Okavango Delta fly in safaris

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You can’t quite appreciate the Okavango Delta until you’ve flown over it and witnessed it for yourself, but it is special, very special. Fly into the famous Delta by light aircraft, where wide grasslands, streams, and plentiful animals await. 

Spend as many days as you like in a huge safari camp with amazing scenery, in which the afternoons are spent seeing this incredible area from the skies above, a unique and rewarding experience or combined with a ground trip by mokoro canoe, boat, or foot.

The best Okavango Delta fly in safari tours

Price of an Okavango Delta fly in safari?

Fly-in excursions cost about $4,500 per person. For camping, visitors can expect to pay US$1,000 a person for a 7-day communal tour, and up to US$3,000 per individual for a mid-range personal tour.

The pricing of a safari in Okavango Delta is determined by a variety of variables. Joining a group camping excursion is the most cost-effective alternative. These can be a great deal of fun, but there is wonderful lodging available, and staying at safari lodges is also part of the experience. 

There are resorts in various pricing ranges that provide various degrees of luxury and convenience. The most common type of accommodation is mid-range lodging at reasonable pricing.

Tour breakdown for a typical Okavango Delta fly in safari

Safari tour highlights

  • Seasonal flooding in the Okavango floodplains
  • Big 5 and Okavango animals have adapted to their wetland surroundings
  • Incredible salt around plant roots with barren white spots in the center of some delta islands
  • Chief’s Island, the biggest island inside the delta, originally a private hunting place for the island’s chief
  • Soaring across settlements allows you to go great distances in a short amount of time
  • A fantastic blend of attractions for both first-time and repeat travelers to Okavango Delta
  • Luxury safari camps are located on vast private concessions
  • Option to explore the Okavango by traditional canoe (mokoro)

Tour inclusions

The following details typical tour inclusions and exclusions on the best Okavango Delta fly in safari packages:

Tour inclusionsTour exclusions
Flights on a planeVisa fees
Experienced english-speaking guideInternational/domestic flights
Luxury lodgings with all mealsHot air balloon activities
Each lodge offers two escorted game activities each dayTips to the driver guides, waiters and porters
Game lodge food inclusions
Bottled water
Government taxes

Okavango Delta fly-in safari essentials and information

Must do on an Okavango Delta fly in safari

Picture soaring across the Okavango Delta on vacation, from one isolated wilderness site to another, and being greeted at little airfields with the Big 5 animals, zebras and hippos in sight, without waiting in line or undergoing any airport procedures. 

Upon being welcomed by your guide, you will immediately board your uncovered safari truck for a wildlife drive on your journey to your luxury tented camp. Get to experience the attractions of Botswana, and maybe even Victoria Falls on a single vacation without having to deal with time-consuming travel logistics, rough roads, or tiresome transfers. 

That is exactly what a fly-in safari in Okavango entails, all round convenience, incredible landscape and wildlife viewings and with the option of add-on activities including mokoro canoe trips and walking safaris. 

If that’s not enough for you, why not combine your Okavango flying safari with a trip to the stunning Chobe NP where you’ll find large animal concentrations, big cats, lion prides and Africa’s largest elephant population at 50,000 or the stunning Makgadikgadi Pans, unique due to its landscape rather than its wildlife. 

Animals viewed on an Okavango Delta fly-in safari?

The terrain of Okavango Delta is just as appealing as the species, and it’s much more stunning from above, but don’t forget your binoculars, as there’s an astounding diversity of wildlife concealed in these arid plains.

A plethora of wildlife congregates around the waterholes, and game drives give several views of lions, wildebeest, giraffe, and zebra from among numerous plains animals. Meanwhile, the game reserves are home to large numbers of elephants, leopards and rhinos.

Also keep a look outside for springbok and oryx, as well as rarer wildlife like the aardwolf. Buffalo, eland, gazelles, impala, and waterbuck were also discovered. Visitors will undoubtedly enjoy viewing these majestic animals in their natural surroundings.

Factors to consider when booking a fly-in safari?

The first things to think about are your finances and the length of time you have allocated for your vacation. Fly-in safaris are ideal for time-pressed vacationers.

It’s also worth considering whether you would like to see more of a region than simply the specific places into which you’ll be traveling. Traveling from region to region provides a more in-depth understanding of a nation, its people, and history than soaring over it. 

This is especially true in Okavango Delta, with its magnificent landscape, superb roads, and active local culture as you fly by. If you are prone to travel sickness or are a fearful flier, a fly-in safari may not be the best option for you.

Aircraft used on an Okavango Delta fly-in safari?

The Cessna 210, a highly engineered small airplane with a single engine, is the most preferred for charter flights. It has a great reputation and is a six-seater that can accommodate up to four individuals. Perfect for beautiful flights.

The Baron is a slightly bigger and faster aircraft that is similarly flown by a single pilot but it has two engines. It can accommodate up to five persons.

A Cessna 404 can carry up to eight people. It is the Cessna 210’s elder sibling, with twin engines and two pilots. Ideal for bigger parties that want to fly in the same plane. More room and comfort. 

The Cessna Caravan is a superb aircraft that accommodates up to 12 people and one pilot. The ‘4×4’ of small planes, capable of operating from rough airstrips, has a high-winged single turbine aircraft that is great for picturesque aerial photography.

Luggage restrictions on a fly-in safari?

On bush flights, luggage capacity might be quite restricted. The Cessna 206, for example, has just a tiny space under the seats, and bags are frequently squeezed in to fit within. As a general rule, soft duffle bags are preferable over hard-framed suitcases with wheels. 

Some providers set quite strict weight limitations and will count your hand bags and even coats in the total. Most employers allow roughly 15kg per person as a general rule. Don’t be startled if an airline inquires about your own weight. 

This is frequently done in order to securely balance the smaller aircraft. If you have too much luggage, you may be able to pay for a cargo ticket on safari routes.

FAQs

What is the average cost for an Okavango Delta fly-in safari?

The average cost for an Okavango Delta fly-in safari is $2,500 – $4,000 per person for fly-in excursions whilst accommodation and activity add-ons can add to this price. 

What are the advantages of an Okavango Delta fly-in safari?

The main advantage of an Okavango Delta fly-in safari includes saving a lot of time by avoiding long, bumpy road journeys. You’ll also see another side of this incredible landscape and wildlife which you wouldn’t otherwise see from the ground and enjoy the thrills of descending over the vast savannah.

Are Okavango Delta fly-in safaris safe?

Okavango Delta fly-in safaris are indeed very safe with private charter aircraft well maintained and piloted by professionals with years of flying experience and safety training. Each aircraft typically carries up to 12 individuals whilst larger planes seat 35 – 50 passengers.