From the Desert to the Delta: Botswana Safari Holiday

Safaris through the Central Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans are truly incomparable to any other African safari.

Travellers come to the Kalahari for the unbeatable wide open spaces, for quad biking and star gazing on the Makgadikgadi salt pans, intimate meerkat encounters, and to experience a remote wilderness of the sort most people can only imagine.

Travellers don’t come here for condensed, easy wildlife viewings and encounters. Stretching over most of Botswana and into Namibia and South Africa, expect large distances and a lot of open spaces. With the expert guidance of the nomadic San-bushmen, however, expect viewings of the majestic black-maned Kalahari lion, packs of brown hyenas and a huge zebra and wildebeest migration.

The site where the Okavango River diverts into the many fingers of the delta, is a flourishing oasis filled with unforgettable water and land-based safari experiences for every age group.

The Okavango Delta is an immensely seasonal space, which is part of the reason why we love it so much: the better you know the Delta and its changing seasons, the more unforgettable your Okavango Delta safari will be.

Fortunately for your family, our family knows this part of the world incredibly well. We have fond memories of helicopters touching down in remote locations for champagne and of lazy afternoons traversing lush channels in a dugout mokoro canoe.

Meno A Kwena, meaning ‘tooth of the crocodile’, is one of the best located camps in Botswana, within touching distance of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and home to the zebra migration for most of the year.

Its elevated position overlooking the Boteti River offers guests a front-row seat to watch animals gather at the watering hole whilst a floating hide allows keen photographers to get even closer to the action. For the ultimate experience, guests can reside in the clifftop rock pool, observe the panoramic views and spot game, drink-in-hand.

The tents have an old-style safari charm, filled with local dark-woods, textiles and crocodile carvings. Every room is fully appointed, including both indoor and outdoor showers and a private terrace overlooking the river, meaning that you never even have to leave the safety of your room to observe the roaming wildlife.

Mokolwane is an intimate camp of just seven elevated tents, set in a private concession in the southwest corner of the Okavango Delta.

As the only camp in this largely unexplored area, Mokolwane offers families an authentic Botswana safari experience, with incredible predator sightings often enjoyed in complete privacy.

Game drives offer close encounters with predators like leopards and lions, while mokoro excursions allow for peaceful exploration of the waterways, ideal for birdwatching. The camp’s remote location ensures minimal crowds, providing an authentic and intimate safari experience.

At Meno a Kwena, families can immerse themselves in the fascinating culture of the San Bushmen, one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures.

The Central Kalahari, once home to the San, is now a vast reserve, but visitors to the Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan regions still have the rare opportunity to engage with this remarkable community. The San are eager to share their traditional way of life, offering insights into their survival skills, hunting techniques, and deep connection with the land.

This cultural experience offers an unforgettable chance for families to learn from one of Africa’s most enduring and fascinating tribes.

Experience exhilarating morning and evening game drives through the expansive grasslands and fertile floodplains of the Matsebi River system. This area is prime Big Five territory, renowned for its high concentration of leopards—boasting the third-highest density of these elusive predators in Africa.

Alongside leopards, you’ll also encounter lions, wild dogs, and cheetahs as they hunt the large herds of zebra and wildebeest. The BBC’s Big Cats 24/7 recently filmed the impressive Xudum pride here, one of the largest prides ever recorded in the Delta, adding to the area’s reputation as a Big Five hotspot.