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Tim and Heather Doyle recently went on safari to the Okavango Delta in Botswana with Africa Geographic. Here’s what they had to say about their trip.


Okavango Delta safari

On our first evening at the mobile tented camp on Chief’s Island, the frog calls were deafening! The list of amphibians included the raucous toad, painted reed frogs, and many others. At the same time, a bull elephant browsed in the reeds towards the setting sun. It was just an awesome time before darkness fell!

Okavango Delta safari

This was our first safari to the Okavango Delta, and we agreed on an itinerary comprising flights between Maun and Chief’s Island, the first and last nights at Gunn’s Camp, and three nights in a mobile tented camp. June was a great time for the trip as the seasonal flooding is almost at its peak, but it can get chilly at night.

Gunns Camp - Okavango Delta

The trip comprised a combination of boat trips from Gunn’s Camp exploring the nearby delta channels, mokoro trips and walking from the tented camp. We did have our first lesson in piloting the mokoro ourselves, which was a lot of fun, and we stayed dry.

Okavango Delta safari

We believe walking safaris are the ultimate adventure, experiencing the environment and wildlife on foot. Our two guides, Mike and Edward, who looked after us for the six days, were phenomenal – very knowledgeable and safety aware.

African safari

Several times, we encountered male buffalo on our walks without incident. We respected the distance to them, watched them for a time, and moved on.

African lodges

The birding in the Okavango Delta is just spectacular, and highlights for us included wattled crane, coppery-tailed coucal and a pair of Pel’s fishing owls.

african safari

Elephant sightings were frequent, and a highlight of the trip was watching a breeding herd crossing a river channel, feeding as they went. There was also some excitement as we navigated narrow channels passing territorial male hippos. Unfortunately, we had no predator sightings on this trip, but we heard lions calling every night.

Thank you for a lovely trip!


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Delta

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We're an eclectic pack of safari experts, storytellers, admin and tech nerds and digital natives whose sole mission is celebrating Africa and doing good. We do this by creating life-changing, responsible safaris just for you, publishing informative, factual articles about Africa's incredible natural wonders and raising donations for worthy causes. This MANIFESTO explains our approach to travel and conservation.

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