Botswana

Botswana Kayak Bushcraft Safari in the Okavango Delta

From:

£3,870

Duration:

12 days

Date:

18-29 August 2026

Max People:

9

Min Age:

14+

The Highlights of our Botswana Adventure

Immerse yourself in our Botswana adventure that’s more than just a holiday; it’s an unforgettable journey into this untouched part of the world.

7-night immersive African safari on water

48 hour survival adventure on an island in the middle of the delta

Incredible birdlife and wildlife

Camp in a new spot under the stars each night

Visit remote villages along the way

Learn bushcraft skills from the Bayei

Trip Summary

Imagine waking up to the dawn chorus of hundreds of bird species, on land where waterways are the roads. After breakfast over the campfire it’s back in your kayak for your water safari, as you glide past elephants galore to the next spot of bush to set up a new camp.

Each day, we kayak to a camp set up ahead of us in the bush, where before an evening meal around the campfire under the stars, we go on bushwalks to spot big game, learn different flora and fauna, and develop bushcraft skills. The flood of water across the savannah attracts wildlife from thousands of miles. Elephants are an everyday sighting, alongside the 1,000+ bird species, and exotic fish we catch such as tiger fish. Every day, the Okavango shares other treasures, including hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, honey badgers, lions, wildebeests, antelopes, and much more.

Sounds like your type of adventure? We hope so!

Day 1

We spend the night in beautiful lodgings in Maun, getting to know one another over a tasty dinner, and covering the expedition briefing for what’s to come.

Day 2

In the morning, we begin our introductory paddle of roughly 10k to our first camp. We will get there in time for a sunset bushwalk to spot some wildlife, and begin learning about the flora from the real experts, the local bushmen.

Day 3

After breakfast we set off in kayaks. Depending on water levels, we will have lunch on an island or on the boats. We kayak about 30km today. This afternoon we will all try our hand at fishing.

Day 4

After breakfast, we kayak ever deeper into the Okavango, spotting elephants and hippos. Today we will begin teaching friction fire techniques.

Day 5

The route in this area changes every year so today we will be route finding and cover at least 30km.

Day 6

Breakfast, then back into our kayaks. This is a long day on the water as the flow rate will be slow and we may muddle about finding a suitable route. We should (even if it means getting on motorboats) get to Xijera on this day.

Day 7

Kayak Xijera to Fridge Island in the Xo flats, about 35km in total. Another great spot for wildlife spotting and fishing. We cook over the fire tonight, teaching primitive techniques you will use in survival.

Day 8

Rest day. We motorboat everyone through Moremi game reserve, making it a good day for photography. Lunch en-route on an island, before arriving back for an evening walk and brushing up on a few more bushcraft skills.

Day 9

Survival Phase. This is it. It’s survival time. We will motor over with the canoes to a remote island where you will put your bushcraft skills to the test. What will you prioritise first? Shelter, water, or food?

Day 10

Survival phase

Day 11

Rescue day. Just as you are starting to feel like life is a little too tough to go on, you are rescued by our speedboat (laden with cold drinks and snacks), and whisked back to Maun to what now feels like a 10* hotel. We celebrate together over a huge lunch.

Day 12

Departure.

SHELTER

Hammock and tarp setup and care
Shelter building
Palm thatching
Machete and knife safety, sharpening and skills

Fire

Fire theory
Friction fire skills (bow drill and hand drill)

Water

Transpiration bags
Solar still
Evaporation techniques
Boiling water in bottles over fire

FOOD

Fishing with hand line
Coconut opening & cream extraction
Tree climbing
Hawaiian sling (hand spear)
Primitive cooking and fish preparation
Trap building
Wild edible identification

OTHER

Psychology discussion and case studies
Astro-navigation

Location

The World Heritage Okavango Delta is a bucket list spectacle, that anyone with even a cursory interest in a decent Attenborough documentary should have near the top of their list.

There is no more immersive or intimate way to enjoy the savannas of Africa than by kayaking and camping out. At this time of year, a range of wildlife from thousands of miles away is drawn into the precious water; and you have a front-row seat.

This unique adventure will see you camping out each night in a new location in the remote bush under a blanket of stars, while learning bushcraft skills from our instructors and the Kalahari bushmen.

This will be your life for 7 days, pushing ever deeper into the Okavango Delta, and spotting wildlife along the way. Followed by a 2 day challenge surviving on an island deep in this African water world.

You can spend tens of thousands on a safari and you will never experience anywhere near this level of intimacy with the savannahs of Africa. This trip is not to be missed.

5 days of survival training by a world-class bushcraft guide.
General kit (incl. hammocks, camping gear, machetes, etc.). There are a few essential items that you need to bring.
3-day survival challenge
Kayaks
2 nights at The Waterfront (or similiar) (shared, twin rooms)
All food and drinks

International flights
Airport transfers
Visas, if required
Personal travel insurance
Personal expenses

At this time of year after the flood there is no rainfall but comfortable temperatures with agreable levels of humidity. The temperature has a huge range with a maximum of 30C but average lows at night of just 11C so you will definitely need a sweater around the camp fire at night as the temperature can drop as low as 6C.

Mercifully at this time of year there are very few mosquitos! At some points, you might encounter a few midges but they are sporadic. The chance of contracting malaria in the Delta in August is exceptionally low, our guides who have lived most of their lives have never contracted malaria or heard of tourists doing so. That being said, We can not rule out the chance, nor can we advise you to not take Antimalarials. Therefore we encourage you to follow the NHS fit for travel document and make your own informed decision on vaccinations and antimalarial.

We try to keep a gentle pace to allow plenty of time to spot wildlife and enjoy the scenery. On average we will be gently kayaking around 5 hours in total per day.

Elephant, African Buffalo, Hippopotamus, Lechwe (antelope), Honey Badger, Topi, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Nile crocodile, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Hyena, Kudu, Rhinoceros, Zebra, Warthog, Lion the list goes on. This is also a bird spotters paradise with over 1,000 species, many of which are found nowhere else.

Learning from our world class instructors and the local Kalahri Bushmen, we will teach you everything you need to sustain yourself in this environment. We cover the main tennants of shelter water fire food. Within this, you will learn how to identify edible flora and fauna, create fire by friction, filter and purify water, build shelter and protect yourself on the african savannah.

Like all of our expeditions, we pride ourselves on creating an ‘invisible safety net’, allowing your adventure to feel as real and raw as possible without feeling contrived. Like everything in life, there is risk; however, we mitigate it via a number of ways through, amongst other things, our medical and evacuation directives. You will be accompanied by highly experienced rangers who travel ahead of us, spotting for dangerous animals such as hippos and crocodiles. It is also mandatory they accompany you for the final survival phase. See our risks and dangers section for greater details.

Maun the gateway to the Okavango is served by direct flights from cape Town, Johanesberg and Addis Adaba. So despite its remoteness its pretty easy to get to. You are typically looking at 1 change and 15 hours of travel plus no time difference if coming from Europe!

The level of excursion and pace of the trip are low and slow. However, we think you should make the most of your trip. We feel the fitter you are, the better (as with life as a whole!). So, several months before you leave, we will send you a few exercises to strengthen your lower back and shoulders.

We assess the groups’ fitness and ability en route and can adjust daily distances accordingly, If we fall too far behind our itinerary due to slow paddling speed we can catch up lost time by motorboating but we want to avoid this if possible!

Check out our other FAQs or contact us here.

You will need to travel to Maun, Botswana (Airport Code: MUB). You should arrive latest in the early afternoon of your expedition start date. We will meet on the expedition start date at 4PM.

We recommend you download Hopper’ for your phone and enter your dates. They will tell you when the best time to book your flights is before the price creeps up, typically 90 days prior is optimum.

We also love using flight connection maps for finding your best route from where you live.

Google flights is our favourite flight search engines, however, we always recommend booking directly with the airline once you have found your flights as you will have a preferential cancellation policy and better upgrade potential.

Check out our Botswana Travel Guide for more information about the destination or check out our blog for Botswana related articles.

Botswana Travel Guide

Botswana Blog Posts

People love us

“Best trip ever with the best group ever! I’ve done Survival trips in the past, but Tom & the team have a way to make the trip so enjoyable and exciting that it was the best one I’ve done. I completely recommend this trip to anyone looking for a lifetime adventure.”

Baptiste Desfarge

“This was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Every day had something unforgettable happend – from catching a shark, to going spearfishing for triggerfish, to having deep conversations or the biggest belly laugh of your life with your island mates, learning a critical survival skill, starting a fire using bow drills, watching dozens of baby sea turtles crawl across the beach, or staring at an incredible sunset or night sky filled with stars.”

A group of friends are celebrating the sunset on the beach. Silhouetted against the vibrant orange and pink sky, they are posing and enjoying the beautiful moment together. The image captures a sense of joy and camaraderie as they share this special time.

Peter M

“WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! Finally we did it, highly recommended. Tom took care of every detail. I’m glad I’ve done this.. it’s a one life experience that I was really looking forward. It was a very good thing to start this adventure with Tom, and have his help and advice. Really nice person, extremely helpful and nice to know”