Mokoro Day Trip in the Okavango Delta: Pole-Pushed Canoe Safari

Pole through the delta's channels in a fiberglass mokoro, watching elephants and kingfishers from the water.

A mokoro day trip from Maun is an eight-hour guided safari through the Okavango Delta's channels, lagoons and islands in a traditional canoe pushed by pole. Your guide picks you up at 07:30 am, drives you an hour to the mokoro station at Morutsa, then poles you through the delta's network of waterways where you'll watch wildlife (elephants, hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe, sitatunga antelope and African wild dogs), and birds including kingfishers and fish eagles. The trip includes a short guided bush walk on an island, a picnic lunch in the shade, bottled water and soda. Children from age 5 are welcome. The guide speaks English.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mokoro trip and wildlife exploration

• Pick up from Maun accommodation
• Drive one hour to mokoro station
• Meet concession guides at Morutsa
• Board mokoro and start waterway trip
• Observe wildlife and bird species
• Go on short guided bush walk
• Enjoy picnic lunch in the shade
• Return to Maun in late afternoon

The experience

Eight hours sounds long, but most of it is water time. The poling itself is silent and slow, which is why wildlife doesn't startle. Your guide picks you up from your Maun accommodation at 07:30 am and drives you an hour to Morutsa, where the mokoro station sits on the delta's edge. From there you board the canoe: now made from fiberglass but still poled the traditional way, with your guide using a long pole called an nkashi to push along the waterway bottom. The silence means animals stay calm and close enough to photograph.

The Okavango Delta covers between 6,000 and 15,000 square kilometers across the Kalahari Desert and is fed by the Okavango River flowing from Angola through Namibia. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's Seven Natural Wonders, built from a complex network of channels, lagoons and islands. You may see grazing herds of elephant, red lechwe or the rare sitatunga antelope on palm islands, while crocodiles and hippos wade nearby. The bird list is long: painted reed frogs, African fish eagles, malachite and pied kingfishers, pygmy geese, African and lesser jacanas. The delta is particularly known for its African wild dogs, among the world's most endangered species.

Midway through the day you'll do a short guided bush walk on one of the islands: one of the rare chances in Africa to step out and walk among wild animals with a guide. After that you rest in the shade with a picnic lunch, watching what the delta presents. You return to Maun in the late afternoon. Bottled water and soda come with you. The guide is English-speaking and works through the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust, which manages the concession and sets guide and community fees.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup from Maun at 07:30 am and return in the late afternoon.
• the one-hour drive to the mokoro station at Morutsa.
• the full mokoro journey with an English-speaking guide poling the canoe.
• a short guided bush walk on an island.
• a picnic lunch in the shade.
• bottled water and soda throughout the day.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

AgesAdult (18 to 75 years) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 5 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated 7 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by RENNS EXCURSIONS

Is this one for you?The mokoro is a shared canoe with a guide doing the poling, so you sit and watch rather than paddle. It suits anyone who wants to move slowly through wildlife habitat without physical exertion, and the silence is what keeps animals close enough to photograph.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

3 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (3 to 10 years). Under 3: they can't be included in the booking.

What animals am I likely to see on a mokoro trip through the Okavango Delta?

Elephants, hippos, crocodiles, red lechwe and the rare sitatunga antelope graze on the islands and wade in the channels. African wild dogs, among the world's most endangered species, live in the delta. Bird species include African fish eagles, malachite and pied kingfishers, pygmy geese, painted reed frogs and African and lesser jacanas.

How does the mokoro move through the water?

Your guide poles the mokoro using a long pole called an nkashi, pushing along the waterway bottom to propel the canoe forward. The mokoro is now made from fiberglass but operates the same way as the traditional wooden canoes. The poling is silent, which keeps wildlife calm and close.

What's included in the day trip from Maun?

The trip includes hotel pickup at 07:30 am, the one-hour drive to Morutsa, the full mokoro journey, a guided bush walk on an island, a picnic lunch, bottled water and soda. Your guide speaks English and is provided through the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust.

Is there a guided walk, or do I stay in the mokoro the whole time?

You do a short guided bush walk on one of the delta's islands partway through the day: one of the rare chances in Africa to walk with wild animals under guide supervision. After the walk you rest in the shade with lunch before returning to Maun in the late afternoon.