10 Day Delta Pans And Chobe Safari

Destinations: Botswana, the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park

This 10-day Botswana trip runs through the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi and Chobe, linked so the travelling is done between the wildlife. The birding from the water is some of the best in Africa. The stargazing here is among the best on the continent. It gives you the delta’s wildlife with the freedom of a vehicle.

Day By Day

Day 1 Arrival At Okavango Delta

You fly in from Maun, you fly from Maun, the frontier town on the edge of the delta, and land near the Okavango Delta, where our guide meets you and the transfer to camp works as your first afternoon out in the park. Camps on private concessions allow off-road driving, night drives and guided walks the parks prohibit. The birding from the water is some of the best in Africa. The Okavango is a UNESCO World Heritage inland delta where a river fans out and vanishes into the Kalahari. You settle into camp as the light goes. The only sounds are the pole in the water and the birds.

You explore by mokoro a dugout canoe poled through the channels and lily-covered lagoons. Water levels decide the game, elephant, red lechwe, hippo and predators follow the flood. The guide reads the tracks and the birds, and there is no rush to be anywhere. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground.

Day 2 Mokoro And Game In Okavango Delta

A full day in the Okavango Delta. You are out by mokoro and on foot, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. The Okavango is a UNESCO World Heritage inland delta where a river fans out and vanishes into the Kalahari. You explore by mokoro a dugout canoe poled through the channels and lily-covered lagoons. Water levels decide the game, elephant, red lechwe, hippo and predators follow the flood. A guided walk on a palm island adds the ground-level view.

Camps on private concessions allow off-road driving, night drives and guided walks the parks prohibit. The birding from the water is some of the best in Africa. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set.

Day 3 Mokoro And Game In Okavango Delta

A full day in the Okavango Delta. You are out by mokoro and on foot, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. You explore by mokoro a dugout canoe poled through the channels and lily-covered lagoons. Water levels decide the game, elephant, red lechwe, hippo and predators follow the flood. Camps on private concessions allow off-road driving, night drives and guided walks the parks prohibit. The only sounds are the pole in the water and the birds.

The birding from the water is some of the best in Africa. The Okavango is a UNESCO World Heritage inland delta where a river fans out and vanishes into the Kalahari. Back at camp, dinner is served under a sky thick with stars. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up.

Day 4 Transfer To Makgadikgadi Pans

A short morning out by mokoro and on foot at first light in the Okavango Delta, then to the road for the move to the Makgadikgadi Pans. The country changes on the way, and you reach the Makgadikgadi Pans in the afternoon. You head out out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. Habituated meerkats and quad-bike runs onto the pans are the dry-season draws. Kubu Island’s baobabs stand on the old lakebed under huge night skies. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

The Makgadikgadi is a salt pan the size of Switzerland blinding white and flat to the horizon. In the green season a zebra migration, second only to the Serengeti’s, crosses the grasslands. The stargazing here is among the best on the continent. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up.

Day 5 Game Drives In Makgadikgadi Pans

A full day in the Makgadikgadi Pans. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Kubu Island’s baobabs stand on the old lakebed under huge night skies. The stargazing here is among the best on the continent. The Makgadikgadi is a salt pan the size of Switzerland blinding white and flat to the horizon. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle. In the green season a zebra migration, second only to the Serengeti’s, crosses the grasslands.

Habituated meerkats and quad-bike runs onto the pans are the dry-season draws. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Botswana safari: elephant wading in river past reed bank — Elephants at the reed line once the route reaches the Chobe.

Day 6 Transfer To Moremi

A short morning out on game drives at first light in the Makgadikgadi Pans, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Moremi Game Reserve. The country changes on the way, and you reach Moremi in the afternoon. You head out out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. It gives you the delta’s wildlife with the freedom of a vehicle. Moremi protects the eastern Okavango and was the first reserve in Africa created by a local community. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars. Lion, leopard, wild dog and both black and white rhino occur here.

The Khwai River area is known for big cats and elephant. It mixes delta channels with dry-land game viewing across mopane and floodplain. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Day 7 Game Drives In Moremi

A full day in Moremi Game Reserve. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Moremi protects the eastern Okavango and was the first reserve in Africa created by a local community. It mixes delta channels with dry-land game viewing across mopane and floodplain. Lion, leopard, wild dog and both black and white rhino occur here. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

The Khwai River area is known for big cats and elephant. It gives you the delta’s wildlife with the freedom of a vehicle. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest.

Day 8 Transfer To Chobe

A short morning out on game drives at first light in Moremi, then to the road for the move to Chobe National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach Chobe in the afternoon. You head out out on a boat safari and game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. A boat cruise on the Chobe River brings you eye-level with drinking elephant and surfacing hippo. Buffalo, sable and giraffe come down to the water through the dry season. You swap between boat and vehicle as the day allows.

The park runs from the river through Savuti’s predator country to the Linyanti marshes. Chobe’s riverfront holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa. Sedudu Gate sits minutes from Kasane, the only major Botswana area reachable without a flight. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest.

Day 9 Boat Safari In Chobe

A full day in Chobe National Park. You are out on a boat safari and game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Buffalo, sable and giraffe come down to the water through the dry season. Sedudu Gate sits minutes from Kasane, the only major Botswana area reachable without a flight. The park runs from the river through Savuti’s predator country to the Linyanti marshes. Sundown over the water, with hippo surfacing, closes the day.

Chobe’s riverfront holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa. A boat cruise on the Chobe River brings you eye-level with drinking elephant and surfacing hippo. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools.

Day 10 Departure

A final morning out on a boat safari and game drives before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then you drive back toward Maun. Sedudu Gate sits minutes from Kasane, the only major Botswana area reachable without a flight. The park runs from the river through Savuti’s predator country to the Linyanti marshes. This 10-day trip links the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi and Chobe, with the travelling done between the wildlife so your days stay on the ground that matters. Chobe’s riverfront holds one of the largest elephant populations in Africa.

A boat cruise on the Chobe River brings you eye-level with drinking elephant and surfacing hippo. Buffalo, sable and giraffe come down to the water through the dry season. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good.

Botswana safari: flooded floodplain under clear blue sky — The delta leg is timed for the flood, when the plains are under water.

What’s Included

All internal flights and road transfers on the route
Full-board accommodation on safari as shown
Game drives and the activities named in the day plan
Park entry fees for the days shown
Airport and airstrip transfers, drinking water in the vehicle

What’s Not Included

International flights and any visa
Travel insurance
Drinks, tips for guides and staff
Activities not listed and items of a personal nature

What Makes This Botswana Safari Worth Booking?

Botswana safari: lone plains zebra walking on bare ground — The pans leg is the opposite: bare ground, huge skies and the zebra herds.

This trip earns its place because the stops are nothing alike, and seeing them together makes each one land harder. Camps on private concessions allow off-road driving, night drives and guided walks the parks prohibit. The birding from the water is some of the best in Africa. The park runs from the river through Savuti’s predator country to the Linyanti marshes. Linking the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi and Chobe in one route means you cover more of Botswana than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 10 days you get range without the trip feeling rushed, the set-piece wildlife, the quieter corners, and the change of country from one stop to the next. For a traveller who wants variety over a single famous name, this is a strong, well-balanced way to see the region, and it works whether it is a first trip or a return.

How Much Can You See on a 10 Day Botswana Safari?

10 days across the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi Pans, Moremi and Chobe is a well-judged length, though it is a read of each stop rather than a deep stay. You get a full day or more at the main parks, enough to see the headline wildlife and still catch the quieter moments. It suits travellers who value breadth and do not mind moving every couple of days. What this length cannot do is exhaust any one park, the biggest of them could fill a week on their own, so the remote corners stay for another trip. If a single place is your priority, spend the nights there instead. And if you have longer, the route takes an easy add-on, whether that is more time with the wildlife or a stretch on the coast to finish. As it stands, this 10-day trip is balanced and full.

What Is Included in the Botswana Safari Cost?

What you pay turns mostly on the camps and the season. In Botswana, park and concession fees are higher here, and the camps are the main cost. As a rough guide, most trips of this length run from around USD 4,500 to 11,000 per person sharing, higher in the peak dry months and cheaper in the green season. Camp and lodge level is the big lever, from simple tented camps to the smarter river and bush camps, and a shared vehicle between four brings the per-person cost down. Tell an operator your dates, group size and the standard you want and it can be quoted to the figure.