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hjreitsma
NL
Visited:
March 2005
Reviewed: Jun 10, 2017
Email hjreitsma | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Okavango Delta
Henk Reitsma
Some years ago my wife and I made a roundtrip through a number of countries in Southern Africa. We travelled with a group from Cape Town to the Victoria Falls. The absolute highlight was our visit to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It was March, so in the wet season with the Delta completely filled.
We slept two nights on a houseboat placed on the edge of the Delta area.
We departed in the morning to the Delta and first had to drive a few kilometers with a truck (Photo 1), passing a small village with rondavel huts (photo 2). Along the road laid the carcass of an elephant (Photo 3), probably shot by the village people to protect their crops.
There were 10 boats (mokoro’s ) and 10 guides (Photo 4) waiting for our group with 20 participants and subsequently we started our tour over the Delta through high grasses and reed. In each mokoro two persons were sitting. The guides were very careful to avoid the hyppo’s and
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asked us not to make noise. We heard elephants in the distances and saw a glimp of the herd when standing in the mokoro. However I almost lost my equilibrium and almost fell in the water.After two hours we entered a small island to have lunch (Photo 5) and subsequently made a walk (Photo 6) over this island guided by two guides. We found the remains of a buffalo, probably killed by a lion (according to our guide), which reminded us again that we walked through a terrain with wild animals.
On our way back we saw some deer in the distance. After 1 ½ hour we arrived at our point of departure. It was a splendid tour through a wonderful water world. Even after a couple of years I still have vivid memory of our visit to the Okavango Delta.
Yenbay
ZA
Visited:
May 2016
Reviewed: May 31, 2016
Email Yenbay | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magic surroundings, unique scenery,
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the bush but...) The thing is if you are used to other safari accommodations (I live in South Africa and have tried quite a few..) you can have real value for money (even if it is not as spectacular as the Okavango)...
lfostvedt
US
Visited:
July 2011
Reviewed: Oct 2, 2011
20-35 years of age
The Water level was the highest in 50 years and we were not able to get deep into the delta.
That said, one of the most amazing parts of my trip in Africa was an flight over the delta. During the flight we saw all of the tracks in the delta where animals crossed from one island to another. We saw
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groups of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, tons of different types of antelope and many other wildlife which we didn't see while in the delta. The flight over the delta is an essential part of any trip to the Okavango Delta.In conclusion, I definitely want to go back to the delta. I think there were many parts of my trip that were just the result of bad luck.
Johan
ZA
Visited:
June 2023
Reviewed: Aug 4, 2023
Email Johan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Daniel Seco
ES
Visited:
August 2019
Reviewed: Aug 24, 2019
Email Daniel Seco | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It is very good but if I am evaluating it right after Chobe I have to give 5 stars to Chobe and 4 to okavango.
A unique habitat
Really good boat trips, and meeting a bull Elephant in must, while in Mokoro dugout canoe was very exciting. Ranger guides on land less interesting. Excellent accommodation at Nguma lodge, in perfect setting. However a torrential downpour cancelled a boat trip and dampened our enthusiasm.
Boon Hong Seto
AU
Visited:
August 2017
Reviewed: Oct 24, 2017
Email Boon Hong Seto | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A unique and unforgettable experience.
Our campsite was in a remote area with fixed tents and attached open air "en-suite". At night we have a fantastic view of the Milky Way and stars. After dinner, the polos and campsite personnels gave an impromptu concert singing and dancing...the atmosphere is simply wonderful and you feel you are really experiencing the real Africa.
We had a guided walk in the evening through the Delta and were given a first hand education on the local flora and their medicinal benefits...the climax that evening
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is to view the sunset out in the water in the mokoro and the next morning to see the sunrise.
lopaisate
Visited:
July 2010
Reviewed: Oct 25, 2011
Ok now, Im rating this as a three ONLY because I am absolutely terrified of spiders now because of my trip there :D. The animals hadn't migrated the way they usually do during the dry season so our mokoro boats had to cut through the reeds. What they didnt tell was that there are thousands (probably millions) of orb weaver spiders that build their webs at eye level (when you are sitting in the boat) in the reeds so we spent 3 hours there and 3 hours back ducking, weaving, and basically freaking out trying to avoid them. I know they aren't poisonous but who wants a spider in their face! Despite that our polers were wonderful and they even fished out my notebook when I threw it into the water after getting a web stuck on it. It was definitely the most "bushy" part of our trip.
Scott and Mark
US
Visited:
August 2011
Reviewed: Sep 27, 2011
Email Scott and Mark | 50-65 years of age
The natural beauty and diversity of the Okavango Delta can't be beat anywhere in Africa.
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parts of Botswana, Okavango did NOT disappoint. It is remarkably beautiful. I grew up in South Florida and there were parts of Okavango that reminded me of the Florida Everglades (except that the Everglades doesn't have elephants, giraffe, leopards, antelope, jackal, honey badger, etc.). We were in Okavango in August so it was Winter, and the dry season. There were NO mosquitoes and the days got into the 80s F. No rain, in fact, no clouds the entire trip, (even in Cape Town, which is supposed to be rainy in August). Eagle Island is a luxury camp with wonderful accommodations and good, not great, food. All of the other camps allowed for communal dining, a feature I enjoyed because you can interract with people from all parts of the world, or you can eat alone. Eagle Island doesn't encourage the communal dining and is more like a "hotel" in that respect. Eagle Island gets high marks for its guides (our guide, Chris, has been transferred to another Orient Express property), and activities, which include, motor boating and makoro, fishing, walking safaris, village tour (recommended), and relaxing. The focus, though is on water activities. Eagle Island also provides a helicopter ride for guests included in the price. What a treat to be able to see the animals from the air, and to see the Okavango islands and waterways from a vantage point you could not get otherwise. Bird viewing is quite special in Okavango. Birding - excellent in Okavango, various varieties of storks, egrets, bee eaters, kingfishers, vultures, herons, bustards, and the beautiful starlings, rollers, etc. I would have liked to have seen more eagle species, e.g. Martial, Crowned, etc., but missed them and only saw the Fish Eagle.
Veronica
MX
Visited:
July 2019
Reviewed: Jul 15, 2019
Email Veronica | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Mokoro ride was beautiful. We saw elephants, zebra, and giraffes on the bush walk. I felt camping there was unnecessary.