Botswana Wildlife Safari

Our tour starts in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. After checking in to our hotel, your afternoon is free to relax. You may choose to take a stroll around the town, where modern buildings and older huts stand side-by-side. Originally a rural village, it has rapidly developed into Botswana's 'tourism capital'. However, the town has managed to retain much of its rural atmosphere.

An early start this morning to get on the road for a long drive up the west side of the Okavango Delta Panhandle to Shakawe, where we leave our vehicle behind and board a motor launch to our houseboat. On arrival, meet our friendly crew who will be our hosts for the next three nights. After settling in dinner is served in the dining room, with panoramic windows offering the most amazing backdrop of the sun setting over the Okavango river basin.

The accommodation is comfortable, with eight bedrooms with en-suite facilities. Each room has glass doors sliding open on to the wilderness of the remote panhandle area, while on the deck above are seating areas from which to enjoy the sunsets and listen to the birds. The boat will be for our exclusive use during our stay.

Due to seasonal variations in the level and strength of the river, the houseboat itself might only be able to access limited parts of the river for much of the year, whilst we explore the river on smaller launches. However, the amount of water that falls in the catchment area can be highly variable and occasionally, conditions may allow the houseboat itself to cruise in other areas of the Delta.

The next couple of days are spent enjoying this spectacular setting. During our time on the river, there is a possibility of seeing a variety of game. On our launch, we may cruise past submerging pods of hippos, while crocodiles bask in the shallows and on the riverbanks. While drifting along, it is not hard to imagine yourself as David Livingstone, exploring Africa all those years ago.

During our second day aboard the houseboat, our itinerary is flexible. A typical day involves one or two trips out on the launch to take in the wildlife and visit the surrounding area. Back on board, there are plenty of opportunities for bird watching. Local fishermen are often seen aboard their traditional dugout canoes, known locally as Mokoros. The golden light of late afternoon can also be enjoyed with a traditional sundowner on deck. As this is a day at leisure you can choose how much or how little you do today.

Today, we'll visit the intriguing and sacred World Heritage Site of the Tsodilo Hills. The San Bushmen community believe the hills are the site of the first creation and painted an astonishing 4000 rock paintings across 350 sites marking the area's significance. Here, four impressive rocks jut out of the expanse of the surrounding land, and it is believed by the San Bushmen that the largest of the rocks is the 'man', the second largest the 'woman', and the smallest the 'child'. The fourth rock, which stands apart from the others, is said to be the male's first wife. Some of the paintings are thought to be over 24,000 years old, and as well as the chance to see ancient rock paintings, the hills offer vast views across the countryside below.

A expert local guide will accompany us around the site, interpreting the carvings. The walking tour lasts around two hours, walking along a flat well graded path. It's possible to opt out at any stage and return to the shade of the small museum located at the entrance of the site, where we will also have a picnic lunch before returning to the houseboat for a relaxing evening.

This morning will be a very early start to ensure enough daylight hours for the long journey to Victoria Falls. Today's total journey time is approximately nine hours depending on time spent at the border crossings, and will of course include comfort breaks and a lunch break.

The drive takes us through north to Namibia's Caprivi Strip, before heading to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The Caprivi Region has a colourful and interesting history, playing a central part in the Berlin Conference of 1890. Named after German Chancellor General Count Georg Leo von Caprivi di Caprara di Montecuccoli, the strip was once administered by the British before it was swapped for Zanzibar with the Germans at a time of great European political manoeuvring.

A late afternoon arrival to Victoria Falls provides just enough time for a refreshing sundowner at our lodge accommodation. For the next two nights we will be staying at either the Batonka Guest Lodge or Pioneer Lodge. The two are sister properties located just over 1km from each other and are almost identical. Both are set in beautiful landscaped gardens, feature a swimming pool, spacious rooms, an expansive terrace where breakfast is taken, a bar and a stylish lounge and dining room which are both extremely comfortable. They are both exclusively reserved for residents which ensures the upmost privacy.

Often referred to as the adventure capital of Zimbabwe, Victoria falls is most famous as being home to one of the natural wonders of the world - Victoria Falls.

This morning we'll visit the falls from the Zimbabwean side of the river where the Zambezi River plummets over a sheer cliff wall spanning more than 1676 meters and dropping approximately 100 metres into the abyss below. The natives named the waterfall, Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning 'the smoke that thunders' because of the plumes of water vapour that rise like smoke into the sky above the falls, accompanied by the deafening roar. After our guided tour you can take your time to further explore the network of paths and enclaves around the falls.

This afternoon is free to relax, or you may choose to book a two hour game drive in Zambezi National Park in search of the big five. Alternatively, there is the option to take a scenic flight over the falls or go white water rafting in the Zambezi. All activities can be booked at your guesthouse directly and full prices are available in the budgeting section of the trip notes.

Leaving our guesthouse this morning, it's a short hour long drive to the Kazungula land border crossing between Zimbabwe and Botswana. Once border formalities are completed, we will make our way into the Chobe National Park. Famed for its beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife and magnificent golden sunsets, Chobe is the heart of elephant country and is home to approximately 120,000 of the giant creatures. After a stop for supplies and lunch, we will head out on an afternoon game drive.

Although simple in style, our camping spot for tonight allows us to fully appreciate the wild setting. To the high demand in Botswana, all campsites for the next seven nights are booked two years in advance to ensure that we get the best positions in some truly spectacular spots.

Safari wild camping

We use 3 x 3 meter dome type tents with private en-suite facilities added to the back of the tent. They are big enough so that someone can stand inside. These tents are made from durable rip-stop canvas and have sewn-in groundsheets. They come equipped with sturdy camp beds, mattresses, fitted sheets, pillow, pillowcases and duvets. Other equipment used on safari are camping basins, washstands, hot water bucket showers and water-based toilets. Safari style fold-up chairs and large tables are provided (all meals eaten from the table). Our great back-up staff does all the cooking, cleaning and setting-up and breaking camp, so the difficult aspect of camping is taken away. This setup allows us to get as close to nature, wilderness, plants and animals as possible.

We'll maximise our time today to ensure we make the most of game drive opportunities. We head out in the morning and again in the afternoon, for the chance to spot huge trumpeting herds of elephants in and around the southern bank of the Chobe River, where we can also find Chobe Bushbuck and Puku Antelope.

Other mammals to be seen are buffalo, kudu, eland, waterbuck, sable and roan antelope, zebra, lion, cheetah, leopard, impala and reedbuck. In the river are hippo and crocodile and the waters teem with bream, barbel and tiger fish (freshwater barracuda). Our tour leader will decide on the exact running times of the day, and lunch arrangements, depending on the weather conditions and the season to ensure the best viewing.

For those that wish to there is an optional boat cruise along the Chobe River offered in the afternoon, perhaps the last river where one has a fair chance to see Lion and Elephant, Leopard or Wild Dog from the unique viewpoint of a boat. See the budgeting section for prices.

Today as we will travel south, we'll explore the interior area of Savuti with its sweeping plains, rolling grasslands and marshes which are fed by the erratic Savuti Channel. The channel ran dry in 1982, changing the lives of all wildlife on the plains as the ground baked in the African sun, and remained dry for over 20 years until 2008 when the water once again began to flow attracting animals back in high numbers. We'll have time to watch the herds that live in and around this area including lions, elephants and possibly the leopard, plus an abundance of bird species including the bee-eater and kori bustards.

Leaving our Savuti camp, we continue over dirt roads into Moremi Game Reserve - one of Botswana's most diverse reserves in terms of scenery and wildlife. Tucked into the north-eastern section of the Okavango Delta, Moremi is thought to be the country's most beautiful game land, and is rated as one of Africa's greatest wildlife sanctuaries. This vast area is a mix of permanent swamps, islands, forests and dry land; an ornithologist's paradise. Birdlife and larger mammals can often be spotted on the flood plain, including elephant, giraffe, zebra and ostrich, as well as predators like lion, leopard and wild dog.

For the next two nights we will be camping in the northern Khwai River area where the waters feed an abundance of flora and fauna, including the frequently-visiting wild dog. Hippos are often heard by night too!

We will enjoy two game drives today. Setting off for our morning game drive at first light (when predator activity is most expected), we get the chance to experience one of Africa's most natural and unspoiled wonderlands in the park with hippo, crocodile and a great variety of birds all seen in the Delta, as well as the elusive sitatunga antelope. This place is also an ornithologist's paradise with fish eagle, kingfisher, heron, stork, egret, weaver and bee-eater all regularly seen. We make our way to the banks and floodplains of the north eastern section of the Okavango Delta this morning.

Returning for brunch as the day starts heats up, the hottest part of the day is spent at leisure at our camp site, a chance of a siesta, relax reading a book or birdwatching. Our afternoon activity departs after tea, usually around 4pm, to return in the early evening. Game drives and activities vary from one to the next, depending on sightings and animal activities, generally, we drive quite far and slowly to absolutely maximize game-viewing potential, all expertly guided by our highly experienced tour leaders.

The mighty Okavango is the third largest river in southern Africa. The delta area covers 16,000 square kilometres and is made up of crystal clear channels, countless fleeting lakes and ever-changing islands. The waters flows down in a south-easterly direction from the Angolan highlands, over 1000 kilometres away, taking up to six months to reach the delta area which floods on a perennial annual cycle.

Remaining in the Moremi Game Reserve, today we drive further into the Delta area to our camp at Xakanaxa, where we will spend the next two nights. This exceptional geography and topography attracts amazing wildlife to the waterways and we'll begin game viewing on our arrival. Your guide will generally spend maximum time on game-drives, depending on what is seen, trying to cover as much area as possible. The result of this is guests are given the best chances of seeing a variety of wildlife.

Today, we intend to spend the whole day in this unspoilt wonderland. Hippo, crocodile and red lechwe are easy to spot. Bird lovers can look out for fish eagle, jacana, kingfisher, heron, stork, egret, weaver and bee-eater; just some of the magnificent species found here.

After an early morning game drive, we continue eastwards enjoying the vastness of the surrounding lands, until we reach Maun at lunchtime.

This afternoon, there may be the opportunity of an optional game flight over the Okavango Delta depending on the weather conditions.

Our tour ends in Maun after breakfast. Depending on the schedule of your departing flight, you may choose to spend a few hours exploring the town independently.