How to do the Okavango Delta

Planning a trip to the Okavango Delta? Alan Ramsay provides some useful tips and guides for your holiday.

There are many camps in the middle of what Africa lovers consider the prime wildlife destination on the continent, Scott Ramsay wrote in his “Here today, gone mokoro” feature in October 2006 Getaway. Slap bang in the centre of Southern Africa’s driest and flattest arid region, the water of the Okavango River travels southeast for five months across hundreds of kilometres.

Starting in the Angolan highlands in summer, 1000km from Maun, the water is then squeezed through the geological fault lines near the Caprivi Strip, then spreads out across 20 000 square kilometres, a huge fan of surface water seeping into the red detritus of the Kalahari Desert.

There is no mouth to the Okavango River: 95 per cent of the water evaporates, and, if the rains are good in Angola, the waters will push past Maun in June or July and spill over into the ancient lakes of Ngami, Ntwetwe and Xau. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. And, for the animals, the delta is a pretty good place to hang out. Vast numbers of mammals (122 species), birds (444 species), fish (71 species) and reptiles (64 species) are drawn to water that is as pure and sweet as a mountain stream.

And, if you want more intimacy with nature or wish to escape the bustle of bush drives, there is the option of taking a mokoro ride that brings peace to the soul like little else.

So, is it worth it? Clearly it depends on how much you can afford – or how smart you are in shopping around, planning the timing of your visit and negotiating a “deal”. In a time of reduced international travel when tour operators are facing reduced bookings, this is the opportunity to start making plans for a visit.

What’s more, don’t be misled by the “glamour” of the premium camps – unless luxury or timing (a honeymoon trip?) is more important to you. A great bush experience comes at all prices, so for example, choose Little Vumbura rather than Vumbura Plains in the Wilderness selection of camps. Higher prices in Botswana don’t mean more game sightings!

Camping in the delta

The delta is huge, but because of the variable water levels and private concessions, there are only four “regular” camp sites available to the self-drive tourist, all in the Moremi Reserve in the northeast: North Gate, South Gate, Third Bridge and Xakanaxa. Facilities are simple – there is drinking water, showers and toilets. Rates are P120 per day per foreign visitor (including South Africans!), P30 per person per night camp fee and P50 per day vehicle fee. To book, contact dwnp@gov.bw or visit http://www.botswana-tourism.gov.bw

How to get there

You can drive to Maun, the main entrance to the Delta, from Johannesburg in about 13 hours via Francistown and Nata or from Victoria Falls, but this feature is all about doing it in style and Air Botswana is the only airline that flies into Maun – flying will be more expensive, but quicker – a return flight Oliver Tambo International to Maun was approximately R4 000 including airport taxes, in May. Once in Maun, there are several air services using small aircraft to fly you into the hinterland, notably Sefofane, the transport arm of Wilderness Safaris.

Entry visas are not required by citizens of South Africa, the UK, the European Union, USA and most, but not all, African and Commonwealth countries – http://www.botswana-tourism.gov.bw

What it costs

It’s all about shopping around between the different operators, checking the advertised special offers in Getaway (magazine and website) and then, if timing is not essential, asking for the best time to get the best deal. Prices can range from R2 000 per person per night, including flights from Johannesburg and in the delta, to as much as R10 000 per person per night!

As Lindi Douwenga from Wilderness Safaris comments, there are often no typical packages as every itinerary is tailor-made to the guests’ specifications, desires and budget. Generally South Africans will travel for less time than overseas guests – about four to six days for South Africans compared with seven to ten days for overseas guests.

Then, it is also difficult to pin down a ‘typical’ price. Wilderness, like other camp owners, have different styles of camps – in the case of Wilderness, Premier (larger accommodation, less visitors per game vehicle and plated meals rather than buffet service), Classic and then the Safari & Adventure Co. which is a separate, more affordable “brand”. In addition and like other camp owners, Wilderness Safaris works through a network of agents and travel companies – they do not usually sell to guests directly – with the exception of Southern African residents. Safari & Adventure Co. operates both via agents and via direct bookings, locally and internationally.

Tour operators like this magazine’s associates Getaway Travel and Tours have “packages” available from as little as R7 600 for three nights, including flights from Johannesburg, rising to nearly R20 000 for four nights – visit http://www.getawaytravel.co.za for more information, but consider also whether the time and distance needed to get there is worth spending just three or four nights.

There are also different pricings for what are known as high (winter) and low (summer) seasons, but since sightings during this latter time are so underestimated, some prefer to call it “green season” as this sums up the climate at that time of year! What’s more, many operators have special, reduced green season price offers, usually starting in December and running through to March, though this year with the economic “crunch”, the lower prices may well be offered from November.

Wilderness Safaris, for example, are planning a “green season” offer for 2009/2010 of a little more than R7 000 per person for three nights in one of their camps in the delta, including flights between Maun and the camps. This compares with a top-of-the-range nine-day visit at premium camps which can cost as much as R80 000 per person in peak season!

In addition, Wilderness are offering guests more time at no extra cost. These range from one extra complimentary night at various Botswana camps, two extra nights in their Zambian and Zimbabwean camps and four extra nights on selected Namibia and Botswana explorations safaris.

Other expenses include tips for the guides and camp staff. Wilderness recommend per guest per day US$10 for specialist guides, US$5 for paddlers and trackers, US$5 for camp staff and transfer drivers but are vague about camp management, so here is a suggestion: if a camp manager or staff member has gone the extra mile for you, tip them what you might spend on entertaining them back home!

Refreshments, including quality wines and spirits, are often free of charge, which takes the “sting” out of the cost of “extras”! Remember also that the Botswana Pula costs R1,15 (in May 2009) when buying souvenirs or calculating tips.

Getaway has also done a comparison between drive-and-camp versus fly-and-stay budgets (October 2006 issue), revealing that, while a camping safari could cost as little as 30 per cent of a fly-in visit, you do have to cope with as much as four days of driving there and back, along with dealing with road conditions, border crossings, wear and tear on your 4×4 vehicle, the need for extra water and fuel and a lack of “pampering” from camp staff.

When to go

There are various opinions on timing: most foreigners visit in the Botswana winter, when the nights can be very cold but there is little likelihood of rain (0C- 25C) and the grass is thinner. Mid-summer heat can, equally, be disconcerting (40C), but with pleasant early morning and late afternoon temperatures, when most of the game drives are done and the intense heat of mid-day can be endured by lounging at the pool or relaxing with a book, if not cooled by dramatic thunder storms. Best time (in terms of both tourist numbers and seasons) is almost certainly the “shoulder” periods of Spring and Autumn, especially October and November when the migrant birds are returning and the young are born.

What to take

As little as possible, especially because most of the air services within Botswana restrict you to soft luggage measuring a maximum of 25x30x62 cm. Don’t forget a warm windcheater when applicable (casual, bush-coloured clothing is recommended), bathing costume in summer, bird books, hat, walking footwear, mozzie repellent, hat and sun lotion, lip ice and sun glasses, camera, sufficient film, field guides and binoculars – surprisingly, it is not uncommon to find a guide who does not possess binoculars, so consider leaving your’s with him, if he has proved his worth. Most camps offer laundry services and there is certainly no time when you need to dress up (clothing that covers your arms and legs in the evenings provides protection against mozzies), while most camps supply ponchos for night drives but an additional heavy jacket may well come in useful.

Who to contact

There are a host of tour operators and camp owners in the Okavango Delta who feature in Getaway’s advertising pages or on getawaytoafrica.co.za and have internet sites worth finding with Google. This particular visit was paid for by Getaway and booked through:

Wilderness Safaris
P O Box 5219, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa
373, Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, South Africa
Phone + 27 11 807 1800, email enquiry@wilderness.co.za, web http://www.wilderness-safaris.com

Books to read

Apart from the various articles that Getaway has published over the years, there are numerous coffee-table books on the Delta. Also to be recommended are the books by Beverly and Dereck Joubert, particularly The Africa Diaries, Veronica Roodt’s Shell Tourist Guide to Botswana and the various wild dog books that have been published. And, don’t miss Getaway’s Guide to Botswana, written by Mike Copeland and available through Getaway. Check out the various birding guides in advance of your trip, as well. Most camps have an excellent selection of books.

Travel tips and what not to miss

Consider giving the game drive a miss and relax in camp with a book and binoculars: you will inevitably find game entering the camp and the bird life intriguing. Take extra reading – for the flight to and from Maun and for the mid-day breaks. Don’t forget travel insurance, some of which may be available free of charge when paying travel arrangements with your credit card.

Exceptional luxury to support conservation

For the ultimate in luxury, service and romanticism – and with no expense spared – a “must-visit” is Zibadianja Camp in the Selinda Reserve (http://www.selindareserve.com) on the spillway between the Okavango and Chobe river systems. Don’t be confused! The camp’s name was recently changed from Zibadianja (variously, “the lagoon of the lechwe” or “the place of the wild dog”) to Zarafa, almost certainly because the original name was too much of a mouthful for foreigners!

And the name “Zarafa” has just as many romantic connotations as the camp itself: Michael Allin wrote an entertaining book (available from Amazon.com) which chronicles the 6 000km trek of a giraffe captured in the Ethiopian highlands, then shipped by land and sea from Central Africa to Marseille and Paris. Zarafa (Arabic for “giraffe”) was given to King Charles X of France by Muhammad Ali, The Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, in 1827.

Moved to a new site in 2008 because of changing water levels, the camp, built by Maun-based specialist Trevor Lindegger, offers just four large guest tents, each with its own plunge pool, viewing deck, private lounge area, indoor and outdoor shower facilities and large copper baths. Designed by the renowned photographers and wildlife chroniclers Dereck and Beverley Joubert and by Colin Bell, one of the founders of Wilderness Safaris, the luxurious dcor has a theme of colonial India with flowing, old style tents and military-campaign-style furniture.

Much of the mahogany used for the furniture, manufactured in Botswana, came from debris of the tsunami in South East Asia; other furniture comprises recycled rice chests from India; the decks are constructed using recycled railway-sleeper timber; and old copper- and brassware is from Egypt . Modern technology has also been installed: 162 solar panels feed 96 batteries to provide 240 volt electricity and like many of the Botswana camps, water is solar heated.

Special guest services include umbrellas, yoga mats, Canon digital cameras with a selection of lenses, telescopes and even a work-out deck with rowing machine, punch bag, climbing net and gym ball! Not ignoring excellent wines and whiskies at no chargeand the personal touch of a welcoming note in each tent from camp managers Tessa Campbell, a botany student from Stellenbosch University, and Stuart Bell, who has a Wits University ecology masters.

This emphasis on eco-friendly development by a group known as the Great Plains Conservation Company is all part of an extensive programme of using tourism to support conservation, developing projects as far afield as South East Asia (rain forests and tropical fish), southern Kenya (to reduce the land-usage conflict between wild life and cattle and re-introduce tourism), Seychelles (marine conservation) and Rwanda (involving the local communities in growing the gorilla reserves).