Botswana & Namibia: Delta & Dunes

Name: Botswana & Namibia: Delta & Dunes
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

1 reviews

Activity Level

Easy & Moderate

Activity

Culture

Overview

See Africa in full bloom: wildlife in the Okavango Delta and Etosha, giant dunes in Sossusvlei and star-blanketed skies

Explore Botswana and Namibia, two of the top wildlife destinations in Africa. Our journey takes us into the wilderness: voyage by dugout canoe on the hippo-populated waters of the Okavango Delta, search for lions, elephants and giraffes in Etosha National Park, and spend nights by waterholes where animals congregate. The adventure continues beyond the fauna: we also climb the highest dunes in the world at Sossusvlei and stargaze at our remote camp in Damaraland. This is Africa at its most wild.

Key Information

Trip Code: AZB9
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: Botswana, Namibia
Carbon Footprint: 21kg CO2e per person per day

What's Included

13 breakfasts, three lunches and 10 dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Arrival transfer for any flight, group departure transfer available

Highlights

Embark on an immersive safari adventure, visiting the wildlife hotspots of Botswana and Namibia
Drift down the animal-rich Okavango Delta in traditional dugout canoes
Safari in Etosha National Park, searching for elephants, lions and more
See the world’s highest dunes at sunrise – the most beautiful time to visit
Step back 2,000 years and see the White Lady rock painting made by San hunter-gatherers
Wild camp under the starry African sky, serenaded by the late-night calls of the wildlife

Itinerary

First Destination: Maun
Next Destination: Windhoek

Meals included:Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Maun
Next Destination: Windhoek

The adventure starts in Maun, Botswana, gateway to the Okavango Delta. Spend the afternoon exploring or relaxing, with a chance to change money and pick up any supplies you may need (such as snacks and drinks).

Around 6pm, say hello to your tour leader and fellow travellers where we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big welcome over dinner together. Tonight is a good time to pack your overnight bag for the Okavango Delta; pack light as we travel to camp by canoe (your larger bag is left with the driver and stored safely).

Want to explore further? Secure pre-tour nights through your sales representative.

Accommodation: Sedia Hotel (or similar)

Meals included:Dinner

Relax at the hotel this morning or head into town to pick up any last-minute supplies. After or just before lunch, we journey to the Okavango Delta, where we board mokoros (traditional dugout canoes helmed by an expert local poler) and head to our Delta camp (depending on water levels we may drive in a 4×4). Camp is ready for us on arrival, and we meet the local guides who are our hosts for the next few days.

The camp is made of dome tents fitted with camp beds, a mess tent and bathrooms that have a bush-shower (a bucket shower over a tree!) and toilet. Camping allows us to experience Africa at its fullest: swimming in shallow pools, listening to the sounds of the Delta (particularly birdsong and hippo grunts!), and enjoying some of the best views of the Milky Way you are likely to see.

Total drive: 19mi (30km), one hour

Accommodation: Okavango Delta wild camp

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Rise early for breakfast and spend the rest of the day exploring the waterways and islands by mokoro and on foot. Year-round, the Delta is home to a vast array of animals, including elephants, lions and hippos.

We return to camp for lunch and, this evening, enjoy sundowners. Relax around the campfire after dinner looking back on a day well spent.

Accommodation: Okavango Delta wild camp

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxing start, we enjoy one final exploration of the Delta before returning to our collection point by mokoro (water lever dependent). Return to Maun after lunch, where we have a free afternoon to relax or enjoy one of the many optional activities available, such as scenic flights or helicopter rides.

Accommodation: Sedia Riverside Hotel (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Relax this morning before our transfer to the northern part of the Okavango Delta, enjoying views of the Botswana bush as we go. Reaching a landscape of thick sand that’s inaccessible to our vehicle, we are collected by a 4×4 vehicle and transferred to our lodge on the banks of Guma Lagoon.

The rest of the day is free to enjoy the peaceful waterside property or there is the option of an afternoon boat ride.

Total drive: 220mi (350km), five hours

Accommodation: Nguma Island Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, continue the journey north and cross into Namibia through the Mohembo border post. From here, we travel through Mahango Game Park, where we hope to see elephants and other animals. We then drive along the Caprivi Strip (a thin protrusion of Namibia bordered by Botswana, Angola and Zambia) to the small town of Rundu, which is situated on the Kavango River close to the Angolan border.

Total drive: 220mi (350km), 5hr 30min

Accommodation: Kaisosi River Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Today we travel to Etosha National Park, the premier safari sanctuary in Namibia. In contrast to the Okavango Delta, Etosha is a relatively arid wilderness of mixed forest and grassland around a large saltpan. It is scattered with waterholes where a great variety of animals congregate to drink, making them fairly easy to find.

We should arrive in time for a late afternoon game drive before heading to our accommodation. We typically stay within the park on some or all the nights (subject to availability) and some of these are next to waterholes. These camps also offer optional night drives, which you can book and pay for on arrival.

Total drive: 280mi (450km), six hours

Accommodation: Namutoni (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Today we embark on an essential Namibian experience: a three-hour game drive in Etosha National Park. Zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, elephants and lions are all present, while the park is also home to several black rhinos. Additionally, Etosha is a good place for birds, with plenty of water birds on the lakes and weaverbirds and hornbills in the trees.

Accommodation: Etosha safari camp (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Leaving Etosha, we head to the Damaraland region, driving past Damara huts, Herero houses and cattle. We stop en route in Outjo, a small town with a nice German bakery for coffee, cake or an early lunch.

Our destination is a rustic community lodge at the foot of Brandberg, the highest mountain in Namibia. Here, it’s often possible to see desert elephants roaming the Ugab River, while stargazing is normally spectacular from this isolated location. There’s also an optional 4×4 game drive you can join, in which we search for those desert elephants (seasonal).

Total drive: 235mi (380km), six hours

Accommodation: Brandberg White Lady Lodge (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Begin the day with a 20-minute drive to Brandberg, where we walk (1hr 45min) through a valley seeing beautiful, granite formations and a variety of birdlife. The valley takes us to the White Lady rock painting which, along with a number of other small paintings and engravings, are thought to have been left by indigenous San people at least 2,000 years ago (please note, if elephants walk into this area then it might be too dangerous to do the walk – in this case we typically go on a game drive looking for elephants). This walk is rocky in places with big boulders as we walk in the dry river valley. If the walk is too adventurous, you can relax at the lodge or go on a game drive.

After, we head to the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal town of Swakopmund. This small German colonial town has quaint cake shops and coffee houses and is known as a hotspot for high-adrenaline activities.

Total drive: 185mi (300km), 4hr 30min

Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

Today is free to enjoy one of the many optional activities on offer in and around town. On the water, you can go deep-sea fishing; in the desert, you can go sandboarding and quad-biking; and in the sky, you can fly over the Skeleton Coast. Alternatively, spend the day enjoying fantastic Viennese-style cakes, walking along the beach or nearby dunes, or just watching the world pass in this town that seems strangely out of place in Africa.

Accommodation: Prost Hotel (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast

Visit nearby Walvis Bay after breakfast, where we hopefully see flamingos. Our journey then takes us through the Namib-Naukluft National Park – home to one of the driest and oldest deserts on Earth. The park contains spectacular desert scenery and there are photo opportunities along the way. We take a long gravel road into the desert, going through two small passes and towards Soltaire, where we stop for lunch, before continuing to our lodge.

Total drive: 210mi (340km), 5hr 30min

Accommodation: Weltevrede Guestfarm, Solitaire (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Rise early to see the Sossusvlei dunes, the tallest in the world, in the gorgeous morning light. We can also climb one of the dunes for fantastic views of the area.

We then witness an eerie desert landscape strewn with dead 900-year-old camelthorn trees, either taking a 2.5mi (4km) walk to Hiddenvlei or, if you’d prefer not to walk, a 4×4 transfer (optional extra) to Deadvlei. If we’re lucky, we may see gemsbok or ostriches among the dunes. In the evening, we enjoy our final dinner together.

Total drive: 125mi (200km), 3hr 30min

Accommodation: Weltevrede Guestfarm, Solitaire (or similar)

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

We typically have an early start this morning as we have a long drive back to Windhoek where the tour ends. If you’d like to spend a bit longer in Namibia, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

Total drive: 210mi (340km), six hours

Please note: The group transfer back to Windhoek is scheduled to align with a chosen flight to London, UK; therefore, you should not book flights leaving before then. Please contact your sales representative for the timings of this flight.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

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Accommodation

Guesthouses, lodges and wild camping

For our time in Botswana and Namibia, we spend 11 nights in lodges/hotels and two nights full-service camping. Occasionally, we stay in permanent tented camps. These are comfortable rooms, in part made of canvas, with private bathrooms and are a quintessential African safari experience. Properties are comfortable, well located for our activities and some have swimming pools. Below are a few of the standouts.

Okavango Delta: Wild camping (nights 2-3)

Botswana & Namibia: Delta & Dunes

The highlight stay on this trip for many is our two nights of wild camping in the Okavango Delta. Our neighbours, which you’ll likely hear shuffling around at night, include hippos, elephants and lions, while our away-from-it-all location normally allows us to see a night sky illuminated with stars. To make things easier, our camp is set up for us and all equipment is provided. We sleep in spacious, two-person tents fitted with thick foam mattresses and there is a bush shower and toilet, while dinner is taken around our atmospheric campfire.

Brandberg: Brandberg White Lady Lodge (night 9)

Botswana & Namibia: Delta & Dunes

Our Brandberg stay is in the middle of nowhere. From the viewpoint, you will not see another property, just the ruggedly beautiful landscape of Damaraland and possibly some desert elephants in the distance. There’s a dining area, well-stocked bar, lounge, and two swimming pools.

Worth knowing

Wifi is available in several properties but not everywhere, notably not in Sesriem or Etosha or the Okavango.
When visiting the Delta, we take only what we need for three days (sleeping bags and pillows are provided).

Essential Information

This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more on our trip gradings, visit our Activity Level Guidelines page.

Journey times: We cover a lot of ground, visiting some of the best places in Botswana and Namibia. Many of the drives take between four and five hours, with a maximum drive time of approximately eight hours on a combination of paved and gravel roads. On the gravel roads of Namibia, conditions are dependent on how they are maintained at the time and, on occasion, can be poor. This can have an impact on journey times and comfort. Drive times to and from Etosha National Park vary depending on the camps we use within the park. Within Etosha National Park, journeys double as game drives. Drive times listed in the itinerary are approximations and vary with road conditions. They also do not include any stops we take along the way.

Early starts: There are a few days where we have to get up before sunrise, but this allows us to get the most from our days (for example, the game drives in Etosha where we are more likely to see wildlife in the early mornings before it gets too hot).

Accommodation: We stay in lodges and hotels and occasionally in permanent tented camps (which also have beds and private bathrooms) apart from the two nights in the Okavango Delta, which are in our wild campsite, allowing for a different experience of Africa. This is a safari for people who want to see wildlife and get immersed in nature but do it in more comfort.

Key information

Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today, there will be a welcome briefing around 6pm this evening.
Airport: Maun International Airport (MUB)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately 10 to 15 minutes’ drive from the airport. We provide free arrival transfers to the start hotel from the airport for everyone. If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Please note, unless specified otherwise, the transfers are to the start (or pre-tour) hotel and are on the date on which the tour starts; transfers to other hotels in the same city and/or on different dates may attract an extra charge. Transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts.

Catching your return flight

The last night of the trip is spent in the Sesriem and the tour finishes in Windhoek. The group transfer back to Windhoek is scheduled to align with a chosen flight to London, UK; therefore, you should not book flights leaving before then. Please contact your sales representative for the timings of this flight.

Botswana

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Botswana. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Please note, if you are transiting through South Africa and are a non-UK passport holder you may require a transit visa. Please check before travelling. Please also be aware that children under the age of 18 must provide a full birth certificate (a short one won’t be accepted) as well as a valid passport. If the child is travelling with only one parent or with another adult, the missing parent (or parents) will have to provide an affidavit giving their consent for the child to travel. If flying via South Africa, you may have to pass immigration between flights and the same regulation is needed for entry into South Africa.

Namibia

Travellers from the UK, US, Canada, and some EU states need a visa to enter Namibia (see the full list here).

Visas can be obtained online (https://eservices.mhaiss.gov.na/) and you should apply for the Visa on Arrival option. Please check all visa requirements.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/namibia
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/namibia
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/namibia/entry-requirements
USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Namibia.html

If you are transiting through South Africa and are a non-UK passport holder you may require a transit visa. Please check before travelling. Please note that if flying via South Africa you will probably have to pass immigration there.

Passports: To enter Namibia, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least six months after the date you arrive. It must also have at least one blank page. If you’re travelling to South Africa, you will need an additional two blank pages.

Travelling with children: In addition to valid passports, parents travelling with children (under 18) should always carry the original or certified copy of the unabridged birth certificate (listing the child’s and both parents’ details). Adults travelling with children where they are not the biological or legal guardians of those children, should be in possession of an affidavit statement from the child’s parents giving consent for their travel. If a child is travelling with only one parent, the other parent should give consent for travel in the form of an affidavit.

For meals not included, please allow the equivalent of approximately £12.50/US$15 per meal per person. Some meals are in restaurants or the lodges while others are prepared by the crew. Camp meals are freshly cooked over the campfire. They are wholesome and plentiful, but do not expect cordon bleu cuisine and please note it is not always easy to get fresh meat. However, the standard of food is generally good.

Breakfast: Cereals, coffee, muesli, fresh fruit or the occasional fried breakfast
Lunch: Cheese, cold meats, pasta, salads, bread or rolls
Dinner: Potjie (stew), braai (barbecue) or stir fries

Vegetarians are well catered for on this trip though sometimes options might be more limited.

Botswana

There is no best time to go for game viewing or conditions in the Delta as the Delta flows year-round despite flood periods. The wettest season is January and February when travel on dirt roads becomes difficult. March to September, although dry and bright, can be cold at night (in June and July it really can be chilly on occasions so bring appropriate gear). October and November are the hottest months, and midday temperatures can be uncomfortable. The rains normally start slowly in late November. December can be wet, but it does not rain for long periods and should definitely not put anyone off travelling as there is always plenty of sunshine.

Namibia

June, July and August, while clear and warm during the day, can get cold at night, even reaching freezing point.

Between September and May, it is considerably warmer with October to March being the hottest, getting up to the high 30Cs (around 100F). However, it is always a dry heat, and the temperature does drop at night. The wet season is between November and February, but this is not a bad time to go as the desert blooms after rainfall, there is plenty of birdlife to see and it never rains for very long.

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Reviews

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Erica Kaplan

Added October 2025

A Trip of a Lifetime to Africa!

I loved the itinerary! We saw so much in Namibia and Botswana. The wild camping was very memorable in the Okavango Delta. The lodge in Etosha National Park was special as we were walking distance to a waterhole and saw rhinos and leopards! We saw all of the Big 5...

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing a sand dune in the Namibian desert! I felt very connected to nature, and it was a unique experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Omumborombonga was an exceptional guide! He was super knowledgeable regarding history and wildlife. There was not a question he didn't know the answer to. He made us all feel safe and taken care of, and truly cared about us having a memorable adventure. I enjoyed getting to know him, and seeing Namibia through his eyes.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The drives are long, but it is worth it! You will see a lot. Not the best roads and will be very bumpy at times. Bring nausea bands or pills if you get motion sickness. No red, yellow or white clothing allowed when camping in the Delta and especially on the safari walks. You don't need to pack too much! There is laundry service at the hotel in Swakopmund. ATMS are widely available on the trip. Rands are not accepted in Botswana.

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