The Okavango Delta is exceedingly beautiful. A jewel in the middle of the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta is Africa's largest and most beautiful oasis - an isolated, lush green paradise with some of the richest wildlife in the world. The maze of waterways, lagoons, vast grassy plains and palm-fringed and wooded islands is home to crocodile, hippo, elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe, wild dog, rare antelope and around 400 bird species. But wildlife is just one of many elements that combine to make the Delta a treasure house. It is the brooding quietness of the waterways, the plaintiff cry of the African fish eagle, the Malachite kingfisher reflected in the translucent waters, the scent of the water lilies and the Okavango's glorious sunsets, which will stay with you forever. The delta is ever changing. Its source lies in the highlands of Angola, an extremely wet region known as the Benguela plateau. From here the Cubango River flows south, away from the sea, gathering ever more water until it reaches Botswana, where it is known as the Okavango. Here it forms a vast, fan-shaped, astonishingly luxuriant wilderness of flood plain and forest, stream and lagoon, with the occasional large expanse of open water - the ideal breeding ground for an incredible diversity of wildlife. With the influx of the annual flood, the delta's water levels rise steadily from May onwards, reaching further and further into the Kalahari sands, with its peak level reached in August.

Moremi Game Reserve

The Moremi Wildlife Reserve is protected tribal land, which forms the eastern boundary of the Okavango Delta. It is often described as one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa. It combines mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons and this great diversity of plant life attracts the abundance of animal life for which Moremi is so well known. The largest island in the delta, Chief's Island, is located within the Moremi. The Moremi is famous for its predators, both of the mammal and feathered variety. Please note that night drives and armed game walks are not permitted here (given it is a National Park) but the superb quality of the game-viewing more than makes up for this. Game activities will be mostly land-based in the Moremi.

Chobe River

Chobe National Park lies in the northeast of Botswana, teeming with animals, in particular with huge herds of elephant and buffalo. Chobe's animal migrations follow an ancient pattern, only partly understood by man. However, broadly speaking, the game is drawn to the Chobe River during the dry winter season and spreads out to the open grasslands of the Savute marsh and pans during the wetter summer months. The Chobe/Linyanti river system is known for some of the best elephant viewing in Africa in the winter months (May to October), with huge herds of up to 500 or more at the end of the dry season. Lion are common, and almost expected, with buffalo, cheetah and an amazing variety of antelope often sighted. The river is alive with crocodile and hippo and marvellous birdlife, including kingfishers and bee-eaters. Languorous sunset cruises are a speciality of the area. Staying on the Chobe riverfront is therefore popular, given its abundant wildlife and ease of access to Victoria Falls (1½ hours by road) and the Okavango Delta.