2026 Safari Season Wrap Up with Brave Africa Safaris!
As we close out the 2026 safari season, it’s the perfect time to look back on everything that happened this year. It has been an exciting, challenging, and wildlife-packed year at Brave Africa Safaris. Let’s jump right in.
(All videos and photos are from Wina’s WhatsApp messages in the middle of safari. That means the quality might not be the best, but they are as candid as we can be.)
2026 Okavango Delta Flooding — Historic Levels
This was an incredible year for Okavango Delta flooding. The floods came early and in abundance.
Normally, the Okavango Delta floods come from rains in Angola, which travel down the delta starting in April/May. This typically results in peak-season flooding from July through October—high season for safari.
2026 was a little different.
Starting in December 2025, Botswana received massive amounts of rain. It stormed and poured rain for weeks from December through March—the most rain Botswana has received in more than a decade. In fact, it rained so much that the Delta was fully flooded by March, when normally, it’s at its lowest water levels.
This was challenging, but not too much for us to handle.
Moremi Game Reserve Late Opening
Moremi Game Reserve actually closed to visitors until 13 April 2026 due to heavy rains and flooding. When our team went to check it out, all the main roads in the Xakanaxa region, where we typically stay, were under water.
Watch this incredible video from Wina (sorry for the dirty windshield)!
Late Season Storms
The other challenge that came alongside the flood was unexpected El Niño weather patterns. Normally, the rainy season in Botswana is contained to December – March. This year, it lasted into April, and we still had surprise storms even later in the year.
Thankfully, we didn’t have too many bad weather days while out on safari with guests. And when the storms did arrive, they were short-lived. But that didn’t mean they weren’t a challenge sometimes.
Just take a look at this storm in late March that wiped out our main tent overnight!
Mobile Safari Challenges in the 2026 Safari Season
The good news is that, as a mobile safari, we were able to handle the flooding challenges of the 2026 safari season.
While lodges can’t move locations when flooding moves in—they have to work within the flood zones. We can move camps to drier regions—the same regions the animals move to.
So, as the flooding moved into Moremi Game Reserve and parts of Khwai Concession, we moved our safari camps.
If you joined us on safari in April, May, and June, you know that we moved your camps to Southern Moremi, Eastern Khwai, Mababe, and Savuti. This allowed us to still offer incredible safari experiences in areas where driving was possible.
What did this mean for wildlife?
Flooding and Wildlife in the 2026 Safari Season
You might assume that the Okavango Delta flooding would push out all the animals, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The Okavango Delta floods every single year. Yes, water levels and flood duration vary, but there is always a flood. This means that the animals that live in the Okavango Delta are not just used to moving with the tides; they rely on them. And more water is never a bad thing for wildlife.
Wildlife didn’t leave Botswana due to the floods. Instead, wildlife concentrated in areas where the water was shallow or absent—the same areas we moved our campsites to. This meant that our guests had incredible wildlife interactions throughout the 2026 safari season.
2026 Safari Season Had More Babies
Antelope species, especially the aquatic varieties like Red Lechwe, had a major boost in calving this year. High water years provide exceptional food opportunities, and with expanded floodplains, it was a safe and productive year for antelope calving.
This also meant more babies for predators. When prey does well, predators have more food, too. Guests this year spent time near a wild dog den in Mababe with over a dozen puppies. They also had the rare chance to witness a brand-new leopard cub, cheetah cubs, and lion cubs.
The 2026 safari season was a great time for baby wildlife!
Great Predator-Prey and General Wildlife Interactions
With less dry land, animals have fewer places to congregate. These shrinking “island” territories force predators into intense interactions with prey and each other.
This meant that our guests had the opportunity to see some truly incredible wildlife interactions while on safari. Not only did we see more kills this year than normal, but our President and Head Guide, Wina, witnessed some animal interactions he had never seen before!
But don’t just take our word for it. Check out some incredible videos from this year.
Hyena VS Wild Dogs
In late March, guests witnessed this incredible interaction between a pack of wild dogs and a lone hyena on patrol.
Cheetahs in Trees
Cheetahs are always a rare treat on safari. This 2026 safari season, because there was so little dry land, we saw cheetahs more than usual. And because the rain and flooding made the Okavango Delta explode in an abundance of greenery, the cheetahs had to get creative in order to find and hunt their prey.
This resulted in lots of cheetahs in trees!
Lions Roaring
We can’t pretend that the floods made lions roar more. We regularly enjoy lions roaring on safari. In fact, you will often fall asleep or wake up to lion roars, but this year, we did get some really close-up and personal lion interactions when they were roaring
Leopard Sightings
Leopards are one of the hardest animals to find on safari. They typically travel alone and are incredibly stealthy. So finding them on the ground or in the trees is always a pleasure.
In the 2026 safari season, leopards had fewer dry islands where they could hunt, and so it was easier for Wina to find them. And we had some great interactions!
Animals on the Road
If you’ve ever been on safari, you know that predators love to take the easy route. Why spend more energy than they have to? This means that you’ll regularly find lions, wild dogs, and hyena walking down the road.
And since the flooding made fewer roads passable, the roads that were open had more animals than usual!
Hunts & Kills
Our 2026 safari season offered many opportunities for our guests to see predator hunts and kills. This is always a very rare event. Hunts happen quickly, and they often occur at night or in deep bush where we can’t reach.
Since the flooding brought the animals together in tight spaces, hunts happened where we drove and in the open. It made for some exciting times!
Water Interactions
So many safari-goers choose Botswana because they want to see animals in water. Well, when the Delta is flooded, water and animals go hand-in-hand. We had some incredible water sightings this year.
2026 Safari Season Animal Migration
Last, but certainly not least, the 2026 safari season flooding brought the annual migration of elephants, Cape buffalo, and water birds early and strong.
As we explained briefly above, the Okavango Delta floods every year. The animals know to count on this and migrate into the shallow floodplains and spillways throughout the Delta to follow the water. This year was no different. The only difference is that the water inundated the Delta earlier than expected, and so the migration came along earlier as well.
Lion Fight
One of our craziest sightings this year was a massive lion fight within a pride. We’re not quite sure what happened, but it was incredible to witness!
Brave Africa 2026 Safari Updates
Beyond the incredible wildlife experiences for Brave Africa Safaris this year (and we’ve only shared a small portion above), we had a great 2026 safari season behind the scenes. It was a year of hard work, but we got a lot done!
Brave Africa’s Hands Launched
This year, we officially launched Brave Africa’s Hands, which is our charity arm and at the core of who we are.
One of the main reasons we started Brave Africa was to create a safari company that benefits the local community. Not only are we owned and operated by Motswanans, but we also proactively partner with the local communities where we operate to support, empower, and strengthen them. We do this through funding schools, supporting less privileged children, and participating in community projects.
We currently sponsor four children at the local school in Khwai Community Concession. We are dedicated to meeting their essential needs as outlined by the school. You can learn more here: https://braveafrica.com/impact/
New Moving Truck
Moving our mobile safari camp isn’t easy! Every time we change camp locations during your safari, our incredible team packs everything up in our large moving trucks and drives to the new camp to set up. It’s a massive, complicated operation.
This year, we are so excited to introduce you to our new moving truck! She doesn’t have a name yet, but she is powerful and large, and helps us get through the tough bush roads without breaking down. She’s definitely the secret to our behind-the-scenes success.
New Family Tent
This year, we are also happy to introduce our new family tent! We love hosting families and kids on safari. It is one of our greatest joys.
A family tent means that groups with children, or groups that enjoy staying together, now have a four-person tent to share. It is an extra-large version of our regular tent, with all the same amenities—just more space.
Brave Africa Safari Reviews 2026
It’s been an incredible 2026 safari season at Brave Africa! We are so grateful to everyone who chose to go on safari with us this year, and we hope we made your trip magical and memorable.
And thank you, thank you to everyone who left us a safari review this year. Your kind words make such a difference to our team. We know it takes time and effort to go online after your safari and leave a review, but we couldn’t be more grateful.
We’ve received over a dozen Brave Africa safari reviews in 2026, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! You can check them all out on TripAdvisor, but here’s what some of them had to say.
“Yes! Brave Africa!
We did a 6-night tented safari with Brave Africa (Savuti & Mababe).
It felt very personal and you are right in the middle of the bush action, from the early morning till you go to your lovely bed in your tent to go to sleep and still then you hear the lions roaring.
Brave Africa’s experienced team makes sure you get to see things in a special way.
We did go to a luxury safari lodge after this but if I had to choose I would surely go for the Brave Africa experience again, pure & personal.
Big thanks to the entire team.”
“My wife and I previously went on safari in South Africa in 2009, and this time we came back as a family with our 10-year-old daughter to the Okavango Delta in Botswana for 6 nights with Brave Safari.
Having stayed at a luxury lodge near Kruger before, we were delighted with the high-end glamping setup of the mobile tents. This was definitely not “camping”. The sturdy canvas tents measure some 8′ wide by 20′ long and feature real mattresses on raised bed frames with night stands, the ability for our daughter to stay in the same tent with her own zippered “room”, an en-suite flushable toilet and shower.
As for the animals. Oh, the animals! In contrast to our experience in South Africa (and later on this same trip, in Kenya), the Okavango Delta has much more animal diversity. Yes, we saw lots and lots (and *lots*) of 4 of the Big 5 (rhinos being the exception as in the Delta, they have been relocated for protection from poachers), but we also saw other animals big and small.”
“Vivid, close and as real as it gets
We went three families with grown children and were a group pf 10 had the most amazing trip the experience of Wina and BG as well as the wonderfull group of people made it really unforgettable.”
“In July my husband and I did a mobile camp experience with Brave Africa for six nights. Our experience was nothing but positive! From the welcome as we arrived to the fond farewell and everything I between. Wina and his staff made for a wonderful experience. My husband is a photographer and getting into the right spot to get that perfect picture was important, Wina made sure that would happen. If there was a certain animal we want to see that day he was on the hunt to make that possible and always felt safe.
Our accommodations were nice, a full size bed and was very comfortable. The food we were served was outstanding! Very beautifully plated and always delicious! The staff made sure we were comfortable and always there to take care of us. Our overall experience was great and we would definitely recommend Brave Africa.”
“If you’re looking for the absolute best mobile safari in Botswana, look no further than Brave Africa.
From the moment we arrived, we knew this was going to be something special. What made the experience even more meaningful was knowing that Brave Africa is locally owned by our guide, Wina. His passion for Botswana, its wildlife, its people, and its culture shines through in everything he does.
We spent nine unforgettable days with Wina and his incredible staff, and by the time we left, it truly felt like we were saying goodbye to family. Wina’s knowledge of wildlife is simply remarkable. With more than 20 years of guiding experience, he seemed to know exactly where the animals would be and could often predict what they would do next by reading their behavior. Every game drive felt like an exciting new adventure, and we learned so much about the animals, the ecosystem, and the rich culture of Botswana.
The camp itself was beautiful, comfortable, and thoughtfully designed. Every detail had been carefully considered, and the food was absolutely amazing. The staff was warm, welcoming, and always made us feel at home.”
