Okavango Delta and Chobe, side by side.
| Feature | Okavango Delta | Chobe riverfront |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | Channels, lagoons, floodplains and palm islands | A broad river, floodplain and riverine woodland |
| Getting there | Light aircraft from Maun to camp | Fly or drive to Kasane; the park starts at the edge of town |
| Best months | June to September for water; July to October for game | August to November for elephant at the river |
| Signature wildlife | Lion, leopard, wild dog, red lechwe, sitatunga | Elephant and buffalo herds, hippo, sable, lion |
| Activities | Mokoro, boating, game drives; night drives and walking in private concessions | River cruises, photographic boats, daytime game drives |
| Vehicles at sightings | Few, especially in private concessions | More, particularly near Kasane in the dry season |
| Cost | Higher: remote fly-in camps | Lower: lodges in Kasane, reached by road |
| Victoria Falls | Needs a flight | About an hour by road from Kasane |
Choose the Okavango Delta if…
- You want the water. Gliding through the channels in a mokoro, poled by a guide standing at the back, is the experience the Delta is famous for, and it is at its best when the flood is high, from June to September.
- You want to feel remote. Most camps are reached only by light aircraft and have eight to twelve tents. Many sit in private concessions where few other vehicles drive.
- You want night drives and walking. Allowed in the private concessions, not in the national parks.
- Predators are the priority. The Delta, Moremi and Khwai are among the best places in Africa for lion, leopard and wild dog.
Choose Chobe if…
- You want elephants. In the dry season Chobe’s elephants come down to the river in their hundreds every afternoon. Nothing else in Botswana matches it.
- You have less time. Kasane has direct flights from Johannesburg, and you can be on the river within an hour of landing. Our Chobe Introduction is four days.
- You are adding Victoria Falls. The Falls are about 80km away by road. See Victoria Falls and Chobe.
- Budget matters. Riverfront lodges in Kasane cost less than fly-in Delta camps, and road transfers replace some flights.
- You love photography from the water. Animals tolerate boats far more than vehicles, and specialist photographic boats sit low to the river.
Doing both: how to split the nights.
Most first-time visitors with a week or more should do both, because they give you different safaris rather than more of the same. The usual pattern is to start or finish in Kasane, often next to Victoria Falls, and fly to the Delta for the rest.
- 7 nights: 2–3 in Chobe, then 4–5 in the Delta across a water camp and a land camp.
- 10 nights: 3 in Chobe or Savuti, 3 in a Delta water camp, 3 in a land camp in Moremi, Khwai or the Linyanti, plus a travel day.
- 14 nights: add the Kalahari or the Makgadikgadi for a completely different landscape.
Our Great Okavango links the Delta with the Linyanti and Savuti, the wilder side of the Chobe region. See also how many days you need in Botswana.
Getting between them.
Light aircraft fly between Kasane, Savuti, the Linyanti and the Delta camps, so the two areas join easily. Driving is possible but takes most of a day on sand tracks, which is why we use it only on mobile camping trips. Light-aircraft luggage rules apply: about 20kg per person in a soft bag. See our guide to getting there and between the camps.
