4 Day Okavango Delta Boat Safari in Botswana

Day 1: Audi camp

You will set off for the safari at 8 a.m. with an easy cruise upstream to Chief’s Island, a journey that will be spent viewing game and amazing species of birds while navigating the reed channels of the southern Okavango. If you want to capture these memories, have your camera ready to roll and fully charged as birds do not always pose for the camera.

A light lunch will be served while on the journey as you leisurely head to Nxaraga lagoon. Your expected time of arrival is 3 p.m. which should give you enough time to rest and stretch your legs while the camp is being set up by the crew. Following your rest and a short familiarization of your camp surroundings, you will set off for a relaxing sunset boat ride, which you will enjoy alongside hippos in the middle of Nxaraga lagoon.

You will then head back to camp where you will be treated to a relaxing warmed bucket shower and a hearty campfire-cooked dinner. The campfire has been pivotal in the transfer of knowledge and values from one generation to the other for the first settlers of Botswana, the San people. Thus it is during this time that Xaa Safaris will share with you their heritage stories. Guests will also get to know each other more during this time with the night sounds of the Okavango in the background.

Day 2: Nxaraga

Rise and shine! Your wake-up call will be at 5:30 a.m. for an early morning walk. This is a highly recommended experience to start your day by connecting with nature as the sun rises giving way to another beautiful day. It is believed that this sets the tone for the rest of your day as you become one with the environment.

Once back at camp, you will be treated to a full English breakfast before departing from Nxaraga around mid-morning, for an upstream cruise for a couple of hours of delta game viewing. A light snack lunch will be served along the way. You will take it easy until you get to Xaxaba campsite around mid-afternoon, in time for a siesta moment of relaxation.

As was the case on the first day, after taking some good rest, you can take a walk to familiarize yourself with the camp surroundings and pick a great spot for sunset viewing. Once back at camp before dark, you will be treated to a warmed bucket shower and a hearty campfire-cooked dinner. Once again, the group will share stories of the area’s heritage and its amazing ecosystem.

Day 3: Xaxaba Village

You will be woken up at 6:00 a.m. for coffee / tea. Day 3 will see you heading out at around 7 a.m. to Xaxaba village for a special treat; the mokoro experience. You will board a mokoro, a traditional dug-out canoe, polled by an experienced guide for a three-hour cruise down uncharted side channels that are not accessible by motorboats. This brings you up close and personal to arguably Africa’s most pristine gameland.

At first, you may be unsettled about just how close you are to the wild until you realize that you have just become a part of the environment, this is where you will get into such a relaxed mode and take it all in. Some guests have meditated along the cruise, some have fallen asleep, and some have been perplexed about the entire experience. Your story is yet to be told.

All the same, like all good things, the cruise will come to an end and you will arrive back at around 11 a.m. for brunch. You will then depart at noon upstream past Jugu-Jugu Island to spend the afternoon game and bird viewing from the boat. Your swamp cruiser is equipped with overhead shade so the noon heat should be bearable.

You will go through one of the most spectacular areas that the Okavango delta has to offer. The wide open plains of this area are home to a large number of red lechwe, a semi-aquatic antelope with amazing coating adaptation, and lots of crocodiles and birds.

Arrive back shortly before dark to a warmed bucket shower and a hearty campfire where you will have dinner. By now your entire troop is one big family, brought together by the spirit of the delta.

Day 4: Return trip

You are not yet done; there is more in store for you. You will be gently woken up at 5:30 a.m. to go on an early morning walk after coffee / tea and rusks. The walk departs just after sunrise to smell the early morning air and once again connect with nature as the day begins.

Upon return, you will be treated to a full breakfast before heading back at 10 a.m. for a leisurely 7-hour boat trip back to Audi Camp with a light lunch served along the journey. This will be your last chance to tick off bird viewing from your Xaa Safaris Bird Viewing Checklist.

You will arrive back at Audi Camp at 5 p.m. It is at this point that you will experience a great deal of fulfillment coupled with feelings of sadness for not only are you bidding goodbye to the delta that you had just become a part of, but also bidding farewell to a family that you have spent 4 days with. This is the true spirit of the delta.