A Luxury Botswana Family Safari

The Okavango Delta, which dominates northern Botswana, is at its wettest during the dry season. This is the world’s largest inland river delta or alluvial fan, whose water doesn’t flow into the sea or ocean. At the peak of dry season, typically in July, the Okavango River floods the plains, drawing in thirsty wildlife. 

The rareness and importance of the landscape is recognised by UNESCO World Heritage – and creates rich opportunities for spotting Africa’s Big Five. The northern swathes of the region, where you’ll start your Botswana family vacation, are lush and verdant all year round. Networks of canals, lagoons, swamps and wetlands blur the lines between land and water.

Over an incredible few days here, you’ll explore by jeep and on foot, heading out at dawn and dusk. Specialist guides will lead you to the best places to view resident leopards, lions, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. On the water, float silently in a traditional wooden mokoro boat, searching for crocodiles, hippos and elephants. Your guides will also point out African bullfrogs, painted reed frogs and endemic birds, including lilac breasted rollers and Pel’s fishing owls.

Your family safari adventure continues into the southern portion of the Okavango Delta. Beyond the floodplains, the landscape here is typically more arid. Its open savannahs, interrupted by woodland and palm-covered islands, are ideal for land-based safaris.

Head out with guides for day and nighttime drives for more opportunities to spot the Big Five, particularly around the Moremi Game Reserve. The region is home to around 120 different species of mammals. Giraffes graze the treetops and cheetahs slink through the long grass or survey their surroundings from atop termite mounds. Antelopes abound, including abundant red lechwes and shy, semi-aquatic sitatungas, which duck underwater when threatened.

The Delta is rich in birdlife, with resident species joined by migratory birds in wet season (November to March). See breeding colonies of egrets, herons and storks flutter across the landscape. The southern portion of the Delta also has a high concentration of rare slaty egrets.

In northern Botswana, Linyanti Wildlife Reserve is known for its high concentration of elephants, often spotted by the banks of the river – and sometimes wading in the water. Exclusive, luxury safari camps arrange off-road drives for up-close wildlife viewing. Spot lions, hyenas, leopards and rare roan antelopes. Linyanti is also among the best places to spot endangered African painted dogs; search for their patchy coats, which look like they’ve been splattered by black and orange paint.

During your days here, you can head out on guided nature walks for a slower way to experience this remote region. Uncover hidden tracks, spotting tiny, typically overlooked creatures and listening to the sounds of the bush. On nighttime safaris, you’ll drive out equipped with spotlights to look for fluffy, termite-eating aardwolves, servals and elusive, catlike genets.