Safari in the Okavango Delta

Okavango Delta Travel Tips

G-Free Travel Rating

9/10

Major Airport

Maun International Airport (MUB)

Official Language

English

Currency:

Botswana Pula (BWP)

Power Outlets:

Types D, G, & M

Eating Gluten Free in the Okavango Delta

Way out in the middle of the Okavango Delta we were served some of the best gluten free food we have encountered while traveling. The lodge (Splash Camp) even greeted us with afternoon tea and gluten free pastries. In my husband’s mind not much can beat gluten free pastries prepared just for him!! That set the entire stay in a positive direction and it didn’t disappoint.

Safari in the Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is one of the most unique places to safari in Africa. Being one of the largest inland deltas in the world it houses an astounding variety of African Wildlife. Birders from around the world come here just to see the numerous but rare birds that call this marshland home. The easiest way to get into the delta is by flight. Most people fly from Maun; however, we were coming from Victoria Falls Zimbabwe and flew across this vast land. Within minutes of being airborne we left human society and could only see miles and miles of the African Bush. We were even able to see larger game like elephants and hippos near the watering holes below. It was about a 20-minute flight before we landed on a dirt airstrip where our tour guides welcomed us.

On our way to the lodge we rounded the last corner when the lead guide broke abruptly, and we were reversing as quick as any of us knew what was going on. A pride of lions we were walking towards us on the “road!” And then decided it was time for a bath. What a great way to start the safari experience.

Upon arrival to our camp, we were greeted with refreshments and pastries, even gluten free! This was a pleasant surprise for my husband since most of the time dessert was a bowl of fresh fruit. Did I mention, not only is my husband gluten free, but he is also not a fan of fruits and vegetables?!

After our greeting, we went for a little tour of the grounds and back to our cabin for a rest. Our camp had a little swimming pool which was nice for a refreshing dip. It also had a nice bonfire area where we could enjoy drinks in the evening and sometimes the early morning breakfast at sunrise. The rooms were very spacious with both an indoor and outdoor shower. The staff there were very attuned to our needs, especially my husband’s dietary needs. The thing we enjoyed the most was the fact that Splash Camp wasn’t gated off (there are no fences in the delta) and we could experience the opportunity to see animals up close. Don’t worry, if there are sightings of larger game there is a system in place to keep you safe.

On our second day, our guide received a call there was a leopard spotting. Off we sped to try and get a sight of the leopard. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the chase but we were able to watch the leopard try and drag his kill up to a higher spot in the tree while a hungry hyena paced underneath.

This camp offered many different ways to do a safari, which is different from safari in the Moremi Game Reserve. We did the typical game drives where we saw hundreds of elephants, giraffe, cheetahs and a couple prides of lions. We did a walking safari where we specifically looked for birds and the different fauna and termite mounds. We did a night safari to see what we could find at night. We also had a chance to do a mokoro ride as well as a boat ride. The mokoro is a type of canoe to move around the shallow waters of the delta. The boat ride was a tad more exciting as a hippo charged our boat. Luckily the guides recognized the behavior and floored it before the hippo could damage the boat. Hippos can gallop on the delta bottom at about 5mph.

Mokoro

Impressive termite mound

We saw a couple iconic birds (African Jacana and the Malachite Kingfisher) that people come specifically to the delta to photograph. We didn’t get to see a rhino or the African Wild Dogs, which we knew was unlikely going into it. At the time we were there, there hadn’t been a rhino siting in roughly seven years, and we had just missed the wild dogs by a couple of days. Below are a couple of extra photos to show other animals we witnessed while doing game drives. Africa truly does offer many unique experiences and you never know what you’re going to get.