The Okavango Delta explained: water camps, land camps and the flood

The first time you fly over the Okavango Delta in a light aircraft, it is hard to make sense of what you are seeing. Channels of clear water wind through reed beds and papyrus. Islands of palms and fig trees sit in a sheet of flooded grassland. Elephants wade between them. And beyond the edges, the dry Kalahari runs to the horizon.

The Okavango is one of the great safari destinations in Africa, and also one of the most misunderstood. This is our guide to how it works and how to plan a trip there.

A delta that never reaches the sea

Most deltas form where a river meets the ocean. The Okavango does not. UNESCO, which inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2014, describes it as one of very few large inland deltas without an outlet to the sea. Its waters drain instead into the sands of the Kalahari Basin.

The Okavango River rises far to the northwest, and the source of its water lies in Angola and Namibia. In north-western Botswana, it spreads out across a vast, almost flat fan. UNESCO puts the permanent swamps at around 600,000 hectares, with up to 1.2 million hectares of seasonally flooded grassland around them. Botswana Tourism gives the overall size as varying from about 15,000 square kilometres in drier periods to 22,000 in wetter ones.

That variation is the whole story of the Delta.

The flood cycle

The strangest thing about the Okavango is its timing. The flood does not arrive with the rain. It arrives months later, in the middle of the dry season.

The rains fall in the catchment upstream during the southern summer. The water then moves slowly down the river and across the almost level Delta, taking months to spread. UNESCO describes the annual flood as reaching its peak during Botswana's dry season in June and July, just when the surrounding land is at its driest.

The effect on wildlife is dramatic. As the floodplains fill, animals are drawn in from the dry country around. UNESCO describes large herds of elephant, buffalo, red lechwe and zebra coming to the water after surviving the dry season.

Every year is different. The size of the flood depends on how much rain fell upstream, and in big flood years water can reach channels that have been dry for years. In others, some camps that are usually surrounded by water find themselves on dry land. This is worth knowing before you book, because it affects which activities each camp can offer.

Water camps and land camps

The single most important decision when planning an Okavango trip is the balance between water and land.

Water camps

Water camps sit in the permanent swamps or on islands surrounded by water for most or all of the year. Activities are mostly on the water: mokoro trips, motorboat excursions through the channels, fishing in some areas, and walks on islands.

Game viewing from a water camp is different. You will see elephants crossing channels, hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe and sitatunga, and some of the best birdlife in Africa. Big cats are present but harder to see than on land.

What water camps offer is atmosphere. Drifting through a lily-covered channel in a mokoro, with only the sound of the pole in the water, is one of the most peaceful things you can do in Africa.

Land camps

Land camps sit on the drier edges of the Delta or on large islands, with a mix of floodplain, woodland and grassland around them. Activities are mostly game drives in open vehicles, often with night drives and walking where the concession allows.

This is where you are most likely to see lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, alongside big herds of elephant and buffalo.

Mixed camps

Many camps offer both, with game drives and water activities depending on the season and the level of the flood. These can be the best of both worlds, but it is worth checking which activities are actually likely in the month you travel.

Our advice

For most people, we suggest at least two camps: one with strong water activities, and one with strong game drives. Three or four nights at each gives you time to settle in. If you have time for a third, add a camp in a different area, such as Moremi Game Reserve or the Khwai area on the Delta's northeastern edge, or head further afield to the Linyanti or Savute.

Concessions and why they matter

The Delta is not one park. UNESCO notes that about 40% of it lies within Moremi Game Reserve, and most of the rest is made up of Wildlife Management Areas run by community trusts or private tourism concession holders.

This matters for your trip. In Moremi, the rules of a national reserve apply, so game drives generally stay on the roads and end at dusk, and you may share sightings with vehicles from other camps. In the private concessions, a handful of camps may share a very large area between them. Depending on the concession, that can mean off-road driving to follow an animal, night drives and guided walks.

The result is that two camps a few kilometres apart can offer quite different safaris. When we choose camps for you, the concession is often as important as the camp itself.

The mokoro

The mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe. Botswana Tourism describes the poler standing in the stern and pushing with a long pole, a skill many guides learn as children. For conservation reasons, most are now made of fibreglass rather than carved from tree trunks.

A mokoro trip usually lasts a couple of hours, gliding through shallow channels and across flooded grassland. You sit low in the water, close to the reeds, and look for frogs, kingfishers, jacanas and the water lilies that open in the morning. It is quiet, slow and completely absorbing.

Mokoro trips depend on water levels. They are generally best when the flood is high, and in the driest parts of the year they may only be possible in the permanent channels. Ask about this before you book.

When to go

May to October: the flood and the dry season

This is the classic time to visit. The flood is spreading or at its peak, the surrounding land is dry, and wildlife concentrates around the water. Days are warm and dry, nights are cold, particularly in June and July, and the mosquitoes are fewer.

This is also the busiest and most expensive time, and the best camps book up well in advance. By September and October the heat builds, but the game viewing on land can be at its best.

November to April: the green season

The rains arrive, the landscape turns green and many animals give birth. Birdlife is at its peak, with migrant species arriving from the north. The flood has usually receded, so some water activities are limited.

It is hot and humid, with afternoon storms, but prices are lower and camps are quieter. For keen birdwatchers and photographers who like dramatic skies, it can be an excellent time to go.

Health

Malaria is a consideration in the Delta. TravelHealthPro lists a high risk of malaria in the northern half of Botswana, including the Okavango, from October to May, and a lower risk for the rest of the year. Check the TravelHealthPro Botswana page (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page (opens in a new tab), and see your GP or a travel clinic before you go.

Getting there and around

Most visitors fly into Maun or Kasane and then take a light aircraft to camp. UNESCO notes that tourism inside the Delta is limited to small tented camps with access by air. Transfers between camps are by light aircraft too. The flights are short, the views are extraordinary, and baggage allowances are strict, with soft bags usually required.

Combining the Delta

The Okavango combines naturally with Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and with the Chobe riverfront. It also pairs well with the Kalahari, the Makgadikgadi Pans or a few days in Cape Town.

If you are new to safari, our first safari guide covers the basics, and our safari page shows how we would plan a wider trip. The Okavango rewards time and patience more than almost anywhere else. Give it both, and it is very hard to leave.