Okavango Delta vs Chobe National Park Safari Experience
The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park offer two very different safari experiences in Botswana. The Okavango is known for its waterways, mokoro safaris and remote camps, while Chobe is known for its large elephant herds and wildlife along the Chobe River.
If you're planning a Botswana safari, you may be wondering which to visit or whether you should include both.
This guide explains the differences that matter when planning your trip, including wildlife, activities, accommodation, cost and the best time to visit.
Ownership and Management
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is not one national park or reserve. It includes Moremi Game Reserve, as well as areas managed by community trusts and private tourism operators.
Chobe National Park
Chobe is a national park managed by Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP).
What This Means for Your Safari
Chobe National Park is open to the public. In the Okavango Delta, some areas are open to the public, while private concessions are generally only accessible to guests staying at camps or lodges within them.
Size
Okavango Delta
Green: Main Okavango Delta
Blue: Seasonal flood expansion
The UNESCO-listed Okavango Delta covers around 20,236 km². This includes both permanently and seasonally flooded areas, with the extent of the floodwaters changing throughout the year. A safari here gives you the chance to experience the largest inland delta in the world.
Chobe National Park
Covering around 10,700 km², Chobe National Park is around half the size of the Okavango Delta during the Delta's flood season.
What This Means for Your Safari
The Okavango Delta covers a much larger area. Where you can go will depend on the reserve, concession or camp you're visiting. Chobe National Park covers a smaller, single protected area.
Landscape & Ecosystem
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is an inland wetland made up of permanent waterways, lagoons, islands and seasonally flooded grasslands. Water from the Okavango River spreads across the Delta, with some areas permanently wet and others flooding seasonally.
Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park includes floodplains, woodland, swamps and drier inland areas. Its main areas include the Chobe Riverfront, Savuti, Linyanti and Ngwezumba Pans, which have different landscapes.
What This Means for Your Safari
Choose the Okavango Delta if you want wetlands and waterways to form a major part of the landscape. Chobe combines its riverfront and floodplains with woodland and drier inland areas.
Wildlife Viewing
Oddballs Camp, Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta supports both wetland and dryland wildlife. Alongside elephants, lions, leopards and African wild dogs, its waterways and floodplains are home to water-adapted species such as red lechwe and sitatunga.
Chobe National Park
Chobe is particularly well known for its elephants, with large herds gathering along the Chobe River during the dry season. The river also attracts large numbers of buffalo and other animals as water becomes scarcer elsewhere.
What This Means for Your Safari
Both offer excellent wildlife viewing, but with different strengths. Choose the Okavango Delta if you want the chance to see unique wetland species such as red lechwe and sitatunga. Choose Chobe if seeing large herds of elephants and other wildlife gathering around the river during the dry season is high on your list.
Game Drive Experience
Chobe Under Canvas/ Chobe National Park
Okavango Delta
You can self-drive in Moremi Game Reserve or join a guided game drive. Vehicles in Moremi must stay on designated roads and tracks, and night drives are not normally permitted. In private concessions, game drives are guided, with off-road driving and night drives available in some areas.
Chobe National Park
You can either self-drive or join a guided game drive. Vehicles must stay on designated roads and tracks, so off-road driving is not normally permitted. Night drives are also not normally permitted within the national park.
Feature | Okavango Delta | Chobe National Park |
Self drive | Available in Moremi Game Reserve | Available |
Guided game drives | Available | Available |
Safari vehicle | Your own 4x4 when self-driving, or a safari vehicle on guided drives | Your own 4x4 when self-driving, or a safari vehicle on guided drives |
Guide | Included on guided game drives | Included on guided game drives |
Off-road driving | Not normally permitted in Moremi. Available in some private concessions | Not normally permitted |
Night drives | Not normally permitted in Moremi. Available in some private concessions | Not normally permitted |
Driving area | Designated roads and tracks in Moremi | Designated roads and tracks |
What This Means for Your Safari
If you want to self-drive, you can do this in both Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park. Private concessions in the Okavango can offer off-road driving and night drives in some areas. They can also offer a quieter game drive experience than the Chobe Riverfront, which can get busy during the high season.
Boat Safaris
Okavango Delta
Mokoro and motorboat safaris are available in parts of the Okavango Delta. Some areas have water throughout the year, while others flood seasonally, so what's available will depend on where and when you stay.
Chobe National Park
Boat safaris take place along the Chobe River, where you can see elephants, hippos, crocodiles and other wildlife from the water. During the dry season, large numbers of animals gather along the river to drink.
What This Means for Your Safari
Both offer water safaris. The Okavango Delta is best known for its mokoro safaris, although motorboat safaris are also available in some areas. In Chobe, you'll explore the river by boat, with the dry season bringing large numbers of animals to the water.
Safari Schedule
Okavango Delta
Most camps offer a safari activity in the morning and another later in the day. Game drives often start around first light, while water safaris can start slightly later. Mokoro safaris don't continue after dark for safety reasons, although motorboat safaris can run later in the day.
Chobe National Park
Guided safaris usually include a morning and afternoon activity. These may be game drives in the national park or boat safaris on the Chobe River, with some boat safaris taking place around sunset.
Example Daily Itinerary
Stage of the Day | Typical Guided Safari |
Morning | Morning safari activity (game drive or mokoro). |
Breakfast | Return for breakfast. |
Late Morning | Free time at the lodge or camp. Or sign up for additional activities such as guided walks, helicopter flips or community visits |
Afternoon | Lunch or afternoon tea. |
Late Afternoon | Afternoon safari activity. |
Evening | Dinner. |
What This Means for Your Safari
There isn't a major difference in the daily schedule. Both usually include a safari activity in the morning and another later in the day, with game drives and water safaris available.
Best Time to Visit
Okavango Delta
May to October is generally the best time for wildlife viewing. The Delta's annual flood arrives during the dry season, with water levels rising at different times across the Delta. This can affect the areas you can explore and the water activities available.
During the green season, the landscape becomes greener, but the Delta's main flood is still to come, as the water travels down from the Angolan highlands.
Chobe National Park
May to October is also generally the best time for wildlife viewing. During the dry season, large numbers of elephants, buffalo and other animals gather along the Chobe River as water becomes scarcer elsewhere.
During the green season, animals are less concentrated around the river. This is also the time when many animals give birth and migratory birds arrive.
What This Means for Your Safari
The time of year can have a bigger effect on how you explore the Okavango Delta because changing water levels can affect where you can go and which water activities are available. In Chobe, the dry season is the better choice if you want to see large numbers of animals gathering along the river.
Safari Cost
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta has options ranging from camping to luxury lodges, although many of its safari camps are at the luxury end of the market. A safari here will generally cost more than in Chobe, particularly when light-aircraft transfers are needed to reach your camp.
Lower-cost options are available, but even these can work out more expensive once travel into the Delta is included.
Chobe National Park
Chobe offers options for a wide range of budgets, from camping and self-drive trips to luxury lodges and guided safari packages.
Lower-cost options are more widely available than in the Okavango Delta.
Feature | Chobe National Park | Okavango Delta |
Typical safari cost | Usually lower | Usually higher |
Budget range | Budget to luxury | Budget to luxury |
Best for | Flexible budgets | Higher-budget safari packages |
Example Safari Prices
These examples are based on our current safari packages, rather than lodge only prices. As every itinerary is different, we recommend viewing the full itinerary to see exactly what's included and excluded.
Example Safari | Duration | From Price Per Person |
4 Nights | £2,600 | |
3 Nights | £3,320 | |
6 Nights | £6,500 |
Please check today's exchange rate for your preferred currency.
What This Means for Your Safari
If keeping costs down is important, we'd usually recommend Chobe. If you have a larger budget, the Okavango Delta gives you access to more remote camps and private concessions.
Lodges & Accommodation
Delta Camp, Okavango Delta
Chobe National Park
There is a wide choice of places to stay around Chobe, particularly in Kasane, including hotels, guest houses, campsites and luxury safari lodges. Most accommodation is outside the national park, while Chobe Game Lodge is the only permanent lodge inside it.
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta has many luxury safari camps, including small, secluded camps in private concessions. More affordable accommodation is also available, including campsites in Moremi Game Reserve.
What This Means for Your Safari
Chobe gives you a wider choice of accommodation styles and budgets. If you'd prefer a smaller, more secluded luxury safari camp, the Okavango Delta is likely to be the better fit.
Can You Visit Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta on the Same Safari?
Yes. Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta are often combined on the same Botswana safari. A common itinerary is spending a few nights in Chobe before flying into the Okavango Delta for another few nights.
Chobe is also particularly easy to combine with Victoria Falls, which is around 80 km from Kasane. Travellers with less time or a smaller budget may choose to visit Chobe on its own, while those with more time and budget can add the Okavango Delta to experience another very different part of Botswana.
What This Means for Your Safari
If you have enough time and budget, we'd often recommend combining both destinations. Chobe gives you excellent game viewing and boat safaris along the Chobe River, while the Okavango Delta adds its waterways, mokoro safaris and more secluded safari camps.
Our Botswana Fly-in Safari combines Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta in a single itinerary.
Our Verdict
There's no single right choice between Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. Your budget, the type of safari you want and how much time you have will all help decide which is right for you. Here's what we'd recommend:
Travelling on a budget?
Chobe National Park. We'd usually recommend Chobe if you have a smaller budget, with more accommodation and safari options at lower prices.
Looking for a luxury safari?
Okavango Delta. We'd usually recommend the Delta if you're looking for a smaller, more secluded luxury safari camp, particularly in one of its private concessions.
Want to explore by water?
Okavango Delta. We'd usually recommend the Delta if its waterways are a big part of what attracts you to Botswana. Mokoro and motorboat safaris are available, depending on where and when you stay.
Visiting Victoria Falls?
Chobe National Park. Kasane is around 80 km from Victoria Falls, making it easy to add a few nights in Chobe to your trip.
Planning a longer Botswana safari?
Combine both. If you have the time and budget, we'd recommend visiting Chobe and the Okavango Delta. You'll experience the Chobe River and the waterways of the Delta in the same trip.
Still not sure?
Get in touch with our team. We'll recommend the itinerary we believe best matches your budget, interests and the time you have available, helping you choose the safari that's right for you.
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