Chobe & Okavango Delta Safari

Dumela – welcome to Botswana. At the Maun Airport, you will be met by a representative of your charter flight company and ushered aboard your connecting flight taking you to the Okavango Delta. On a clear day, you will be able to gaze over the beautiful landscapes of the Delta below. The Okavango Delta is formed by the waters of the Okavango River which never reaches the ocean. Instead, the river drains into the Kalahari and creates the magnificent landscape of rivers, lagoons, marshes, grasslands, and wooded islands that the Delta is famous for. After having safely landed, you will be transferred by boat through a maze of waterways directly to your camp. Here you have the chance to relax and freshen up before going on your first activity. Explore your surroundings on a boat cruise and watch as the sunset lays a golden glow over the waters of the Okavango Delta. In the evening, a delicious meal awaits you at the Setari Camp, your accommodation for the following two nights. Your Chobe & Okavango Delta tour has truly begun!

You have an exciting day to look forward to and exciting days are best started early. Your camp offers several activities and the following can be viewed as a possible suggestion on how to spend your day: In a traditional dugout canoe called “mokoro”, steered by a local poler, you can gently glide along the water for a unique safari and a special start to the day. The Okavango Delta is home to hundreds of amazingly beautiful and impressive bird species. In a mokoro, you can silently glide close to this birdlife and get rewarded with unique perspectives. In the late morning, you return to your camp for brunch and some time to relax before your next activity in the afternoon. On a motor-powered boat you return to the water and continue your Okavango Delta water-safari adventure. Alternatively, you can opt to go on a full-day, guided walking safari along some of the Delta’s islands. When out exploring on foot, you have the chance to see nature in a different light and you can take a closer look at something which you might ordinarily have missed. Back at your camp and after your evening meal, you can sit around the camp’s outside firepit and admire the beautiful night sky above you as you spend another night at the Setari Camp.

Enjoy another morning in your beautiful surroundings and time permitting, be sure to go on another activity. As your wonderful time in the Okavango Delta comes to an end, you are brought back to the airstrip for your flight to Maun. The end of one adventure simply signals the start of another. Friendly faces await you at the airport and you will be transferred to your accommodation, the Thamalakane River Lodge. You have the rest of the afternoon to spend at your leisure, so feel free to relax in and around the waters of the lodge’s swimming pool. In the evening, you will be met by your safari guide, who will also give you a short briefing for the adventure awaiting you over the following days.

After a tasty breakfast, you start your journey north towards the Moremi Game Reserve and its surrounding concession areas. Depending on the time of year and presence of wildlife, you will explore either the famous Moremi Game Reserve, the bordering Khwai Region or the slightly lesser known but equally wildlife rich Mababe Depression. The whole region is home to the Big Five and has high numbers of elephants and buffalos with leopard and lion sightings fairly common too. But sighting a rhino in the wild is a special prize. So, keep your eyes open on any and every game drive and with a little luck, you could very well encounter all of the Big Five. Your guide has trained eyes and will be able to show you things which you might otherwise not have even known were there. After an afternoon game drive and hopefully plenty of sightings, you head to your camp, where you can enjoy a refreshing sundowner on the camp’s deck and watch as the animals come to the Khwai River for a drink of their own. You spend the next two nights at the Nokonyana Camp, situated in a concession area near the Moremi Game Reserve.

Early morning is one of the best times for safari, so climb into your custom designed 4×4 safari vehicle and head out into the wild. Today you search for any animals which you may have missed yesterday. Due to the great size of the Moremi reserve and the surrounding private concessions, the region is also home to a substantial population of Africa’s most successful hunters: the African Wild Dog. By hunting in packs and adapting their hunting technique depending on their prey, they can achieve a success rate much higher than that of lions, leopards, or cheetahs when hunting. They can target impala, waterbuck, warthog and even fully grown wildebeest in the Moremi. Once evening begins to set in, you return to your camp. Here a delicious dinner and a good night’s rest awaits you, as you overnight once more at the Nokonyana Camp.

You have a long and exciting day ahead of you and therefore, you are up before the first morning light. Your journey today takes you to the legendary Savuti and although the drive is considerable, you have possible wildlife sightings accompanying you each step of the way. The enigmatic Savuti region is widely regarded as an excellent destination for those hoping to see lions or leopard on their safari. The Savuti became famous however, in recent wildlife documentaries, which focused on the area’s elephant-hunting lions. After a day filled with game drives and hopefully many sightings to cherish, you arrive at your camp located approximately two hours north of the Savuti, the Thobolo’s Bush Lodge. Here you can reward yourself by putting your feet up and enjoying an ice-cold beverage before having a tasty dinner and a relaxed evening.

By now you most likely have become accustomed to the early Botswana start times and after breakfast you are already eager for the next adventure. You make your way through the Chobe Forest Reserve and the Chobe Floodplains, with possible wildlife sightings to look forward to along the way. Lunch can be enjoyed as a picnic under a shade-giving tree. You then enter the Chobe National Park and continue to follow the Chobe River. The Chobe National Park is widely regarded as having a higher density of elephants than anywhere else in the world and many can often be seen coming to the riverfront. Witnessing the sheer number of elephants in the Chobe National Park, leaves little wonder why it is sometimes referred to as the “Land of Giants”. After exiting the park, you soon arrive at your accommodation nearby. Once checked in, you have a bit of time to relax, before going onto the river for an afternoon boat cruise. It is moments such as when you are cruising on the Chobe River, witnessing elephants, hippos, and buffalos in and around the water’s edge, with the setting sun sparkling on the water, which stay with you forever. In the evening, you return to your accommodation in Kasane, the Chobe River Lodge.

The whole day is dedicated to safari in the Chobe National Park. Your first game drive is in the morning, where you may try to spot some of the animals which you didn’t see the day before. The Chobe National Park not only boasts a population of elephants but also lion, leopard, African wild dog, hyena, giraffe, wildebeest, and zebra. Many different antelope species can also be sighted here, including the water-loving puku and the red lechwe. You will find the birdlife in the Chobe National Park superb all year round. The park showcases many spectacular birds such as the African skimmer, African fish eagle, lilac breasted roller as well as the pied, half-collared and malachite kingfisher to name only a few of the over 450 different species. As your lodge is located only a short distance from the park, you can return to the lodge for lunch. Feel free to spend some time lounging by the pool, before heading out on your second game drive in the afternoon. You return in the evening, to overnight at the Chobe River Lodge once more.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast before saying your farewells to your guide. During the morning, you will be greeted by a transfer driver who then takes you across the border to the town of Victoria Falls. After you have checked into your accommodation, you have a privately guided tour of the iconic “Vic Falls” to look forward to. Here you can marvel at one of the largest waterfalls in the world, in all of its magnificent, natural beauty. Later, if you are still in search of some souvenirs, the Elephant Market in town lends itself as a good place to visit. In the evening, dinner can be enjoyed at the Ilala Lodge Hotel restaurant, the lodge where you will also be staying the night.

Over breakfast you may reflect on all the wonderful things you have seen and done over the past couple of days. Now, it will be time to begin your return travels and during the course of the day, a transfer driver will bring you to the Victoria Falls Airport. Your Chobe & Okavango Delta tour has come to an end. We wish you safe travels and hope to see you again.