One of the highlights of our holiday was the three nights we spent camping in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Brian had been there 30 years ago and had good memories, so I am glad he wanted to return! It truly is a special place, a UNESCO world Heritage site, and a great place to spot wild animals.
Getting to the Okavango Delta
We flew from Port Elizabeth, South Africa to Maun, Botswana, a good base for beginning the trip to the Okavango camps. Botswana is an interesting country, land locked but full of adventure and a truly unique travel destination.
Accomodation Options in the Okavango
Many of the accommodation options in the Okavango were really upscale, and kind of unnecessary for us. We do not need hot tubs and gourmet meals when we’re in the middle of a beautiful natural landscape. Our purpose in visiting this unique region, where the Okavango River flows into the Kalahari Desert, was to see wildlife and enjoy the natural beauty. We opted not for a 5 star lodge with air conditioning and hot tubs, but for a camping trip and it was great!
It’s summer in Botswana, and in summer it gets up to – and over – 40 degrees C during the day. It was hot! Fortunately, at night, it goes down to the low 20s so we had very comfortable sleeps.
Getting to the campsite
We were taken to our camp in a mokoro, which is the dugout canoe like boat used in the region. The mokoro is poled through the rivers and reeds of the Okavango, and it’s a pretty smooth ride.
The ride to our camp was 90 minutes, and when we got there with our guide M.D., our other 5 guides plus a chef, had already set up the camp.
Staying in the Camp
We had our own tent with surprisingly comfy bedrolls, a campfire, a table for all our meals, a toilet shed, a shower, and a couple of hammocks. There were also a few more tents for the local guides who looked after us for the 3 days and nights we spent in the Delta.
Schedule in the Okavango Delta
Our schedule went like this:
- 5am wakeup – this was surprisingly easy when you see what we do all day 🙂
- 5:30am breakfast
- 6-10am game walk. Each walk was to a different place and we saw a lot of birds and animals each day. Rhinos, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, hippos, pelicans, the list goes on… By 10am, the sun is high and the heat is already beginning, which is why we finish and head back to camp
- 10a-5:30pm lunch and free time. We downloaded photos, looked at bird and wildlife books, read our ipads, and rested in the shade. Getting in the tent was usually too hot, but the hammocks were nice. We were very glad we had books on our ipads, because we each read a lot. I finished all my books by the end of the 3rd day
- 5:30-7:30pm game walk or mokoro ride
- 7:30pm Dinner. Dinner included a bottle or red and white wine and dessert. Our meals were very good!
- Chat around the fire, walk to the river to look at the stars, which were incredible. We saw so many stars at night
- Early to bed!
We had an amazing time camping in the Okavango Delta. The guides and the cook, Patrick, took such good care of us and we loved it.
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