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The Kalahari Desert covers about 70% of Botswana, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the word. Yet this landlocked country is home to an abundance of plains game, huge herds of buffalo and plenty of Africa’s apex predators. The magnificent Chobe National Park is a refuge for the world’s biggest population of Kalahari elephants, and the virtually untouched Okavango Delta is a World Heritage Site and arguably one of Nature’s greatest masterpieces – one of Africa’s last remaining Gardens of Eden.

Ranging from luxury Botswana safari tours to rugged adventures and multi-generational family vacations, here's our list of the best Botswana safari tours – all tried and tested and completely customisable to meet your travel wishes:

1. Romantic Getaway to Chobe, Okavango Delta & Moremi

Duration: 7 Days | Destinations: 3 | Accommodation: Luxury Safari Lodges

This romantic Botswana safari starts at a riverside retreat bordering Chobe National Park. Enjoy sunset boat cruises on the Chobe River, sipping on cocktails while watching hippos and elephants relish the water. A short-haul flight whisks you south to the lush wetlands of the Okavango Delta where you’ll spend two nights at a luxurious and intimate Botswana safari lodge. Go on morning, afternoon and early evening spot-lit game drives and walks in the bush. Another short-haul flight will take you to the largest island in the Delta, Chief’s Island. Your secluded thatch-roofed bush pavilion looks out over the magnificent Moremi Game Reserve’s Piajio floodplain, thick with game – especially predators like lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs.

Luxurious bath and pool at Sanctuary Chief Camps, Botswana

Highlights:

  • Game drives in Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve
  • Sunset boat cruises on the Chobe River
  • Spa treatments in a unique ‘tree-top’ treatment room
  • Sleep in mobile beds under the Milky Way
  • Bathe by candlelight under the stars in a copper tub
  • Mokoro (traditional canoe) trips in the Delta
  • Rare rhino sightings at Chief’s Camp

Best Suited For:

  • First-time safari travellers
  • Couples
  • Honeymooners

2. Authentic Safari in the Kalahari, Moremi Game Reserve & Okavango Delta

Duration: 8 Days | Destinations: 3 | Accommodation: Tented Camps

Spanning Botswana’s two great biomes – desert and delta – this fly-in safari delivers an amazing diversity of wildlife, birds and natural landscapes. Opening with a flight straight into the heart of the Kalahari, the experience begins on the golden grasslands of the Makgadikgadi Pans and a tented camp set under thorn trees.

The desert adventure continues at the next accommodation, set on the Boteti River and enjoying a rare (for Botswana) elevated view. It’s an important area for wildlife all year round and the game viewing is excellent, but here you can also explore the river by boat and interact with traditional Kalahari communities. And then a complete contrast: a flight to the fringes of the world’s largest freshwater delta – the Okavango Delta – and an especially wildlife-rich pocket: the Khwai River. Permanent water, open grasslands and shady woodland combine to support a huge array of animals – this area is renowned for rare animal sightings.

Litte Sable, Okavango Delta

Highlights:

  • Classic ‘desert and delta’ mix – great biodiversity and landscapes
  • Heavyweight game viewing: elephants, buffalo, big cats, hippos and hyenas
  • Great chances to see rarities like leopard, wild dog, roan antelope
  • Comfortable en suite accommodation throughout
  • Family-friendly camps and activities – suitable for older children
  • Game drives, boat trips, quad-biking, guided walks and community visits
  • Secret Kalahari zebra migration (November to February)
  • Excellent bird watching all year round

Best Suited For:

  • Adventurous travellers
  • Family
  • Couples

3. Adventure to the Delta, Savuti & Chobe

Duration: 7 Days | Destinations: 3 | Accommodation: Safari Lodges, Tented Camp

Designed to deliver a top-heavy big game experience, this 7-day safari takes in three of Botswana’s premier game viewing destinations: the legendary Okavango Delta plus both the Savute and Chobe River regions of the Chobe National Park.

chobe-game-lodge

Highlights:

  • Enjoy premier wildlife destinations
  • Stay in excellent, ideally located safari lodges
  • Fly from lodge to lodge
  • Enjoy expertly-led game drives in open 4X4s
  • Search for predators in wild & remote areas
  • Marvel at Chobe’s huge elephant & buffalo populations
  • Go on a Chobe River sunset cruise

Best Suited For:

  • First-time safari travellers
  • Couples
  • Families

4. Family Botswana’s Khwai River & Linyanti Channel

Duration: 7 Days | Destinations: 2 | Accommodation: Luxury Tented Camps

Glide silently through the reeds on a mokoro (traditional canoe) while discovering the Delta’s smaller mammals and multifarious birds like saddle-billed storks, goliath herons, pygmy kingfishers, African skimmers, wattled cranes, slaty egrets and Pel’s fishing owl. Khwai Leadwood is the first accommodation on your journey and lies in a fig and leadwood forest on the Khwai River, featuring décor inspired by the era of Hemingway’s safaris. It’s then on to soak in the unrivalled remoteness and sense of space at Linyanti Ebony, delivering one of the best Botswana safari experiences for families and small groups looking for privacy and exclusivity. The Linyanti Channel is rich with predators like lion, leopard wild dog and hyena, and the area is a vital passage for elephant.

Highlights:

  • Authentic adventure in the wilderness
  • Mokoro safaris, night drives and walking safaris in the Delta
  • The wildlife-rich Linyanti Concession, an important elephant corridor
  • Fly-in to each destination

Best Suited For:

  • Families with children
  • Small groups

5. All-inclusive Safari in the Okavango Delta, Moremi & Savuti

Duration: 6 Days | Destinations: 2 | Accommodation: Safari Lodge & Tented Camps

Enjoy a classic Botswana safari itinerary on this short but intensive package. You get amazing game viewing in both the Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta.

Begin your Botswana adventure in one of Africa’s heavyweight reserves – the Chobe National Park. You’ll be at the very heart of this huge conservation area in the legendary, game-packed Savute area, heading out on twice daily game drives and spending your evenings at the old-school safari camp – Savute Under Canvas.

Then you’ll head into the Okavango Delta and to Sandibe Lodge, set in a private concession on the banks of a permanent channel and opposite the Moremi Game Reserve. Not only will you enjoy 4×4 game drives in the area but you can also discover the Okavango’s aquatic habitats by traditional canoe and motorboat.

Alfresco dining at Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, Botswana.

Highlights:

  • Combine 2 of Botswana’s premier safari destinations
  • Enjoy sensational game viewing throughout
  • Camp in style at Savute under Canvas
  • Search for Savute’s legendary predators
  • Enjoy up-close elephant sightings
  • Explore the Okavango Delta waters by canoe, 4X4 & boat
  • Tick off dozens of bird species each day
  • Go on guided walks & night drives at Sandibe

Best Suited For:

  • First-time safari travellers
  • Families
  • Groups

Ready to Plan Your Botswana Safari? 

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6. Mobile Camping Adventure in Chobe, Savuti & Okavango Delta

Duration: 7 Days | Destinations: 3 | Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camps

A week filled with fun and adventure! This luxury camping trip takes you through the Okavango Delta, Kalahari Desert and Chobe National Park: three authentic destinations that deliver some of the best Botswana safari tours. Instead of staying at safari lodges, you’ll stay in a succession of intimate tented camps and move to a new location every few days. Get much, much closer to the wilderness without giving up the most important creature comforts like flush toilets, hot showers and delicious food.

Sundowners at andBeyond Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Highlights:

  • Iconic and authentic safari destinations in northern Botswana
  • Boat cruises and mokoro rides
  • Walking safaris in the Nxabega Concession
  • Game drives

Best Suited For:

  • Intrepid travellers
  • Adventurous travellers
  • Couples
  • Small groups

7. Authentic Family Adventure in Khwai & Linyanti

Duration: 7 Days | Destinations: 2 | Accommodation: Luxury Tented Camps

Take your family on an adventure to some of the Okavango Delta’s most captivating locations on this superb fly-in safari. Kick off your Botswana safari vacation in the Khwai Concession, a birdwatcher’s paradise and rich with predators including wild dog. After three nights, a light aircraft will touch you down in the heart of a breath-taking aquatic habitat where fantastic game viewing and bird watching will steal the show. This is one of the best Botswana safari tours for wildlife enthusiasts.

A very intimate camp consisting of 4 luxury en-suite tents on the banks of the Linyanti River in Northern Botswana.

Highlights:

  • Fly-in to each destination
  • Game viewing in the predator-rich Khwai Concession
  • Riverside hide at Khwai Tented Camp, ideal for birdwatchers and photographers
  • Guided walks along the Khwai River
  • Bird sightings at Linyanti Ebony, especially of raptors
  • Mokoro rides
  • Helicopter flips over the Linyanti Channel

Best Suited For:

  • First-time safari travellers
  • Families with children over seven years
  • Wildlife enthusiasts
  • Birdwatchers

8. Canoe & Fly Camping Safari in Selinda

Duration: 4 Days | Destinations: 1 | Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camps

Step into the shoes of early explorers on this niche Botswana safari experience. This low-impact canoe safari will guide you through the meandering waterways of the mysterious Selinda Spillway. Spend four days gently paddling a total of about 40 kilometres or 25 miles, stopping every evening at a scenic riverbank location where the staff will set up a comfortable fly camp and prepare a feast over the fire.

Canoe along the Selinda Spillway, Botswana.

Highlights:

  • Explore the remote Selinda Spillway, far from any crowds
  • View wildlife from your canoe especially elephant herds and hippo pods
  • Guided walks
  • Comfortable tented camps in scenic riverbank locations
  • Campfire dinners

Best Suited For:

  • Intrepid travellers
  • Active and adventurous travellers
  • Small groups

9. Family Safari in the Okavango Delta

Duration: 4 Days | Destinations: 1 | Accommodation: Tented Camp

Spend your time searching for the Big 5 or simply relaxing at camp while your children explore the Delta’s beautiful landscape, learning about life in the bush or trying their hand at fishing and tracking. At the end of their fun-filled wilderness academy training, they will have an informal evaluation of what they’ve learnt and receive certificates and T-shirts to welcome them into the Young Explorers’ Club. One of the best Botswana safari experiences for families with children.

Experience pristine wilderness at Footsteps Across the Delta in Botswana.

Highlights:

  • Intimate tented camping experience
  • Mokoro rides along the Delta’s waterways
  • Bush walks with professional guides
  • Child-focused bush ‘academy’ with fishing, tracking animals, baking bread from scratch
  • Private chef and two dedicated guides

Best Suited For:

  • Adventurous travellers
  • Families
  • Small groups

10. Safari in Selinda and a Private Guided Makgadikgadi Experience

Duration: 10 Days | Destinations: 2 | Accommodation: Luxury Tented Camps

Journey to an authentic legacy camp in the otherworldly Makgadikgadi, one of the largest salt flats in the world and the only remnant of a prehistoric ‘super lake’ the size of Scotland. Meet your host and personal guide for the next few days (and Botswana safari legend), Ralph Bousfield. Ralph grew up in the Makgadikgadi and will share the secrets of the Kalahari with you on guided walks and quad bike (ATV) rides. Jack’s Camp can arrange an unforgettable night camping out on the pans under the Milky Way. Wrap up your Botswana safari at a luxurious tented camp in the private Selinda Reserve, surrounded by opulent décor and the abundant wildlife of the mesmerising Zibadianja Lagoon.

Highlights:

  • Explore the Makgadikgadi Pans with acclaimed guide, Ralph Bousfield
  • Quad-biking (ATV) expeditions
  • Two nights camping out on the pans under the Milky Way
  • Interactions with habituated meerkats
  • Game drives and guided walks in the private Selinda Reserve
  • Cruises on Zarafa’s pontoon boat
  • Stargazing with a Swarovski telescope
  • Use of Canon camera and lenses – your photos are downloaded to a storage device
  • Children’s programme for over eights

Best Suited For:

  • Couples
  • Families

More Botswana Safari Tours

Although we’ve mentioned a notable amount of our favourite trips above, there are still many fantastic Botswana safari tours available.

Click here to find your Botswana safari.

Ready to Start Planning Your Botswana Safari?

Chat with someone who’s been there. Get in touch with one of our Africa Safari Experts to help tailor-make a Botswana safari tour that’s right for you:

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