10 reasons to visit the Okavango Delta

The Delta is as complex as it is beautiful. Surrounded by desert, it’s completely sustained by seasonal rains that nourish a staggering range of plant and animal life. Seasonal flooding swells and replenishes this verdant oasis, attracting huge numbers of iconic wildlife that move between fertile plains, marshlands, and huddles of shaded islands. When the floodwater recedes, the Delta shrinks, concentrating animal numbers and making for some of the very best game viewing in the world.

Some 450 species of wetland birds have been recorded in the Delta, making it a hotspot for ornithologists and birdwatchers. It’s easy to view most of these birds from the water, too, from the serene comfort of a mokoro—a traditional canoe-like boat. Despite the diversity of species here, overall bird numbers in the Delta seem to fluctuate, which is what led the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project to survey the river systems that feed it. NGOWP discovered threats to this system, including uncontrolled fire, commercial agriculture, and water diversion, which could impact bird numbers in the Delta. Since then, National Geographic has been joined by De Beers through the Okavango Eternal Partnership, supporting its mission to help protect the source waters and rivers that supply the Delta and the people and wildlife that rely on it.

Big cats prowl the Delta’s open plains, along with many of Africa’s other remarkable mammals. A local guide will be able to get you closer to predators like lions, leopards, and wild dogs. Viewing lions involves walking single file as your guide spots and follows fresh paw prints—which often eventually lead to lions resting in the shade. It’s there, standing down wind, crouched in silence, that your viewing pleasure reaches its peak. Because these animals often roam the entire region, Okavango Eternal is working to create protected wildlife corridors along the rivers that feed the Delta so that they can roam safely and freely.

Typically, elephants are a full-day spotting experience. You’ll need to hop between islands scattered through the water until they make their presence known. Your local guide will be an expert in animal behavior without them, you could venture too close and trigger a mock charge—trumpeting, ear flapping, stomping up dust. To stay safe, follow your guide’s instruction―and lead: stay low, keep a distance, and enjoy these gentle giants in a way that respects their space. Sadly, elephants outside of the Delta often come into conflict with humans.  Okavango Eternal is helping to reinforce the importance of elephants in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, as well as helping to develop “elephant safe” security measures like chili-pepper-laced fences around crops and villages.

In addition to the excitement of seeing incredible wildlife, there’s nothing quite like the serenity offered by the quiet isolation at the heart of the Okavango Delta. A low-impact tourism model means that footfall through the Delta is carefully managed, making for a unique, highly tailored trip. No crowds, no tourist traps―just some of the most tranquil safari experiences you could ever imagine. There’s also a range of ways you can experience this wild land, from tented camps all the way to 5-star lodges with terraces, plunge pools, and views of some of the most vibrant flora and fauna in the world.

The people of Botswana offer the warmest welcome and will happily offer you insight into the many unique cultures around the Delta. These local communities are descended from early San settlers, and many ancient cultures, such as the BaYei, still employ supreme hunter-gatherer skills to track animals and find useful plants, adding depth to the bush experience. Yet there are still many tourism opportunities that communities in the region could benefit from. Because of this, the best prospects, for younger people especially, have been to move to more urban areas for work, leaving fewer of the next generation to steward their communities.

The Delta is so expansive, you’ll most likely need to fly from the local town of Maun to one of the many safari camps that freckle the region. It’s an adventure you’ll be glad to have embarked on, as flying offers breathtaking aerial views of everything you’ll get to see when back on terra firma. As part of the work to better integrate communities into the tourism industry and its numerous benefits, many of these small bush planes are often flown by skilled local pilots able to deftly land on the simple airstrips that grant access to your camp. Thanks to investment in technical and educational development by the Botswana government, more bright, ambitious minds from local communities are learning this valuable skill.

Very few places in the world offer boat-based safaris, and no wild experience quite matches navigating the Delta’s labyrinth network of waterways in a mokoro—a traditional, long canoe used by local people here for centuries. An expert guide can traverse you, though, to any part of this landscape, allowing for views and observations that only those who have grown up in the Delta have the knowledge―and the skill―to find. Okavango Eternal is currently working to help integrate more Delta communities into the tourism industry here so they can benefit more from its income. One way this has been accomplished is the Ngashi Classic—a mokoro racing event named after the pole used to propel the boats—which hosts local polers in a competition allowing participants to champion their skills and network with others in the region.

Herd animals like water buffalo are a sight to behold, whether just standing together as a collective or causing the Earth to shudder as they thunder across it. In this case, spotting a lone animal isn’t actually an opportunity to get in closer, as “dagger boys” (as they’re known locally) are older male buffalo that have been forced out of their herds. They can be aggressive if approached, but your guide will likely be able to get you a good look from a safe distance.

Although few experiences rival a mokoro safari, walking trails offer a great alternative for those who would rather stick to dry land. These take you into the drier reaches without the need for a vehicle, and add the thrill of truly being out in the wild. Slower and arguably more immersive, over a couple of days your guide will track plains-dwelling animals across the wide, waterless spaces where you might spot a predator like a cheetah, the world’s fastest mammal on land. To book a tailored experience, most safari companies will give you the details of a local guide who you can contact before your trip and discuss exactly what you’d like to see.

Explore Okavango Eternal here.