Cycling Through The Okavango Delta

AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE ORDINARY

We are thrilled to bring you an exciting update from the heart of Botswana, where adventure meets conservation in a truly unique way. Our partners at Natural Selections have been blazing a trail with their innovative guided cycling safari, offering an immersive and exhilarating experience in one of Africa’s most iconic landscapes—the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

As recently highlighted in a Time magazine article titled ‘Natural Selection’s Guided Cycling Safari,’ this cycling adventure has garnered widespread attention for its innovative and sustainable approach to exploring the wilderness.

This guided Botswana cycling safari has been designed for small groups of trailblazers, adrenaline junkies, and wildlife enthusiasts looking for an incredible biking experience. On these guided cycling safaris, you’ll explore the ancient elephant paths that have shaped the Botswana landscape for centuries by bike. With two professional cycling safari guides—one at the front and one at the back of each ride—and logistical support from one of Natural Selection’s professional mobile safari companies, you are in the best hands. The route takes you alongside acacia woodlands, wandering riverbanks, mopane forests, and beautiful savannah grasslands, all brimming with wildlife and endless African horizons.

Your professional safari guides, having cycled and explored these wildlife areas for years, will reveal the secrets that pave the elephant highways of the Okavango Delta. Covering between 40-70km per day, you’ll experience this magical Botswana landscape in a unique and spectacular way.

This multi-day cycling safari is the first of its kind in the Okavango Delta. This region boasts one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife, making it a prime destination for nature enthusiasts. Cyclists traverse acacia woodlands and savannahs, all while enjoying the comforts of mobile camps set up each night with private tents and fire-heated showers.

WHY CHOOSE A CYCLING SAFARI?

Cycling safaris are gaining popularity as they provide an active, immersive, and sustainable alternative to traditional safari models. Imagine the thrill of viewing wildlife from the saddle, venturing into areas where noisy diesel-powered vehicles cannot reach. The serenity and excitement of this experience are unmatched, offering a unique perspective on the natural world.

• Day 1: The journey begins as you arrive in Maun, either by air or road, where you will be warmly welcomed by your safari guide. After loading your bike and luggage onto the bike trailers, you will travel together by safari vehicle to our mobile safari camp, just south of the Moremi Game Reserve (approximately 1.5 hours from Maun). Once settled in camp, enjoy a refreshment and some snacks, with time to assemble your bike before indulging in a warm shower and a delicious dinner around a crackling fire.
• Day 2: At sunrise, you will receive a wake-up call followed by a piping hot cup of coffee. After a light breakfast, grab your cycling gear and start following a route from camp through woodlands and plains, created by elephants who are natural trail builders, weaving through Mopane forests, and packed with lots of fun. Your ride will take 5-6 hours, including stops for wildlife spotting and snacks along the way. You’ll arrive back in camp in time for a warm lunch, followed by a siesta. After a late afternoon game-drive and sundowner, dinner will be served, and you’ll be ready to go to sleep after an adventurous first day in the saddle.
• Day 3: Today, you will pack your bags before heading off, leaving camp and cycling to a new Mababe campsite spot. Following elephant trails and jeep tracks through woodland and grasslands along the Khwai River. What an adventure! You’ll spend 5-6 hours on your bike and we will stop for lunch along the way, with the option to get in the safari vehicle with your bike for a drive into camp. Tonight you will camp next to the Khwai River, enjoying a sundowner before a hearty dinner and then bed.
• Day 4: Waking as the sun rises, today is possibly the highlight of your trip! You’ll ride through vast open plains and mopane forests, tracking the footsteps of giants, with possible sightings of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and even lions. This is a 6-7 hour ride, depending on the animals spotting taking place along the way. You’ll return to camp after this incredible cycle to enjoy a lazy lunch and a relaxing afternoon amongst the mopane trees.
• Day 5: Today we pack our bags and our bikes after breakfast and drive back to Maun, enjoying a picnic lunch along the way.

• Day 5-6: Pack your bags and bikes after breakfast, then drive to Little Sable, a stylish yet relaxed safari camp. Enjoy a picnic lunch along the way. The next two nights will be spent at Little Sable, located in the Khwai Private Reserve, a 200,000-hectare area of pristine wilderness in the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta. Here, enjoy all the iconic Delta experiences on offer, from game drives to mokoro trips to boat safaris. The intimate camp features 8 traditional-style tents, each with a private viewing deck, en-suite bathroom, and outside shower. Little Sable offers a sense of freedom and connection with the surroundings, perfect for relaxation and exploration.
• Day 7: For those seeking extra excitement, consider spending a night under the stars at the magical Skybeds. This unique sleep-out experience offers an unforgettable night atop a five-meter-high wooden platform, with only a mozzie net between you and the stars. The Skybeds overlooks a waterhole frequented by 400 bull elephants, along with lion, leopard, eland, zebra, and more, providing outstanding game viewing right from your platform. Each platform is equipped with a flush toilet, shower, and basin.

Due to the overwhelming interest in their Okavango Delta tour, Natural Selections has recently expanded its offerings to include a four-night cycling safari in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. This otherworldly landscape in north-eastern Botswana’s Kalahari desert provides a stark contrast to the Delta, showcasing the country’s diverse ecosystems and wildlife.