A Botswana safari is not complete without visiting the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world, and a safari here is bringing you into one of Africa's most scenic and remarkable wilderness regions.
Almost the entire Okavango Delta is a protected area, including the Moremi Game Reserve which is right in the centre. Each summer, floods pour down from the highlands of Angola into Botswana's Okavango River and flow on through a vast network of narrow waterways, lagoons and out over the floodplains until they are soaked up by the sands of the Kalahari Desert. A fraction of the water may remain to flood Lake Ngami in the south and feed the Boteti River, which runs into Lake Xau in the west and eventually into the huge depression of the Makgadikgadi Pan. The floods in the Okavango Delta reach their peak in about May and then gradually subside.
This continual change in water levels gives rise to a remarkable variety of habitats and landscapes to enjoy on your Botswana safari. There are permanent water channels, lined with thick papyrus, seasonally flooded grass plains with islands of palm trees and dense vegetation, and some areas of higher ground supporting mopane forests and permanent savannah.
This variety supports a diverse range of wildlife and birdlife throughout the region. Herds of impala and tsessebe are always in the area, while in the dry season large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra congregate here, coming in from the Kalahari in search of food and water. The rare Sitatunga live in the papyrus banks of the waterways, and lechwe antelope are seen throughout the region and are well adapted to life on the floodplains. Lions, cheetahs and packs of wild dogs hunt in the open grassland, and hippos and crocodiles are abundant in the waterways. There are plenty of giraffe browsing the treetops, and some impressive herds of elephant. The Okavango Delta is also a good place to see sable and the beautifully elegant kudu on safari.
Many people choose to spend a few days each on safari at three or four different locations here, to make the most of the different habitats and range of animals that can be seen in Botswana's Okavango Delta.