Botswana · Safari

6-Day Botswana Safari to Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans

6 Days Round trip from Maun Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights
  • 01 Explore Makgadikgadi Pans National Park for game drives among lions, elephants, zebras, meerkats, and birdlife
  • 02 Travel by mokoro through the pristine channels of the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO Heritage Site
  • 03 Walk the delta islands with a local community guide for a close-up bush experience
  • 04 Relax under the milky starlight with astronomy and storytelling in the Okavango Delta

Enjoy the soul of Botswana on this 6-day safari through the Makgadikgadi salt pans and the mighty Okavango Delta. Explore the dry savanna landscapes of north-eastern Botswana, where game drives reveal lions, elephants, zebras, jackals, antelopes, meerkats, and many bird species. In the Okavango Delta, experience the fascinating beauty and abundant residents of this UNESCO Heritage Site with a mokoro ride, walking safaris, and time on a delta island under the stars.

Enjoy the soul of Botswana on this 6-day safari through the Makgadikgadi salt pans and the mighty Okavango Delta.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 6 Days
Tour type Shared
Activity level Easy
Accommodation Included · Budget
Transport Included
Cities Maun, Makgadikgadi Pan, Okavango Delta
Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1
Day 01

Arrival in Maun

  • Arrive at Maun International Airport, where you will be met by a Botswana safari guide holding a signboard.

  • Your guide will take you to your accommodation, where you will stay for 1 night on a bed-and-breakfast basis at your own expense. Lunch and dinner will also be at your own expense. You will arrive a day before the safari begins.

2
Day 02

Makgadikgadi Pans Game Drives

  • Drive 192 km in the morning in a safari game-viewer vehicle on a tarred road with a professional guide to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, which lies southeast of the Okavango Delta and is surrounded by the Kalahari Desert.

  • Relish a wonderful morning and afternoon game drive inside the Makgadikgadi Pans. As very few animals migrate in and out of the pan, you can expect to see lions, elephants, zebras, jackals, antelopes, meerkats, and many bird species. Your driver-guide will be in contact with other safari drivers and will amaze you with skill at locating hidden animals. Several observation towers enable you to view the park in its entirety. The Makgadikgadi Pans themselves are salty deserts whose only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae.

Overnight: Makgadikgadi Pans

3
Day 03

Morning Safari and Return to Maun

  • After an early morning game drive at Makgadikgadi Pans, return to Maun.

  • Reach Maun in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel or lodge you booked.

  • Stay overnight in Maun and relax, as the following day you will be heading to the mighty Okavango Delta.

4
Day 04

Into the Okavango Delta

  • Get picked up early in the morning from your lodge or hotel by your driver and leave for the mighty Okavango Delta, a UNESCO Heritage Site. In the delta, you will meet the local mokoro (dugout canoe) poler, who will serve as your guide. The activity will be conducted by the community guide, and the chef and camp assistants will be there with you.

  • Hop into a canoe or mokoro on your way to the camping grounds on the delta island, where you will have lunch and a siesta.

  • Go for a walking safari late in the afternoon, experiencing the art of safari while walking on the same ground as animals such as zebras, elephants, red lechwe, blue wildebeest, and different bird species like pied kingfisher, cormorants, and the African darter.

5
Day 05

Delta Walks, Mokoro Channels, and Stargazing

  • Go for an early morning walk for 2 hours after breakfast. On foot, you can enjoy a much more intense experience of the bush while exploring the Okavango Delta islands and the animals found in the delta.

  • Savour lunch served at the camp, followed by a siesta and relaxation.

  • After the siesta, jump into the canoe and experience the Okavango Delta channels, birds, and trees while enjoying the mokoro dugout in the delta.

  • Relish dinner while on your way back.

  • After dinner, relax under the milky starlight, learn more about astronomy, and enjoy storytelling.

6
Day 06

Departure from Maun

  • On the departure day, you will drive to Maun and then transfer to the airport to continue with your other travel arrangements.

Makgadikgadi Pans salt flats, Okavango Delta mokoro channels, Maun arrival gateway

Where this trip takes you

Makgadikgadi Pans salt flats, Okavango Delta mokoro channels, Maun arrival gateway

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map
Round trip from Maun 3 cities · 6 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

  • Transport in a 4x4 game-viewing vehicle

  • Professional chef

  • Botswana safari guide

  • Camp hand

  • Mokoro cruise

  • 2 game drives

  • Polers

  • Nature walk on the island

  • Park fees

  • Camping fees

  • Camping equipment (comfortable bedrolls, pillows, blankets)

  • All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

  • Car fridge

  • Fruits

  • Bottled mineral water and soft drinks

  • Tea and coffee

  • First aid kit

  • Beers, wines, and spirits

  • Airport transfers

  • Pick-up and drop-off from your place of accommodation

What's Not Included

  • Scenic flights over the Okavango Delta

  • Staff tips

  • Curios

  • Emergency evacuation

  • Insurance

Know before you go

  • The Makgadikgadi Pan is a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana and is one of the largest salt flats in the world. Very little wildlife exists here during the harsh dry season of strong hot winds and only salt water, but following a rainy season, the pan becomes an important habitat for migrating animals, including wildebeest, one of Africa's biggest zebra populations, flamingos, and the large predators that prey on them.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point
Maun, Botswana
Tour start
Maun, Botswana
Tour ends at the same location as the start point.
End of the journey

Your 6 days finish where they began, in Maun.

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Starting from

USD 2,736 /person
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Estimated room rates

Single Room $2,736.00 — $3,024.00
Double Sharing $2,736.00 — $3,024.00

When

Travellers

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