Botswana
Group trip highlights of Botswana and Victoria Falls
Nov 19, 2026
Dec 31, 2026
Botswana Safari: Okavango Delta, Chobe and Moremi
A Botswana safari means gliding through the channels of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro dugout, watching elephants drink on the Chobe and sleeping in unfenced camps in Moremi.
Botswana safaris.
5 trips through Botswana, guided in small groups: lodge, camping or overland. Every card names the length, the dates and the price.
Africa
Desert and Delta Lodge Safari in Botswana
Jul 25, 2027
Botswana
Group trip Okavango Delta to Zanzibar
Botswana
Small Group Trip Delta & Chobe Trail - Lodge Safari
Nov 3, 2026
Nov 6, 2026
Nov 10, 2026
Nov 13, 2026
Nov 24, 2026
Botswana
Climate-friendly overland truck through Botswana
Apr 11, 2027
Jun 13, 2027
Country Profile
Botswana Safari: water in the desert and the most elephants in the world
Botswana does it differently from its neighbours: few guests, high fees, no fences. The country is the size of France, has 2.4 million inhabitants and around 130,000 elephants, about a third of the African population. At 15,000 km² the Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta on earth, a river that seeps away in the Kalahari instead of reaching the sea, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. The Chobe National Park on the northern edge carries one of the highest elephant densities in Africa; in the dry month of September hundreds stand at the river at once.
A Botswana safari is therefore water and sand at the same time: in the morning by mokoro, the dugout canoe, through the papyrus channels, at midday in a 4x4 through the Moremi reserve, in the evening by boat on the Chobe between hippos and elephants. The camps in Moremi and Savuti have no fence, and at night hyenas walk between the tents.
Our five tours run 7 to 24 days. The 7-day tour from 2,059 € covers the Okavango, Moremi and Chobe, the 10-day one links Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls with at most 12 guests, and the 24-day one runs from the delta to Zanzibar. Botswana costs more than its neighbours because the park fees are high and the camps are small; in return you watch the animals without a queue of vehicles.
Joe Kuster
Founder & Lead Motorcycle Guide
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Overcross® Tours
National parks in Botswana
Every park has its season and its animals. This is what awaits you where in Botswana.
Okavango Delta
5 tripsHow you travel on this safari
In Botswana you ride in an open 4x4 without windows, the seats in rows like a grandstand, and between the regions in an overland truck. The tracks in Moremi and Savuti are deep sand, mud in the rainy season; the guide drives and speaks English. In the delta you change into the mokoro, a dugout now made of fibreglass, two guests and one poler per boat, and on the Chobe into a motorboat.
The camping tours sleep in tented camps inside the park with no fence, with a camp bed, a bush shower and a crew that cooks. That is where Botswana is at its closest: elephants beside the tent, lions within earshot. The lodge tours alternate between fixed lodges at the edge of the delta and tented camps with their own bathroom. The 12-day lodge tour uses lodges and fixed tents throughout.
Driving days are short, 100 to 250 km, but slow, 20 to 40 km/h in the sand. If you have back problems, say so beforehand. Days start at 5:30, the camp rests at midday because October reaches 40 degrees. Malaria prophylaxis is a must in the delta, and the water in the camps is filtered.
Who it suits
For guests with a first safari behind them who trade comfort for more wilderness. Camping inside the park with no fence, and the group is capped at 12 to 24 people depending on the tour.
Where you sleep
Tented camp with no fence in Moremi and Khwai, with a camp bed and a bush shower, or a lodge and tented camp with an own bathroom at the edge of the delta and on the Chobe.
Vehicle and legs
Overland truck between the regions, open 4x4 in the parks, 100 to 250 km a day at 20 to 40 km/h in deep sand. Mokoro dugout in the delta, motorboat on the Chobe.
A day on safari
Wake-up 5:30, game drive or mokoro trip until 10, breakfast, rest in camp until 3 pm, second drive until sunset, dinner at the fire at 7 pm.
Regions and parks
Safari regions in Botswana
From the water of the Okavango Delta over the elephant herds on the Chobe to the salt pans of the Kalahari: Botswana packs its highlights into the north. Here is which regions you combine on one tour.
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Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta, water wilderness by mokoro
At 15,000 km² the Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014: the river seeps away in the Kalahari instead of reaching the sea. You travel by mokoro, the dugout canoe, through the papyrus channels and in an open 4x4 through the neighbouring Moremi reserve of 5,000 km².
To the park: Okavango DeltaTours where you can visit this area
Group trip: The best of Botswana Group trip to Botswana and Victoria Falls Adventure travel in Botswana - Victoria Falls
Chobe National Park
Chobe, elephants on the river
The Chobe National Park was founded in 1968, measures 11,700 km² and carries one of the highest elephant densities in Africa. In the afternoon you go out by boat on the Chobe river, when the herds come down to drink, hippos stand in the water and crocodiles lie on the bank.
Tours where you can visit this area
From the Okavango Delta to Zanzibar Lodge Safari in Botswana Adventure travel in Botswana - Victoria Falls
Kalahari and Makgadikgadi
Kalahari and Makgadikgadi, salt pans and space
The Kalahari stretches over 900,000 km² and turns into the Makgadikgadi pans in the north-east of Botswana, one of the largest salt pan systems in the world. Pelicans and flamingos breed at the Nata pans, and in Ghanzi you spend an evening with the San, with dance and storytelling.
Tours where you can visit this area
Group trip: The best of Botswana From the Okavango Delta to Zanzibar Lodge Safari in Botswana
Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls, the border with Zimbabwe
80 km east of the Chobe the Zambezi drops 108 m into the Batoka Gorge along a 1,708 m front. Four of our five tours end or start at the falls, the fifth stops for three nights on its way to Zanzibar; you cross the border at Kazungula on a travel day.
Tours where you can visit this area
Group trip to Botswana and Victoria Falls Group trip: The best of Botswana Lodge Safari in BotswanaWhat guests say and what we write
Other safari countries, other animals
7 more countries our safaris travel through. Every card opens the country page with all trips, parks and dates.
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6 tours
Tanzania safari
Serengeti and Ngorongoro, the great migration Safaris in Tanzania -
5 tours
Kenya safari
Masai Mara and Amboseli, Kilimanjaro on the horizon Safaris in Kenya -
5 tours
Namibia safari
Etosha, Sossusvlei and the gravel roads of the Namib Safaris in Namibia -
13 tours
South Africa safari
Kruger, the Garden Route and the Cape Safaris in South Africa -
4 tours
Uganda safari
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale Safaris in Uganda -
2 tours
Zambia safari
Walking safaris in South Luangwa, camp by the river Safaris in Zambia -
4 tours
Zimbabwe safari
Victoria Falls, Hwange and Mana Pools Safaris in Zimbabwe
Talk to us
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Booking questions
Which parks do I see on a Botswana Safari?
The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park are on all five tours, the Moremi reserve on four, Savuti on two. The Makgadikgadi pans are on three routes, Etosha National Park in Namibia on two. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is on none of our group tours.
Which animals will I see in Botswana?
Botswana counts around 130,000 elephants, about a third of the African population, and the densest concentration stands on the Chobe in the dry season. Add lions, leopards, buffalo, giraffes, zebras and hippos. African wild dogs live in Moremi and Khwai, of which only around 6,600 are left worldwide. Rhinos are rare and stand in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, which is on none of our routes.
How many guests travel on a Botswana Safari?
Between 12 and 24, depending on the tour: the 10-day route through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe takes at most 12 guests, the two 7-day tours and the 24-day one at most 20, the 12-day lodge tour at most 24. Departures run from 4 participants, and from 6 on the tour that starts at Victoria Falls. Inside the parks you swap the truck for open 4x4 safari vehicles.
Where do the tours through Botswana start and end?
Five starting points, depending on the tour: Maun in the Okavango Delta for the 7-day round trip to Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls for the 7-day tour to Johannesburg, Windhoek for the 10-day route through Namibia, Swakopmund for the 12-day lodge tour and Johannesburg for the 24-day drive to Zanzibar. Flights are not included on any of the five tours.
How long does a Botswana Safari take?
7 to 24 days. The two 7-day tours concentrate on the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe, with Victoria Falls at the start or at the end. The 10-day and the 12-day tour add Namibia with Etosha National Park, and the 24-day one carries on through Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to Zanzibar.
When is the best time for a Botswana Safari?
June to September: dry, the delta carries the flood water from Angola, the mokoro channels are full and the elephants gather on the Chobe. September and October are the richest months for wildlife, at up to 40 degrees. From November to March it rains, the country turns green and some camps in Moremi close.
Do I need a visa and vaccinations for Botswana?
German, Austrian and Swiss passport holders enter without a visa, and you need one for Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls. Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for the delta. We send you the current entry rules with your booking confirmation.
Why does Botswana cost more than Kenya or South Africa?
Because the country wants few guests. The camps inside the parks are small, the tracks are deep sand, and time in a vehicle costs more than a tarmac road. In return you sit at the waterhole without a queue. Our 7-day tour from 2,059 € is the cheapest way in, the 24-day route to Zanzibar costs 5,899 €.
What is a mokoro trip?
The mokoro is the dugout canoe of the delta, made of fibreglass today instead of ebony, poled by a poler from the village. Two guests sit in front, the poler stands at the back and pushes the boat through papyrus channels only a metre wide. You see frogs, fish eagles and hippos from a metre above the water. Every one of our five Botswana tours has at least one mokoro day.
Is camping inside an unfenced park dangerous?
Not if you keep to three rules: do not leave the tent at night, no food in the tent, do not run. The camps in Moremi and Khwai have stood without a fence for decades, and the animals read the tents as an obstacle, not as prey. The guide gives a briefing on the first evening and the crew keeps the fire going overnight.
Can I combine Botswana with Victoria Falls?
Yes, four of our five Botswana tours end or start at Victoria Falls, only 80 km from the Chobe. You cross the border into Zimbabwe at Kazungula during the day and the visa is issued there. Allow a whole day for the falls; in April they carry around 500 million litres a minute.
What is included in the tour price?
Guide and crew, the vehicle, all overnight stays, the meals listed in the itinerary and the national park entrance fees. Not included are flights, visa fees, travel health insurance, tips, drinks and optional activities such as the scenic flight over the Okavango Delta. Solo travellers pay a single supplement between 69 and 699 €, depending on the tour and the accommodation.
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