Okavango Delta - how to see it without breaking the bank?
 

My husband and I are planning a 5 week self-driving trip around Namibia and parts of Botswana. However, we are having great trouble working out the best way to spend 2 nights/3 days at the Okavango Delta. We have heard that staying in Maun is not the most practical and that it is best to fly by light aircraft to one of the many delightful but expensive camps/lodges, however the cost of the flights alone are quite high and then the costs per person per night add up to quite a packet. On top of that are the costs of paying the guides, mokoro rides etc. Can anyone suggest a more reasonable (middle price range) alternative for the accommodation? We have read heaps and contacted an agent in Windhoek, but cannot come up with anything suitable, so any info would be greatly appreciated.

Lulu16:
When are you planning to travel? Where will you be just before you want to go to OD and what style of lodging do you like?
Dianne, Africa Direct USA

Contact one of the self drive 4x4 hire companies in Maun. They are used to handling these types of enquiries.

We will be heading to The Delta after Chobe NP. We will start our journey from Windhoek around May 26 where we will pick up our 4x4 with camping gear. The plan is then to do a loop through Namibia taking in Namib-Naukluft NP, Swakopund, Etosha NP, Caprivi, Chobe, Okavango and back to Windhoek over a period of 5 weeks. We intend to combine some camping with with other types of accommodation. What we want is a clean and average place to stay in or near Maun (around $200-$300 pn) from where we can go on mokoro and land safaris, any info greatly appreciated.

Contact Maun Self Drive 4x4. For what you are looking for, there are all kinds of places that have opened up this year and very good established places that are not that expensive. With safe and protected parking.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Lulu16,
I would take a look at Oddballs' Palm Island Luxury Lodge (20 mins from Maun). Great value for the money. It's in your price point and includes meals, tea/coffee, mekoro, guided walks etc. Worth checking out. Enjoy!
Dianne, Africa Direct USA

Lulu16,

I would recommend that you take a mokoro trip from Maun directly out in the delta and camp out on an Island. I work for Unlimited Tours & Safaris and we can arrange this, but otherwise allmost all the lodges and operators in Maun are able to fix this for you at a reasonable price. This is an excellent way to really see the delta and be out in the wild. With three nights you are able to go quite far into the delta and have some great experiences. Not your usual game-packed trip but a really tranquil and fantastic way to get close to nature, and if you are lucky see some great wildlife on foot or from the mokoro. Good luck!

Thanks again for the suggestions, all helpful.

If you are looking for a little adventure then you can camp at Mbiroba which is at the North End of the Delta. We stayed there a few years ago (2007) during our self drive to Namibia and Botswana. This is a community run site which offers camping, chalets and makoro trips.

To get there you cross the Kavango river on the ferry at Mohembo - which is just over the border from the Caprivi part of Namibia.

http://www.okavangodelta.co.bw/

It is possible to drive through the delta from the camp to Maun, but beware when we tried this we got turned back by the Botswanan army as the road was flooded.