Safari Planning
A guide to planning your safari to the Okavango Delta
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Protecting the heart of the Okavango Delta is the Moremi Game Reserve, controlled by the Department of Wildlife and National Park. Surrounding this is a network of private concessions. Both offer excellent but different safari experiences.
Concerned by the rise of hunting in the Okavango Delta, the Moremi Game Reserve was officially proclaimed by the BaTawana in 1963 and in 1979 the park was taken over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.  Today the Moremi Game reserve covers almost a third of the Okavango and includes several safari camps, most of which are found on Chief’s Island (the largest land mass in the Okavango Delta) and the Mopane Tongue – a large, dry forested peninsular fringed with waterways. This includes the beautiful Xakanaxa region where a number of good camps such as Camp Moremi, Camp Xakanaxa and Okuti Camp are based.
The Moremi Game Reserve is surrounded by an arrangement of private concessions, or reserves. Most of the camps in the Okavango are set on private concessions. These concessions are granted by lease from the local communities and are managed by safari outfitters with strict visitor number restrictions. Strict environmental standards form part of these leases, creating an pristine safari environment. Some concessions are managed by the community, such as Khwai, which borders the Moremi and offers the same excellent game viewing but with more flexibility. It is however busy.
Here are the major factors to consider when looking at staying on a private concession or in the Moremi Game Reserve:
Game Viewing– Excellent game viewing opportunities are offered both in the Moremi Game Reserve and on private concession- but not all the private concessions will offer consistently good game viewing which the Moremi generally does. Some private concessions do, some do not.
The Moremi Game Reserve was chosen for its beauty and prolific wildlife. It has provided a safe sanctuary for wildlife for generations, and this has resulted in consistently good game viewing year round. The animals are particularly relaxed around visitors here, as a result of nearly 60 years of  protection, allowing for excellent sightings and photo opportunities.
Activities– Activities in the Moremi Game Reserve and National Parks such as Chobe are restricted. Only game drives are permitted and these must always be on the designated tracks, no off-roading is permitted and no night-drives are allowed either. Limited walking is available and guides cannot use firearms.
Private concessions on the other hand offer a great deal more flexibility. Off-roading and night drives are permitted as well as walking safaris with armed guides. Specialist activities such as riding safaris, hot air ballooning and elephant interaction safaris are also offered within these concessions.
Exclusivity – By its very nature the Moremi and Chobe receive more visitors, both staying in permanent camps, on organised mobile safaris and self-drivers. (Chobe is much busier than the Moremi due to its proximity to Vic Falls.) These areas are busier and you can expect to see other 4×4 vehicles at sightings. Though Chief’s island is the exception. The camps in the Xakanaxaa area manage this well but you should still expect to see other vehicles during your stay.
The alternative is to stay on a private concession which is the more exclusive safari, some of the most exclusive in Africa. The number of people and vehicles which can be on each concession and allocated to each camp is strictly limited to protect the environment. (The high yield low impact model of tourism). This explains the high cost in the camp rates. Â Camps in the Okavango are generally smaller than elsewhere and have between 3-10 tents each. The camps are well spaced out on large concessions and it is unusual to see any other vehicles other than those from the same camp.
Style of Safari – For those adventurous souls who are looking to self-drive or join a mobile, the national parks are the only option. Only a handful of mobile outfits operate on private concessions most operate in the Moremi, community concession and national parks. This offers an authentic safari experience and plenty of adventure. The mobile operators have access to more exclusive sites than self-drivers and can offer a quieter camping experience on private secluded sites.
Perfect recommendation, smooth execution! They fully understood our needs and made perfect recommendations. This was by far the best safari I've ever been to, tailored to us and simply exceeding our expectations. Without their help and advice - we wouldn't be able to make this fantastic trip. Worth every penny
Ryszard Wojtkowski - September 2024
Excellent service so glad I found this company to book with! We had to book last minute as another holiday fell through and Louise took time to understand what we were looking for and the holiday exceeded expectations. Answered all my question in a timely way and I found Louise very easy to chat to. They even arranged some special moments as the trip celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary.
Julien Smith September 2024
Fantastic Service, Terrific Safari
Attentive, efficient, responsive and overall great service arranging my safari excursion in Botswana. The folks at Okavango Delta were extremely helpful and courteous, answered every question I had, and always kept an eye on personalizing the trip so I'd get exactly what I wanted out of it. They also smoothed any little bumps that inevitably arise when planning a trip of this scope, and thoroughly prepared me for making my safari a fabulous once-in-a-lifetime experience. Highly recommended.
Morty Bernstein August 2024
#1 Bucket list adventure of a lifetime
We had an absolutely lovely experience from beginning to end with Okavango Delta Explorations. The interaction with Maxine was exceptional. She was very responsive in such a lovely way to all our questions and put together THE MOST amazing trip for us. It will go down as one of our most treasured memories of a lifetime. We will be forever thankful.
Laurie Jeffries - June 2024
An absolutely superb trip, and this is entirely down to Okavango Delta Explorations.
Louise carefully listened to what we wanted to get from the trip, and despite my work schedule patiently kept me informed of all developments in our honeymoon and planned everything. I can't fault Louise or the company's approach to organising this trip. No question or request was too much and everything was planned perfectly. We will definitely be returning and using the company again.
Johnathan Manners -July 2019
Kudos to Okavango Delta Explorations
Anna guided us through the process of creating our itinerary and provided us with a flawless trip! Everything about our safari, from the selection of game lodges, transportation and transfer logistics, was handled professionally and smoothly. The Desert and Delta trip met all our expectations and we had a wonderful experience.
Nick Yiangou May 2024
Best Trip Ever
Our experience with Okavango Delta Explorations was outstanding. We worked closely with Louise FitzGerald through email and video conferencing over the course of several months to craft our Botswana safari and stays in Victoria Falls and Johannesburg. Louise was flexible and very helpful and listened to our needs and requirements. The safari was an unforgettable experience. The camps and lodges that Louise chose were terrific accommodations that aligned with our budget. The safari guides at all locations were amazing - they educated us, kept us safe, and shared these incredible habitats with us - and the staff’s hospitality at each camp was warm and welcoming. We were quite well fed and cared for. All of the transfers and logistics went off flawlessly - which is impressive given how much you move around during the course of several weeks including multiple flights and border crossings. An app is provided that contains everything about your trip, including local weather reports, which was a great and handy resource to have. Our accommodations in Vic Falls and Johannesburg were also lovely.
We found that planning a safari for the first time is daunting, but knew that we didn’t want to sign on to a ready-made group tour with the big-name operators. Using this company gave us the flexibility we wanted with all the infrastructure perfectly in place. We are inspired to go again on safari and if we do, we would use Okavango Delta Explorations again to manage our next adventure. HIGHLY recommend!
Joanne Lustig June 2024
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