Desert & Delta Safaris has unveiled a bold new chapter in Botswana’s adventure travel landscape with the launch of the
Okavango to Tsodilo Ultra-Trail, a pioneering endurance and exploration experience connecting two UNESCO World Heritage Sites entirely on foot.
Launching with its inaugural departure on
9 April 2026, this
four-night, 100-kilometre ultra-trail journey links the Okavango Delta Panhandle to the ancient Tsodilo Hills, introducing a completely new way to experience Botswana’s wilderness. Designed for trail runners, hikers and adventure-minded travellers, the experience represents a shift away from traditional vehicle-based safaris towards immersive, low-impact exploration.
Importantly, the Okavango to Tsodilo Ultra-Trail is not positioned as a race. Instead, it is an intimate expedition limited to small groups, where participants move through the landscape at human pace, guided by expert teams and supported by carefully planned logistics. While a single annual April departure is available, the real innovation lies in the bespoke nature of the experience, with private running or hiking adventures offered year-round, fully tailored to the ability, interests and objectives of small groups.
This flexibility introduces a new category within Botswana’s tourism landscape, responding to the growing global appetite for endurance-led, transformational travel. Groups can choose between three- or four-day itineraries, combine the trail with luxury safari extensions, and curate journeys that balance physical challenge, cultural connection, wellness and wildlife.
The route itself has been more than a year in development, carefully plotted and tested to ensure safety, flow and a deep sense of place. Participants traverse the watery channels and floodplains of the Okavango Panhandle, pass through remote fishing villages, cross sand dunes as the landscape transitions towards the Kalahari, and explore the rock art and sacred sites of Tsodilo Hills. Accommodation includes stays at Nxamaseri Island Lodge and a night under the stars at the Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Expedition Camp, before returning to the Delta for recovery and celebration.
Beyond the physical challenge, the Ultra-Trail also carries a strong community focus. Each journey contributes to the recruitment and training of local long-distance runners, promoting healthy living, discipline and social connection within marginalised communities. Participants run alongside local community members, creating shared moments of cultural exchange rooted in movement and mutual respect.
By introducing a professionally supported, endurance-led journey in a region rarely accessed on foot, Desert & Delta Safaris is redefining how travellers engage with Botswana’s landscapes. The Okavango to Tsodilo Ultra-Trail represents not just a new experience, but a new way of moving through one of Africa’s most extraordinary environments.
