Botswana Safari: Self-Launched Okavango, Moremi & Chobe Adventure

Land at Victoria Falls Airport (VFA). Skip the included arrival transfer and take a metered taxi or shared shuttle into town (~£8-12). Check into a budget lodge or hostel in Victoria Falls town. Spend the afternoon walking the Rainforest Trail to the falls themselves (park entry ~£25). Stock up on groceries and cash — Zimbabwe uses USD and Botswana uses pula, so carry both. ATMs in town are reliable; get pula here or at the border.

🚌Airport taxi or shared shuttle ~£10

🛏Budget lodge/hostel in Victoria Falls town (~£18-25/night)

• →Victoria Falls Rainforest walk (self-guided)
• →Town orientation and grocery shop

Take a shared taxi or the daily minibus from Victoria Falls to Kasane via the Kazungula border (~£10-15, 1.5-2 hrs; pay border fees ~£5). From Kasane, travel onward toward the Okavango Panhandle — either a shared 4x4 transfer to Seronga or Guma Lagoon (~£25-35 per person if shared, arrange through your delta camp) or an overnight in Kasane and onward the next morning. The Panhandle's Guma Lagoon area is where independent travellers access the delta by boat far more cheaply than the fly-in camps. Settle into a self-catering delta camp or budget guesthouse.

🚌Shared taxi Victoria Falls–Kasane ~£12; shared 4x4 transfer to Panhandle ~£30

🛏Self-catering delta camp / budget guesthouse, Seronga or Guma Lagoon (~£20-30/night)

• →Kazungula border crossing
• →Panhandle arrival and sunset at the lagoon

Book a half- or full-day boat safari directly with your camp or a local poler/guide at Guma Lagoon (~£40-60 per person, cheaper if you share the boat). Glide through papyrus channels looking for hippos, elephants, crocodiles and incredible birdlife — fish eagles, kingfishers, herons. A mokoro (dugout canoe) trip with a local poler is the classic delta experience (~£25-35 for a half day). Afternoon free to swim (carefully) or fish.

🚌Walking / camp boat

🛏Self-catering delta camp / budget guesthouse (~£20-30/night)

• →Self-booked boat safari on the Okavango
• →Mokoro trip with local poler
• →Birdwatching

Take a shared 4x4 or combi from Seronga/Guma to Maun (~£25-35, 3-4 hrs on sandy tracks). Maun is the safari capital of Botswana — a frontier town full of budget lodges, tour operators and supermarkets. Check into a backpacker lodge or guesthouse. Afternoon: consider a scenic flight over the delta from Maun Airport (~£90-120 for a 45-min flight, book direct with operators like Mack Air or Moremi Air) — expensive but spectacular. Alternatively, relax by the pool and stock up on supplies.

🚌Shared 4x4 Seronga–Maun ~£30

🛏Backpacker lodge/guesthouse in Maun (~£15-22/night)

• →Transfer to Maun
• →Optional scenic delta flight (~£100)
• →Maun town and markets

Join a shared 4x4 safari transfer or a 2-3 night budget mobile safari out of Maun into the Khwai River area bordering Moremi Game Reserve (~£150-250 per person for a 2-night mobile safari including camping, food and game drives — the cheapest way to do it independently). Or self-drive if you've hired a 4x4 (~£60-90/day plus fuel). Khwai is one of Africa's best wildlife areas — elephants regularly wander through camp. Set up at a community campsite or budget tented camp on the river.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari transfer ~£30-50 or mobile safari package

🛏Community campsite / budget tented camp, Khwai (~£20-30/night or included in mobile safari)

• →Transfer into Khwai Conservation Area
• →Evening riverside wildlife watching

Early morning open-vehicle game drive into Moremi Game Reserve and surrounding concessions — the park is famous for wild dog, lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. Park entry for Moremi is ~£15-20 per person per day plus vehicle fees. Do a morning and late-afternoon drive with a break during the heat of the day, or join a guided day drive with your mobile safari operator (~£40-70 per person if not included). This is the wildlife highlight of the trip.

🚌Open 4x4 game vehicle

🛏Community campsite / budget tented camp (~£20-30/night)

• →Morning open-vehicle game drive
• →Afternoon game drive
• →Sunset at the Khwai River

Long transfer east from Khwai to Kasane/Chobe (~5-6 hrs, shared 4x4 or self-drive ~£35-50). Enter Chobe — Botswana's elephant capital with over 100,000 elephants. If you're on a mobile safari, camp inside the park or at a Kasane-area campsite; independent travellers base themselves in Kasane and day-trip into the park. Late afternoon game drive in open vehicles around the Chobe riverfront and waterholes.

🚌Shared 4x4 transfer ~£40

🛏Campsite or budget guesthouse in Kasane (~£18-30/night)

• →Transfer to Chobe
• →Late afternoon game drive in Chobe

Morning game drive along the southern bank of the Chobe River — huge elephant herds come down to drink. Park entry ~£15-20. In the afternoon, book a Chobe sunset river cruise directly in Kasane (~£20-30 for 3 hours) — one of the best-value wildlife experiences in Africa, with hippos, crocodiles, elephants crossing the river and dozens of bird species. Photography boats with expert guides cost a bit more (~£45-60).

🚌Open 4x4 and riverboat

🛏Budget guesthouse in Kasane (~£18-30/night)

• →Morning Chobe game drive
• →Sunset river cruise
• →Birding along the Chobe River

Cross back into Zimbabwe at Kazungula (shared taxi or minibus ~£10-15). Return to Victoria Falls town and check into a final budget lodge. Spend the evening at a riverside bar or the Victoria Falls craft market. If you have the budget, consider a Zambezi sunset cruise (~£40-55) or a bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge (~£110) — both bookable locally.

🚌Shared taxi Kasane–Victoria Falls ~£12

🛏Budget lodge/hostel in Victoria Falls town (~£18-25/night)

• →Kazungula border crossing
• →Optional Zambezi sunset cruise
• →Victoria Falls craft market

Depart at any time. Take a taxi or shared shuttle to Victoria Falls Airport (~£10). If your flight is later in the day, squeeze in one last visit to the falls or a coffee in town.

🚌Airport taxi ~£10

🛏None

• →Airport transfer