Mokoro Day Trip from Maun: Traditional Canoe & Delta Wildlife

Paddle a traditional mokoro through waterways, walk an island for wildlife, eat lunch where the delta meets the land.

A full-day mokoro tour from Maun combines a traditional dugout canoe journey through the Okavango Delta with a guided nature walk on an island and lunch, all with hotel pickup and a local poler as your guide. The tour runs 9 hours and operates as a shared group of up to 15 people, with two travelers per mokoro. Children from age 4 are welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mokoro trip and nature walk

• Pick up at accommodation at 07:30 am
• Transfer to Mokoro Station by 4WD vehicle
• Meet local mokoro poler and guide
• Enjoy mokoro journey through Okavango Delta
• Take a rest at destination
• Go on a nature walk on the island
• Stopover for lunch
• Poole back to Mokoro Station
• Drive back to Maun arriving 15:30-16:30

The experience

Your day starts with pickup from your Maun accommodation at 7:30 am and a transfer by open 4WD vehicle to the mokoro station, arriving around 10 am. There you meet your local mokoro poler (one of the community guides who pole the traditional dugout canoes), and begin a silent journey through the delta's water channels. The mokoro itself is the point: a two-person canoe that moves without engine noise, letting you hear bird calls and spot hippos as they surface. The waterways are filtered naturally by waterlilies, reeds and papyrus, and the poler reads the channels the way someone else might read a map.

After the mokoro journey, you rest briefly on an island, then set out on a nature walk where zebras, giraffes and elephants sometimes appear at a distance. Lunch happens on the island before you pole back to the station. The vehicle collects you and drives back to Maun, arriving between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm. The tour is shared (a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 15), so you travel with other visitors, each pair in their own mokoro.

The operator briefs clients a day before departure to confirm clothing and readiness, and the mokoro activity itself is outsourced to the local community trust, so the polers earn their living directly from the work. An English-speaking guide is included, and the 4WD vehicle, lunch and all fees are covered in the price.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and transfer by open 4WD vehicle to and from the mokoro station.
• traditional mokoro canoe journey with a local community poler as your guide.
• guided nature walk on an island.
• lunch.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (13 to 75 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Under 4: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 6 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Mosu Safari Tours

Is this one for you?This is a shared tour, so you travel with other visitors in pairs, each mokoro with its own poler: ideal if you want the local guide's knowledge without the cost of a private canoe, and a natural way to meet other travelers. The 9-hour day and the mix of paddling and walking suit anyone with basic fitness. The mokoro itself is stable and the pace is unhurried.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years). Under 4: they can't be included in the booking.

What is a mokoro and how does it move through the delta?

A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe, either carved wood or fiberglass, that holds two people. A poler stands at the stern and propels it silently through the water channels using a long pole, letting you hear wildlife and move without disturbing the delta.

Will I see hippos and elephants on the tour?

Hippos are a usual sight during the mokoro journey, and elephants appear sometimes, though usually at a distance. Bird life is also spectacular throughout the waterways and the island walk.

How long is the full day and what time does it end?

The tour runs 9 hours total. Pickup is at 7:30 am from your accommodation, and you return to Maun between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm.

Is the tour private or shared, and how many people travel together?

The tour is shared with other visitors, with a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 15 per departure. Each pair travels in their own mokoro with a local poler.