Botswana · 8 days · 7 nights
Delta & Salt Pan Contrasts
Okavango Delta → Makgadikgadi
Delta & Salt Pan Contrasts links Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi over 8 days — a route with few changes of camp, so you spend more time watching wildlife than travelling. It suits travellers who would like a thoughtful mix of game viewing, comfortable camps and time to be still, with the pacing adjusted in your proposal.
A note from your safari desk
This is how we would run the route for a first visit, not a fixed package. We hold two things firm — the pace of the days and the driving times — and stay flexible on camps until we know what matters to your party. Send us your dates and we will come back with a version written for you, with the trade-offs explained plainly.
Take Me There Safaris · Safari desk, Nairobi
What this journey is about
Okavango Delta
Mokoro excursions through the Delta’s clear channels with a poler, plus walking on the islands.
Makgadikgadi
A day on the salt pans: quad-bike or vehicle excursions to the horizon, with meerkats often nearby.
The route
- Stop 1
Okavango Delta
- Stop 2
Makgadikgadi
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
2 stops · drag and zoom to explore
Loading map…
- 01Okavango Delta
- 02Makgadikgadi
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
8 days · 7 nights, totalling exactly the advertised nights
Day01Arrive and settle into Okavango DeltaOkavango Delta · overnight Okavango Delta
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Mokoro excursions through the Delta’s clear channels with a poler, plus walking on the islands.
- Transfers
- Met at Maun (MUB), then a transfer of a light-aircraft flight from Maun to a delta airstrip.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Okavango Delta
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Okavango Delta — full dayOkavango Delta · overnight Okavango Delta
Game drives and a boat cruise, depending on the camp’s location and water levels.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Okavango Delta
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Okavango Delta — full dayOkavango Delta · overnight Okavango Delta
A full day exploring the delta’s waterways and floodplains.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Okavango Delta
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Okavango Delta — full dayOkavango Delta · overnight Okavango Delta
Optional scenic helicopter flight over the Delta, arranged and paid locally.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Okavango Delta
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05On to Makgadikgadi pansMakgadikgadi · overnight Makgadikgadi pans
After breakfast you travel on to Makgadikgadi. The afternoon is kept light: A day on the salt pans: quad-bike or vehicle excursions to the horizon, with meerkats often nearby.
- Transfers
- a light-aircraft flight from Maun or a road transfer from the Delta.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Makgadikgadi pans
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day06Makgadikgadi — full dayMakgadikgadi · overnight Makgadikgadi pans
A walk with San guides to learn about the desert’s plants and tracks.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Makgadikgadi pans
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day07Makgadikgadi — full dayMakgadikgadi · overnight Makgadikgadi pans
Sunset on the pans before returning to camp.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Makgadikgadi pans
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day08DepartureMakgadikgadi pans · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of a light-aircraft flight from Maun or a road transfer from the Delta to Maun for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Transfer times are estimates and depend on road and weather conditions. Flight connections on arrival day are checked before we confirm the first night; if your flight cannot connect comfortably we will suggest an extra night.
Included
- Meet-and-greet and road or light-aircraft transfers as shown in the itinerary
- Private safari vehicle with a professional guide for the safari days
- Accommodation as proposed, on the meal basis shown for each day
- Park, reserve and conservancy fees for the areas on the route
- Drinking water in the vehicle and game drives as scheduled
- Planning by a safari consultant before you travel
- Internal light-aircraft flights between camps where the itinerary specifies them
Not included
- International flights and any flights not listed in the itinerary
- Visas, entry fees and travel insurance
- Optional experiences such as balloon flights, mokoro trips, scenic flights and spa treatments
- Gorilla and chimpanzee permits unless the proposal states otherwise
- Drinks, laundry, tips and personal spending
- Anything not listed in the inclusions
When to travel
Dry months (roughly June–October)
Wildlife concentrates around water and the Delta’s channels are high with the seasonal flood. Excellent game viewing and the busiest period.
Green season (roughly November–April)
Dramatic skies, newborn animals and predator action, with lower rates in some camps. Some water activities depend on local conditions.
Water levels
The Delta’s flood arrives in the dry months, not during local rainfall. Do not assume every camp offers the same activities in every month.
Good to know
- Style: Private safari. Private journeys include your own vehicle and guide on safari days.
- Accommodation level: proposed luxury. Specific properties are offered privately in your proposal — we do not name properties or publish rates here.
- Group joining: shared departures are only offered once confirmed. This route is planned privately for your party.
- Children: many camps welcome families, but room configurations, drive lengths and activity minimum ages vary. Share each child’s age at travel so we can check.
- Accessibility: tell us about mobility needs and we will say honestly which camps and activities can accommodate them.
- Arrival and departure: enter via Maun (MUB); depart from Maun. Transfers are by light aircraft as shown.
Questions about this journey
Can we change the route or the number of nights?
Yes. Every journey here is a starting point. Add a night in one place, drop another, or finish at the coast — tell us what you would prefer in the enquiry.
Is this itinerary confirmed as available?
Not yet. It is a proposed route and is checked against your dates, camp availability and seasonal conditions before it is offered as confirmed.
Can we add a balloon flight or another optional experience?
Often, yes — subject to availability and weather. Balloon flights, extra permits and scenic flights are quoted separately and never assumed in the base arrangement.
Will we see every animal mentioned?
No. Wildlife moves freely and sightings cannot be guaranteed. We plan routes where the chances are good for the season, and we will always be straight with you about that.
