Botswana is home to some of Africa’s best luxury safari lodges, set across wilderness areas that feel genuinely untouched. From the waterways of the Okavango Delta to the elephant-filled floodplains of Chobe and the vastness of the Makgadikgadi Pans, each region offers a different way into Botswana's wild heart. Whether this is your first safari or you're returning to discover a new corner of the country, these are our picks for where to stay.
How Do I Get There?
Getting around Botswana is part of the adventure. Many camps sit deep within protected wilderness areas, well beyond paved roads, making light aircraft transfers the most practical way to arrive.
Most journeys begin with a flight into Maun Airport (MUB) for the Okavango Delta and Moremi, or Kasane Airport (BBK) for Chobe and the Linyanti. From there, shorter charter flights carry you over the iconic landscape before landing at a remote airstrip, where a game drive takes you on the final stretch to camp.
Those inter-lodge hop flights are worth the window seat alone.
How to Choose Where to Stay in Botswana
The best lodge in Botswana depends on what you want from your safari. Some areas suit first-timers well, while others appeal to seasoned safari-goers yearning for fewer vehicles, specialist activities, or a deeper sense of isolation.
Here's a quick look at the key regions and what makes each one distinct:
A note for families: Some lodges welcome children on all activities and offer dedicated family accommodation, while others have age restrictions due to their remote locations. Your Rhino Africa Travel Expert will help you navigate these options and recommend the best fit for your family.
The Okavango Delta
Few landscapes capture the imagination quite like the Okavango Delta. A maze of waterways, islands dotted with palm trees, and seasonal floodplains, this extraordinary wetland rises from the heart of the Kalahari each year as floodwaters transform the wilderness.
Explore the Delta by traditional mokoro, follow elephant trails by boat, or venture into the floodplains in search of lion, leopard, elephant and African wild dog. Many of the Delta’s most exclusive camps sit within private concessions, where days can stretch from walking safaris at sunrise to night drives beneath a sky full of stars.
1. Little Vumbura
Best for: An intimate land-and-water safari in a private Delta concession.
With just six tented suites, Little Vumbura offers the kind of privacy only a small camp can. Resting on a private concession in the northern Okavango Delta, it has a relaxed, understated charm with days shaped by the wildlife surrounding you rather than a fixed schedule.
The camp’s level of seclusion means you can enjoy a wide range of experiences, from tracking predators on game drives to exploring the wilderness on foot or by water. Between adventures, return to your spacious suite, cool off in your private plunge pool, or enjoy the stillness of the bush while taking your outdoor shower.
Why we love it:
- Arriving by boat sets a magical, secret-island tone before you’ve even checked in
- Resident elephants frequently wander through camp to feast on fresh mangosteen fruit
- The cuisine highlights local ingredients like marula and ditloo for a genuine taste of Botswana
2. Jao Camp
Best for: Bold architecture and serious Delta game viewing.
Set on a remote island in the Okavango Delta, Jao Camp’s striking design makes an immediate impression, from its soaring double-volume spaces to the dramatic giraffe skeleton that takes centre stage in the main lounge. It feels part safari lodge, part private gallery, while keeping the feel of being in the wild.
Located in a vast private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve, Jao offers immersive safaris with the freedom to explore by vehicle, boat, mokoro, or foot. After a day in the wilderness, return to a private villa, stretch out beside your plunge pool, or enjoy the camp’s spa, library, and creative spaces at a slower pace.
Why we love it:
- You can explore the Delta in one of the camp's glass-bottom mokoros
- Private outdoor salas on every deck give you the perfect shady reading nook between game drives
- Elevated wooden walkways connecting the tents make the whole camp feel like a luxury treehouse
3. Sanctuary Chief's Camp
Best for: Unmatched predator action in an iconic game reserve.
Chief's Island in the Moremi Game Reserve is one of the Delta's most wildlife-dense addresses, and Chief's Camp has been making the most of that location for years. Lion, leopard, African wild dog, elephant, rhino, and buffalo are all regular sightings – game viewing here genuinely justifies the journey.
Suites are spacious, with private plunge pools and indoor-outdoor living areas designed for the end-of-day wind-down. If you want complete privacy within the camp, the Geoffrey Kent Luxury Suite has dedicated service and its own generous living spaces.
Why we love it
- Located on Chief’s Island, giving you front-row seats to the highest predator density in the Delta
- Where else in the Okavango Delta can you bite into a hot, wood-fired pizza on an outdoor deck?
- Air-conditioned suites with private plunge pools offer ultimate relief from the midday heat
4. Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp
Best for: Classic canvas living with private concession perks.
Some camps remind you why sleeping under canvas became part of the safari dream in the first place. Nxabega is one of them. Spacious tented suites bring plenty of comfort, but the sounds of the Delta are never far away, creating an immersive feel without giving up on the little luxuries.
Set inside a private concession bordering the Moremi Game Reserve, the camp offers some things you won't find just anywhere: night drives, guided walks, and off-road game viewing. Families are especially well catered for, and birders can admire more than 400 recorded species, including the elusive Pel's fishing owl.
Why we love it
- Soak in your open-air bathtub on your private deck under the stars
- Being in a private concession means off-road tracking and staying out after dark for night drives
- Traditional canvas and leather touches that capture the classic, old-world safari feel
5. Little Machaba
Best for: An unpretentious, four-tent wilderness hideaway.
Little Machaba strips safari back to what matters most. With only four tented suites and a maximum of 12 guests, Little Machaba keeps things refreshingly simple. The focus isn't on extravagant extras. It's on spending as much time as possible out in the Khwai Community Concession, one of the country's most rewarding wildlife areas.
Spend your days exploring one of Botswana's prime wildlife regions, where predator sightings are anything but scarce, before returning to camp for a relaxed evening by the fire. Cultural visits to nearby communities offer a meaningful interaction with the people who call this place home.
Why we love it
- With only four tents, it feels like having your own private hideaway
- Spotlight night drives offer pulse-pounding thrills tracking active leopards and hyenas
- The swimming pool faces the floodplains, letting you watch elephant herds while taking an afternoon dip
Moremi Game Reserve
At the heart of the Okavango Delta, Moremi is where Botswana’s wild contrasts come together. Waterways weave through open grasslands, lagoons shimmer beneath vast skies, and mopane forests provide shelter for iconic wildlife. It’s a landscape that constantly shifts with the seasons, with something new to discover around every bend.
Unlike many safari destinations that favour either land or water, Moremi offers both. One day might begin with a game drive across open plains before giving way to a boat cruise through reed-lined channels. It's this variety, combined with absolutely no shortage of wildlife and relatively few travellers, that makes Moremi one of Botswana's most beloved safari destinations.
6. Camp Moremi
Best for: A classic safari stay beside the permanent waters of Moremi.
Camp Moremi doesn't try to reinvent the safari lodge. And that's exactly its appeal. Set on the edge of the Xakanaxa Lagoon, it embraces the classics, from thatched roofs and open-air spaces to generous suites that invite the sounds of the bush inside.
Game drives and boat safaris in Moremi Game Reserve reveal a constantly changing mosaic of lagoons, floodplains, and woodland. Back at camp, shared meals and easy conversation around the fire are all part of the mood. There's no need for grand statements here. The wilderness does that perfectly well on its own.
Why we love it
- The waterside boma lets you swap stories under a sky full of stars right on the lagoon
- You can spot kingfishers, fish eagles, and hippos right from the lodge’s viewing deck
- The staff gathers before dinner to sing beautiful local welcome songs around the fire
Chobe & Linyanti
While the Okavango Delta is a world of winding waterways and lush channels, Chobe and Linyanti reveal a wilder, more untamed side of Botswana. Along the Chobe River, life gathers at the water’s edge. Cruise past enormous elephant herds cooling off in the shallows and watch hippos emerge from the river. For birders, there's no shortage of reasons to keep the binoculars handy.
Further west, Linyanti feels like Botswana at its most secluded. The wilderness stretches in every direction, with private concessions offering even more space and solitude than you thought you needed. Allow your surroundings to take over, whether you’re on a quiet walk through the bush or a night drive beneath a sky scattered with stars.
7. Chobe Under Canvas
Chobe Under Canvas captures the romance of safari in its most authentic form. Five walk-in tents are tucked into the wilderness, where evenings are lit by lanterns and the sounds of the bush become your soundtrack after dark. It’s a return to a slower, more traditional style of safari, where the focus is firmly on being immersed in nature.
The camp moves every five days through Chobe National Park, following the seasons and the movement of wildlife. Early mornings begin with game drives before the heat of the day sets in, while photographic boat safaris on the Chobe River show the region from a different perspective. For those who love the feeling of exploration, this is safari stripped back to its most memorable elements.
Why we love it
- Fresh hot coffee or tea delivered directly to your tent along with your morning wake-up call
- Authentic safari bucket showers and flickering brass lanterns bring classic wilderness romance
- Feasting on delicious meals cooked over open coals under the stars in a completely unfenced camp
8. Chobe Game Lodge
Best for: Riverfront luxury and a pioneering approach to safari.
The address alone is unbeatable: Chobe Game Lodge is the only permanent lodge inside Chobe National Park. That means a head start on morning sightings, longer afternoons in the park, and front-row seats to the Chobe River as wildlife gathers along its banks. The spacious river-facing suites and a tranquil spa make it easy to relax between adventures.
The real headline, though, is how it runs. Its all-female guiding team leads game drives and river safaris in electric vehicles and boats, offering a fresh way to explore the park. Families are warmly welcomed too, with the Young Explorers programme designed to introduce younger guests to the wonders of the wilderness.
Why we love it
- Every room faces the Chobe River, so you can spot wildlife wandering past right from your private deck
- Glide alongside swimming elephants on solar-powered boats with zero engine noise to startle them
- The riverfront boardwalk is the ultimate spot for sundowners while hippos and buffalo graze directly below you
9. Linyanti Bush Camp
Best for: Quiet, crowd-free wildlife encounters in a private marshland setting.
There's no grand statement at Linyanti Bush Camp. Just a handful of tents, thoughtful guiding, and one of Botswana's quietest wildernesses right outside your door, overlooking the Linyanti Marshes. It’s a private concession safari in the truest sense: few vehicles, fewer voices, and a slower rhythm than the Delta's headline camps.
The activity mix is flexible rather than fixed: game drives, walking safaris, boating, and night drives, with seasonal helicopter flights available for guests who want one big-ticket experience during their stay.
Why we love it
- Watch elephant herds wade through the marshes right from your private deck
- Being in a private reserve means you can track the area's famous African wild dogs completely off-road
- Guides don't stick to a rigid schedule, choose between walking safaris, night drives, or mokoro safaris
The Makgadikgadi Pans
The Okavango Delta isn't Botswana's only extraordinary landscape. To the south-east, the Makgadikgadi Pans tell a completely different story. Once part of an ancient super lake, these vast salt flats stretch to the horizon, creating a landscape that feels almost otherworldly.
Here, it’s less about ticking off wildlife sightings and more about enjoying the stillness and scale of the desert. Depending on the season, you might witness thousands of zebras migrate across the pans, walk with habituated meerkats at sunrise, or spend a night beneath one of the clearest star-filled skies in Africa. It's a striking contrast to the waterways of the Delta, and one that's well worth including in a longer Botswana itinerary.
10. Jack’s Camp
Best for: 1940s desert style, meerkats, and vast salt pans.
Jack's Camp doesn't look, feel, or behave like anywhere else on this list, which, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, is rather the appeal. Suites are Persian-inspired tents with antique furnishings and private plunge pools, sitting where you'd expect a riverbank, not a salt flat.
Because the terrain here is so different, the activities are too. Depending on the season, you can walk with a habituated meerkat colony, cross the pans by quad bike, spend time with resident San Bushmen guides, or catch the zebra migration thundering past. After dark, the vast open skies reveal a canopy of stars that's difficult to appreciate anywhere else.
Why we love it
- You can sleep out under the Milky Way in the middle of the salt pans
- Afternoon tea is served on plush cushions inside an authentic nomadic Persian tea tent
- Trade game drives for unique desert experiences you simply can't get anywhere else in Botswana
Bonus: Mashatu Lodge
Best for: Eye-level wildlife encounters and a different side of Botswana.
Known as the Land of the Giants, this corner of Botswana is home to Africa's largest elephant population on privately protected land, with ancient baobabs and wide-open landscapes to match. Life at the lodge unfolds around a well-frequented waterhole, where wildlife starts to arrive before you've had your morning coffee.
The Matebole Hide has achieved near-legendary status for good reason. Sunk into the earth beside the waterhole, it puts you at eye level with the reserve's regulars. Once you've been here, you'll understand why so many photographers return to Mashatu again and again.
Why we love it
- The on-site Discovery Room feels like a private museum full of ancient fossils and relics found right on the property
- The local trackers know individual animal families by name, with many guides working this exact reserve for over 15 years
- Sundowners are set up on high sandstone ridges with sweeping views across Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Frequently Asked Questions
Experience Botswana Your Way
A Botswana safari is more than a stay at a luxury lodge. It’s a chance to slow down and reconnect with the wild in one of Africa’s most carefully protected wilderness areas. All that’s left is choosing where your adventure begins. Reach out to one of our Travel Experts and let us help you create a tailor-made Botswana safari that’s uniquely yours.
Featured Image: Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp
