Okavango Delta · Chobe · Kalahari · Makgadikgadi
The Okavango Delta, Chobe's elephants and the Kalahari pans, planned from the Gold Coast and priced in US dollars.
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The Okavango Delta · 130,000 elephants · Low-volume, high-yield tourism
Botswana built its safari industry around a quiet bet: lower volumes, higher rates, more conservation funding. The result is one of the quietest ways to see wildlife in Southern Africa, a country where you can sit at a sunset waterhole for an hour and not see another car. The Okavango Delta is the headline, a UNESCO-listed inland water system that swells to around 15,000 square kilometers at full flood. Botswana holds the largest elephant population of any country, roughly 130,000, and Chobe gathers tens of thousands of them along a single river in the dry season. The Kalahari and Makgadikgadi pans are the opposite extreme: vast, ancient lakebeds where meerkats stand sentry and the night sky is unbroken.
Okavango DeltaChobe elephantsMokoro safarisMakgadikgadi pansVictoria Falls next doorWho you're dealing with
We're an Australian company on the Gold Coast. We design the whole trip, book it, and look after you from first call to flight home, on one contract and one invoice from Kingse Safaris Pty Ltd (ABN 37 698 821 886). Your drives, mokoro trips and walks are led by each camp's own guides, who know their patch better than anyone.
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In a guest's words
The safety and security we felt with Kingse Safaris … is incomparable.
Botswana, Region by Region
Scroll, and the map follows you from Maun into the Delta and on.
The gateway · Where you land
Maun is the gateway to the Okavango, reached by scheduled flight from Johannesburg. Most Delta camps are fly-in, so from here it's a light aircraft to the camp airstrip, and the Delta is best understood from above, where the patterns of water and land make sense. If the timings need it, Maun is your arrival buffer night.
Best monthsAll yearFrom JohannesburgScheduled flights, the gateway to the Delta
How you get here
Water world · The headline
A river that never reaches the sea. Each year the Angolan rains push water 1,200 kilometers south to fan out across up to 15,000 square kilometers of channels, lagoons, papyrus and palm islands. The classic experience is the mokoro, poled silently through the reeds past hippo pods and lechwe, with game drives on the larger islands for lion, leopard and wild dog. Moremi and the private concessions around it, Khwai, Vumbura, Mombo and Duba, hold the elite tier of Delta wildlife.
Best monthsMay to October, with the flood at its peak in July and AugustFrom MaunLight aircraft to the camp airstrip
When the Delta floods
Riverfront · The north
Botswana has the largest elephant population of any country, around 130,000, and Chobe is where you see them best. In the dry season they gather along the river in herds that can hit several hundred. Three sectors: the Serondela riverfront, the elephant capital and the easy entry from Kasane or Victoria Falls; Savuti, the predator sector; and Linyanti up north, for wild dog, walking safaris and night drives in private concessions.
Best monthsMay to October, when the herds are at their biggestFrom the DeltaLight aircraft to Kasane or the Linyanti airstrips
Our Chobe page
The pans · The contrast trip
The Kalahari covers most of Botswana, and at its eastern edge sits Makgadikgadi, one of the largest networks of salt pans on earth, the ghost of a lake that dried out 10,000 years ago. The horizon is a perfect flat line in every direction. Habituated meerkat colonies, quad bikes across the pan and a star-bed sleep-out are the Makgadikgadi signatures, and the Central Kalahari delivers black-maned lions, cheetah and brown hyena. Two nights is the minimum to make the journey worth it.
Best monthsThe green season, November to April, when the pans fillFrom Maun or the DeltaLight aircraft to the pans
Our best time to visit Botswana guideMap tiles: Esri, National Geographic. Locations are indicative.
How to Experience It
Game drives at first and last light shape most days. Around them, these are the experiences we add, depending on where you stay.
Traditional dugout canoes, poled silently through the channels by a local poler who reads the water. They need water in the channels, so the best months are roughly June to October. In a low-flood year some inner-Delta camps have limited water, so we match each camp to the expected levels for your dates.
Open 4x4 drives on the islands and across the private concessions, for lion, leopard, wild dog and the full Kalahari cast. Concessions limit vehicle numbers, so sightings are often yours alone.
Afternoon boat cruises along the Chobe River put you close to elephant herds, hippo, crocodile, buffalo and a dozen species of waterbird at once, with the light turning gold on the water.
The Delta is best understood from above, where the patterns of water and land make sense. Light-aircraft and helicopter flights between camps are part of the experience, and we build the transfers into your itinerary.
In the Makgadikgadi, habituated meerkat colonies, quad-bike rides across the pans and star-bed sleep-outs at camps such as Jack's Camp make the Kalahari the contrast leg of a trip.
In a guest's words
I can honestly say this was the best trip I’ve ever been on.
How a Botswana Trip Comes Together
Three or four nights in the Delta and two or three at Chobe is the classic shape. Botswana works as a stand-alone trip or as the wild-bush layer in a Southern Africa loop. We don't sell fixed packages. Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so these are starting points.
5 nights
Vic Falls + Chobe
Three nights at Victoria Falls and two at a Chobe river camp, an easy road transfer apart. The compressed Southern Africa introduction, designed to bolt on to a Cape Town or Tanzania trip.
Chobe, 2 nights, from our 2027 quotes$1,450 to $2,150Per person, all-inclusive river camp. Victoria Falls adds $990 to $1,450 for three or four nights. Flights extra
Day 1 · Land at Victoria FallsDay 6 · Fly home from Kasane
7 nights
Okavango + Chobe
Three nights deep in the Okavango (mokoro, game drives, scenic flights), three at Chobe, and one Maun arrival buffer. The Botswana-only essential.
PricingQuoted to your datesThe Delta camps vary a lot by camp and month, so we price them to order
Day 1 · Land at MaunDay 8 · Fly home from Kasane
10 nights · Sweet spot
Delta + Chobe + Vic Falls
Four Delta nights, three at Chobe and three at Victoria Falls, with Johannesburg as the hub. Wildlife, water and the falls in one trip.
PricingQuoted to your datesThe Delta camps vary a lot by camp and month, so we price them to order
Day 1 · Fly Johannesburg to Maun and on to campDay 11 · Fly home from Victoria Falls
12 to 14 nights
+ Cape Town · Kruger area
A tested loop: Cape Town, a Kruger-side reserve, then north into Chobe and across to Victoria Falls. About three nights each, the full Southern Africa story.
PricingQuoted to your datesFour countries, so every leg is priced to your dates
Day 1 · Land at Cape TownDay 13 · Fly home from Victoria Falls
The Chobe and Victoria Falls figures come from our 2027 quotes, for two adults traveling privately, with international flights extra. The Okavango and Khwai camps vary a lot by camp and month, and premium Delta camps such as Mombo, Vumbura and Jao run well above them, so we price those to your dates. No list prices. See our guide to what an African safari costs and real trips with the real prices. Nights shift with the season, the flood and the camps you choose, so treat these routes as typical shapes rather than fixed packages.
See Our Set Safaris by BudgetWhere You Could Stay
The 10 camps and lodges we recommend across Botswana, grouped by area. The final selection flexes around your dates, group size, the season and availability. More on our Stays page.
Water and big cats. Fly-in camps on Chief's Island and the northern and western Delta, where land and water activities sit on the doorstep.
Northern Delta
Combining land and water on a vast northern concession
Western Delta
Water-based safari and design-led luxury in the western delta
Moremi, Chief's Island
Big-game viewing on Chief's Island with a refined lodge feel
Northern Delta
Couples and small families wanting a genuine fly-in Delta camp with water and land activities and standout service, without marquee Delta pricing.
5 lodges
Rivers and elephants. The Khwai community concession on the edge of Moremi, and the Linyanti swamps to the north with wild dog, walking and night drives.
Khwai
Couples and small groups wanting an intimate, owner-run Khwai camp with strong guiding
3 lodges
Pans and the river. A palm island on the edge of the Makgadikgadi, and a riverfront base at Kasane for Chobe and Victoria Falls.
2 lodges
10 camps and lodges across three areas, with the same comfort levels as our Stays page. Camp names open each camp's own website.
Plan Your Visit
The big shift here is the annual flood. The dry season, May to October, brings the water and the wildlife together. The green season is rains, calving and the lowest prices of the year. Our best time to visit Botswana guide goes month by month.
What's happening
Green season
The wettest, lushest weeks, with the calving peak across the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi and migrant birds everywhere.
Flood season
Flood arrives · Wildlife concentrated · Cool, dry days
The Angolan rains reach the Okavango from May, peaking the Delta's water levels in July and August. As the surrounding bush dries out, wildlife converges on the permanent water. The Delta's mokoro channels reach their fullest, and predators stack up around the few water sources in Moremi. Nights in June and July are cold on open vehicles and boats.
Best for mokoro and boat safaris
Late dry season
Peak game viewing · Hot days · Big herds
The end of the dry season is the peak for game viewing. The bush is at its driest, Chobe's elephant herds build to their biggest along the river, and the animals gather at the water. October is the hottest month before the rains.
Best for the elephant herds and big-game sightings
Green season
Rains build · Calving · Birding · Lowest rates
Rains begin late November and peak in January and February. The bush turns lush, the skies turn dramatic and migrant birds arrive. Game viewing is harder because animals disperse, but predator action peaks during impala lambing in mid-November and zebra calving across the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Prices drop, many Delta camps run shoulder rates in November and April, and a few remote camps close for the wettest weeks. The Delta flood has receded, so water activities can be limited.
Best for the pans, birding and value
From the US
From the US you fly non-stop to Johannesburg, with Delta Air Lines from Atlanta or United from Newark, and from there scheduled flights run to Maun for the Delta and to Kasane for Chobe.
Step one
Delta Air Lines flies non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg, and United from Newark. From other US cities you connect once or twice, and Nairobi and Addis Ababa also connect through to the region.
Step two
The hub for the whole region. Scheduled flights run from OR Tambo to Maun, Kasane and Victoria Falls.
Step three
Maun is the gateway to the Delta, Kasane the airport for Chobe. We meet you at the door, or your camp's light aircraft does.
Victoria Falls is under two hours by air from JohannesburgFirst night
Most Delta camps are fly-in, on small aircraft between Maun and the camp airstrips, and we build those transfers into your itinerary. If the timings need it, your first night is an arrival buffer in Maun. Chobe is simpler: an easy road transfer from Victoria Falls or a short flight into Kasane.
UTC+2 all year · 6 to 10 hours ahead of the US| Via | Airline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | Delta Air Lines or United, non-stop | Roughly 15 to 16 hours from Atlanta (Delta Air Lines) or Newark (United), then on to Maun or Kasane. |
| Other US cities | One- or two-stop options | From other US cities, connecting on to Johannesburg. |
| Nairobi or Addis Ababa | Kenya Airways or Ethiopian | Also connect through to the region. |
| Maun and Kasane | Scheduled flights from Johannesburg | Then light aircraft to the Delta camps, built into your itinerary. |
We lock the lodges, then the flights. Botswana runs on a low-volume model, so the best Delta camps book out first in the dry season, and we match each camp to the expected water levels for your dates. Once your deposit is in, we place your camps, light aircraft and transfers together, and that's the time to take out your travel insurance.
Delta Air Lines flies non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg and United from Newark, and from there scheduled flights run to Maun, Kasane and Victoria Falls. From other US cities you connect once or twice, and Nairobi and Addis Ababa also connect through to the region. Schedules change, so we check them when we build your trip, and we price your flights when you're ready to book because fares move.
Botswana runs on UTC+2 all year, with no daylight saving. That's seven hours ahead of US Eastern time in winter and six in summer, and ten hours ahead of Pacific time in winter and nine in summer. A restful first night before the safari starts helps.
The Practical Bits
The short version of what to sort before you fly. For visas and anything medical we point you to the official sources, starting with the State Department.
US citizens can visit Botswana for up to 90 days without a visa. The rules change, so start with the State Department's Botswana page for the passport rules, and check any extra documents if you're traveling with children under 18. Malaria and yellow fever are medical questions, so see a travel doctor before you book. Malaria is present in the north, which includes the Okavango Delta and Chobe. On yellow fever, we generally tell people the vaccine is worth having, as one shot lasts a lifetime, but your doctor always has the last say.
Petty crime is common in towns and violent crime, including muggings and thefts from vehicles, can occur, so we arrange transfers. On safari the main risks are wildlife and water: follow park rules and your guide's advice, and don't swim in rivers and lakes. Check the latest on the State Department's Botswana page before you book.
Delta camps are linked by small aircraft with tight baggage allowances. Soft bags suit best, and around 15 kg (about 33 lb) is the usual guide. We'll tell you what applies to your camps before you pack.
Minimum ages are set camp by camp. Some Delta camps welcome children from around six, others set higher limits, and walking and mokoro activities often have higher ages. Chobe's riverfront lodges are generally easier for younger children. Botswana has extra immigration rules for under-18s, so check the State Department's page. Our family safari guide covers ages by activity.
Layers, because dry-season mornings and nights are cold on open vehicles and boats, plus neutral clothes, a hat, sunscreen, binoculars and a light rain shell for the green season. Our packing list has the rest.
Botswana is low-volume and high-yield, so there's no real budget tier. Two nights at an all-inclusive Chobe river camp came to $1,450 to $2,150 per person in four of our 2027 quotes. We price the Delta to your dates. See what an African safari costs, real trips and how booking works.
Go Further
Botswana pairs naturally with its neighbors. These are the three combinations we get asked about most.
The natural two-part trip
Chobe is an easy road transfer from Victoria Falls, so the river and the falls make a natural pair: three nights at the Falls, two or three at Chobe and a few nights deep in the Delta.
The elephant capital
Many travelers reach Chobe on a day trip from Victoria Falls, about 90 minutes by road. The longer answer is two or three nights inside the park, with room for a Savuti or Linyanti add-on.
The loop we like
Cape Town, a Kruger-side reserve, then north into Chobe and across to Victoria Falls, about three nights each. Johannesburg connects it all by scheduled flight.
The Practical Questions
The questions travelers ask us most about a Botswana safari, grouped by topic.
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Go Deeper
Guides that help you decide before you commit. Real numbers, no fluff.
From the Journal
Straight numbers help you decide before you commit. See what an African safari costs, real trips with the real prices and how booking works.
Keep Exploring
The same way of traveling, in other corners of Africa.
Start Planning
From a Chobe river cruise to a week deep in the Delta. Tell us your dates and what you'd like to see, and we design the rest, with real prices in US dollars.
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“Could not have imagined how it could have been better planned and delivered.”
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Bookings & Client Care
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