Okavango Delta
Explore the Okavango Delta on your next Ultimate Routes adventure
A wonderland of waterways, palm-fringed islands and lush floodplains. Moremi & Khwai are a self-drive travelers’ dream! Together they offer a front-row seat to Africa’s most dramatic wildlife encounters from the comfort of your camp chair, or on the many paths navigating these shifting landscapes.
Depending on the season, routes in the delta may be dry and sandy or transformed by shallow water crossings, adding to the sense of challenge and exploration.
The wildlife here is abundant: elephants, buffalo, and antelope are common, while predators like lions and wild dogs are often sighted. Birdlife is exceptional too, especially in the wetter months. Beyond a game drive, travellers can arrange boat trips or mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions for a water-based perspective of the delta.
The experience is raw and immersive; wilderness camping, hearing hippos in the night and waking to the sounds of a living wilderness. It’s a destination that rewards the adventurous self-driver with some of Africa’s most unforgettable safari moments.
Sights & Scenes
Our Expert Opinion
Here, your days might begin with a motorised boat trip at sunrise, skimming through the delta’s mirrored channels, or a peaceful mokoro glide where crocodiles lie in still, watchful silence. For the adrenaline-hungry, there are water crossings that challenge both nerves and skill.
Picture an early morning: a massive pack of wild dogs emerges from the thickets, snouts bloodied from a successful hunt, greeted by playful pups who bounce around without a care. You might be perched silently on a roof rack, ears tuned to the distant thunder of hooves, as hundreds of buffalo churn the wetlands into a symphony of splashes.
Around every bend, magic awaits: A pair of wattled cranes feeding in regal grace beside a quiet pond. The stubborn silhouettes of leadwood trees rising at Dead Tree Island. A hippo nonchalantly strolling into camp during breakfast. A lion grunting softly as it skirts the firelight at night. A hyena making off with your rubbish bin. An elephant grazing peacefully by the dishwashing area, completely unbothered by your surprise.
Moremi doesn't just promise wildlife - it delivers wild life, untamed and unscripted. It’s a place that thrills, humbles, and never, ever fails to inspire awe.
A special note about the Khwai
The Khwai region is a hotspot for game action—a place where the wild never sleeps. With a constant need for food and water, animal movement here is relentless, almost restless. For those lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time, it feels like sitting in the front row of nature’s greatest theatre.
Dirt tracks crisscross the terrain around the Mbudi and Khwai Rivers. Every turnoff from the pale white transit road offers a tantalizing promise: a new scene, a new story. You might come upon a leopard feasting on a freshly caught impala, a pride of lions sleeping off a night of gluttony, or elephants thundering to the river for a drink or gently bathing in the golden hues of sunset.
There’s always more. Perhaps a pair of hyenas poaching a waterbuck calf, a serene herd of giraffe unfazed by your presence, or a large troop of baboons preening and murmuring in the early morning sun as they gather in a grassy glade. Each moment pulses with life.
Joining this vibrant mix of game, vehicles, and wide-eyed adventurers, the thrill is palpable. The day’s sightings become the night’s stories—relived around the campfire as everyone leans in close to the glow, ears tuned to the nearby rustle of and unseen wild presence.
