bags without wheels or frames.