We just did a 2 day/1 night kayak trip with Kayaktive Adventure Safaris up the Okavango Delta and it was one of the best safari experiences we've ever had. We did this mini-safari before beginning a 10 day traditional mobile safari with Penduka Safaris.

If you're the adventurous or want something different than the usual tourist-bus style Mokoro or aluminum boat trips up the Okavango then Kayaktive is for you. Make sure you can swim and aren't too afraid of animals before you do this trip as it's essential to your survival. We were picked up at our hotel in Maun and drove about an hour to where our boat was docked. From there we began our kayaking and we did about 20-25km our first day. The support boat follows the kayaks but stays behind enough that you don't really hear it so it doesn't bother you but it's there for safety in case hippos or crocs try to cause some problems.

Our guide the first day was Jardus and he's a really cool South African guy that's the only known person to have kayaked the entire (north to south) Okavango Delta solo with no support boat. A truly awesome accomplishment especially since there's so many more crocs and hippos up north. Anyway, we had a couple hippos try and scare us off the first day and one scared my wife pretty badly, enough that she didn't kayak the second day (she was also exhausted). We camped overnight on a small island that makes up part of Chief's island and that night was absolutely brilliant and the best camping experience of my life. The tents that Kayaktive uses are made by a S. African company and they allow you to see through the whole tent so we could see the stars as we laid there. We had a couple elephants walk about 15 meters away from us in the night breaking branches and one slipped into the water for a swim. Hippos were grunting and something (a warthog maybe) came by and sniffed our tent.

The next day we had a nice breakfast cooked by Jardus and then went on a game walk around the island. Didn't see much but it's so nice to be on foot and that's something you can't do in the major game parks like Moremi, Chobe, and Savuti. For that reason alone it's worth going out to the Delta and especially do it by kayak. Day two I kayaked about 15km before calling it a day and putting the kayak back in the boat (always an option. kayak or cruise it's your choice) and heading back to Maun. I highly recommend Kayaktive Adventure Safaris if you want something extra special in Botswana in addition to the usual land safaris.

One of my favourite places! Loved the delta waterways and our rustic camp set in the bush. We took a bush walk, swam in the delta, sat by the fire at night and enjoyed a song and dance performance by our local guides. Of course we were also poled around in Mokoro canoes, which was the best part for me, and I got to try the stand-up poling out myself. It was a really special experience!

We planned a 18 day trip in Botswana incorporating the Kalahari Desert, Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, Zambezi river on our itinerary. We used Bush ways for most of our trip and they were excellent, we travelled in July( coldest time) and we were camping with Hippos around us at night and elephant herds heading for the waterhole, superb adventures. We started off in luxury in the Tao pan which in wet season is alive with game, we were there in dry season but the lions were still there in huge numbers we saw over 20 in 3 days!! No walking from restaurant to your room after dark because they were around as the paw prints at dawn proved. We arrived as time when flood waters from the Delta flooded dry river beds which had not seen water for 30 years, we stayed with German guy in Maun for our first night in Botswana and returned 4 nights later after the Tao Pan trip to find water levels risen 2m and his dining room flooded, fortunately the bar was on higher ground so BBQ and beers all round. Paddling to Islands in the Okavanga Delta were a revelation, chasing hippos in dug out canoes at dawn!! We cooked our food over open fire collecting wood as we moved around in our group of 11 people

Wonderful camping holiday run by Pride of Africa safaris. Abundance of wildlife. Close up views of lions ,hippos and crocodiles. Many elephants in waterholes.Many different birds . Food excellent, knowledgeable guides .River cruise at Chobe safari lodge. Finished at Victoria falls with helicopter ride over falls. Second visit! A real adventure! Fantastic!