The Miracle Rivers is a six-night mobile tented safari through Moremi Game Reserve and the Mababe Private Reserve in Botswana's Okavango Delta. It is operated by Letaka Safaris, a citizen-owned company that has been running mobile camps since 2000 and founded the African Guide Academy to elevate guiding standards across Botswana. Mobile safaris sit in a different category to fixed lodges. There is no plunge pool, no Wi-Fi, no afternoon turndown. What there is: a small camp moved into position ahead of you, a professional guide who knows every channel and game trail, and the freedom to follow the animals rather than waiting for them to find you. For guests who want the Delta without the intermediary of lodge infrastructure, this is the format. Two ecosystems, two rhythms, one week.


Itinerary Overview

Day 1: Charter flight from Maun to Xakanaxa airstrip. Afternoon game drive in Moremi. *Letaka Tented Camp, Xakanaxa.*

Day 2–3: Full-day game drives through the Xakanaxa lagoon system: floodplains, mopane woodland, permanent channels. *Letaka Tented Camp, Xakanaxa.*

Day 4: Overland transfer along the Khwai River to Mababe Private Reserve. Mokoro excursion en route. First night drive after dark. *Letaka Tented Camp, Mababe.*

Day 5–6: Game drives, night drives, walking safari in the Mababe concession. *Letaka Tented Camp, Mababe.*

Day 7: Morning game drive to Khwai airstrip. Charter flight to Maun.

Note: The routing may run in reverse (Mababe first, Moremi second) depending on operational logistics. Activities remain the same.*

Location

This itinerary covers two distinct areas, and in mid-June the contrast between them is at its sharpest.

The first three nights are spent in Moremi’s Xakanaxa region, on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta. Permanent lagoons, papyrus-fringed channels, and open floodplains meet dense mopane woodland. In mid-June, the annual flood is arriving. Fed by Angolan rains that fell months earlier, water pushes into channels that have been dry since March, transforming the landscape in a matter of weeks. The effect on wildlife is immediate: large breeding herds of elephant move between the mopane forest and the expanding waterline, a resident buffalo herd of several hundred attracts multiple lion prides, and red lechwe gather on the floodplain margins. African wild dog are resident in the Xakanaxa area, and the reserve’s open habitat makes sightings more consistent than elsewhere in the Delta.

The final three nights move east to the Mababe Private Reserve, where the Khwai River flows out into the Mababe Depression. The habitat shifts to drier Kalahari woodland, leadwood and camel-thorn savannah, with the river corridor as the water axis. Because this is a private reserve rather than a national park, night drives and walking safaris are permitted here. (Neither is allowed inside Moremi.) The concession caps vehicle numbers at 20 across the entire reserve, and in practice you will rarely see another.

In mid-June, expect clear skies and warm afternoons around 25°C, but mornings are cold. Properly cold. Temperatures drop to 5°C before dawn, and the combination of dry air and rising floodwater produces low mist over the channels at first light, good conditions for both game viewing and photography.

Accommodation

“Mobile tented safari” sounds like a compromise. It is not. Letaka’s camps are set up ahead of each move by a crew travelling with a dedicated supply vehicle, so by the time guests arrive the tents are pitched, beds are made, and the kettle is on.

Each tent is a 4 x 3m Sahara-style canvas with a high roof, en-suite bathroom at the rear, and covered verandah at the front. Inside: camp beds with mattresses, sheets, duvets, and pillows. The bathroom has a long-drop toilet and a bucket shower (hot, warm, or cold, heated over the fire and delivered on request). Lighting is by paraffin lamp and LED lantern. Pack a headlamp for reading and a portable battery for camera charging.

Meals are prepared by a dedicated safari chef cooking over coals, and the standard is higher than the setup suggests. All drinks are included: water, soft drinks, beer, wine, and gin and tonic. The overall effect is comfortable without pretending to be luxurious. You hear the animals, not the air conditioning.

Activities

The Miracle Rivers splits its activities between two regulatory environments, and this is one of its quiet strengths.

Inside Moremi Game Reserve (Days 1–3), game drives are the primary activity. Vehicles leave at first light. In mid-June, that means around 06:30, and you will want every layer you own. They return mid-morning, then head out again in the afternoon for a drive that extends through sunset. Moremi’s Xakanaxa area offers a mix of open floodplain, riverine forest, and mopane woodland, which means sightings range from large elephant herds on the plains to leopard along the tree-lined channels. African wild dog sightings are consistent in mid-June as packs settle into winter territories. Birding is strong: fish eagles along every waterway, saddle-billed storks working the shallows, raptors from mid-morning.

In the Mababe Private Reserve (Days 4–6), the range widens. Night drives with spotlights open up the nocturnal world: civet, genet, African wildcat, and with luck, leopard on the hunt. Walking safaris allow a different kind of attention — tracks, dung, birdsong, the quality of silence between sounds. (Walking is seasonal and subject to your guide’s assessment of grass height and safety.) On the transfer day between camps, a mokoro excursion through the quieter back-channels of the Khwai gives a water-level perspective of the Delta.

This is Letaka’s real edge: the guiding. The company founded the African Guide Academy (formerly the Okavango Guiding School) to raise guiding standards across Botswana, and it shows. The result is interpretation, not just identification. Not “there is a lion” but why it is here, what it is doing, and what will happen next.

Fully inclusive

Safari tents
Services of a professional guide, safari chef and camp assistants, complete with a supply vehicle Game drives and local transfers in customised safari vehicles.
Exclusive camping in private campsites within the national parks and reserves.
All entrance and camping fees within the national parks and reserves.
All meals and drinks (mineral water, soft drinks, beer, wine and G&T) whilst in Letaka Tented Camps.
All activities as specified in the itinerary.
Connecting return Maun light aircraft flights with Mack Air

When to go

Find out when is best to visit

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WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’

Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.

Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’

Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.

Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’

Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.

Wettest time of the year, with rain falling most days of the month, although rarely prolonged in nature. Temperatures are quite hot, averaging 31°C/88°F midday, while the nights average 20°C/68°F.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON

The Okavango River begins to flood the delta, gradually from north to south, drawing in wildlife from surrounding areas as the dry season progresses.

Midday temperatures are more pleasant, falling to an average high of 31°C/88°F by May. Mornings can be surprisingly cool, so it is advisable to pack some warm clothes.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON – START OF THE DELTA FLOODS

The Okavango River begins to flood the delta, gradually from north to south, drawing in wildlife from surrounding areas as the dry season progresses.

Midday temperatures are more pleasant, falling to an average high of 31°C/88°F by May. Mornings can be surprisingly cool, so it is advisable to pack some warm clothes.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD

The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which continues to flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.

Midday temperatures are rather cool averaging around 25°C/77°F, mornings are cold, occasionally sub-zero, so be sure to pack warm clothes!

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD

The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which continues to flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.

Midday temperatures are rather cool averaging around 25°C/77°F, mornings are cold, occasionally sub-zero, so be sure to pack warm clothes!

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON

Clear skies still dominate. Midday temperatures begin to rise and can at times be hot. Morning remain surprisingly cool.

Botswana has very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain is common, usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from October through to early May, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. As Botswana is predominately a safari destination we would generally recommend visiting during the peak of the dry season; as the landscape dries up, wildlife becomes more concentrated around the rivers and watercourse while at the same time thinner/ drier vegetation improves visibility.

Having said this, there is a lot to be said for the ‘emerald season’; beautiful green scenery, fantastic birding, large flowing rivers and fewer tourists can make for a wonderful and unique experience.

There are also two significant exceptions to the above rule of thumb; Kalahari Desert and the Makgadikgadi which come into their own during the wet season as wildlife moves in to take advantage of the fresh, lush grass.

Temperatures can be very high in and around the wet season; when the sunlight is at its strongest, however nights can be cool to sub-freezing throughout the year. So, don’t forget to pack warm clothing!

DRY SEASON – DELTA IN FLOOD

The landscape continues to dry up around Botswana, with the exception of the Okavango Delta which is now in full flood – this stark difference pulls in huge volumes of wildlife, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.

Midday temperatures are a pleasant to hot averaging between 28°C/82°F and 32°C/77°F. Mornings are cool, so be sure to pack a warm fleece.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

DRY SEASON

It has been months since the initial flooding of the Okavango River, leading ultimately to the flooding of the vast Okavango Delta; the flood waters now gradually recede as time moves on.

Game viewing remains spectacular during October; however, temperatures continue to rise before the start of the rains, with midday temperatures over 40°C/104°F not uncommon. We suggest early morning starts during this time to make the most of the cool temperatures!

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

WET SEASON

The first rains arrive, usually in the form of sharp afternoon showers, at the same time the delta levels continue to drop; ultimately this disperses wildlife out of the delta.

The temperatures remain hot, while the humidity adds level of discomfort. Game viewing can still be good, but just be prepared for a little heat.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

WET SEASON – ‘EMERALD SEASON’

Many animals give birth to their young during this period, bringing a new lease of life to the area. This is also a great time of year to see migratory bird species. Water levels are low, not ideal for water-based actives.

Like the rest of Botswana, the Okavango Delta and Moremi areas have very distinct wet and dry seasons; rain occurs sporadically usually in the form of sharp thunderstorms from late October through to April, the rest of the year clear skies dominate. Although the region offers fantastic game viewing throughout the year, the best period to visit is during the floods which conversely corresponds to the dry season. The annual flooding of the delta acts like a magnet drawing in huge concentrations of wildlife, it is simply unlike anything else in Africa!
Once the rains arrive wildlife tends to move outside of the delta to graze on the fresh grass in areas such as the Kalahari. Game viewings can still be good, birding fantastic and prices significantly less than the dry season.

Explore Okavango Delta & Moremi Game Reserve Properties

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