It's a safari legend - a place so special that it tops bucket lists the world over and has featured in award-winning wildlife documentaries. Welcome to Botswana's incredible Okavango Delta, where a river empties into the sands of the Kalahari, creating one of the most beautiful wetlands in the world.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Delta can be seen clearly from space - a hand-shaped alluvial fan that also resembles a frying pan that stretches from the border with Namibia in the north-west of Botswana deep into the Kalahari basin. 

Every year from November to May the Kavango River becomes swollen with seasonal rains that fall in its Angolan headwaters, causing an annual inundation that slowly floods the Delta. The floodwaters reach their peak during July and August each year, before beginning to recede in September.

An abundance of life

This constant ebb and flow of life-giving water brings life in abundance to the Delta, which is home to some of the most incredible concentrations of wildlife in Africa. During the dry season the wetland covers around 6000 square kilometres, swelling to almost three times that size during the annual floods. More than 150,000 islands filled with tall riparian trees dot the vast floodplains that are filled with huge herds of buffalo, elephant and other plains game, as well as predators aplenty.

From the air you clearly see the maze of channels, lagoons, oxbow lakes and waterways that slice through the parched desert, turning it into a verdant paradise. The waters are crystal clear and filled with a host of aquatic species, from fish and insect larvae to terrapins, crocodiles and hippos. Tall reed beds provide shelter for a host of wading birds and water lilies cover the surface of the water. 

So many ways to explore

This wetland wonderland is safari heaven, especially during the peak flood season. Take a mokoro (a traditional dug-out canoe) through the channels, being poled by your safari guide as you glide effortlessly across the water. These days the mokoros are made from fibreglass rather than the traditional ebony or sausage tree in an effort to preserve the Delta's remaining large trees. 

Getting out on the water is a great way to view game, so many activities are boat-based, from morning and afternoon safaris to fishing, birding and even transfers between lodges in some cases! Game drives are also a standard offering in the Delta and in the dry season it's great to be able to combine drives with the odd water activity, depending on which area of the Delta you are visiting.

Walking safaris are also popular in the dry season, and exploring the various islands on foot is a year-round option. You can also explore on horseback, or take a helicopter flight and find the remote spots that other forms of transport just can't reach. Experiencing the Delta from the air is also possible in a hot air balloon.

A photographer's and birders' paradise

If you're a keen photographer, then the Okavango Delta will blow your mind. It's sunrises and sunsets are stunning and its landscapes are jaw-droppingly beautiful, especially in the golden hours just after sunrise and just before sunset. And of course, the wildlife is so plentiful you won't be short of subject matter. 

Predators abound in the Okavango, so be prepared for close-ups of lion, leopard and painted wolves (African wild dogs), as well as serval, caracal and African wild cats! Hyenas and cheetahs are also plentiful. The elephant sightings are off the charts, and you'll see elephants in or around water regularly, making for fantastic photographic opportunities. 

The birding is also superlative, with more than 400 species recorded, including rarities like the Pels fishing owl, slaty egret, white-backed night heron and wattled crane. Expect lots of fish eagles, African jacanas and bee-eaters.

Want to go?

If you'd like to chat to us about putting together a special Okavango Delta safari for you and your family, please get in touch and we'll hopefully get you to this incredible safari destination on the trip of a lifetime.