Sample Trip

Botswana Desert & Delta Safari: Boteti River, Central Kalahari & Okavango Delta

"Three Wildernesses, One Unforgettable Journey."

Budget level: High-End

Country

Botswana

When to Go

All Year

Duration

8 Nights

Safari Type

Lodge

Location

Central Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta

Kids Min Age

Safari Rating

adventure

wilderness

wildlife

comfort

photographic

guiding

This 8-night Botswana safari links three very different landscapes: the Boteti River, the Central Kalahari and the Okavango Delta. You start on the Boteti River, the western edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, where zebra and wildebeest gather in their thousands. Next come the open grasslands and fossil river valleys on the northern edge of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and you finish on the permanent channels of the Okavango Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve. We can tailor the itinerary to your travel dates, pace and interests. Get in touch and we’ll put together the right version of this journey for you. You can expect remarkable wildlife, small and personal camps, and a clear picture of how desert and water shape life in Botswana.

Itinerary in Brief

2 Nights Moela Safari Lodge, Boteti River, Makgadikgadi
3 Nights Dinaka Camp, Central Kalahari
3 Nights Monachira Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta

Botswana is often described as the land of the Okavango Delta. But the real story of this country is the meeting of water and desert. Most of Botswana lies under the sands of the Kalahari. The rivers and floodplains that cut through it sustain some of the richest wildlife areas in Africa, and this safari follows that story from start to finish.

The journey begins on the Boteti River, which forms the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. In the dry months the Boteti becomes the only reliable water for many kilometres. Zebra and wildebeest come down to the river in their thousands in one of southern Africa’s last great mammal migrations. Elephants follow them to drink, and lions are never far behind. Watching the valley fill with animals from the high riverbank is one of Botswana’s great safari experiences, and one that many travellers never hear about.

From there you head south into the Central Kalahari. Covering over 50,000 km², the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in the world. It is a landscape of fossil dunes, ancient river valleys and open grasslands, with very few visitors. The private reserves on its northern edge allow night drives, guided walks and off-road tracking. This is where you have your best chance of seeing the black-maned Kalahari lion, cheetah, brown hyena, gemsbok and springbok. At night the skies are some of the darkest and clearest on the continent.

The Kalahari is also the ancestral home of the San, and walking with San trackers is a highlight of any visit. They read the sand and the plants in a way that changes how you see the desert.

The final chapter takes you into the Okavango Delta, the great inland delta that spreads across the Kalahari sands. In the north-east of the Moremi Game Reserve, permanent channels mean water-based safaris are possible for much of the year. You can glide through lily-lined waterways by mokoro, explore remote channels by boat and walk on palm-fringed islands. Elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard move across the floodplains. This is also prime country for some of the Delta’s special species, including the sitatunga, the Pel’s fishing owl and the breeding colonies of the nearby Gudigwa heronries.

Together, these three areas give you a well-rounded view of Botswana. You go from river to desert to delta, with each stay giving a different perspective on the wildlife and the land.

Highlights

Watch thousands of zebra and wildebeest gather on the Boteti River in the dry season, one of southern Africa’s great migrations
See large herds of elephant come down to drink at the only permanent water in the area
Go on day and night drives on private reserves where off-road tracking and walking are allowed
Look for the black-maned Kalahari lion, cheetah, brown hyena and desert-adapted antelope such as gemsbok and springbok
Walk with San trackers and learn traditional desert skills and plant knowledge
Photograph wildlife at eye level from hides set at Kalahari waterholes
Spend a night under some of Africa’s darkest and clearest skies
Glide through the Okavango’s permanent channels by mokoro and explore remote waterways by boat
Go birding in Moremi, with the chance of Pel’s fishing owl, sitatunga and the nearby Gudigwa heronries
Travel in small vehicles with expert guides

Detailed Itinerary

Days 1–2: Moela Safari Lodge, Boteti River Days 3–5: Dinaka, Central Kalahari Days 6–8: Monachira Camp, Okavango Delta Day 9: Departure from Maun

Days 1–2: Moela Safari Lodge, Boteti River

Your Botswana safari begins in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari. After you land, you’ll take the afternoon shuttle to Moela Safari Lodge. The drive takes about two hours on good roads, heading south-east towards the Boteti River.

Moela sits high on the banks of the Boteti River Valley, inside the 770-hectare Ngande Private Reserve. The reserve borders the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and is close to Nxai Pan and the Central Kalahari. The lodge was built by craftspeople from the nearby Khumaga village community. Its design is environmentally conscious and draws on traditional Batswana architecture, with eight suites that look out over the valley.

The views are what this place is known for. In the dry season, roughly June to November, the Boteti is the only water for zebra and wildebeest, and they gather in the valley below in their thousands. You can often watch them from your own room. Because Moela is on a private reserve, you can also go on walks and night drives as well as game drives.

Moela Safari Lodge SafariFrank Botswana Zebra Migration2

Days 3–5: Dinaka, Central Kalahari

This morning you leave the Boteti and continue to Dinaka by light aircraft. Dinaka has its own airstrip, about a 15-minute drive from camp, and it is roughly 35 minutes by air from Maun.

Dinaka is a 40,000-hectare private reserve on the northern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The name means “horns”. Seven raised safari tents and one two-bedroom family tent are linked by wooden walkways and overlook a permanent waterhole. There is also a swimming pool, a lounge and dining area, and a fire pit. The whole camp is wheelchair accessible, which is rare in such a remote place.

Because it is a private reserve, Dinaka can offer things the national reserve does not allow. Morning, afternoon and night drives take a maximum of four guests per vehicle, and guides can go off-road to follow a sighting. Night drives give you a chance to see nocturnal animals such as brown hyena, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, honey badger and porcupine. You can also take guided nature walks with an armed guide, or join a cultural walk with the San to learn about tracking and traditional desert skills.

Photographers will love the underground and eye-level hides at the waterholes, where animals come down to drink just metres away. When conditions allow, you can spend a night on the raised sleep-out deck under the Kalahari stars.

dinaka male lion road

Days 6–8: Monachira Camp, Okavango Delta

After a final morning in the Kalahari, a light aircraft flies you north to the Okavango Delta. You land at Shinde airstrip, and the 20-minute drive to camp often doubles as a first game drive.

Monachira Camp opened in 2025 and sits on an island in the north-east of the Moremi Game Reserve. It is named after the permanent Monachira Channel that flows past it. Ten tents are raised on wooden decks above the floodplains: eight luxury tents and two family tents, each with an en-suite bathroom and a private deck. The camp also has a pool overlooking the floodplains, a fire pit and Wi-Fi in the tents.

Because the camp is on a permanent channel, the focus here is on the water. You can glide through the lily-lined channels by mokoro or explore remote waterways by motorboat. Water levels vary through the year, so the exact water activities depend on conditions. Guided walks on the islands let you explore on foot. Game drives use vehicles with a maximum of six guests and take you across Moremi’s floodplains in search of lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo.

Keen birders will be very happy here. The camp is close to the Gudigwa heronries, and you also have a chance of seeing the Pel’s fishing owl and the shy sitatunga antelope.

Botswana Monachira Camp (20)