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The best time for game viewing in the delta is during the May-October period, as the animal life is concentrated along the flooded areas and the vegetation has dried out. The best time for birding and
vegetation is during the rainy season (Nov.- April) as
the migrant bird populations are Safari activities by water are the primary speciality of the Okavango - the mokoro - a dug out canoe which is 'poled' along by your Guide is the most evocative way of exploring the numerous waterways. Motor launches travel on the main waterways and lagoons. Traditional 4x4 Game viewing vehicles are used on the main islands, with night drives available in the private concession areas - not allowed within the National Park. Walking Safaris are available from most Camps and Lodges - perhaps the most exciting way of viewing Game - stalking and tracking wildlife with an expert Guide. Game Viewing flights are available by both light aircraft and helicopter, but hot air ballooning is not allowed. Perhaps the most marvelous way of exploring the Okavango is on the back of an Elephant at Randall Moore's famous Abu Camp Rainfall is not heavy in the Okavango - it gets less than half of the rainfall than over the Kruger Park area
There are some 40 Lodges and Camps situated in the Okavango Delta. Government Camping Sites are situated within the Moremi Game Reserve - but none in the heart of the Delta. Booking is essential and is via the Department of Wildlife & National Parks - email: parks.reservations.gaberone@gov.bw Telephone: +267 6861265 Fax: +267 6861264
The Okavango does not really cater for the 'Budget Traveller' - This is deliberate policy on the part of the Botswana Government. They are anxious to avoid the mass tourism that has been allowed to spoil other areas of Africa, but also to protect the fragile eco-system that is the Okavango Delta. The Government achieves this by making the Okavango a very expensive and difficult place to visit - The Government Airline Air Botswana is the only carrier allowed to fly in to Maun (the 'gateway' to the Okavango Delta) from the major hubs - and fares are astronomical.
However, this policy has resulted in The Okavango Delta remaining one of the truly unspoiled wilderness areas of Africa. A place of incredible natural beauty, indigenous protected Wildlife and vegetation The Okavango Delta peoples consist of five ethnic groups, each with its own ethnic identity and language. They are Hambukushu (also known as Mbukushu, Bukushu, Bukusu, Mbukuschu, Ghuva, Haghuva), Dceriku (Dxeriku, Diriku, Gciriku, Gceriku, Giriku, Niriku), Wayeyi (Bayei, Bayeyi, Yei), Bugakhwe (Kxoe, Khwe, Kwengo, Barakwena, G/anda) and ||anikhwe (Gxanekwe, //tanekwe, River Bushmen, Swamp Bushmen, G//ani, //ani, Xanekwe). The Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Wayeyi are all Bantus who have traditionally engaged in mixed economies of millet/sorghum agriculture; fishing, hunting, and the collection of wild plant foods; and pastoralism. The Bugakhwe and ||anikwhe are Bushmen who have traditionally practiced fishing, hunting, and the collection of wild plant foods; Bugakhwe utilized both forest and riverine resources while the ||anikhwe mostly focused on riverine resources.
||anikhwe have inhabited the Panhandle and the area along the Boro River through the Delta, as well as the area along the Boteti River. The Wayeyi have inhabited the area around Seronga as well as the southern Delta around Maun, and a few Wayeyi live in their putative ancestral home in the Caprivi Strip. Within the past 20 years many people from all over the Okavango have migrated to Maun, and in the late 1960's and early 1970's over 4,000 Hambukushu refugees from Angola were settled in the area around Etsha in the western Panhandle. The Okavango Delta has been under the political control of the Batawana (a Tswana sub-tribe) for several hundred years. Most Batawana, however, have traditionally lived on the edges of the Delta. Small numbers of people from other ethnic groups such as Ovaherero and Ovambanderu now live in parts of the Okavango Delta, but since the majority of the members of those groups live elsewhere and the habitation is recent they are not considered as part of the Okavango Delta peoples. There are also several Bushmen groups represented by a handful of people. These groups were decimated by diseases of contact in the middle part of the 20th century, and most of the remaining members have intermarried with the ||anikwhe. The Botswana Government has somewhat controversially relocated the remaining Bushmen away from their traditional hunter / gatherer grounds into sterile compounds in the name of 'social development'. As with the native American Indians, alcoholism has become a major social problem Advertisement:
Electricity is 240 volts - plugs are the UK three square pin type - not many Lodges or Camps have 240 volt power so most electrical items cannot be used. Recharging camera and video batteries is usually possible There are no major health threats, no vaccinations are required for entering Botswana, although the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following vaccines. See your doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for them to take effect:
Botswana has a very high incidence of AIDS although this should not affect tourists unless they're planning to have intimate contact with the locals Malaria is present throughout the Okavango region, and all visitors are advised to take anti-malarial medication as proscribed by their Doctors. The risk of Malaria is very low in June, July, August and September The local currency is the Pula (it means 'rain' in Setswana). VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted everywhere - there are ATMs in Maun and Kasane. US$, Euro, UK£s and South African Rand are widely accepted - and are very welcome for tips to Guides and Camp staff. VISAS:All visitors entering Botswana must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months, except those with United Nations Convention travel documents. You must have TWO BLANK pages showing in your passport when opened next to each other : Valid entry visas for the countries which do require them may be obtained from Botswana's various embassies and high commissions abroad. In countries where Botswana is not represented, visas may be obtained from the British High Commission. Entry visas obtained at border posts are valid for a maximum of 30-90 days. Extensions may be obtained from any immigration office in Botswana. No visitor is allowed more than a 90-day stay in every calendar year, unless permission has been granted in the form of a waiver pending the outcome of a residence permit application. NO VISA REQUIRED FOR BOTSWANA BY NATIONALS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES: 1. Antigua and Barbuda COUNTRIES WHOSE NATIONALS REQUIRE VISAS TO ENTER BOTSWANA: COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES WHO'S NATIONALS REQUIRE VISAS: 1. Ghana :ALL OTHER COUNTRIES THAT REQUIRE A VISA PRIOR TO ARRIVAL: 1. Afghanistan PLEASE NOTE THAT CHANGES ARE OFTEN IMPLIMENTED, PLEASE CONTACT YOU NEAREST BOTSWANA EMBASSY FOR MORE ACCURATE VISA POSTING AND UPDATES - http://www.gov.bw/tourism/embassies/embassies.html
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The Okavango Delta is one of the
world’s largest inland water systems. It's
headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, with
numerous tributaries joining to form the Cubango river,
which then flows through Namibia (called the Kavango) and
finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the
Okavango.
The delta environment has large numbers of animal
populations that are otherwise rare, such as crocodile,
red lechwe, sitatunga, elephant, wild dogs, buffalo,
wattled crane as well as the other more common mammals
and bird life. 
Private Lodges and Camps are either situated within the National Park or in private concessions, most can only be accessed by light aircraft out of Maun or Kasane. 
The Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Bugakhwe are present along the Okavango River in Angola and in the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, and there are small numbers of Hambukushu and Bugakhwe in Zambia as well. Within the Okavango Delta, over the past 150 years or so Hambukushu, Dceriku, and Bugakhwe have inhabited the Panhandle and the Magwegqana in the northeastern Delta. 
