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Michael
GB
Visited:
October 2023
Reviewed: Oct 13, 2023
Email Michael | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful wilderness, peaceful and unspoiled.
Excellent birding and wildlife.
Magone
LV
Visited:
November 2023
Reviewed: Dec 2, 2023
Email Magone | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
David Barnett
GB
Visited:
November 2023
Reviewed: Dec 3, 2023
Email David Barnett | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
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.
lfostvedt
US
Visited:
July 2011
Reviewed: Oct 2, 2011
20-35 years of age
The Water level was the highest in 50 years and we were not able to get deep into the delta.
That said, one of the most amazing parts of my trip in Africa was an flight over the delta. During the flight we saw all of the tracks in the delta where animals crossed from one island to another. We saw
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groups of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, tons of different types of antelope and many other wildlife which we didn't see while in the delta. The flight over the delta is an essential part of any trip to the Okavango Delta.In conclusion, I definitely want to go back to the delta. I think there were many parts of my trip that were just the result of bad luck.
Patrick Smith
Visited:
May 2001
Reviewed: Oct 12, 2011
Perhaps most startling of all the country's wildlife, if lacking the glamor of the larger mammals, are its birds, and the Okavango is the best place to see them. The country is held in high regard by birders worldwide, but the sheer volume of species in the Delta is overwhelming. Tent-side one morning, a scan of shallow riverfront resembled a field guide into which one of each endemic species had been dropped by an overanxious illustrator: storks, eagles, hornbills, vultures, and no fewer than a dozen of Botswana's prettiest creature (and also its national bird), the liliacbreasted roller. No less common here than a pigeon in Trafalgar
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Square, the roller is a brilliantly appointed avian with iridescent, powder blue wings.
It was the most amazing, unforgettable, best travel experience I've had so far.
We left Maun, the gateway to the delta early in the morning and were driven by a 4x4 in about an hour to a mokoro bording point, where our local guides and polers had already been waiting for us. Mokoros ar dugout canoes used in the Okavango delta. We loaded our quite limited personal belongings (I had a backpack and a camera bag only) and our supplies, camping equipment, food and water purchased in a Spar supermarket in Maun aboard the mokoros. It took two hours for our polers to propel our mokoros to our campsite. The scenery was amazing. The mokoros were pushed by the polers through narrow lagoons among the
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papyrus. The lagoons ocasionally opened up onto large open areas, where the surface of the water was covered by water lilys. Only the sound of the poles, water dripping from them, the tiny waves along the sides of the mokoros, the rustle of the papyrus, birds' calls could be heard. These were the real sounds of silence. Being November the weather was very hot, at midday the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius. Our suncream served really good throughout this two hour mokoro ride.By the time we reached our campsite, some of our local guides had already got there, put up the tents and prepared the campsite. They had already got a fire going, a teapot sitting on it with boiling water, and with a large heap of elly poo close to the fire. This remained there for the rest of our stay, for some people it provided a convenient tool to prop their feet up. Our tents were not large but quite sufficient for two persons. We did not intend to spend to much time in them in that heat anyway. Our water supplies heated up quickly. In 40 degrees one has to drink a lot, so we drank hot water. The clever ones made tea saying if it is hot they have to drink let it be tea. In the heat of the day we walked to a lagoon of the Okavango, where the water was clean and we dipped in it. It was magnificent.
Late afternoon, when the heat had ebbed and animals were supposed to be more active we went on a game walk on the island. We hardly left our camp, it was perhaps less than 30 meters we had walked, when our local guide, Dolphin said he heard an elephant in the bush. An then suddenly the elly appeared. About 30 meters from where we stood a lone bull elephant walked out from behind the trees. It was an experience words are hard to find to describe. We could hear the deep rumbling sound he gave while chewing on the twigs and leaves of the trees, and he was coming closer and closer. Eventually there was only one single bush between him and us. Though we held our breath I did not forget my camera and took photos of him. Only when the elly had been long gone did we move on to our game walk. We saw all sort of wildlife: zebra, impala, steenbuck, lots of beautiful birds, more elephants, more zebra, and on and on. There were plenty of termite mounds on the island, some of them reaching 2-2,5 m high, and many of them dug out and foraged by aardvarks, these nocturnal pig-looking mammals.
As we all learned it from the books, it gets dark really fast in Africa. It was almost dark when we got back to our camp. To our surprise our guide welcomed us with the question: does any of you want a cold beer? We could hardly believe that after a whole day of drinking hot water we could have something cold. It turned out that he secretly stocked a few cans of beer in the icebox where he kept our food. It was probably the best beer we had had on our tour. The night in the delta was incredible. It was hot, so the sides of our tents were rolled up, thus we basically slept in the open, only a mosquito net around us. The sounds of the night were exciting. Millions of insects buzzing, thousand of frogs croaking, zebra calling, fighting hippos roaring. A night I will never forget. The sky was clear, millions of stars illuminating the night, with an occasional firefly flying through.
Next morning we got up early at five o'clock, so that after a quick snack and coffe we left for another game walk. The scenery was as beautiful as the day before, however the island was illuminated by the rising sun from a different angle, so as a photography enthusiast I could take photos of the wildlife and the scenery with different lighting conditions. This walk was longer than on the previous day, we were walking for three hours. We could get quite close to some of the animals, especially zebras, who were wary, but did not run away. Late afternoon we went on a mokoro ride in the Okavango delta. We could see the beauty of the river, enjoy the peace, and watch the striking colors of the sunset. Late evening, after dinner prepared on the fire next to the elly poo, the local people had a little performance for us, they sang local songs and danced. In return we also sang some of our folk songs.
After another African night under the stars with the buzzing of the dark, early in the morning we had another game walk and then we it was time to break camp. We packed our stuff on the mokoros and were poled back to civilization. As I told my travel companions afterwards the Delta did really good to my soul: it had been a long long time that I felt so relaxed.
Best Assortment of animals in diverse settings; the big five, small five, ugly five and many birds
As a long time traveler, I was concerned that my trip to the Okavango Delta would be marred by excessive tourism or local ennui with visitors. I experienced neither! From seeing predators in action to almost co-habiting with wildlife, there were wonders to enjoy every day. I probably took over 5000 photos -- of rare and common birds, of extraordinary bugs, and predator/prey behaviors, there was never a time when I was not mesmerized. I stayed in AndBeyond Sandibe Okavango Lodge (probably the most elegant of all I have stayed in) where customer service is phenomenal, and, most importantly the guides and trackers were amazing. Also stayed at Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp where the guides tailor made the safaris to our liking. Time on the water was magical. Locals are delightful. If I could, I would go back to Botswana every single year, as there is still so much more to see. AndBeyond, while not cheap, was worth every single dollar spent.
Yenbay
ZA
Visited:
May 2016
Reviewed: May 31, 2016
Email Yenbay | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magic surroundings, unique scenery,
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the bush but...) The thing is if you are used to other safari accommodations (I live in South Africa and have tried quite a few..) you can have real value for money (even if it is not as spectacular as the Okavango)...
hjreitsma
NL
Visited:
March 2005
Reviewed: Jun 10, 2017
Email hjreitsma | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Okavango Delta
Henk Reitsma
Some years ago my wife and I made a roundtrip through a number of countries in Southern Africa. We travelled with a group from Cape Town to the Victoria Falls. The absolute highlight was our visit to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It was March, so in the wet season with the Delta completely filled.
We slept two nights on a houseboat placed on the edge of the Delta area.
We departed in the morning to the Delta and first had to drive a few kilometers with a truck (Photo 1), passing a small village with rondavel huts (photo 2). Along the road laid the carcass of an elephant (Photo 3), probably shot by the village people to protect their crops.
There were 10 boats (mokoro’s ) and 10 guides (Photo 4) waiting for our group with 20 participants and subsequently we started our tour over the Delta through high grasses and reed. In each mokoro two persons were sitting. The guides were very careful to avoid the hyppo’s and
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asked us not to make noise. We heard elephants in the distances and saw a glimp of the herd when standing in the mokoro. However I almost lost my equilibrium and almost fell in the water.After two hours we entered a small island to have lunch (Photo 5) and subsequently made a walk (Photo 6) over this island guided by two guides. We found the remains of a buffalo, probably killed by a lion (according to our guide), which reminded us again that we walked through a terrain with wild animals.
On our way back we saw some deer in the distance. After 1 ½ hour we arrived at our point of departure. It was a splendid tour through a wonderful water world. Even after a couple of years I still have vivid memory of our visit to the Okavango Delta.
Peculiar Perception
AU
Visited:
June 2017
Reviewed: Aug 1, 2017
Email Peculiar Perception | under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A safari full of humour and beauty
The Okavango Delta provided more beauty than any of other safari destinations we stayed at. The beautiful sunsets over the water gave us memories to always remember. The scenery was incredible. In terms of accomodation we had great food and excellent service. Our rooms gave us our own private balcony with a stunning view. The staff were very funny and good with kids. However, sometimes they joked around and would miss small details like birds. As we also stayed in safari lodges in Zambia, we found that the staff at the Botswana safari lodges had a lot more humour and seemed to love a laugh. One night they even sung and danced to us and the other guests. In conclusion, the Okavango Delta was a beautiful, enjoyable and fun experience and I would recommend it to anyone.