Luxury, world-class Safari experience
The famous Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site & one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders! And of course it one of the highlights of our 12-day Luxury Okavango Delta safari. Except for the Delta we will also spend some time in Chobe National Park, Savute, and Moremi Game Reserve.
This safari offers a fantastic mix of land and water-based activities and is a true bucket list African adventure. Accommodation is of the highest standard, and the service you will receive is personal, and world class. Combine this with top local and international cuisine, as well as charter flights to and from all parks in the itinerary, and you have the perfect safari to spoil yourself, and your loved ones, with!
| Starts in Chobe National Park | Ends in Maun | Duration: 12 Days | Book as a private guided safari |
Highlights:
• Okavango Delta (UNESCO Wild Heritage Site)
• Chobe National park
• Savute
• Moremi Game Reserve
Summary:
| Day 1 | Start of safari in Chobe National Park |
| Day 2 | Chobe National Park – Chobe River |
| Day 3-5 | Chobe National Park – Savute |
| Day 6-8 | Moremi Game Reserve |
| Day 9-11 | Okavango Delta |
| Day 12 | Departure |
Day to Day Itinerary
DAY 1:
Start of safari in Chobe National Park – Your luxury Botswana safari will start in the northeast corner of the country, either at Kasane Airport or at the Kasane Border Post if you are travelling from nearby Victoria Falls. You will be transferred to your lodge, where you will spend the next two nights. Our game lodge is Botswana’s premier venue for guests looking for a perfect base from which to explore the National Park and the Chobe River.
The lodge is designed as a haven of peace and privacy, where relaxation is effortless and you can enjoy your own space. With six comfortably furnished viewing decks, a riverside boma, two bars, six different lounges and four dining locations, a comfy chair or lounger is never far away, each with a different perspective on the wilderness that surrounds the lodge. A large swimming pool provides welcome relief during hot afternoons and there is always a waiter on hand to bring you refreshments from the bar.
Chobe National Park is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Africa (between 60,000 and 70,000) and one of Africa’s leading wildlife destinations. The famous Chobe River is the focal point for safari enthusiasts from around the world. Large herds of African Buffalo and Plains Zebra, prides of Lion, the elusive Leopard, along with Giraffe, Greater Kudu and the endangered African Wild Dog are just a few of the species that can be seen while on safari in Chobe. The combination of the ever-present Chobe River and the diverse vegetation hosts more than 450 species of birds, making it a must-visit destination for birding enthusiasts.
We will look out for Western Banded Snake Eagle, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Trumpeter Hornbill, Allen’s Gullinule, Lesser Moorhen, Chirping, Red-faced and Luapula Cisticola, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-crowned Lapwing, African Finfoot, Purple-banded Sunbird, Racket-tailed Roller and many others. The abundance of wildlife, the moderate weather and the incredible sunsets also makes Chobe arguably the most photo-friendly game park in Africa. Elephants, especially, are the main attraction here, and professional wildlife photographers from all over the world have been known to shoot documentaries on these amazing animals in Chobe specifically.
Activities offered at the lodge include morning and afternoon game drives, and mid-morning and late-afternoon boat safaris. The lodge is fully inclusive, so you are welcome to do as little or as much as you please. The afternoon drives depart the lodge in the late afternoon (the exact time is dependent on the season), only returning at park closure time after sunset, thus maximising the time you spend out in the park to enjoy those special sightings. The drives follow the course of the Chobe River as your experienced guide interprets the bush signs and tracks in search of the resident wildlife.
DAY 2:
Chobe National Park / Chobe River – The Chobe River forms the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park. This section of the park is best known for its dense concentration of wildlife including African Elephant and Hippopotamus populations, but the waters attract all manner of game including large herds of African Buffalo and the Lions that prey on them. A visit to this area guarantees close encounters with an array of African wildlife. In season, the riverfront is also teeming with thousands of zebras. They spend most of the dry season by the river, attracted by the guarantee of water and good grazing. Hearing the zebras’ far-reaching calls during the night while tucked up in your room is one of Africa’s most memorable experiences.
No Chobe safari is complete without experiencing the beauty of the Chobe River and its incredible wildlife by boat. The ‘skimmer boats’ seat up to 12 guests in comfortable, movable deck chairs on a flat and stable platform. The river boats are specifically designed to ensure each passenger can take in the magnificent Chobe views in complete comfort from anywhere on the boat. Elephant line the water’s edge, hippo congregate in lagoons, hundreds of antelope make their way to the water and sightings of predators along the river banks are common. Together with its fleet of electric land vehicles, the lodge has several electric and solar-powered safari boats – a clean and quiet way to enjoy a boat safari and another first for tourism in Africa.
DAY 3:
Chobe National Park / Savute – After breakfast and your last activity you will be transferred to nearby Kasane Airstrip where you will take a charter flight to your lodge in Savute for the next 3 nights.
To ensure a private and relaxing environment, our safari lodge accommodates just twenty four guests in thatched chalets built of local timber. The lodge offers a shaded viewing deck, an al fresco dining area and swimming pool with spectacular pool loungers, ideal for watching the varied wildlife as they make their way to the Channel to drink, bathe and play.
Savute is one of the most iconic destinations in Southern Africa. Not only is it a place of immense beauty and wide open spaces and big skies, it is also home to a good Elephant population, big Lion prides and rich birdlife. It is a nature photographer’s dream destination, with classic African bushveld scenes and superb animal images all possible. The Savute goes through wet and dry cycles, where African Wild Dogs hunt in the dry river channel where huge crocodiles swam only twenty years ago. Visitors to this spectacular area can spot abundant wildlife including a variety of birds, African Elephant, Lion, Black-backed Jackal, Bat-Eared Fox, Tsessebe, Greater Kudu, Spotted Hyaena, Cheetah, African Buffalo and thousands of migrating Plains Zebra and Common Wildebeest.
DAY 4:
Chobe National Park / Savute – Activities during our stay at our lodge are centered around game drives throughout the Savute area in open 4×4 safari vehicles. Many trips will incorporate a visit to the famous Savute Marsh for your chance to see the historic presence of the Savute Channel at the marsh against a teeming backdrop of wildlife.
Guests will also enjoy a visit to the ancient San rock paintings at Gubatsa Hills, a small hilly outcrop which forms a remarkable landmark in the otherwise flat landscape. Savute lays claim to a spectacularly large summer Plains Zebra migration, which is determined by the rains but usually occurs between November and December and again between February and April when the zebras move from the rivers in the north in search of the lush grasslands and full waterholes in the southeast of the park. They are always accompanied by a myriad of predators.
Birdlife is prolific here, even in winter, and we hope to add some special species to our growing list while we are here. These include Secretarybird, Pallid and Montagu’s Harrier, Kori Bustard, Abdim’s Stork, Bradfield’s Hornbill, Red-billed Francolin, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, Orange-winged Pytilia, Magpie Mannikin, Half-collared Kingfisher and White-backed Night Heron.
DAY 5:
Chobe National Park – Savute is most famous for supporting one of the largest prides of Lions in Botswana. In the hot dry season members of the Savute Pride (sometimes more than 25 in number) will gather at the waterholes. There, they prey upon other users, mostly African Elephants, to satiate their hunger. This pride with their unique taste for elephant has been the main actors in many wildlife documentaries over the years. Other predators are plentiful but elusive. Leopards favour the rocky hills while the open grasslands of the Savute Marsh are the preferred hunting grounds for Cheetah. We can also see zebras migrating from the Chobe River in the North to the Mababe Depression further to the south. Finally, the mysterious Savute Channel inexplicably flows and ebbs dry along its 100 km course, sometimes cutting off a vital supply of water for the resident African Elephants, who then have to move vast distances in search of life-giving water.
DAY 6:
Moremi Game Reserve – This morning you will be transferred to the local airstrip where you will take a charter flight to your lodge in Moremi. Our lodge for the next 3 nights boasts 12 expansive, modern styled thatched safari tents, and accommodates a maximum of 24 guests.
The prime location of the lodge on the banks of the Khwai River on the Xakanaxa Lagoon, in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve, makes it one of the very few safari camps that offers guests an authentic, year-round Okavango Delta land and water safari experience.
The diverse habitat ensures prolific sightings of African Elephant, African Buffalo, Spotted Hyaena, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Common Wildebeest, Greater Kudu, (Red) Lechwe, Lion and Leopard, among many others, making this any wildlife photographers dream!
Moremi Game Reserve is often rated one of the most beautiful games reserve in Africa, and covers most of the eastern side of the Okavango Delta and combines permanent water with drier areas. It boasts a good combination of endangered wildlife (Red Lechwe for instance), good numbers of predators (including Lion and Cheetah) and rich birdlife. Remember to stand on your deck outside your room tonight and just take in the landscape around you… Also, look up! The night sky in Botswana is truly spectacular.
DAY 7:
Moremi Game Reserve – Moremi Game Reserve lies on the eastern side of the Okavango and although just under 5,000 km2 in size, it is a surprisingly diverse reserve, combining mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons. It also forms part of the much larger, innovative, cross-country Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) that protects a huge area with massive amounts of fauna and flora within its borders.
Guest activities at our lodge include a choice of morning and afternoon game drives throughout the many different ecosystems that the Moremi Game Reserve has to offer, or the possibility to explore the Xakanaxa Lagoon and its surrounding channels by boat. This blend of activities allows for access to incredible landscapes, impressive wildlife as well as the opportunity to enjoy the picturesque waters of the Okavango Delta.
Our team of experienced professional guides will introduce you to a whole new world of wildlife; watch a Leopard stretched out lazily in the branches of a Mopane tree, herds of Africa Elephant grazing under a canopy of green or a pride of Lions camouflaged in the long grass. Moremi’s incredible wetlands support a vast number of antelope, including Impala, Greater Kudu and Waterbuck.
Birdlife is prolific and the majestic African Fish Eagle and vivid Malachite Kingfisher are frequently seen and even the rare Pel’s Fishing Owl makes an occasional appearance, to the delight of guides and guests alike.
DAY 8:
Moremi Game Reserve – We have another full day to explore Moremi today. We will enjoy morning and afternoon game drives and return to the lodge for lunch and a short siesta in the heat of the day. We also have the option of exploring the reserve by mokoro. It is a dug-out canoe, made from trees, and piloted by your personal guide. These days most of the mokoro are made from fibreglass, thus helping to preserve the magnificent, and old, trees of the area. Going on a mokoro in Moremi is a unique way of getting closer to animals and birds than you ever thought possible; a rare and special experience indeed. *Please note: this activity is dependent on water levels in the Delta at the time of the safari.
Making up around one third of the Okavango Delta, Moremi offers not only predators, but also their prey! Game that we will look for include African Elephant, African Buffalo, Lechwe, Impala, Sitatunga, Waterbuck, Sable and Roan Antelope, Greater Kudu and Common Warthog.
Many people come to Moremi purely for birdwatching, and over 400 species have been recorded here. We will definitely try to see some of the special species during our three days in the reserve. These include African Fish Eagle, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Skimmer, Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret, African Pygmy Goose, Lesser Jacana, Brafield’s Hornbill, Senegal and Coppery-tailed Coucal, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Swamp Boubou, Green-winged Pytilia and many more.
Much of the dry land of Moremi consists of Mopane veld, a species of tree that dominates much of Botswana; giant specimens regularly provide a surreal atmosphere unique to this area. We will again have dinner around the fire at our lodge tonight and enjoy a good night’s rest under the stars. Remember to listen for the sounds of the African night. We might hear hyaenas calling or even a Fiery-necked Nightjar!
DAY 9:
Okavango Delta – After breakfast and your last activity you will make your way to the local airstrip to board a charter flight to your lodge in the Okavango Delta. Botswana’s magnificent Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta, and is a maze of deep lagoons, large lakes and hidden, meandering channels. Our lodge, a unique and exclusive African safari camp, is situated on the remote Nxaragha Island. This hidden treasure, in the heart of the permanent Okavango Delta, assures its guests of an unparalleled year-round water wilderness experience. To ensure a peaceful and genuine safari experience, our lodge accommodates just twenty four guests. Each of the guest suites have been built on individual raised wooden platforms and set beneath the thick Okavango Delta vegetation. With its open air design and elevated position, the newly built lodge is an eco-sensitive architectural design which captures the very essence of the Okavango Delta.
DAY 10:
Okavango Delta – We have a full day to explore the areas around our lodge by boat. Water-based activities are conducted by experienced professional guides who will expertly navigate guests through the many meandering, reed-lined waterways. Roam the vast expanses of water from the comfort of a modern motorboat or explore the intricacies of the Okavango Delta the quiet old-fashioned way, in the traditional mokoro (dugout canoe).
The unique beauty of the Okavango Delta wetland ecosystem is truly amazing and while cruising through the water channels, it’s possible to spot some great wildlife. The mokoros glide slowly through the water ensuring photographers get up close and personal to their subject matter. For those wanting to get a little closer to nature, guided bush walks are conducted on a number of the nearby islands, offering an opportunity to track some of the larger land-based species that inhabit this water wilderness.
Birding opportunities are outstanding and anglers may put their skill against some local fish species. Our lodge is a water-based camp and game-drive activities, i.e. using safari vehicles, are not possible. Exploring the Delta by boat is an adventure you will always treasure and remember!
*Please note: there is also the option of a helicopter flip over the Delta during your stay; a truly fantastic experience. Please enquire about this optional activity before the safari departs.
DAY 11:
Okavango Delta– The Okavango Delta is quite simply Africa’s largest and most awe-inspiring oasis, and we have another full day to enjoy here. The Okavango River rises in the highlands of Angola yet never reaches the sea; instead its immense waters empty over the sands of the Kalahari, where the great thirst of the desert is quenched in a wilderness of freshwater lagoons, channels and islands. Every year during the rainy season (December to February), about 11 km3 (11,000 billion litres or 2,900 billion US gal) of water flow into the delta. The waters then spread over the 250 by 150 km (155 by 93 mi) area of the delta over the next four months (March to June).
On 22 June 2014, the Okavango Delta became the 1000th site to be officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. It is also on the list of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders, along with the Red Sea Reef, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Sahara Desert, the annual Serengeti Migration, the Nile River and the Ngorongoro Crater. The Delta truly is one of the miracles of Nature, and a completely unforgettable experience.
The Okavango Delta is home to many mammal species, including Africa’s famed Big Five, as well as almost 500 bird species. Some of the special species of the Delta include African Fish Eagle, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Marabou and Saddle-billed Stork, Wattled Crane, African Skimmer, White-backed Night Heron, Bat Hawk, African Wood Owl and Narina Trogon, to name just a few. We will enjoy a last dinner together in breathtaking Botswana tonight.
DAY 12:
Departure– And so an amazing luxury Botswana safari unfortunately comes an end. After breakfast you will be transferred to the airstrip where you will board a charter flight to Maun for your onwards journey home.
*Please note: Extensions to Victoria Falls, Zambia, South Africa or Namibia can easily be arranged.
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