Canoe & River Safaris

In a canoe you are silent, low and slow — and animals treat you differently. Elephants feed on the bank a few metres away. Herons lift ahead of you. A river turns a safari from something you watch into something you move through.

Three ways onto the water

• Canoe safaris — two-person Canadian-style canoes, paddled with a guide in the lead canoe. Classic on the Lower Zambezi and at Mana Pools, from a half-day paddle to multi-night trips camping on islands.
• Mokoro — a traditional dugout (today usually fibreglass) poled through the shallow channels of the Okavango Delta by a local poler. Quiet and close to water lilies, reed frogs and birds.
• Boat safaris — motorboats on larger rivers and lakes, such as the Chobe River in Botswana and the lakes of Nyerere National Park in Tanzania. Great for elephants, hippos, crocodiles and birds, and for photographers.

Is it safe?

Guided canoeing has a good safety record, but rivers hold hippos and crocodiles, so the guide matters. Experienced river guides read the water, keep to shallow edges away from hippo pods, and brief you carefully. Follow their lead, keep hands inside the canoe and stay together. No previous paddling experience is needed.

Who it suits

Anyone reasonably comfortable on water. Canoe trips are a superb complement to game drives: after a few days of vehicles, a morning on the river feels completely different. Minimum ages apply for canoeing, often around 12 to 16; boat safaris usually welcome younger children.

Where to go

• Lower Zambezi, Zambia — wide channels, wooded islands and elephants crossing at dusk. One of the best canoe safaris in Africa. Read our in-depth guide.
• Mana Pools, Zimbabwe — the opposite bank of the same river, with multi-day canoe trails.
• Okavango Delta, Botswana — mokoro trips through the flooded delta, at their best when the floodwaters arrive in the dry season.
• Chobe River, Botswana — boat cruises among some of the largest elephant herds in Africa.

When to go

On the Zambezi, canoeing is best in the dry season, about May to October; many camps close in the heaviest rains. In the Okavango, the flood peaks between about June and August, ironically in the dry season, as water from Angola’s highlands reaches the delta months after it falls. See when to go.

Frequently asked questions