Secret Namibia · Beyond Namibia safari · 7 days
The 7-Day Savute and Okavango Delta Green Season Safari is a Botswana safari for the months when the rains turn the country green.
At a glance
The 7-Day Savute and Okavango Delta Green Season Safari is a Botswana safari for the months when the rains turn the country green. Spend three nights at Savute Safari Lodge in Chobe National Park, where the zebra migration arrives with the rains and the Savute lion prides follow, then fly into the Okavango Delta for three nights at Xugana Island Lodge, on a private island where the permanent channels mean mokoro and boat safaris all year. Fewer vehicles, newborn animals, the best birding of the year and green season rates: this is Botswana at its most alive.
Flying between camps turns the travelling days into part of the safari: an hour over the dunes or the escarpment instead of a day on gravel, and more time where it matters. Every flight, transfer and activity is arranged; you simply arrive.
The green season is Botswana at its most alive. From about November the rains bring fresh grass, newborn impala and wildebeest, and the predators that follow them, and the birdlife is at its best with the summer migrants in. It is hot, with dramatic afternoon storms that clear quickly, and you share the concessions with far fewer vehicles than in the dry season. In the Okavango the permanent channels stay navigable all year, so the water activities carry on whatever the rain.
What is decided: the shape of the trip: the areas, the order, the properties and the number of nights in each. It is the version we would build first for most travellers.
What we confirm together: your dates, who is travelling, room categories and any extensions before or after. Every safari is tailored from here, and nothing is held until you ask us to.
The route
The route runs from Maun north to Savute in Chobe National Park, south into the Okavango Delta, and back to Maun, all by light aircraft. The camps meet you at each airstrip; the only driving is in the game vehicles.
Flight times are approximate and schedules are confirmed the evening before. Luggage on light aircraft is limited to about 20 kg per person in soft bags.
Day by day
From Maun a light aircraft flies you north to Savute, in the heart of Chobe National Park, where Savute Safari Lodge overlooks the Savute Channel and its waterhole. Eleven chalets and a family chalet, a pool and a photographic hide at the waterhole make it a comfortable base in one of the most dramatic game areas in Africa.
In the green season Savute comes alive. The zebra migration, the second largest in Africa, moves through between November and December and again from February to April, and the predators follow: the Savute lion prides are famous, and hyena and wild dog hunt the plains. Game drives explore the Savute Marsh and the channel, and a visit to the Gubatsa Hills shows the ancient San rock paintings. Meals, local drinks and activities are included.
A short flight south takes you into the Okavango Delta and Xugana Island Lodge, on a private island on the Xugana Lagoon, one of the most beautiful permanent water sites in the Delta. Twelve safari suites sit in the shade of the trees at the water's edge.
Because Xugana sits on deep, permanent water, the Delta's water activities run all year. Glide through the channels by mokoro, explore the lagoons by motorboat, walk the islands, and in the green season take game drives on the mainland when the tracks allow. The birdlife is at its best with the summer migrants in. Meals, local drinks and two activities a day are included.
A final morning activity on the lagoon, then a light aircraft returns you to Maun for your onward flight.
Overnight · Departure dayWhere you stay
Eleven chalets and a family chalet on the Savute Channel in Chobe National Park, overlooking the marsh and a busy waterhole.
+ Read moreGame drives across the Savute Marsh, a photographic hide at the waterhole and the San rock paintings of the Gubatsa Hills. The zebra migration passes through in November and December and again from February to April, with the Savute predators close behind.
Fully inclusive; children from six.
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Twelve safari suites on a private island on the Xugana Lagoon, one of the most beautiful permanent water sites in the Okavango Delta.
+ Read moreMokoro excursions, motorboat safaris and walks on the islands run all year, with more than 400 bird species recorded and catch-and-release bream fishing in season. A helicopter flight over the Delta can be added.
Fully inclusive, with two activities a day.
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The practical side
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Next steps
This page is a sample itinerary, not a quote, and nothing on it is booked or held. If it suits someone you know, send them the link; we are just as happy to start from scratch for them.
Seven days is the shape most of our guests choose for this route; a night or two more lets you linger where you like it best, and many guests swap a property for one they have heard about. Tell us roughly when you are thinking of travelling and who is coming, and we will turn this sample into a firm itinerary within a day or two.
