Accommodation
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Accommodation in the Okavango Delta falls across three broad categories – water, land and mixed camps – categorized by the activities they offer. We generally recommend combining water and land camps, or a mixed camp, for a comprehensive Okavango experience.
Water camps are usually set in the permanent delta and offer boating, mokoro excursions and walking. The focus is on the unique delta environment, its distinctive waterways, birds and aquatic creatures. These environments do not typically support big game or game drives and as such these are generally slower paced safaris. Example’s include Camp Okavango and Setari Camp.
Land based camps offer game drives and sometimes walking safaris, with a focus on the extraordinary game which is attracted to this oasis in the desert. The fertile floodplains and islands of the delta are home to some of the best game viewing in Africa with great concentrations of animals in the vicinity of camps such as Mombo Camp, Chief’s Camp and Chitabe Camp. While water often features in the beautiful landscapes around these camps, water activities are not offered as the conditions are not suitable for safe boating or mokoro trips.
Mixed camps provide both land and water activities. However it is important to note that many mixed camps cannot offer water activities year round, and will only be able to conduct water activities with the arrival of the annual flood. Moreover in drought years, when flood levels are low, water activities may not run all year. There are a selection of camps such as Shinde Camp, Kwara Camp and Kanana Camp which can guarantee water and land activities year round. All of this we take into account and detail for you when planning your safari itinerary.
Most accommodation in the Okavango delta is provided by well-known safari outfitters such as Wilderness Safaris, &Beyond and Desert and Delta. Accommodation and all travel arrangements are booked through an independent tour operator (such as Okavango Delta Explorations) who offer independent advice on all the various operators’ camps, tailoring itineraries to include any preferred camps and all the necessary logistics. Access to remote camps and lodges is primarily by light aircraft on a shared charter basis, or helicopter, although some of them can be reached by vehicle or boat.
Government policy, coupled with the geography of the Okavango Delta, has ensured that the Okavango Delta safari experience has remained exclusive. Most camps and lodges are sited on large concessions meaning that you might not see anyone from another camp during your stay. Even when camps and lodges share concessions activities are often restricted to their allocated area.
To reduce the impact on the environment all accommodation in the Okavango Delta are required to be non-permanent. Outfitters have however not allowed this requirement to detract from the quality of their properties with the Okavango Delta containing some of the most luxurious camps and lodges in Africa.
Many camps and lodges are still tented in the traditional style, with some like Footsteps Across the Delta still utilizing comfortable explorer style Meru tents, but in recent years radical modern wood and canvas designs, such as &Beyond’s Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, have become popular.
All accommodation in the Okavango Delta is graded by the Botswana Tourism Organization. This gives a rough understanding of the standard of the accommodation and provides a basis for comparison. It is however difficult to capture the essence of such unique properties on such a matrix- based standard and grading should form one variable when comparing accommodation.
Self-supported camping is possible in the Moremi Game Reserve and some of the surrounding concessions. It must be noted that arrangements should be made before you travel both to book your campsite and pay park entry fees.
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