​Overview – Okavango Delta

Anthony Ham
Expert
By Anthony Ham

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the Botswana & Namibia guide.

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

Anthony is the author of the Botswana & Namibia Lonely Planet guide.

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s most famous destinations. There are several private reserves in the Delta, as well as Moremi Game Reserve. It offers a true wilderness experience, excellent wildlife viewing and stunning scenery. Walking safaris and mokoro (dugout canoe) trips are a great addition to the usual game drives.

Best Time To Go July to October (Best wildlife viewing)
High Season July to October (Higher rates apply but not busy)
Size 22,000km² / 8,494mi²
Altitude 934-1,024m / 3,064-3,360ft

Pros & Cons

  • Excellent wildlife viewing with four of the Big Five easily spotted
  • Off-road driving is permitted, which facilitates quality sightings
  • Great birding destination, especially for waterbirds
  • Game drives, night drives, walking safaris and mokoro trips are available
  • A large choice of small, exclusive camps
  • The Okavango is an expensive destination

Okavango Delta Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Wildlife

The Delta is a vast area and wildlife viewing is dependent on your location. Moremi Game Reserve is the most productive and four of the Big Five are easily seen. Rhino are present in Moremi, but not seen that often. Elephant and hippo are abundant throughout the Delta and wild dogs are quite common. The water-loving red lechwe and waterbuck are easy to see from a mokoro.

Scenery

The Okavango is the world’s largest inland delta. It is fed by the river with the same name during the driest months. The fan-shaped delta is a mosaic of papyrus-fringed channels connecting open areas filled with water lilies. Islands in between carry borassus palms and thickets of acacia and mopane woodland.

Weather & Climate

The Okavango Delta has a Dry season that extends from April to October. Afternoon temperatures are warm and pleasant until September, with the heat quickly building to a fierce peak the following month. Then the rains break, announcing the start of the Wet season (November to March), and the Delta starts to cool down a little. It remains reasonably hot in the afternoon, but the morning is especially pleasant.

Best Time To Visit

Water levels in the Delta are most conducive to mokoro (dugout canoe) trips in the Dry season (April to October). This is also the best time to see wildlife, putting aside the heat that dominates the two months before the rains come. You can still see animals in the heart of the Delta in the Wet season (November to March), but storms and lower water levels can limit activities.

Want To Visit Okavango Delta?

231 Okavango Delta Safaris

Okavango Delta Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Brian Jackman  –  
United Kingdom UK

Brian is an award winning travel writer, author of safari books and regular contributor to magazines such as BBC Wildlife and Travel Africa.

Africa’s Magical Everglades
5/5

What an amazing river is the Okavango. It rises in the mountains of Angola and then flows across Africa for 1,000 miles, gathering strength as it goes. But once it has entered northern Botswana its mighty floodwaters falter. In vain they...

Full Review

Latest User Review
David Barnett  –  
United Kingdom UK
Reviewed: Dec 3, 2023
5/5

Only flew over the delta but it was spectacular even in the drier season. Saw lots of game and birds and got a very good idea of the importance of this world class biosphere.

Full Review