Slow boat down the Mekong
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Okavango Delta Water Safari · Botswana
Drift past elephants in a dugout canoe
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Drift past elephants in a dugout canoe
Okavango Delta Water Safari · Botswana
Safari Water Awe
Ready to make it real?
Book it yourself on the next step, or let a GoSmart specialist plan it with you.
Find things to do in Botswana Talk to a specialistWhy you’ll love it
Safari, but on the water. Mokoro glides, elephants wading, reeds whispering. A GoSmart specialist tailors the route, the stays, and the pace to you.
Why it works
Your poler pushes the dugout mokoro through the reeds in near silence, a fish eagle crying overhead, and around the bend a herd of elephants stands knee-deep in the shallows. The Okavango is a river that never reaches the sea, and gliding through it is a safari unlike any other.
Worth knowing
The delta floods on a delay: the water peaks around June to August, filling the channels and making the mokoro and boat safaris shine, even though it is the dry winter. That is prime time, cooler and busiest, so book the camps far ahead.
This is fly-in, small-camp safari country, remote and pricey, reached by light aircraft over the water. A mix of mokoro, boat, and game drives sees the most, so pick a camp positioned for water rather than only vehicles.
It is a big-game wilderness, elephant, lion, leopard, hippo, and wild dog, with no fences, so listen to your guides. Nights are cold in the flood season, so pack a warm layer for the dawn drives even though the days are warm.