Okavango Delta, Botswana

One of the world’s few inland deltas, the Okavango Delta is a vast ecosystem created as the Okavango River flows 1,300km into the parched Kalahari Desert. This immense oasis radiates across 22,000km², fluctuating with the seasons, and contains a network of winding channels and small forested islands. It acts as a gigantic watering hole and buffet for 164 different mammal species, including Africa’s largest herds of elephants. Lions stalk buffalo through the papyrus, antelope rear tottering calves during the ‘green season’, and some 440 varieties of bird flock here.

This is a remarkable region, beautifully conserved and carefully maintained. It ranks as one of the best all-encompassing safari destinations in the world, as spectacular as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and the Masai Mara, while remaining just that bit more off the beaten track.

Many travelers prefer to visit the delta during the drier season, from May to October, as it normally guarantees the best animal encounters. Wildlife flocks here as the surrounding desert dries out, to graze the lush vegetation and hunt. This is also the best time to go take a mokoro canoe trip. May and June are chilly, but by October the weather is stifling, peaking in the high 30s, with dust clouds waiting to be dispersed by summer rains.

It’s also worth visiting the Okavango during the so-called ‘green season’, from November to late March. There is no dust now and the vegetation is lush and beautiful. The rains generally fall in late afternoon, with thunderstorms that quickly pass over, so you can still enjoy beautiful sunny days. The rain cools temperatures, too, and while wildlife is more dispersed, there are lots of young animals around, particularly antelope, and a spectacular array of migratory birds. And being low season, you may be able to bag a bargain.

Maun is the gateway to the Okavango. You can fly in via South Africa before driving several hours to a safari camp or lodge, or transfer on from Maun in a light aircraft, which is a great way to appreciate the immensity of this region. In the delta, safari vehicles, mokoro canoes and bushwalks are the only way of getting around, with longer boat journeys common along the deep Panhandle. Most organised tours then follow migration routes out across the Savuti Marsh and Linyanti floodplains to Chobe National Park, famed for its enormous elephant herds and luxurious lodges.

The first reserve in Botswana to be established by local communities, Moremi was set up in 1963 by the BaTwana tribal authorities, who were fighting back against expanding farms and uncontrolled hunting. Moremi protects a tapestry of islands, swamps, forests, grasslands and channels – an ecosystem providing a glimpse of the African wilderness at its best. The Big Five can be seen here, along with over 400 bird species; look out for lions stalking buffalo in the reeds.

The remote Linyanti Reserve is not greatly visited, and remains one of northern Botswana’s wildest landscapes. In the dry season, you’ll encounter large herds of buffalo and there’s the chance to spot rare and unique species, such as aardvark. Big herds of elephants congregate around the rivers and waterholes, and thousands of zebra amass here in the winter before heading south.