With the exception of Air Botswana, all the companies mentioned here are small charter companies operating light aircraft out of Maun Airport and around the camps and lodges of northern Botswana.

I include these not because you need to ever book your own flights between the camps; you don't. That's always done for you by the camps concerned, or your tour operator back home; it's better that way.

I include a list of the main airlines and their contact details here so that, in case of emergency, you can contact them. More likely, you may want to charter a plane somewhere fairly unusual – like the Tsodilo Hills for the day, for a pleasure flight over the Delta, or even to take you to Windhoek! These details should give you some idea of who to contact to arrange this.

Note that booking inter-camp flights through the camps is invariably cheaper than chartering them directly with the airlines. For rough guidance, a nine-seaster plane (ten if you include the pilot!) and an hour's flying time costs around P1,350 plus P10 per person airport departure tax. Similarly a Cessna 206 which would accommodate five passengers would cost around P700 per hour, plus P10 per person airport tax. These basic prices will usually vary very little between the various companies.

Air Botswana
PO Box 191, Maun; tel: 6860391; fax: 6860598. Their main reservations office is a dramatic thatched building on Airport Road, near the corner with Sir Seretse Khama Road, almost beneath the large radio mast in the centre of town. It's generally easier to reconfirm flights and make further arrangements here, than it is at the airport.

Delta Air
PO Box 39, Maun; tel: 6860044/6861682; fax: 6861791; synergy@info.bw. With an office opposite the airport, just east of the old Duck Inn, Delta Air has a close association with Lodges of Botswana – and hence usually operates the transfers for Delta Camp and Oddballs. In addition, it offers all the usual charter services including pleasure flights over the Delta.

Northern Air
PO Box 159, Maun; tel: 6860436; fax: 6861248; email: nair@kerdowney.bw. Face the airport building, Northern Air's offices are on the corner on the right – again very close to the old Duck Inn. Northern Air is part-owned by Ker & Downey, and hence is frequently used by them for inter-camp transfers. They can also arrange pleasure flights over the Delta.

Mack Air
Mathiba I Rd, P.Bag 329, Maun; tel/fax: 6860675; email: mack.air@info.bw. Situated just opposite the airport, between the offices of Merlin Air Services and Okavango Wilderness Safaris, Mack Air is run by Stuart McKisock and maintains a good reputation as an reliable, high-quality air charter company which doesn't have ties to any of the camps.

Moremi Air
Just next to Merlin Air Services. Run by Mark Smith.

Safari Air Linked with Desert & Delta.
Sefofane Mathiba I Rd, P.Bag 159, Maun; tel: 6860778; fax: 6861649; email: sefofane@info.bw. Based out of the Okavango Wilderness Safaris' block of offices, just outside the airport's gates, Sefofane is part-owned by Wilderness Safaris. Hence they organise virtually all the flying in Botswana for clients to Wilderness's camps, making them the biggest 'small' airline here. In an emergency, if they're not available on the numbers given above, then try getting hold of them via Okavango Wilderness Safaris in Maun, or even by ringing Wilderness's Jo'burg office.

Swamp Air
P Bag 33, Maun; tel: 686 0569; fax: 686 0040; email: gunnscamp@info.bw. This is really just the private charter arm of Gunn's Camp, used for ferrying clients into and out of Gunn's Camp.

Wildlife Helicopters
Mathiba I Rd, P Bag 161, Maun; tel/fax: 6860664; email: wildheli@info.bw. Situated with the rest of the flight companies, opposite the airport on Mathiba I Road near Moremi Air, this is Maun's only helicopter company.