Botswana safaris are built around fly-in camps and small vehicle numbers, which is why they cost what they do and why they are worth it. These are the ways we put a Botswana trip together.
Ways to travel it
Delta and Chobe
The classic combination — water-based safari in the Okavango, then elephants on the Chobe river.
- Typically 8–12 days
- Light-aircraft transfers
- Two or three camps
- Peak: Jun–Oct
Botswana and Victoria Falls
Chobe sits close to the Falls, which makes the pair an easy and popular combination.
- Add 2–3 days
- Zambia or Zimbabwe side
- Easy border crossing
- Good trip finisher
Green season Kalahari
December to March brings rain, newborn wildlife and dramatically lower rates.
- Best value season
- Zebra migration
- Fewer vehicles
- Some camps close
Botswana and South Africa
Cape Town and the Winelands before or after the safari, with one long flight rather than two.
- Typically 14–18 days
- Cape Town to finish
- Easier for first-timers
- Wine country included
Malaria prophylaxis is generally recommended for the Delta and Chobe. Talk to a travel doctor six to eight weeks before you fly, and check yellow fever requirements if you are routing through other African countries.
How we plan a Botswana safari
Start a year out for peak. Camps hold eight or ten tents. June to October genuinely sells out twelve months ahead, and fixed dates leave no room to improvise.
Two or three camps, three nights each. Light-aircraft transfers cost half a day at each end. Fewer, longer stays give you more game viewing and less packing.
Contrast the ecosystems. Water-based Delta, then Chobe's elephants on the river, or the Kalahari's salt pans for something entirely different. One camp does not show you Botswana.
Add Victoria Falls. Chobe sits close to the Falls, which makes the pair straightforward and gives the trip a natural finish.
Where this leads
Blog attracts, things to do informs, tours convert — in that order.