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Safari guests watching a herd of elephants from an open vehicle on a family game drive

Private safari

9-Day Botswana Family Safari: Chobe, Delta & Kalahari Pans

9 daysPrivate safariBotswanaIndividually quoted

Elephants swimming the Chobe at eye level, a poled canoe through lily-covered channels, then meerkats that may use a tall teenager as a lookout post.

Customize This Journey
Duration9 days · 8 nights
Best monthsApril–October (book school-holiday dates early)
Comfort levelsComfort · Premium · Luxury
RouteKasane · Chobe Riverfront · Okavango Delta · Makgadikgadi Pans · Maun
Best forFamilies with children roughly 12 and older who want variety, activity and a little adrenaline
Trip typePrivate safari

A Botswana family safari with teenagers works best when the trip keeps changing pace, and this one changes it three times. You start on the Chobe River, where elephants drink and swim a few metres from the boat, move to an Okavango Delta camp that runs both game drives and mokoro trips, and finish on the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt pans with meerkats, quad bikes and a walk led by San guides. Stays of three, three and two nights mean just two camp changes, and each one is a short light-aircraft flight.

Ages shape a Botswana trip more than most parents expect. Many Delta camps set minimum ages for their activities, often 6 for game drives and 12 for mokoro trips and walks, and some ask families with younger children to take a private vehicle. With teenagers nearly everything opens up, which is why this journey is built around them. For younger children, age policies and malaria-free alternatives, start with our Botswana family safari guide.

Why this route works

Kasane is the natural first stop. Regional flights from Johannesburg land a few kilometres from town, the Chobe National Park gate is roughly 10 km away, and the riverfront lodges have pools and their own jetties, so the first afternoon needs no effort at all. Three nights there balance morning drives with afternoon boats before a light aircraft takes you south-west into the Okavango Delta, which is best met once everyone is over the jet lag. The Makgadikgadi pans come last because they are the most active part of the trip and sit close to Maun, where regular flights connect back to Johannesburg. Flying every leg spares the family the long, sandy road between Kasane and Maun.

Itinerary

Day by Day

A suggested flow — every day can be reshaped around you.

  1. Day 1 · Kasane

    Kasane and a First Afternoon on the Chobe

    Flight · Johannesburg (O. R. Tambo) → Kasane · about 1.75 hours

    The flight from Johannesburg lands at Kasane’s small airport, a few minutes from the riverfront lodges. After lunch and a swim, your first outing is on the water. Afternoon boats drift along the edge of the national park as elephant families come down to drink, and in the dry months they often wade or swim out to the grassy islands. Hippos surface near the hull, crocodiles bask on the sandbanks, and the floodplain on the far bank belongs to Namibia.

    • Scheduled flight into Kasane
    • Lunch and pool time at your lodge
    • Afternoon boat safari on the Chobe River
    Overnight
    Chobe Riverfront (Kasane)
    Meals
    Lunch & dinner
  2. Elephant herd on the Chobe riverfront floodplain

    Day 2–3 · Chobe Riverfront

    Riverfront Mornings, River Afternoons

    Each day starts with a drive into Chobe National Park as the gate opens, when lions may still be moving and the light lies soft on the floodplain. With a vehicle to yourselves, the family decides when to linger and when to head back for breakfast. National-park rules keep drives on marked tracks and in daylight, so evenings belong to the lodge. Afternoons return to the water, and one trip can be on a photographic boat with swivel seats, ideal for a teenager with a camera. Ask your guide about puku, an antelope found in few other parts of Botswana, and about the Chobe itself, which can flow in either direction depending on which tributary fills first.

    • Morning game drives in Chobe National Park
    • Afternoon boat safaris
    • Optional photographic boat session
    • Pool time in the heat of the day
    Overnight
    Chobe Riverfront (Kasane)
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch & dinner
  3. Aerial view over the winding channels and islands of the Okavango Delta

    Day 4 · Okavango Delta

    Into the Okavango Delta

    Flight · Kasane → Okavango Delta camp airstrip · about 1–1.5 hours, sometimes with a stop — Soft bags only, roughly 20 kg (44 lb) per person with hand luggage included

    A light aircraft carries you south-west over the dry mopane of the Chobe interior to your Delta camp, a flight of roughly an hour or a little more, sometimes with a stop on the way. Watch the land below turn from grey bush to a maze of channels, palm islands and flooded grassland. Delta camps are small enough that staff learn everyone’s names on the first evening, and a family tent, or two tents side by side, keeps you close at night. The afternoon drive shows why this camp was chosen: it works on land and water, so no two days need look alike.

    • Light-aircraft flight over northern Botswana
    • Settling into a family tent
    • Afternoon game drive
    Overnight
    Okavango Delta
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch & dinner

  4. Day 5–6 · Okavango Delta

    Mokoro, Tracks and Termite-Mound Islands

    A poler stands at the stern of each mokoro and pushes you silently along the channels, past painted reed frogs clinging to the stems and water lilies opening with the sun. The camp’s age rules decide who can go, so we confirm them when we plan. On land, guides teach the family to read spoor in the sand and explain how termite mounds began many of the Delta’s islands, roughly seven in ten of them. Where the concession allows, a night drive with a spotlight looks for genets, bushbabies and hunting leopards, and some family-minded camps run junior-ranger sessions on bush skills.

    • Mokoro excursion (camp age rules apply)
    • Morning and afternoon game drives
    • Tracking and bush-skills sessions
    • Night drive where the concession allows
    Overnight
    Okavango Delta
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch & dinner
  5. Palm islands silhouetted at dusk on the Makgadikgadi pans

    Day 7 · Makgadikgadi Pans

    From Water to Salt

    Flight · Okavango Delta → Makgadikgadi airstrip · about 1–1.5 hours, often via Maun

    The flight to the Makgadikgadi usually routes through Maun, and the change below the wings is total: channels give way to Kalahari scrub and then to pans so white and flat they look like snow. Where you stay shapes the afternoon. On the Boteti River, the dry season brings herds of zebra down to drink in front of camp; near Gweta or the edge of Ntwetwe Pan, the first sundowner is poured on the salt itself, with nothing but horizon in every direction. Teenagers who were sceptical about a desert usually go quiet here.

    • Light-aircraft flight via Maun
    • Afternoon drive or zebra viewing on the Boteti
    • Sundowners at the edge of the pans
    Overnight
    Makgadikgadi
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch & dinner

  6. Day 8 · Makgadikgadi Pans

    Meerkats, Quad Bikes and a San-Guided Walk

    Set out early to reach a meerkat colony as the family emerges to warm up in the sun. These colonies are habituated, so you sit quietly on the ground a few metres away while sentries stand guard, occasionally on a convenient head. Later, San guides show how they track, find water-bearing roots and make fire. In the dry season quad bikes follow set tracks onto the pans; operators set the driving age, commonly 16, so younger teens ride as passengers. Some routes pass the fallen trunk of Chapman’s Baobab, which collapsed in 2016. If the pans are dry, you can sleep out tonight on bedrolls under a vast sky.

    • Morning with a habituated meerkat colony
    • San-guided walk
    • Quad biking on the dry pans (driver age limits apply)
    • Optional sleep-out under the stars
    Overnight
    Makgadikgadi (or a sleep-out on the pans)
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch & dinner

  7. Day 9 · Maun

    To Maun and Onward

    Flight · Makgadikgadi airstrip → Maun · about 30–45 minutes — From camps on the Boteti River, a road transfer of about 2 hours is often simpler

    After breakfast and a last look across the pans, you head for Maun, the Delta’s busy gateway town, by light aircraft or, from the Boteti side, by road. Maun’s airport links to Johannesburg for flights home to the US. If your long-haul departure is late in the evening, a day room at a Johannesburg airport hotel makes the wait far easier on everyone. Somewhere between the two flights, the family usually starts debating which moment of the week wins, and the shortlist is rarely short.

    • Final breakfast on the pans
    • Flight or road transfer to Maun
    • Connecting flight to Johannesburg
    Meals
    Breakfast

Lodges

Where You’ll Stay

Choose a comfort level to see the stay style for each part of the journey. We match specific camps to your dates and availability.

Spacious, characterful camps in prime locations, with exceptional service and food.

  1. 3 nights · Chobe Riverfront

    Luxury lodge deck with loungers and umbrellas at golden hourPremium

    Chobe Riverfront · Kasane riverbank

    Boutique Riverbank Lodge · Kasane

    Lodge

    • River-view rooms with private decks
    • Small boats for private or photographic outings
    • Pool overlooking the Chobe

  2. 3 nights · Okavango Delta

    A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

    Okavango Delta · private concession, land & water

    Land-and-Water Delta Camp

    Tented camp

    • Game drives and water activities from one camp
    • Night drives and walks on the concession
    • Family tents at some

  3. 2 nights · Makgadikgadi

    A canvas safari tent set among trees at a private tented campPremium

    Makgadikgadi · Boteti River

    Boteti Riverbank Zebra Camp

    Tented camp

    • River-view tents with outdoor showers
    • Ground-level hide at the waterline at some
    • Excursions to meerkats and the pans

Price

Price

Every private safari is priced for your dates, party and choices — here is what moves the number.

Individually quoted

Custom pricing based on your dates, comfort level, party size and routing.

Get my quoteHow much a luxury safari costs
  • SeasonPeak months sit at the top of the range; green-season and shoulder months are noticeably softer at many camps.
  • Party sizeYour private vehicle and guide are shared across your party — the per-person cost typically falls as your group grows from two to four or six.
  • Comfort levelMoving from Comfort to Ultra-Luxury changes the nightly rate more than any other choice.
  • RoutingFlying the long legs saves hours on the road and adds light-aircraft fares; driving keeps costs lower.

What’s Included

  • Professional guiding throughout: a private vehicle and guide on road-based legs, and the camp’s own guides at fly-in camps (a private vehicle can often be added)
  • Accommodation at your chosen comfort level
  • Meals as listed day by day
  • Park and conservation fees for the itinerary
  • Airport meet-and-greet and road transfers as listed
  • Drinking water on game drives
  • Support from our team before and during your journey
  • Light-aircraft flights from Kasane to the Delta and on to the Makgadikgadi
  • At least two Chobe boat safaris, one on a photographic boat where available
  • Mokoro outings for every family member who meets the camp’s age rule
  • A meerkat morning, a San-guided walk and quad biking for eligible ages
  • Family tents or neighbouring rooms where camps offer them

Not Included

  • International flights
  • Visa and entry fees
  • Travel and medical insurance (strongly recommended)
  • Gratuities for guides and camp staff
  • Premium drinks and personal expenses
  • Scheduled regional flights into Kasane and out of Maun, which we can book alongside your long-haul tickets
  • A Johannesburg airport-hotel night before the Kasane flight, often needed with US arrival times
  • Optional helicopter flight and guided walks
  • Malaria medication and travel-health consultations
  • Extra light-aircraft seats for additional luggage

A typical inclusion list — your written proposal itemizes exactly what is and isn’t included.

Activities

Activities & Add-Ons

Included experiences and optional upgrades for this journey.

Guests on a small safari boat watch an elephant herd grazing the river floodplainIncluded

On the water

Chobe River Boat Safaris

Afternoon boats on arrival day and again on days 2–3; a photographic boat suits teen photographers.

Aerial view over the winding channels and islands of the Okavango DeltaIncluded

On the water

Mokoro Excursions

Camp age rules apply; many Delta camps set the mokoro minimum somewhere between 6 and 12.

Optional

On foot

Walking Safaris in Botswana

Usually for ages 12–16 and older, depending on the concession and the guide.

Map

Route Map

Route map: Kasane · Chobe Riverfront · Okavango Delta · Makgadikgadi Pans · Maun1Kasane2Chobe Riverfront3Okavango Delta4Makgadikgadi Pans5Maun
By roadBy air

Approximate locations — not for navigation.

How This Journey Changes Through the Year

April–May
Floodwater is spreading into the Delta and the land is still green from the rains. The pans are drying out, so quad biking and sleep-outs may only start from around May, and camps are quieter before the northern summer.
June–August
US summer break, the peak of the Delta flood and the coldest dawns, so pack fleeces and hats for open vehicles. Mokoro trips are at their best, Chobe’s herds are building, and family tents often book up a year ahead.
September–October
Chobe’s elephant gatherings are at their largest and the pans at their driest. Heat builds fast and can pass 38°C in October, so drives start early and middays belong to the pool. Flood levels vary by year, and some Delta channels shrink.
November–March
The rains arrive, the pans can flood and quad biking stops. For a family trip in these months, the green-season safari makes better use of the season.

Make It Yours

  • Begin with two nights at Victoria Falls and cross into Kasane by road
  • Swap the Delta camp for one with lower activity ages if younger siblings are coming
  • Split into two vehicles on some drives so photographers and early risers can set their own pace
  • Add a doors-off helicopter flight over the Delta
  • Finish with a few nights in Cape Town before flying home
Customize This Journey

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum age for this Botswana family safari?

The route is designed for teenagers, because many Delta camps set activity ages, commonly 6 and older for game drives and 12 and older for mokoro trips and walks. Quad-bike drivers usually need to be 16, with younger teens riding as passengers. For families with younger children, we swap in camps with lower limits and add a private vehicle where a camp requires it.

Can teenagers drive the quad bikes on the Makgadikgadi pans?

Each operator sets its own rule, and 16 is a common minimum age for driving. Younger teenagers ride behind a guide or parent. The bikes follow established tracks and only run when the pans are dry and firm, roughly May to October.

Which parts of this route carry malaria risk?

All of it: the Chobe, Okavango and Boteti districts are all listed by the CDC as malaria transmission areas. Risk is typically lower in the dry winter months but not absent. See a travel-health clinic four to six weeks before departure for options suited to each child’s age and weight.

Will we have the same guide for the whole trip?

Not on this route. Fly-in camps in Botswana employ their own guides, so you meet a new guide at each stop, with a vehicle reserved for your family. Many families enjoy the change of voices; if continuity matters more, a road-based mobile safari keeps one guide throughout.

How much luggage can each of us bring on the light aircraft?

Plan on about 20 kg (44 lb) per person, including hand luggage and camera bags, packed in soft bags without wheels or frames. The limit applies to teenagers exactly as it does to adults. Most camps include laundry, so a small wardrobe of layers is enough.

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Continue exploring

Safari guests watching a herd of elephants from an open vehicle on a family game drive

Customize This Journey

Tell us your dates, who is traveling and your preferred comfort level. A safari specialist will tailor this route around you — nothing is booked until you approve every detail.

Customize This Journey