Botswana’s Legendary Okavango Delta – A Budget Group Tour

The Okavango Delta is on every wildlife lover’s bucket list. However, prices for lodges and concessions puts the Delta over budget for many.  Now we have made the Okavango more affordable by utilising shared vehicles and a series of mobile tented camps dotted amongst some of the Okavango’s most wildlife-rich areas.

There are a many departures throughout the year from which to choose. You will be accompanied by expert naturalist guides and the camps are comfortable with private chefs, full size safari tents, complimentary drinks, camp fires, proper beds, en suite bathrooms and even hot water showers.

During this overland tour, you will cross a large expanse of the Okavango delta, starting with the famous Moremi Game Reserve, which is home to an astonishing array of African wildlife.  Endangered wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah all hunt in this patchwork landscape, with ample numbers of antelope present, including red lechwe .  Close-knit family groups of elephant wander the mopane forest and scores of water-fowl wade in the marshes. A great number of bird species either reside in, or migrate to, northern Botswana, including many raptors, hornbills and Botswana’s national bird, the kori bustard. The rare and secretive Pel’s fishing owl prowls the waterways after dark.

Travel along the Khwai, taking time to witness the drama unfold in Dombo hippo pool, before reaching your final destination is the Mababe Private Reserve. Mababe contains some of the Okavango Delta’s more expensive concessions (e.g. a maximum of 20 vehicles are permitted in each concession at any one time) for a fraction of the usual cost.  It also permits activities not allowed in the national parks such as offroad driving, walking safaris and spectacular night drives.

The Mababe region boasts substantial populations of both bull elephant and breeding herds. Lion, leopard, serval and African wildcat are common predators of the region with wild dog and cheetah less encountered compared with Moremi. Buffalo use this area seasonally with large herds moving in during the summer rains. Other ungulates include tsessebe, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, sable antelope, roan antelope and impala, with eland and oryx found in the west.

You finish with breathtaking aerial views of the Okavango Delta as you fly out, catching glimpses of larger mammals like elephant and buffalo moving through the patchwork of rivers, mopane forest and savannah.

Throughout the tour, you will witness an astonishing array of habitats in the company of like-minded travellers and explore the Okavango Delta while enjoying a wide variety of unforgettable experiences including safari game drives, walking safaris, night drives and traditional mokoro canoe trips.  Please note that your exact programme of daily activities will be determined by your guide taking into account seasonal water levels, grass height, weather, recent sightings and other factors.

Tours are based on a minimum of two people with a maximum group size of seven. Transport will be in specially designed 4×4 safari vehicles, each with a fridge, retractable canvas roof and a guaranteed window seat for each passenger.

Note for Solo Travellers: No single supplement for the first three singles to book on each departure. Minimum age for children is 12 years.