The Okavango Delta – the trip dreams are made of

Posted on 10th December 2025

written by award winning South African journalist and author Marion Scher.

There are trips of a lifetime, and then there are trips of a lifetime. Whatever you call it, your bucket list, dream list or adventure wish-list, the Okavango Delta in the green season, from November onwards, definitely deserves a spot near the top. For me this was my first visit to the Delta, and one of many safari experiences I’ve been on – but I knew as I looked down from the plane to the vista below that this was going to be a very different experience.

It was November and a time of renewal for the area. Just weeks before the Delta had been a dusty patchwork of dry earth and pale grass. Suddenly after the first rains three weeks before vivid greens and blues are breaking through the landscape. Thin streams of water break through twisting across the land, reopening old channels and creating new ones.

Desperately seeking my first glimpse of wildlife I wasn’t disappointed. There below me were red lechwe splashing through the sodden reeds, along with small groups of elephants, giraffes, buffalo and antelope also relishing the newly wet ground.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding things about visiting at this time of year is the amount of new borns: tiny impalas still wobbling on their thin legs, elephant calves darting between their mothers and flapping their ears whilst zebra foals are learning how to control their long, slightly clumsy limbs.

For the many hippos in the area small dams have emerged, offering them a chance to do what they do best, wallow, occasionally offering up a huge yawn and a photo perfect opportunity. And if you look carefully along the water’s edge you might catch sight of a crocodile lying perfectly still, waiting for a chance to strike.

And then there’s the evening game drive, which feels especially magical in the green season. From your sundowner spot, you’ll watch the sky change minute by minute. As the sun dips low suddenly the whole horizon glows with deep apricots, fiery oranges and edged with gold. Some evenings, big thunderclouds may drift in, catching the light in shades of pink and purple, a picture-perfect African scene you won’t forget.

Standing out against this backdrop, waterbirds like storks, herons and kingfishers skim low across the water, their silhouettes standing out against the dramatic sky. Every now and then, a flash of distant lightning hints at storms building far away. Then, almost in an instant, the sun slips away. The bush takes over with its nighttime sounds, and a sky full of stars only Africa can offer. The air cools just a little, and for a few moments more, the Delta glows softly, the kind of sunset that feels less like weather and more like a painting happening right in front of you. This was just the start of my trip and I knew it could only get better.