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. If time permits, participate in one last activity in the Okavango Delta. Later, you will be driven to the airstrip for your flight to Maun. The end of one adventure signals the start of another. Once back in Maun, your guide will greet you, and from there, you will head straight into the bush. Your one-night accommodation is Mogogelo Camp, in a private concession on the southern edge of the famous Moremi Game Reserve. On arrival, you can enjoy a refreshing sundowner on the deck and spot wildlife coming and going from the waterhole. Before a delicious dinner, your guide will brief you on what will happen in the coming days. Full from dinner, sit back and connect to nature. There could hardly be a better start to your safari!

After breakfast, continue north towards the northern entrance to the Moremi Game Reserve and the Khwai Concession. During the drive, keep your eyes open for wildlife. On arrival at Mmatsebe Camp in the Khwai region, freshen up, relax and familiarise yourself with your accommodation for the next three nights. In the afternoon, set out on your first “real” game drive in one of the best destinations for wildlife spotting in southern Africa. With no fences between the reserves, the animals roam freely, and you can observe elephants, lions, buffalo, various antelope species and, with luck, leopards near rivers and cheetahs in the open savannah. Return to the camp in time for dinner, then gather around the campfire to end the evening.

On safari, game drives occur around dawn and dusk, allowing for the most rewarding wildlife spotting due to increased animal activity. However, as you are on holiday, you can sleep a little longer today. After breakfast, you drive to the nearby Poler station, leaving the car behind and transferring to Mokoros. The traditional dugout canoes you use to explore the Mbudi Channel and its tributaries are now mostly made of fibreglass or plastic rather than wood. The mode of transport, though, is the same as it was centuries ago in the Okavango Delta. Lean back in your seat and glide across the water while your poler, a member of the nearby village community, shares his knowledge of the flora and fauna with you. After this extraordinary experience, you return to camp for lunch. A short siesta is followed by a game drive, during which your guide, thanks to his trained eyes, can point out things you might have missed. The day concludes with dinner at Mmatsebe Camp.

The wake-up call occurs just before sunrise, signalling another thrilling day on safari. Today’s destination is the Moremi Game Reserve. With an open roof hatch and windows, you will seek out the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rhino) and more. Moremi Reserve and surrounding private concessions form a vast ecosystem with a high concentration of wildlife. The region is also home to a population of Africa’s most successful hunters: the rare African wild dog. These fascinating animals hunt in packs, adapting their hunting methods to their prey. Consequently, their success rate is higher than that of lions, leopards, or cheetahs when hunting impala, waterbuck, warthog, and even full-grown wildebeest. Around midday, you reach the Xakanaxa lagoon, where another highlight awaits. Board a riverboat to journey along the reed-lined waterways while enjoying a picnic lunch. During this unique experience, you get to appreciate the size and beauty of the Okavango Delta. In the late afternoon, you will return to Mmatsebe Camp, where you can enjoy a delicious dinner before falling asleep to the sounds of the African bush.

You have a full, exciting day ahead and rise at twilight. The journey to the Savuti region may be long, but it offers plenty of opportunities for wildlife sightings. Savuti is an excellent destination for spotting lions or leopards. In recent wildlife documentaries, the area gained fame for its lion population, known for hunting elephants. You may be lucky to see one of these famous prides on today’s adventure. After a day filled with many sightings, you arrive at Thobolo’s Bush Lodge, located approximately two hours north of the Savuti. Here, you can relax and reward yourself with an ice-cold drink before enjoying a delicious dinner and a peaceful evening.

After two early morning starts, today, you can recharge by sleeping in a little and starting the day with a leisurely breakfast. A short drive to the outskirts of Kasane takes you to your lodge, situated on the banks of the Chobe River. Check in and relax by the pool before being served a hearty lunch. You can look forward to an unforgettable boat safari on the Chobe River in the afternoon. As you cruise along the river, you enter the Chobe National Park, where you will see herds of elephants and buffalo that come to drink and an array of fascinating birds. Some 450 birds found here include the African skimmer, the crested eagle, the fork-billed roller, the grey kingfisher and the cobalt and malachite kingfisher. Ripples on the water and the setting sun make the water sparkle. It creates the perfect opportunity to photograph animals on the riverbank and the setting sun. You return to land with a camera full of incredible images. The day ends with dinner at Chobe Bush Lodge.

During a morning game drive in Chobe National Park, you might encounter animals you haven’t seen yet. Chobe National Park is home to a vast diversity of wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, African wild dogs, hyenas, giraffes, wildebeest, and zebras. However, you will also spot unique antelope species, such as the water-loving puku and the red lechwe. After a picnic lunch in the park, you will return to your lodge, where you will be driven into Zimbabwe with your guide and the rest of the group. After crossing the border, a short drive will take you to your accommodation in Victoria Falls, where you can check in and relax for the afternoon. Have dinner and a restful night at Batonka Guest Lodge.

Our tour of the famous Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starts early to avoid the crowds and experience the best light. With a width of 1.7 km and a height of 108 metres, they are considered one of the largest waterfalls in the world. After the tour, you can stroll through the town of Victoria Falls or visit the large souvenir market. If you are interested in a scenic flight over the waterfalls or a bungee jump, you can also book this on-site. In the late afternoon, you will meet up with the group again and go on a final boat trip on the Zambezi. Enjoy the gentle movement of the boat as you take in the unique atmosphere of the scenery and sunset. Return to land with a beaming smile and spend the last evening of your trip with your guide and the other participants in a local restaurant (at your own expense). Rest well for the second night at Batonka Guest Lodge.

Today, your journey across Botswana and to Victoria Falls comes to an end. After a relaxed breakfast, your transfer driver will take you to the airport for your journey home. We hope you will have cherished memories that will last a lifetime, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Africa one day.