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The Okavango Delta’s winding waterways and huge savannas make it one of Africa’s most stunning safari destinations. Supporting a vast array of wildlife and birdlife, this pristine piece of Botswana will entrance you with its breathtaking beauty and tranquil atmosphere.
The Okavango Delta is home to some stunning exclusive accommodations too. Get inspired with our list of the top 10 best five-star Okavango Delta lodges in Botswana.
1. Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge
Exceptionally luxurious, Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge is situated in one of the best game-viewing areas in Botswana. Located in a forest on a private concession within the Okavango Delta, Sandibe offers its guests a truly exclusive experience.
The lodge is an architectural wonder, with its one-of-a-kind natural design imitating the rare pangolin. Blending in seamlessly with its wild surroundings, the lodge features 12 elevated suites, each offering incredible views of the Okavango.
Each suite features a fireplace, reading nooks, comfortable beds, and a private viewing deck with a plunge pool. Guests who have stayed at Sandibe consistently mention the amazing game viewing in the private concession, especially on night drives when the nocturnal species come out of hiding.
Other popular activities at Sandibe include the children’s program, bush walks, and scenic helicopter flights over the delta.
Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp is an intimate and romantic camp in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The camp is situated on the southern tip of Chief’s Island in the Big Five Moremi Game Reserve. It overlooks the perennial Boro River, which attracts a wide range of wildlife.
Guests who have stayed at Stanley’s Camp have praised its exceptional service, excellent cuisine, and luxurious accommodation.
Stanley’s Camp features ten elevated canvas safari tents that are beautifully decorated and well equipped with an en-suite bathroom, lounge area, minibar, fan, tea & coffee making facilities, hairdryer, bathrobes, in-room safe, private viewing deck, and free WiFi.
Game drives at dawn and dusk are led by expert guides and are highly rewarding as you explore the bush for sightings of the Big Five and other interesting animals. Not to be missed are the guided walks which offer an opportunity to track animals and discover a variety of flora species.
For a more laid-back experience, take a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursion along the winding waterways. A highlight at Stanley’s Camp is the Living with Elephants interaction, where you’ll get to go on a leisurely stroll with two semi-habituated elephants.
3. Jacana Camp
Jacana Camp is an intimate and stunning water camp that features fishing, game drives, mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursions, and boating. Jacana Camp is situated in the private Jao concession of the Okavango Delta, a remote destination with vast savanna and permanent swamps that support a huge variety of wildlife.
The Jao Flats is an excellent game-viewing location, with herds of red lechwe antelope that are usually closely tracked by leopards and lions. Bird watching is particularly rewarding, especially in the summer months.
Jacana Camp features five elevated Meru-style tents with outdoor showers, en-suite bathrooms, sitting areas, fans, in-room safes, mosquito netting, and tea and coffee-making facilities.
In the summer months, when the water levels are low, the camp offers game drives in open safari vehicles. When the water levels are high, guests can look forward to boating and mokoro safaris and seasonal catch-and-release fishing trips.
4. Chitabe Camp
Chitabe Camp is one of the Okavango Delta’s best safari camps for dry game viewing, and you’ll be spoiled with regular sightings of African wild dogs. Chitabe game drives happen in open-sided land rovers providing uninterrupted game viewing.
Chitabe camp is situated in the southeast corner of the Okavango, with 69 000 hectares of stunning and totally exclusive wilderness.
With its marshlands, grasslands, woodland, and massive floodplains, the concession is home to a wide array of wildlife. It’s easily one of the best locations in Botswana to see predators and birdlife throughout the year.
Chitabe Camp features eight elevated Meru-style tents with en-suite bathrooms and outdoor showers, double beds, mosquito netting, sitting areas, fans, writing desks, and private viewing decks.
At Chitabe, you’ll be able to enjoy day drives, night drives, and walking safaris with a team of professional guides. The game drives are highly rewarding, and guests will get to spot cheetahs, hyenas, lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, and buffalo.
5. Splash Camp
Splash Camp is set up around a pan that attracts a variety of wildlife. This stunning destination is situated in the private Kwara Concession bordering the Big Five Moremi Game Reserve, which is recognized as a prime game viewing spot in Botswana.
Because of its unique location, the camp offers its guests the best of both worlds in that it’s both a land and water-based safari experience.
Splash Camp features 12 stylish rooms with en-suite bathrooms and outdoor showers, spacious bedrooms, mosquito netting, overhead fans, writing desks, lounge areas, and private verandahs with incredible views of the pan.
Activities on offer at Splash Camp include guided bush walks, mokoro excursions, morning and evening game drives, seasonal fishing expeditions, bird watching, and boating excursions.
6. Jao Camp
Jao Camp is spacious and luxurious and features one of Botswana’s best spas. Situated in the private Jao Concession of the Okavango, this opulent destination is a water paradise surrounded by pristine floodplains and riverine forests.
The wilderness here is ever-changing, with lions and lechwe in abundance from April to September. Expect to see plenty of elephant herds from August to November and ample bird life during the summer months.
The camp features nine large tents resting in the shade of indigenous trees. Each tent has an outdoor shower and en-suite bathroom, mosquito netting, fan, lounge area, minibar, tea and coffee-making facilities, hairdryer, and a private verandah.
Jao Camp is one of the best Okavango Delta lodges for families, with a two-bedroom family tent with individual entry points and a shared viewing deck.
Depending on the time of year, guests are offered both land and water-based activities that include mokoro excursions, picnics, morning and evening game drives, relaxing spa treatments, boating safaris, fishing excursions, and romantic sleep-out experiences.
7. Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp
You’ll find Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp in a remote and untamed game viewing area of Botswana, where suites with a spacious open-plan design ensure expansive views of the bushveld.
This incredible destination is situated in an exclusive wildlife concession bordering the Big Five Moremi Game Reserve. Large herds of elephants and buffalo, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and African wild dogs regularly visit the floodplains around the camp. Nxabega features nine elevated tented suites located under a canopy of ebony trees.
Each opulent tented suite has an outdoor shower and en-suite bathroom and a verandah with a private sala overlooking the wildlife-packed floodplain. Families visiting Nxabega stay in a family tent consisting of two luxury tents connected by a walkway.
The camp offers a unique array of safari activities, including day and night game drives, bird watching, seasonal fishing and boating excursions, mokoro rides, a kid’s program, guided bush walks, and a one-of-a-kind walking with Bushmen experience.
Vumbura Plains Camp is one of the few destinations in the Okavango Delta that offers both wet and dry game viewing in an unfenced private concession throughout the year. Vumbura boasts two satellite safari camps that offer the best of both worlds.
Visitors to Vumbura have reported spectacular sightings of giraffes, buffalo, elephants, wildebeest, and a wide array of antelope. Predators like African wild dogs, lions, leopards, wildcats, and cheetahs are also regularly spotted during dawn and dusk game drives.
Vumbura Plains South and North Camp each feature seven elevated tents with sizeable bedrooms, outdoor showers, en-suite bathrooms, a sunken lounge area with panoramic views of the floodplains, private plunge pools, and a sala area overlooking the African bush.
North Camp is popular with families because of its family tents that can sleep four people in two separate interleading bedrooms. Each camp has a large lounge, dining, and bar area and a spacious viewing deck with comfy couches and a fire pit.
The camp offers day game drives, night drives, guided nature walks, catch-and-release fishing, seasonal hot-air balloon safaris, mokoro rides, boating excursions, and bird watching.
9. Chief’s Camp
Chief’s Camp is situated on a palm-fringed island in the renowned Big Five Moremi Game Reserve. Beyond offering excellent game viewing, Chief’s Camp is consistently rated as one of the Okavango Delta’s top safari lodges by Conde Nast Traveller for its sumptuous accommodation, exquisite cuisine, and exceptional service.
This luxurious destination features ten luxury pavilions and a luxury suite situated under a canopy of indigenous trees.
Each room comes with an outdoor shower and en-suite bathroom, a four-poster bed, mosquito netting, a sitting area, a private dining area, overhead fans, air conditioning, and a viewing deck with a terrace pool. The safari experience features tranquil mokoro rides, dawn and dusk game drives, and even scenic helicopter flights over the delta.
10. Camp Okavango
Camp Okavango is a secluded water-based safari lodge that offers an unequaled year-round water paradise experience. This opulent camp is located on the remote Nxaragha Island in the heart of the Okavango Delta.
The camp is entirely solar-powered and features 12 elevated and spacious safari suites with en-suite bathrooms, dressing robes, in-room safes, overhead fans, tea and coffee-making facilities, luxury amenities, and a private viewing deck with stackable doors and loungers.
Families love Camp Okavango for its family suite that features two en-suite bathrooms and a dedicated children’s area packed with games and books. The suite will even accommodate a third child in the second bedroom on a roll-out bed.
Guests can experience excellent game viewing in the winding channels and surrounding islands on boat cruises and mokoro excursions. Guided bush walks offer an opportunity to track down larger animal species, and fishing trips offer the chance to fish for tigerfish and bream.
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Author: Devryn Panaino
Published: 27 April 2023
Last Update: 30 January 2024