Recently, I told you about my September visit to Planet Baobab in Botswana. But I didn’t explain the larger context of our Botswana journey, so let me back up a bit.

Many months ago, my American friend, Michelle, and her two friends, Laureen and Tessa, began discussing a trip to Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Michelle had been dreaming of visiting the Delta for years and the rest of us were up for joining her. Since I am the only one among us who lives in Africa and (theoretically) has connections in the travel industry, I volunteered to do some research on how to book the trip.

A typical sight in the Okavango Delta (technically the outskirts of the Delta).

I soon realized that traveling to the Okavango Delta — at least in the conventional safari-tourist kind of way — isn’t cheap, and that’s putting it mildly. The Delta is very remote, and due to its unique geography as one of the world’s only inland deltas, most of it is accessible only via water or air. The lodges in the heart of the Delta, which you can only reach in a small plane, are insanely expensive — like a $1,500 a night per person (minimum!), not including flights to and from Botswana.

I confess that I wanted to give up and hoped Michelle might settle for a roadtrip to the Kruger National Park. But then I stumbled upon this blog post about roadtripping to Botswana, and I remembered a friend of a friend, Stuart Parker, who has a company called Tread Lite 4×4 Hire. Tread Lite specializes in hiring out 4×4 Suzuki Jimnys and helping clients plan fun roadtrips in Southern Africa. (I have a lot of experience roadtripping through Southern Africa in my own Suzuki Jimny, Greylene, but she is too small to carry four people.) Added bonus: Stuart used to work in the Okavango Delta and has special expertise there.

I’m really grateful to Stuart for solving our travel challenge. He gave us a great rate on a 5-door Jimny (cheaper than the other 4×4 hire companies I investigated), which worked just fine for four women on a 12-day roadtrip. Stuart also created an affordable itinerary for us, with a few great stops around the Delta. We didn’t fly in to any of those fancy, $1500+ per night lodges, but we stayed in down-to-earth, fun places with great guides and service. We saw a ton of amazing wildlife and just generally had a blast.

Three of the four of us with Taylene the Aardwolf (the name we gave our Jimny) in front of our chalet at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary — our final stop of the trip.

A map of our route.

Places We Stayed Near the Okavango Delta

By the time I connected with Stuart, I had already booked the Woodlands Stop Over Lodge in Francistown (where we stayed the first night) and Planet Baobab. But when it came to finding places closer to the Delta, I was lost. As is often the case with African safari destinations, it’s difficult (verging on impossible) to find options that fall somewhere between Harry-and-Meghan-style luxury and backpacker-style roughing it.

But Stuart came through with exactly that. Here are the places he booked for us. (Please note that the rates I’ve quoted are ballpark figures. We booked one big package through Tread Lite, which made things more affordable — that is how I would recommend booking a trip like this. Also, I received a bigger media discount for my share.)

1) Semowi Nature Camp (+/- USD250 per person, per night)

Semowi is a small, tented lodge and camp ground about an hour north of Maun, right on the edge of the Delta. Semowi’s four luxury tents sit on raised decks overlooking the water, with a beautiful view of the sunrise. We stayed there for two nights.

Taylene in front of the Semowi reception office.

The tent Michelle and I shared at Semowi.

Sundowner vibes.

Inside the tent. There was a beautiful bathroom at the back with an indoor and outdoor shower.

I was obsessed with our sink. (We were in the “Lion Tent”.)

Sunrise at Semowi.

I loved Semowi — it was beautiful, relaxing, and served really great food. I wish we’d had another night there. While we stayed at Semowi, we did a day-trip mokoro (canoe) excursion in the Delta, which I’ll say more about in my next Botswana post.

2) Chora Adventure Camp (+/- $400 per person, per night)

Chora Adventure Camp, true to its name, was the most adventurous of all the places we stayed — it might be the most adventurous place I have ever stayed, period. The camp is a row of simple but comfortable safari tents that sit on a peninsula in the Mababe River Private Reserve, just northeast of the Delta. Chora looks out over a pool populated by a pod of hippos. Yes, yes, I know — hippos can be very dangerous. But these hippos are used to the people at the camp and ignored us for the three days and nights that we stayed there (although you do have to be careful after dark).

Looking across the hippo pool at Chora Adventure Camp.

A look inside our two-person tent. There was a small portable toilet and shower at the back — the camp also has a larger shared bathroom about 30 meters from the tents.

Accommodation at Chora is basic but comfortable — perfect for someone who is happy with camping but doesn’t want to pitch their own tent or cook their own food. We received personalized service, two game drives a day, tasty homemade meals, and amazing game-watching (and listening) right at the camp. It was endlessly fascinating to watch and listen to the hippos go about their business throughout the day and night, while also watching elephants frolic in the distance. This is definitely the closest to wild nature that I’ve ever felt on a safari trip — we all loved it.

Our first lunch at Chora with Alco, our guide. We were the only guests at the camp for the first two days. (One couple joined us on the third day.)

My favorite hippo shot.

3) Sedia Hotel (+/- $125 per room, per night)

We stopped for one night in Maun, the biggest town near the Delta, just to rest up between adventures. We stayed at the Sedia Hotel, which was nothing fancy but perfect for a quick stopover. We all loved Sedia’s pool area and outdoor restaurant, and enjoyed our meals there.

Dinner by the pool at the Sedia Hotel.

4) Boteti River Camp (+/- $315 per person, per night)

Boteti River Camp, although it’s only about 90 minutes southeast of Maun, is in a totally different ecosystem from the Okavango Delta. Boteti is on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and right on the bank of the Boteti River, which is fed from the Delta. But the riverbed was dry, without a drop of water in sight outside of some small (mostly man-made) water holes.

This area is known for its annual zebra migration, which lasts from May to September (we just caught the end). We stayed at Boteti for one night — I wish it had been more.

Taylene in front of our chalet at Boteti.

Zebras near a waterhole in the dusty Boteti riverbed.

Boteti is a quaint little lodge, with a smattering of chalets and a campsite. The lodge serves very nice, family-style food, and also has a small swimming pool and a viewing deck with great views of zebra and elephant herds.

Boteti Lodge.

Inside our family chalet.

I loved the funky outdoor bathroom.

I’ll say more about Boteti’s unique geography and wildlife in my next Botswana post.

5) Khama Rhino Sanctuary (+/- $70 for a 4-person chalet)

The Khama Rhino Sanctuary is a convenient (approximate) halfway point between Maun and Joburg, so we stayed there briefly on the last night of our trip. The sanctuary is a community-based project designed to shelter and protect Botswana’s rhinos from poachers; it has several other kinds of game, a campsite, simple chalets, and a restaurant.

Our A-frame chalet at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

Inside the chalet. It was very basic but did the job — I quite liked it.

Apparently there is a black rhino who is known to drink from the swimming pool next to the restaurant at night. Sadly, we did not see him/her.

We did a quick self-drive through the sanctuary just before sunset, and happily spotted a rhino. We also had dinner at the restaurant…the food wasn’t great. But I still recommend the sanctuary as a stop-over destination.

Rhino!

What Was It Like Driving to the Okavango Delta?

My favorite photo from the road, shot somewhere east of the Delta between Maun and Mababe.

It’s a LONG drive from Joburg to the Okavango Delta. If you don’t enjoy driving, or have a friend/partner who enjoys driving, this trip is not for you. The first day of our drive, from Joburg to Francistown, was especially grueling, although I made things harder by unwittingly taking us across the Groblersbrug (Martin’s Drift) border post, which is full of trucks and took forever, instead of the quieter Stockpoort border post. But we all enjoyed the journey and appreciated the adventure of driving rather than flying.

The Tread Lite Jimny came equipped with a roof storage unit, which easily fit all of our stuff, and an extra petrol container, which we never needed. The Jimny can handle any terrain that a Landcruiser or Hilux can handle, but don’t expect to go fast in loaded-up Jimny — Taylene was not especially powerful or aerodynamic. But she got us where we needed to go, in style.

Did We Need a 4×4?

Yes. Theoretically, it’s possible to drive from Joburg to Maun in a regular car. But we would have struggled to reach Semowi without a 4×4, and the sand road between Maun and Mababe would have been impassable in a 2WD car. (I’m pleased to report we never got stuck.) Driving a car with higher clearance also helped navigate the heavily potholed road between Francistown and Gweta (where Planet Baobab is).

Taylene at Planet Baobab.

One of the coolest parts about this roadtrip was the surprised expression we saw on many people’s faces when they realized we were four 50/60-ish women driving together in a 4×4. Before we crossed the border into Botswana, a South African policeman craned his neck into the window and asked, “Where are the men?”

Later in the trip, I pulled over on the sandy road north of Maun to try to open an uncooperative plastic water bottle. (The plastic had swollen in the heat.) As we sat there, a Landcruiser with two men in it stopped beside us.

“Do you need any help?” the driver asked gallantly as I opened the car window.

“Actually, yes. Could you please open this water bottle?” (The driver couldn’t open the bottle either, but his passenger finally managed.)

We got one puncture — the result of a screw that lodged itself into a tire on the first day of the drive. The staff at the Woodlands Stop Over Lodge changed it for us. (I did practice changing a tire before we left, just in case.) We had no more issues for the rest of the trip.

Tread Lite charges R1600 (just under $100) per day for a fully equipped, 5-door Jimny rented for 11+ days (slightly more for trips of 10 days or less). A 3-door Jimny costs R1484 per day for 11+ days.

You served us well, Taylene the Aardwolf! We miss you.

Final Thoughts

For a trip like this, don’t forget a headlamp, bug repellent, extra water, lots of non-perishable snacks, and your lightest clothing; it was HOT, like high 30s celsius, and not even summer yet. (You’ll also need warm clothes for evenings and early mornings.) If you’re a coffee snob like me, bring your own — most of the places we stayed served only instant coffee. I was grateful for my Aeropress.

All told, we paid a lot less for this 12-night adventure than we would’ve paid for two nights in one of those fancy lodges and a return flight from Joburg to Maun. We were probably twice as tired at the end of the trip, but the experience was also twice as memorable. Would definitely recommend.

If you decide to book a trip with Tread Lite, please tell Stuart I sent you.

I still have a lot of fun wildlife photos to share! Expect one more Botswana post to come.