Okavango Delta

The dry season, from June to October, coincides with the annual flood in the delta and is the best time for game viewing, as animals gather near water. It's also the busiest and most expensive time. The rainy season, from November to March, brings green landscapes, newborn animals and migrating birds, with lower prices but hotter weather and heavier rain.

Most visitors fly in small aircraft from Maun or Kasane to the camps' airstrips, with strict weight limits on luggage, usually in soft bags. Self-drive trips into Moremi and Chobe are possible in a well-equipped four-wheel-drive vehicle, but require experience and booked campsites. Maun's airport has connections to Johannesburg and other regional hubs.

• Book well in advance, especially for the dry season.
• Pack soft-sided bags for light aircraft flights.
• Wear neutral colours on safari, and bring layers for cold mornings and evenings.
• Take medical advice on malaria before travelling.
• Follow your guide's instructions closely around wildlife, especially on walks and in a mokoro.
• Check visa requirements for Botswana before you travel.

Safari camps usually serve full board, with meals around a fire and drinks at sunset. Try seswaa, slow-cooked pounded beef, often served with pap, a maize porridge, and morogo, wild spinach.

Camps range from luxury lodges with private plunge pools to simple tented camps, all small and spread out to limit the impact on the environment. Maun has lodges for overnight stays before or after flying into the delta. Mobile camping safaris offer a more affordable way to experience the area.

Botswana's approach to tourism, which limits the number of visitors and camps, has helped protect one of Africa's great wildernesses. Many camps work with local communities through concession agreements that share income and jobs, and contribute to anti-poaching and research projects. The delta is home to a large share of Africa's remaining elephants and wild dogs.

People have lived in and around the delta for thousands of years, including the Bayei, who brought the mokoro to the region, the Hambukushu and the San. Many guides are from local communities and have grown up on the water, reading tracks and knowing the habits of animals. Tourism provides an important income for villages around the delta, and some community-run concessions offer cultural visits and walking safaris.

Unlike many parks in Africa, where visitors stay in vehicles, the delta offers a range of ways to see wildlife. Game drives in open vehicles explore the dry islands and floodplains, often at dawn and dusk when animals are most active. Mokoro trips and motorboat cruises explore the channels and lagoons, ideal for birds, hippos and elephants crossing the water. Guided walking safaris, led by armed, experienced guides, let you track animals on foot and learn about plants, insects and footprints. Night drives, allowed in private concessions, reveal nocturnal animals such as leopards, hyenas, porcupines and bushbabies. Many camps specialise in water or land activities depending on their location, so combining two or three camps gives the fullest experience.

More than four hundred species of birds have been recorded in the delta. Look for African fish eagles calling from treetops, the colourful lilac-breasted roller, saddle-billed storks, kingfishers, herons and the rare Pel's fishing owl, which hunts at night along the channels. The wet season brings migratory birds from Europe and the rest of Africa.