Tucked away between Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip is the Linyanti. It’s a place of wild wetlands, woodlands and floodplains, mostly undeveloped and famously rich in wildlife. Once a hunting area, the Linyanti has been turned over to conservation for several decades and the results are remarkable.
With year-round water, the Linyanti has a reputation for both classic animals as well as the rarer ones: you’ll see herds of elephants, buffalo and giraffe but keep your eyes peeled for Africa’s more elusive creatures: wild dog, leopard, honey badger and the semi-aquatic sitatunga antelope. Linyanti is also known for dramatic wildlife events: the lions of Linyanti often prey on hippopotamus, and the region is part of Botswana’s little-known but spectacular zebra migration.
Neighbouring the Chobe National Park, the Linyanti is made up of privately-run reserves – or concessions are they are known. Tented camps and safari lodges are set on the reserves and offer a greater range of activities compared to similar accommodation in a national park. As well as morning and afternoon drives, you’ll enjoy spot-lit night drives, and your guide is permitted to take their vehicle off-road for exceptional wildlife sightings. Bush walks are also part of the experience, and some Linyanti lodges offer seasonal water-based safaris – motor boats, river cruises and canoeing.
The Linyanti is best experienced as part of a Botswana safari: you’ll fly between camps in the Chobe Park, the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve – and you can choose to start or finish in Victoria Falls. Talk to us about a Linyanti safari. We’ll recommend the best tour or accommodation for your requirements, or will tailor-make a personal itinerary for you.
Botswana has a straightforward climate, with a long dry winter followed by a shorter wet summer, but the best time to visit really depends on the kind of safari experience you want. One of the joys of Botswana is that different seasons bring different strengths, so there is no single answer that suits every traveller.
The dry season, from around May to October, is generally considered the best time for classic game viewing. Temperatures are mild to warm during the day, nights can be cold in mid-winter, and wildlife becomes easier to spot as vegetation thins out and animals gather around water. This is also when the Okavango Delta is in flood, creating some of the country’s most iconic safari scenery.
The green season has its own rewards. Early summer brings dramatic skies, lush landscapes, excellent birding and the excitement of birthing season, when young antelope attract the attention of predators. It can be an especially rewarding time for travellers who want to see a softer, greener side of Botswana, or who are interested in the Kalahari and seasonal migrations.
If you are not sure when to travel, the right choice usually comes down to priorities, whether that is peak game viewing, birdlife, dramatic landscapes, river activities or better value. Botswana is rewarding in every season, but the experience changes beautifully across the year.
Linyanti accommodations are usually set on private reserves to ensure an exclusive safari experience. Indeed, several of Botswana’s top lodges and romantic retreats are here, promising a truly luxurious stay for discerning travellers. But there are more affordable tented camps too, delivering the same safari experience, as well as camps where families with children are welcome – even to the point of providing a dedicated kids’ club and age-appropriate activities.
Browse our recommended Linyanti lodges below or contact us to find out which lodge is best suited for your requirements and budget.
Remote, intimate safari camp offering classic tented accommodation, exceptional game viewing, and scenic floodplain landscapes away from the crowds.
Seasonal tented camp designed for adventurous travelers seeking an authentic bush experience. With open-sided tents, guided walks, game drives, and river cruises, it offers close encounters with wildlife in a remote, uncrowded setting.
Small, family-friendly tented camp set on the banks of the Linyanti Marsh. It offers excellent wildlife viewing, water and land-based safaris.
Sandwiched between the country’s biggest safari destinations – the Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta – the Linyanti complements a classic Botswana safari itinerary and delivers a more exclusive experience during peak season.
Most Botswana itineraries include Chobe and the Okavango. The Chobe River section of the Chobe National Park is famous for its dry-season concentrations of animals, especially elephant and buffalo. We’d also recommend the Savuti (also spelled Savute) area of the Chobe National Park for heavyweight game viewing.
As for the Okavango Delta, you can choose between water-based and land-based camps – we’d suggest a combination – and you may want to balance the wetlands of the Linyanti and Okavango with the open savannah of Botswana’s Kalahari for a highly diverse range of animals and landscapes.
And with the Zambezi River just a short drive from the Chobe River, you’ll find that many Linyanti safari itineraries begin or end at Victoria Falls with recommended accommodation on both the Zambian and Zimbabwean side. Browse our tried-and-tested Botswana safaris below or simply contact us with your ideas and budget and we’ll tailor-make an itinerary for you.
Our team of destination experts will design a holiday to meet your budget and interests. Let’s start planning your tailor-made African safari today!
Linyanti is best experienced as part of a bigger itinerary in Botswana and beyond. Many travellers take advantage of Linyanti’s proximity to the Chobe National Park and combine Linyanti’s wetlands with the grassland and riverside habitats of Chobe. And just across from the Chobe River is Victoria Falls, one of Africa’s most iconic destinations and home to its widest array of safari and adventure activities.
Connect with international flights to neighbouring South Africa and now you have the heavyweight Kruger Park and its private Sabi Sands Reserve to compare with Botswana, and we’d always recommend adding on a few nights at everyone’s favourite city – Cape Town.
