Luxury Botswana Safari Tours

There are no direct flights from the U.S. to Botswana. Most travelers connect through Johannesburg or Cape Town before flying onward to Maun, the main gateway to the Okavango Delta, or Kasane, which works particularly well for Chobe and the northern safari regions. Airlink operates useful regional connections between South Africa and Botswana.

Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe can also work extremely well as part of a broader itinerary, particularly when combining Botswana with Chobe, Linyanti or the Zambezi region.

Once in Botswana, we will arrange light-aircraft or helicopter transfers between camps. Where appropriate, we work with Helicopter Horizons, not just for the convenience but because the aerial views over the Delta are extraordinary and helicopters can provide seamless access to some of Botswana’s most remote lodges.

Besides it being Co-founders Kyle and Leah Green’s favorite safari destination? Botswana offers one of the most private and conservation-driven safari experiences in Africa. With vast private concessions, low vehicle densities and exceptional wildlife – including big cats, elephants and African wild dogs – it is ideal for travelers seeking space, privacy and world-class game viewing.

From mokoro safaris through the Okavango Delta to walking safaris, fly camping and time spent at photographic hides, Botswana combines adventure with a remarkable sense of remoteness. In her blog post, ‘7 Highlights from My Safari in Botswana’, Leah shares what made the journey unforgettable, including time at a wild dog den, helicopter transfers over the Delta and incredible meals in some of the most remote settings.

If you’re looking for a safari that feels personal, immersive and far from the crowds, Botswana is hard to beat.

Botswana is a year-round safari destination, with each season offering something distinct. While the dry season from June to October is considered peak for traditional big-game viewing, the green and shoulder months offer their own advantages, from seasonal migrations and exceptional birding to fewer visitors and excellent value at luxury lodges.

Dry Season: June to October (Peak Safari Season)
The dry season is ideal for travelers prioritizing big-game sightings and classic Okavango Delta experiences.

• Wildlife increasingly concentrates around permanent rivers, lagoons and water sources as the surrounding landscape dries.
• The Okavango Delta’s annual flood typically spreads through much of the system during the dry winter months, creating excellent conditions for mokoro safaris and boating where water levels allow.
• Linyanti, Chobe and Moremi offer excellent predator viewing, particularly as prey becomes more concentrated around permanent water.
• July to October is particularly rewarding for large elephant and buffalo herds, alongside lion, leopard and African wild dog.

Ubuntu Travel tip: September and October are hot and intense, but can deliver some of the most exciting big-game viewing of the year. For serious safari travelers and photographers, the heat is often worth it.

Emerald (Green) Season: November to March
With the arrival of the summer rains, Botswana transforms into a lush and vibrant wilderness.

• The Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan region comes alive as zebra and wildebeest move onto the fresh grasslands, with predators including lion, cheetah and hyena following the herds.
• Migratory birds arrive to breed, making this one of the best periods of the year for birding.
• Many plains-game species give birth, creating excellent opportunities to observe young animals and predator-prey interactions.
• The Okavango Delta remains an excellent safari destination, particularly around permanent-water camps, while the surrounding bush becomes greener and more dramatic.
• Many lodges offer green-season rates and family offers, making this a rewarding time for longer or multigenerational safaris.
• Dramatic thunderstorms, fresh vegetation and changing light can create exceptional photographic conditions.

Shoulder Season: April to May
These transitional months offer an excellent balance of strong wildlife viewing, greener landscapes and increasingly comfortable temperatures.

• April: Summer rains begin to ease, while much of the landscape remains beautifully green. Temperatures start to cool and photographic conditions can be excellent.
• May: Conditions become progressively drier, mornings become cooler and wildlife starts concentrating more consistently as Botswana moves toward its peak safari season.

The Okavango Delta floods during Botswana’s dry season (non-rainy season), with water levels across much of the Delta typically peaking between June and August. This remarkable seasonal event is driven by rains that fall months earlier in the Angolan Highlands before slowly making their way down the Okavango River and into Botswana.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, the Delta is at its fullest when much of the surrounding landscape is at its driest. This creates extraordinary concentrations of wildlife around the expanding waterways and excellent conditions for mokoro safaris, boating and island-based game viewing in suitable areas.

• April to May: Floodwaters begin spreading more noticeably through the Delta.
• June to August: Water levels typically peak across much of the system, creating excellent conditions for water-based safari activities where camp location and water levels allow.
• September to October: Floodwaters gradually begin to recede, although timing varies considerably depending on annual rainfall and location within the Delta.

Botswana offers one of the most diverse and immersive safari experiences in Africa, from silent mokoro journeys through the Okavango Delta to walking with San trackers in the Kalahari. Here are some of the experiences we most recommend:

• Mokoro Safaris: Drift quietly through the channels and seasonal floodplains of the Okavango Delta with an experienced poler. More than simply a wildlife activity, mokoro safaris reveal the smaller details of the Delta, from frogs and birds to aquatic plants and animal tracks along the water’s edge.
• Motorboat Safaris: Explore permanent channels, lagoons and papyrus-lined waterways in suitable areas of the Okavango Delta. Boating offers a completely different perspective from a game drive and can be particularly rewarding for birdlife, elephants and other wildlife drawn to the water.
• Walking Safaris: Offered in selected private concessions across Botswana, guided walks provide a slower and more intimate way to understand the landscape, tracking wildlife on foot and learning about plants, spoor and smaller species. Some camps also offer specialist fly-camping experiences for travelers wanting a more adventurous night in the wilderness.
• Helicopter Flights & Scenic Transfers: One of our favorite ways to experience Botswana. Scenic helicopter flights and transfers over the Okavango Delta reveal the scale of the floodplains, islands and channels below, while also providing seamless access to some of the country’s most remote camps.
• Horseback Safaris: Experienced riders can explore selected areas of the Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi and Mashatu on horseback. Riding through open wilderness alongside zebra, giraffe and other wildlife offers a completely different perspective on the landscape.
• San Cultural Experiences: In parts of the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi, guests can spend time with San trackers and community members, learning about traditional tracking, bushcraft, plants and their long relationship with the desert environment.
• Meerkat Encounters: The Makgadikgadi is particularly well known for encounters with habituated meerkat families. Spending time quietly alongside them as they emerge from their burrows and begin foraging is one of Botswana’s most memorable smaller-wildlife experiences. Botswana Tourism specifically highlights meerkat walks as a Makgadikgadi activity.
• Photographic Hides: Mashatu is particularly well known for its specialist photographic hides, including low-level hides designed to create striking eye-level perspectives of elephants and other wildlife visiting waterholes.
• Quad Biking & Pan Exploration: During the dry season, explore the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans by quad bike, crossing seemingly endless open landscapes before stopping for sunsets and extraordinary stargazing. Quad biking is one of the signature activities of this region.
• Elephant Conservation: Near Maun, Elephant Havens provides an opportunity to learn about the rescue, rehabilitation and eventual reintroduction of orphaned elephants. Elsewhere, Chobe, Linyanti and the Okavango offer extraordinary opportunities to observe large elephant populations in the wild.
• Luxury Lodge Experiences: Botswana’s best safari camps combine remote wilderness with exceptional comfort. Private plunge pools, spa treatments, sleep-outs, stargazing, private dining and beautifully designed suites allow the lodge itself to become part of the safari rather than simply somewhere to sleep.

Yes. Especially for those looking for a high-end, crowd-free and conservation-minded safari. The guiding is superb, the quality of lodges is among the best in Africa and Botswana offers exceptional wildlife viewing across some of the continent’s most remote wilderness areas.

While many camps are fly-in only, the logistics are remarkably seamless when planned properly, making Botswana an excellent and rewarding choice for a first safari.

The Okavango Delta is an exceptionally clean and naturally filtered freshwater system, with water traveling through vast areas of sand, vegetation and wetlands before spreading across the Delta.

That said, we do not recommend drinking untreated Delta water directly. Luxury safari camps provide safe drinking water, and water used for meals and guest facilities is carefully managed.

Yes. Botswana is a malaria-risk area, with risk generally increasing during the warmer, wetter months from November to April. We recommend consulting your travel doctor about anti-malarial medication before departure.

Most lodges provide mosquito nets, repellents and good in-room protection, but additional precautions are still advised. We also recommend using insect repellent, wearing long sleeves in the evening and sleeping under mosquito nets where provided.

Please consult your doctor for up-to-date health advice based on your personal health history and travel itinerary.