Should you travel to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park or Botswana’s Okavango Delta?

An African safari is so varied. One of the main differences is the type of game viewing you can do. In the Okavango Delta, you can do both land and water-based activities. This includes game drives, walking safaris, boat safaris, and mokoro (local boat) rides through the Delta channels. The Serengeti National Park is more limited with safari activities, with game drives and walking safaris (in certain areas) on offer. In both cases, the quality of the safari guides will be exceptional.

Of course there is no guarantee of what you will see on safari, as all of the animals are wild and in their natural habitat. That said, each destination has its own resident wildlife and experiences. Among others, the most common sightings in the Delta include lions, buffalos, leopards, wild dogs, hippos, and countless herds of elephants. Compared to the Serengeti, there is a much greater chance of seeing African wild dogs in the Okavango Delta. In fact, it’s one of the best places to see them in Africa. On the other hand, the Serengeti National Park is home to the great migration – which is on so many safari enthusiasts’ bucket list. Over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra make an annual pilgrimage across East Africa’s game reserves – the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. Although there are resident wildebeest in the Okavango, it is nowhere near the same numbers and volume as the Serengeti.