September 24, 2025, 6:49 am | Read time: 4 minutes
On September 23, 2025, it was time once again: The TRAVELBOOK AWARDs were presented in Berlin. One of the categories: the most sustainable safari destinations in the world. Among the nominees was a very special destination that ultimately topped the list with the most votes: the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Discover what makes this sustainable travel destination so special that it now wears the crown as the best sustainable safari destination in the world on TRAVELBOOK.
Seeing the Big Five up close while causing as little harm as possible is the wish of those scouring the internet for sustainable safaris. One destination that immediately stands out is the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
TRAVELBOOK readers liked it so much that they not only sent it into this year’s race for the title of best sustainable safari destination worldwide in the TRAVELBOOK Awards but crowned it the winner with an impressive 45 percent. The other contenders—the Iona National Park in Angola, the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa, the Pantanal National Park in Brazil, and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in the Malaysian part of Borneo—stood little chance. But what makes the Okavango Delta in Botswana so special and especially worthwhile for a sustainable safari?
The Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is a wilderness paradise like no other. Its uniqueness: the Okavango River meets the Kalahari Desert and practically disappears into it. The special oasis that emerges from this unusual interaction is the world’s largest inland delta. It consists of a labyrinth of channels, lagoons, and small islands, as well as larger pieces of land. The Okavango Delta has permanent swamp areas and plains that are only underwater from about March to July.
“One of the unique features” that define the Okavango Delta, according to UNESCO, under whose protection the inland delta has been since 2014, “is that the annual floods of the Okavango River occur during the dry season.” This results in plants and animals synchronizing “their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods.”
This special piece of land in Botswana is home to countless animal species. These include, according to UNESCO, “the world’s most endangered large mammal species, such as cheetahs, white rhinos, black rhinos, African wild dogs, and lions.” In addition, there are elephants, leopards, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles, as well as many other animal species.
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Safaris in the Okavango Delta
The world-famous Okavango Delta and its animal inhabitants are undoubtedly an exciting travel destination. Accordingly, the special protection it enjoys, which also limits tourism, is crucial. Preserving this unique habitat is a focus for many Botswanan tour operators, who adhere to strict rules to protect the special wetland and its flora and fauna. Keyword: sustainable safaris.
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When searching for safaris in northwestern Botswana, you often encounter offers with smaller lodges and camps instead of large mass events. Renewable energy is often used here, as well as natural and local resources from the surrounding area. There are also numerous approaches to reducing waste and using water sparingly. In addition to the term “sustainability,” “eco” or “ecotourism” is often mentioned here.
The sustainable safaris in the Okavango Delta are mostly designed to avoid disturbing the animals in their natural habitat. Instead of motor-powered boats, tourists are often taken through the delta in dugout canoes, where they can observe crocodiles, hippos, and others up close. In addition to waterway tours, many providers also offer guided hikes and game drives in off-road vehicles.
Methodology for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD
All nominated regions, countries, and others for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD are already winners. Even if they didn’t achieve overall victory. Because: Each country has already made it onto the shortlist in advance, selected from a large number of contenders in a category.
The TRAVELBOOK editorial team asked the community on Facebook and Instagram for help and consulted experts from the travel industry to create the shortlist. TRAVELBOOK readers then cast nearly 150,000 votes and crowned their trending travel destinations for 2026.