Expeditions Camp

By light aircraft into Xaraxai airstrip, then about half an hour by game vehicle into the concession, which counts as the first drive of the trip rather than a transfer. The camp runs that airstrip leg in both directions and it sits inside the nightly rate, so nothing is added for it afterwards. The flights themselves are quoted separately, and we build them into the itinerary alongside the camps on either side.

We can also put you on a private charter rather than the shared light aircraft circuit, typically a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12, which takes the fixed departure times out of the day and matters most when you are connecting to an international flight. We confirm the luggage allowance for whichever aircraft you are on before you pack, because the Delta's light aircraft fly to a tight weight limit and want soft bags rather than hard cases.

Yes, and both official sources say so. TravelHealthPro, the UK's National Travel Health Network and Centre, classes the northern half of Botswana, the Okavango Delta included, as high risk from October to May and recommends antimalarial tablets for those months, with the risk dropping to low for the rest of the year, when it advises awareness of the risk and avoiding bites. The CDC lists the Okavango and Ngamiland districts, which is the ground this concession sits on, among the parts of Botswana for which it recommends prescription medicine to prevent malaria.

We do not make medical recommendations. We are travel planners, not doctors. Which tablets are right for you, whether they suit your own health or anyone else's in the party, and what is appropriate for a child, is a conversation between you and your doctor or a travel clinic. The practical side we can speak to is not medical: cover arms and legs from late afternoon and keep repellent to hand.

From six years old. We checked the current rate sheet rather than assuming, and six is still the minimum across the Okavango Delta camps under the same ownership. Children between six and eighteen are charged at a reduced rate when they share a tent with an adult.

The part that catches families out is the vehicle. Any family travelling with a child of nine or younger has to book a private vehicle and pay for it, and the rule is that it is held for the whole stay rather than taken on the days you want it. That is a real cost, so we build it into your quote at the start instead of letting it appear later. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will say plainly whether this camp suits them or point you at a Delta camp that fits better.

Yes, and for some parties it costs nothing. A vehicle seats seven, and a party of six or seven is given one to itself at no extra charge. Below that number a private vehicle is bookable and charged, and it has to be held for the duration of the stay rather than a day at a time, so it is a decision at booking rather than something to settle on arrival.

Specialist guides are a separate matter and can be booked ahead, subject to availability, which is worth doing if you are travelling for birds or for photography in particular. Tell us what you want out of the days and we will price it both ways so you can see what a private vehicle actually buys you before you commit to it.

Yes, and it is inside the nightly rate rather than charged as an extra. There are charging points in the tents as well, so cameras and phones can be topped up without a walk to the mess tent. The camp runs on solar power, which is also why there are no hairdryers.

What we would not do is plan a working week around it. A connection this far into the northern Delta varies with weather and with how many people are using it, so it is right for messages and photographs home and wrong for a video call you cannot miss. If someone in your party has to be reachable at a fixed time, tell us before you travel and we will check what to expect with the camp for your dates rather than guess.

It is a fully inclusive rate: the tent, all meals, all the drinks the camp stocks, wifi, laundry, the daily activities, the airstrip transfers, guiding, park entry fees and VAT. Outside it sit premium brand drinks, gratuities and your travel insurance, plus a community, conservation and reserve fee charged per person per night, which goes towards the communities and the wildlife habitat around the concession. That fee is not optional and we build it into your quote rather than leaving it to surprise you at the end.

The scenic helicopter flights, including the run out to the Tsodilo Hills, are charged separately, and the aircraft needs passenger weights before it will confirm a booking, which is easier to deal with at the planning stage than on the day. The flights in and out of the Delta are quoted separately from the nightly rate as well. We put the whole lot into one figure so you are looking at the real cost of the trip rather than a headline.