Botswana
Luxury hotels, insider access, and bespoke itineraries
The Destination
Botswana is Africa's most exclusive safari country — a place of vast private concessions, tiny camps and a deliberate low-volume, high-value model that keeps the wilderness wild. Its two great theatres, the water-world of the Okavango Delta and the dry-country drama of Chobe, sit within a short flight of each other.
Belmond's two lodges cover both. Belmond Eagle Island Lodge sits deep in the Okavango Delta — twelve thatched, tented suites raised over the floodplain, where game viewing happens by mokoro dugout canoe, motorboat and helicopter with the doors off, past some of the richest birdlife in Africa. Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge brings the big-sky counterpart: twelve air-conditioned tented suites on the Savute Channel in Chobe, with a waterhole in front of camp, huge elephant herds, and the famous lion prides that hunt them.
The classic Botswana trip pairs water and land, and that is where we add the most value — three nights each at Eagle Island and Savute, connected by the light aircraft we arrange end to end, timed so the Delta leg falls in the flood, with preferred-partner benefits at the same rate you would pay booking direct.
Our Recommended Properties
Savute Elephant Lodge, A Belmond Safari
Chobe National Park · $$$$$
Twelve tented suites on the Savute Channel — Chobe's legendary elephant country and predator theatre
Eagle Island Lodge, A Belmond Safari
Okavango Delta · $$$$$
A water-safari lodge deep in the Okavango Delta — mokoro canoes, helicopter safaris, and twelve raised tented suites
Best Time to Visit
May to October, though Botswana runs two clocks against each other. The Okavango floods in the middle of the dry season: Angolan rain arrives months late, reaching the Delta from April and peaking in July and August, when open water can exceed 7,000 square kilometres. That is when the mokoro channels are deep and Eagle Island is at its strongest. Chobe peaks slightly later — by September and October the riverfront draws elephant in the tens of thousands, and the waterholes around Savute concentrate lion and other predators. The trade-off is heat; October regularly passes 38°C. November to March is the green season: afternoon storms, impala calving, migrant birds, and — in late November and December specifically — more than 20,000 zebra leaving the Chobe floodplains and moving south past Savute towards Nxai Pan, where they stay until the rains end. Rates fall sharply, and Delta water levels sit at their annual low.
Insider Tips
Book peak-season camps twelve to eighteen months out, and never build the trip around a single camp — Botswana works as a circuit of two or three, three nights each, linked by light aircraft. Pair water with land: Eagle Island in the Delta for mokoro and boat work, then Savute Elephant Lodge in Chobe for predators and dry-country game. Two constraints catch people late. Those light aircraft hold you to roughly 20kg in a soft bag, hand luggage included — no wheels, no hard frames — so plan a left-luggage stop in Johannesburg or Maun. And both regions are malarial; see your GP months ahead, not the week before. Park entry runs around BWP 270 per adult per day on top of camp rates, now charged per calendar day rather than per night. Fly into Maun, out of Kasane, and add Victoria Falls — about two hours by road, the Kazungula border crossing included.
Frequently Asked
When is the best time to visit Botswana?
May to October, the dry season, is prime: game concentrates at water, and the Okavango flood — which arrives from distant rains — peaks roughly June to September, when the Delta is at its most magical for mokoro safaris. November to April is the green season, with newborn wildlife, dramatic storm skies and softer rates. We time the Delta leg to the flood.
How many nights do you need in Botswana?
The classic circuit is six nights — three in the Okavango Delta and three in Chobe — to experience both the water and the land safari. Add more to include the Kalahari, or to extend into Victoria Falls or Zimbabwe next door. We build the light-aircraft connections between camps into the plan.
What is the difference between the Okavango Delta and Chobe?
They are two very different safaris. The Okavango is a flooded desert delta explored by mokoro canoe, boat and helicopter, gliding at eye level past elephants in the channels. Chobe and the Savute is big-sky, dry-country safari — huge elephant herds, strong predator action and ancient baobabs. Pairing the two is why Botswana rewards a water-and-land itinerary.
What are the best safari lodges in Botswana?
Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, deep in the Okavango Delta, is our pick for the water safari — twelve tented suites over the floodplain, with mokoro, boat and helicopter game viewing. Its sister, Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge on the Savute Channel in Chobe, is the land counterpart, with a waterhole in front of camp and legendary elephant and lion viewing.
Is a luxury travel advisor worth it for Botswana?
You pay the same rate as booking direct and gain preferred-partner benefits — breakfast, upgrades when available, and credits. In Botswana the decisive value is planning: pairing the Delta and Chobe for the water-and-land contrast, timing the Delta leg to the flood, and arranging the light aircraft that connect these remote camps end to end.
More Destinations in Africa & Indian Ocean
Plan Your Journey
Discover Botswana with Via Privata
Bespoke itineraries, preferred hotel access, and local expertise — tailored to your travel style.
Enquire NowEnquire Now