BootsnAll Travel Community

I will be arriving in Maun on Dec. 1st. I will rent an appropriately outfitted 4wd and would like to go in the delta. Can I just drive into Moremi and/or Chobe and camp wherever I want? What are the rules about camping outside designated camp operator sites?

Failing that, can I just head into other regions of the delta and car camp? I am an experienced 4wd operator and have much experience just mucking about in the bush. I don't want to use a tour operator and prefer to camp and bushwack on my own. Any input would be helpful.

Thanks, Mike

The more important question is: "Do you have extensive knowledge on the behavior of wild animals?" The driving skills may not matter when an elephant charges you. He/she'll make a pancake out of your 4x4 in seconds. Do you want to be dragged out of your tent by a pack of hyenas?

Okavango Delta in February? Most camps are closed due to the water levels in the Delta. Will your car be equipped with a "snorkel", so you don't choke the engine if you get in too deep? And don't forget, there are crocodiles! So you can't just get out of a stranded vehicle and wade to higher grounds. Water levels are deceiving, as there are reeds/grass everywhere - and at first, it may look passable.

I would only recommend Chobe anytime between November and May.

I hope you come back and are able to tell us about your adventures!

Sorry - replace February with December in my previous post.

No experience with elephants. I do plan to rent a diesel, snorkel equipped, tent-topped vehicle to avoid sleeping on the ground. Although I have a healthy respect for wildlife I do not fear these possibilities...I accept them.
Your points are well considered. My greatest concerns are much smaller, mosquitos,microbes and disease. I hope to be lucky enough to encounter the aforementioned wildlife. To that end, I may also employ a guide for a few days. So, how about the camping rules?

You may want to start by contacting Botswana Tourism: http://www.botswanatourism.co.bw. I'm sure they can provide you with camping information and park rules.

November - March are Southern Africa's summer month, AND the rainy season. It will be hot and muggy, and you should take anti-malaria pills, sleep under a mosquito net and protect yourself with insect repellent and by wearing light-weight long-sleeved clothing. Stick to bottled water, or boil water or treat it chemically. (Careful filling your water bottle(s) close to the water's edge - beware of crocodiles.) Never swim in anything other than a man-made and well maintained swimming pool, not only because of crocs and hippos, but most slow flowing waters in Africa carry bilharzia-transmitting snails.

Do take a guide... elephants, as big as they are, can hide in as little as 3 feet from the road. A guide can spot animals based on the behavior of many tell-tale signs that an untrained eye would miss. Not only will you see many more animals than on your own, but remember, the animals you don't see, can be the most dangerous.

quote:

I hope to be lucky enough to encounter the aforementioned wildlife.

Oh, you will.

The Okavango Delta is one of the most amazing places I've ever been, and the abundance of wildlife is astonishing.

Personally, I think going in without a guide would be nuts, but then crazy people do always have the best stories to tell at parties, don't they?

Seriously though, at the very least hire an experienced, professional guide. With a big gun.