Into the Okavango

Into the Okavango, private tailor-made safaris in Botswana

Into the Okavango is a small agency specialising in travel to Botswana that designs private, tailor-made safaris based on the first-hand experience of its founders. The company presents itself as a niche operator focused on first-hand knowledge of the country, personal attention and honest advice, rather than standardised itineraries. Its proposition is to help travellers decide not just where to go, but what is genuinely worth their time and money.

Profile of its founders and origins of the company

The firm is run by Mike and Anna, a married couple with a deep connection to Botswana. Mike grew up in South Africa and has been exploring and camping in Botswana since childhood. Those early encounters with the wild environment led him to study Wildlife Science and later to take part in a lion research project in the western Okavango, which included darting and collaring the animals and tracking their movements. He later worked as a ranger at a Big Five reserve in South Africa. His African experience includes a seven-month overland journey from London to Cape Town, crossing West Africa, and an expedition to the Angolan highlands in search of the sources of the Okavango.

Anna, for her part, has experienced both Botswana's luxury camps and a broader range of safari styles. She brings particular attention to detail, exceptional service, comfort and thoughtful design when selecting camps and experiences for travellers seeking a more refined safari. The company states that for more than thirty years its founders have planned and organised trips throughout southern Africa for themselves, their family and their friends, and that Into the Okavango grew out of that background.

Safari approach: first-hand knowledge and real value

The agency maintains that there is no single right way to experience the Okavango. Rather than fixed packages, it offers itineraries designed around each client's interests, travel style and budget. Its knowledge of the terrain allows it, according to its presentation, to advise where it is worth spending more and where it is not, without compromising the experience. Dealing is direct with Mike and Anna, with no intermediaries.

Areas and experiences it covers

The company's catalogue is built around several environments characteristic of Botswana:

• Okavango Delta: channels, floodplains and palm-fringed islands, described by the firm as one of the most extraordinary wild places on the planet.
• Makgadikgadi Salt Pans: expanses of salt, seasonal wildlife migrations and unusual landscapes, with the possibility of sleeping beneath open skies.
• Central Kalahari: open plains, desert-adapted wildlife and a sense of isolation and silence.

In addition to wildlife watching, the agency mentions the possibility of exploring Botswana's history and culture or enjoying moments by the fire listening to the surroundings.

Safari styles and indicated price ranges

The website describes three main types of trip, with price ranges per person for seven nights that the site presents as indicative reference points:

• Exceptional camps: from $11,000 to more than $25,000 per person, with accommodation in outstanding locations, superb guiding and some of Africa's finest safari lodges.
• Mobile safaris: between $4,000 and $6,500 per person, with tented camps, campfires and nights beneath African skies.
• A combination of both: between $6,500 and $10,000 per person, combining the comfort of exceptional camps with a more adventurous side.

The company stresses that these figures correspond to its catalogue and that each trip is then tailored to the client's preferences.

Client recognition

The site includes client testimonials published on Trustpilot in 2026. Liane Mihlebach describes the experience as an extraordinary adventure and highlights that she would recommend the company without reservation. Kathy Joseph calls the trip the trip of a lifetime and notes that she and her spouse are already planning to repeat it with the whole family.

Structure and operational details

Into the Okavango operates from California and identifies itself as a Botswana specialist. The firm is registered with the California Seller of Travel with the number CST 2172860-50 and participates in the TCRC programme. Its activity focuses exclusively on travel to Botswana, with direct attention from its two founders.