This Safari Company Has 9 All-inclusive Camps That Let You See the Best of Botswana by Foot, Boat, and Jeep

It was day four of our trip to Botswana with Desert & Delta, and my fiancé and I were on our first safari by mokoro, a traditional dug-out canoe. Gliding quietly through the Okavango Delta in our sunken seats, it felt like we were the only people on the planet — until we turned the bend and caught a glimpse of our next surprise through the reeds. 

The staff of Camp Okavango, already fast friends of ours, stood ankle-deep in the river, grinning and waving their arms in the air, excited to show us the full bar they’d set up for sundowners, right in the middle of the water. As the sun started to set and they handed us our gin and tonics, an elephant appeared, perfectly on cue.

Most evenings, our guide, Isak, took a “wrong turn” that ended with a cheeky smile and stunning cocktail setup in an impossibly remote spot, yet somehow we found ourselves truly surprised each time. Add in the serendipitous cooperation of the local wildlife, and you have a recipe for pure magic that couldn’t be replicated in the world’s best bars. 

That element of surprise kept us on a natural high all week long — with credit due to the human and non-human animals in almost equal measure. On day one, we laughed when Isak told us his favorite safari animal was the human. By the end, while I was personally still torn between lions and elephants, humans had moved far up my list. 

At Camp Okavango, we crossed the path of a lion while touring the bush on foot, got an overview of Nxaragha Island from a doorless helicopter, and went fishing downstream from a herd of hippos. At Camp Moremi, we started our mornings with families of monkeys, caught a majestic elephant water crossing, and watched the circle of life unfold as lions and lionesses took turns ravaging their prey. At Chobe Game Lodge, we marveled at spirited elephant calves splashing around while their elders protected them from crocs, and excitedly tracked little roars to find lion cubs playing at dusk. Leading each experience was a guide with encyclopedia-like knowledge that wowed us and enthusiasm that fueled our childlike wonder.

A 40-year-old company with nine camps and lodges that touch Botswana’s Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Savuti Channel, and more, Desert & Delta offers safaris by jeep, foot, and boat. Guests have the chance to mix and match camps to form their dream Botswana itinerary, or they can choose from curated all-inclusive packages. With more than 40 percent of its land dedicated to conservation, it’s difficult to beat Botswana as a safari destination — it’s home to eight game reserves, four national parks, and the largest African elephant population in the world. And there may be no better way to see the best of the country on one trip than going with Desert & Delta.

Camp Moremi

Within minutes of our bush plane landing near Camp Moremi, we encountered a new type of traffic as a journey of giraffes crossed in front of us, swiftly reminding us we weren’t in Los Angeles anymore. The camp’s location inside Moremi Game Reserve means the safari starts before you even check in. We arrived on property — a few hours late after begging to continue the game drive — and found 12 thatched tents, rebuilt in 2018 with canopied beds, private decks, and rain showers made of stone and wood. Cozy common areas included a bush-side fire pit deck, a pool, a library lounge, and a bar built around an ebony tree. We had many group meals at the long, wooden tables in the thatch-roofed dining room, and one romantic, private candlelit dinner on the deck. 

On our November trip, morning and afternoon game drives through Moremi Game Reserve were where we found the majority of our animal sightings in Botswana, including lions, zebra, hippos, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, and more. It’s also possible to see leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs. Steps from camp, we hopped on a motorized boat and explored the channels of the Xakanaxa Lagoon, where we spotted birds of all colors and sizes, an elephant taking a swim, and an unforgettable red sunset. 

Camp Okavango

Located on a remote island in the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Camp Okavango feels like a secret hideaway. It holds 12 suites connected by a wooden boardwalk and surrounded by lush vegetation. Views of the surrounding wilderness from the dining room and pool deck below are completely different and equally beautiful as the day shifts from morning to night. For adventurous guests, there’s also a sleep-out deck with an immaculate bedroom and bathroom on a raised platform under the stars. 

At Camp Okavango, safaris are by boat (motorized and mokoro), on foot (with two protective guides), or by helicopter (for an additional fee). There are no vehicles there, but as we cruised the delta past hippos and elephants, made eye contact with a vigilant mother giraffe on foot, and paused to let a shy family of warthogs scurry by us, we didn’t miss the Jeep. 

Chobe Game Lodge

A true luxury lodge and the only permanent game lodge within Chobe National Park, it’s not hard to see why Chobe Game Lodge has attracted the likes of Prince Harry and Elizabeth Taylor, who wed Richard Burton there (for the second time) in 1975. The Lodge has 44 rooms, all looking out over the Chobe River, four of them with private plunge pools. With elegant dining areas and bars, a scenic boardwalk, and a billiard room, it’s easy to unwind between game drives and boat tours. 

Here, all guides are female — a training program for women has been running since 2005 — and innovations in ecotourism have been recognized by the Botswana Tourism Organisation. Safaris are run via electric vehicles in the park and electric boats on the river, both gentle on the environment and offering a quiet approach that helps guests observe animals up close. Each day, we looked forward to boarding our boat with our guide, Miss B., and watching elephant families revel in their time at the watering hole, often coexisting with lions, hippos, and crocodiles on one incredibly lively riverbank. 

What’s New

A refurbished Nxamaseri Island Lodge reopened in May, and it now hosts Desert & Delta’s first wellness spa. Guests are gifted a complimentary treatment and escorted to the spa by water in a mokoro. A new pool also looks over the Nxamaseri Channel.

Rebuilt and reopening in June for the 2024 safari season, Savute Safari Lodge now has 12 contemporary, temperature-controlled rooms with outdoor showers and Savute Channel views, plus indoor and outdoor dining, a pool, and a sunken wildlife viewing area that puts guests at eye level with the animals.

For a totally off-the-grid experience, guests of Desert & Delta’s Leroo La Tau lodge between June and October can book a Makgadikgadi Salt Pan sleep-out to dine by an open fire immersed in nature and sleep on a rollout bed under the endless night sky. Leroo La Tau is also the best place to see a massive zebra migration — and it was refurbished with migration viewing in mind in 2023.

To browse all nine properties and the experiences Desert & Delta offers, visit desertdelta.com.