It was day four of our trip to Botswana with Desert and Delta, and my fiancee and I were on our first trip in a mokoro(a traditional air defense canoe). We glided silently through the Okavango Delta in our sunken seats, feeling like we were the only people on the planet – until we turned a corner and glimpsed our next surprise in the reeds.
The Okavango camp staff were already good friends. Standing ankle-deep in the river, grinning and waving their arms, they excitedly showed us their bar for sunsets in the middle of the water. As the sun began to set and they handed us gin and tonic, an elephant appeared just in time.
Most nights, our guide Isaac would “take a wrong turn” and end up in an impossibly remote location with a cheeky smile and unique cocktails. Still, somehow, we found ourselves genuinely surprised every time. Add to that the occasional cooperation of local wildlife, and you have a recipe for pure magic that the world’s best bars can’t replicate.
This element of surprise keeps us on a natural high all week – thanks to almost equal contributions from humans and non-human animals. We laughed on the first day when Isaac told us his favorite wild animal was a human. By the end, while I was still reeling between lions and elephants, humans were already high on my list.
At Camp Okavango, we walked through a lion’s trail on a jungle hike, took a doorless helicopter ride for a panoramic view of Nxaragha Island, and fished downstream in the company of a herd of hippos. At Moremi Camp, we started the morning with a family of monkeys. We caught a majestic elephant crossing the river. We watched lions and lionesses take turns ravaging prey as the life cycle unfolded. At Chobe Game Lodge, we were amazed to see lively baby elephants splashing around as their elders protected them from crocodiles, and we excitedly tracked the little roars to spot the young lions playing at dusk. Each experience is a comprehensive guide to knowledge that takes our breath away, and enthusiasm fuels our childlike curiosity.
A 40-year-old company with 9 camps and lodges that touch Botswana’s Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pens National Park, Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Okavango Delta, Saouty Strait, etc., desert and delta offers trips by jeep, foot, and boat. Guests have the opportunity to mix and match camps to form their dream Botswana itinerary, or they can choose from curated all-inclusive packages. With more than 40% of Botswana’s land area set aside for nature reserves, it’s hard to beat as a hunting destination – it has eight-game reserves, four national parks, and the world’s largest population of African elephants. There is no better way to see the best of the country on one trip than by going to the desert and the delta.
Yingmore
Within minutes of our bush plane landing near Moremi Camp, we encountered a new form of transportation when a herd of giraffes walked past us, quickly reminding us that we were no longer in Los Angeles. The camp is located in the Moremi Wildlife Reserve, meaning the safari starts before you check-in. We arrived at the estate hours late after begging to continue hunting. We found 12 thatched tents, rebuilt in 2018, with covered beds, private decks, and shower rooms made of stone and wood. Cozy common areas include:
- A bush-edged fire pit deck.
- A swimming pool.
- A library lounge.
- A bar built around an ebony tree.
We had many group dinners at long wooden tables in the thatched dining room and a romantic private candlelit dinner on the deck.
On our November trip, morning and afternoon drives through the Moremi Game Reserve are home to most of the animals we see in Botswana, including lions, zebras, hippos, elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, and more. Leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs can also be seen. A few steps away from the camp, we hopped on a motorboat to explore the channel of Xakanaxa Lagoon, where we saw birds of all colors and sizes, an elephant swimming, and an unforgettable red sunset.
Camp Okavango
The Okavango Camp feels like a secret hideaway, located on a remote island in the Okavango Delta and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has 12 suites connected by wooden boardwalks and surrounded by lush vegetation. From the restaurant and the pool deck below, the surrounding wilderness views are entirely different and equally beautiful as the day changes from morning to evening. There is also an open-air deck with a perfect bedroom and bathroom overlooking the stars for adventurous guests.
At Camp Okavango, the safari can be done by boat (motorized and motorized), on foot (with two protection guides), or by helicopter (for an additional fee). There were no vehicles, but we didn’t miss the jeep as we cruised the delta, passing hippos and elephants, locking eyes on foot with a wary mother giraffe, and stopping to let a herd of shy warthogs hurry past us.
Jobe Play House
A truly luxurious lodge and the only permanent hunting lodge within Chobe National Park, it’s not hard to see why Chobe Hunting Lodge attracted Prince Harry and Elizabeth Taylor, who married Richard Burton (for the second time) here in 1975. The hotel has 44 rooms, all overlooking the Jobe River, four of which have a private pool. With an elegant dining area and bar, a scenic boardwalk, and a billiard room, it’s easy to relax between game drives and boat trips.
Here, all guides are female – a training program for women has been running since 2005 – and innovations in ecotourism are recognized by the Botswana Tourism Organisation. Safes are conducted by electric vehicles in the park and electric boats on the river, which are both gentle on the environment and provide a quiet way to help visitors see the animals up close. Each day, we look forward to boarding the boat with our guide, Miss B, and watching the elephant family feasting in the waterhole, often coexisting with lions, hippos, and crocodiles on an unusually lively riverbank.
What’s new
The renovated Ennamaseri Island Hostel reopened in May and now boasts the Desert and Delta’s first health spa. Guests receive a complimentary treatment and an escort to the spa with water at Mokoro. A new swimming pool also overlooks the Nxamaseri Channel.
Salute Safari Lodge was rebuilt and reopened in June 2024. It now features 12 modern, temperature-controlled rooms with outdoor showers and views of the Salute Channel, plus indoor and outdoor restaurants, a swimming pool, and an underwater wildlife viewing area that allows guests to be at eye level with the animals.
For an utterly off-grid experience, from June to October, guests at Desert & Delta’s Leroo La Tau Lodge can book the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan to sleep out, dine next to an open fire, soak in nature and sleep in a made bed under the endless night sky. Leroo La Tau is also the best place to watch the mass zebra migration, which was renovated in 2023 to watch the migration.
