World-renowned as a mecca for wildlife, this year-round watery paradise is sustained by rainfall in the Angolan highlands which arrives in the form of an annual flood just as natural rain-filled pans are beginning to dry out. The 16,000 square-kilometre wilderness is divided into a number of fenceless private concessions which surround the publicly accessible Moremi Game Reserve and its neighbour, Khwai Community Concession. The game can move freely throughout (and even outside) the Okavango Delta.

In both Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Community Concession, self-drives and mobile safari operators share the game drive networks with a handful of permanent camps, so you’ll encounter a few more vehicles, particularly in the peak season in Khwai. Walking safaris, off-road and night driving are prohibited in Moremi as it is a national park.

Almost all camps offer game drives, on which you can expect to see large herds of trampling elephant and buffalo mingling with legions of zebra, wildebeest and antelope. There are plenty of predators too – it is one of the best places in Africa to spot endangered wild dogs. The pools and channels are home to gargantuan crocodiles and chortling hippos, and keen birders can tick off some of the 460-plus avian species.

The most intimate and exclusive camps (which usually accommodate a maximum of 20 people) are in the private concessions, where the only traffic you are likely to encounter apart from your fellow guests will be of the four-legged variety. Here, unlike in the national parks and game reserves, you can also drive off-road and at night, making it easy to get as close as you want to the wildlife.