Background information
NG32 is the end destination for virtually all of the one- to four-day mokoro trips offered from Maun which begin with a road transfer into the Delta. These may be marketed differently by the different companies, but they’re all basically the same. It’s worth explaining these in detail, so that you will understand these budget trips if you’re shopping around Maun.
A Maun-based company called Planet Okavango has made an agreement with the communities in the NG32 concession to co-ordinate mokoro trips on the Boro and Santantadibe rivers. There are a number of communities in the area, where work as polers and guides provides a valuable income.
Government rules limit the numbers of visitors (and hence the impact of tourism). A maximum of 30 mekoro are allowed on each river system at any one time. These start off, and return to, one of three ‘launch sites’ on the Santantadibe, and one site on the Boro River.
Planet Okavango runs a booking system which co-ordinates all the mekoro in the area. They take bookings from a variety of different Maun tour operators (in particular Audi Camp, Delta Rain, Drifters, Bushways, Crocodile Camp Safaris, Quadrum Safaris, Island Safari Lodge and Okavango River Lodge – though these aren’t the only ones). They make sure that the limits on the numbers of visitors are strictly followed, and they give permissions to the various Maun operators to take visitors to the various launch stations for trips. Planet Okavango also employ launch site organisers, who co-ordinate the various trips – and are in radio contact with the Maun office, and so understand exactly how many mekoro are required.
Meanwhile the tour operators from Maun book slots for trips on a first-come, first-served basis with Planet Okavango; they also pay the freelance polers and guides from the community directly. It’s a strict rule that there should be one professional poling guide from the villages for every party of up to eight visitors. The rest of the mekoro are usually poled by locals from the different villages who don’t have this qualification.
Trips here are basically mokoro trips, with short walks on the islands, and visitors usually bring all their own food and camping kit. All the polers bring is their own food – and when I last took a trip here, the poler appeared to have arranged our route to stop at friends on various islands.
The bottom line of all of this is that the actual polers, mekoros and areas being offered by the various competing companies in Maun are all exactly the same. And because they all pay the polers about the same … the costs of the trips are virtually identical. So by all means shop around for these trips – but be aware that what’s on offer is basically the same everywhere, and will cost about the same.

Getting there and getting away
For all of the budget mokoro trips, the operator organising it will drive you here. It takes about 90 minutes to most of the launch sites. You’re not allowed to drive yourself here, and these trips must be booked through one of the participating companies in Maun. See the list of Maun operators and try Planet Okavango – then perhaps one of two from: Audi Camp, Delta Rain, Drifters, Bushways, Crocodile Camp Safaris, Quadrum Safaris, Island Safari Lodge and Okavango River Lodge. There’s usually no point contacting them all!
If you want to combine a mokoro trip with a dry-land safari, then Planet Okavango and Starling’s Camp (in neighbouring NG34) have combined to offer a five-night/six-day ‘Sitatunga Trail’. This is two nights at a mokoro fly-camp, three at Starlings, and includes all transfers and activities for US$750/850 per person sharing/single, excluding drinks and laundry. It’s a good deal to a good area and makes efficient use of your transfers.

When to visit
These trips aren’t really about game, although you may see some. They’re more about enjoying the experience of being poled along the waterways, and seeing some of the birdlife, and water-life, close up. From my experience, mokoro trips are much more fun when the sun’s shining and the sky is blue; grey skies and (even worse) rain do take the edge off it. Thus best avoid January and February if you have a choice – and ideally come between about April and November.

What to see and do
Relax, take a bird book and a pair of binoculars, and enjoy the experience. My first trip into the Delta was like this – and it was magical. Subsequently I’ve seen more interesting areas of the Delta, and infinitely better game, but it’s still hard to beat the sheer joy that you’ll get from floating around on a mokoro in such an amazing environment for the first time.
See my comments on walking before you go walking in search of big game with your poler – as none of these trips are likely to be led by someone that I’d describe as a professional walking guide, and none of the polers carry any guns.