Botswana Desert & Delta and Falls

Day 1-2: Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Upon arrival at Maun Airport you will be met by our representative who will welcome you to Africa and accompany you to your onward air transfer to your first camp in Botswana.
Leroo La Tau rises majestically above the Boteti River which stretches across the western border of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. The park, populated by up to 30,000 zebra and wildebeest closely accompanied by predators, offers guests the chance to experience the exhilaration of seeing large concentrations of game and the resultant predator interaction. The lodge offers a raised hide above the river where guests can enjoy the spectacular wildlife sightings. Leroo La Tau Lodge offers 12 thatched luxury chalets all overlooking the magnificent Boteti River, each with en-suite bathrooms. There is a dining room, reading room and bar in the main lodge, expansive wooden decks and a plunge pool, where guests can immerse themselves seamlessly into the ultimate wildlife experience in Botswana.
Having explored the area and enjoyed a spectacular wildlife phenomenon on guided day and night game drives, guests can retire after dinner to a splendid fireplace overlooking the river.
On a 3 nights stay guests can enjoy a full day excursion to explore Nxai Pan and to see Baines Baobab (pre-arrangement essential).

Accommodation at Leroo La Tau
Full Board – Activities included

Day 3-4: Moremi Game Reserve

On this morning after breakfast and last morning activity you will be transferred by air to Xakanaxa Airstrip for collection by Camp Xakanaxa for your next accommodation. Xakanaxa Camp has 12 rooms, accommodating 24 people and it is set in the Moremi Game Reserve which makes up almost one-third of the entire Okavango Delta. With the Khwai River flowing directly past the camp, it is ideally placed for an authentic year round Delta land and water safari experience. Sensational safari and birding activities, the spectacular location, excellent cuisine and luxury accommodation combine to ensure a truly memorable stay in Botswana. Activities include morning and afternoon game drive, boating safaris along the channels.
The Moremi Wildlife Reserve is a game reserve on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. Thanks to its policies on eco-tourism, Botswana has been able to keep this area in a pristine state, allowing visitors to experience Africa in its most natural, unspoiled and impressive condition. The reserve contains about a quarter of the Okavango Delta and stretches across several thousand square kilometres. It is comprised of a variety of landscapes including beautiful forests, lagoons, floodplains and islands, the biggest of which is Chief’s Island and accessible only by light aircraft or Mokoro.

Accommodation at Camp Xakanaxa or Camp Okavango or Xugana Camp
Full Board – Activities included

Day 5-6: Savute – Chobe National Park

On this morning after breakfast and last morning activity you will be transferred by air to Savuti Airstrip for collection by Savute Safari Lodge for your next accommodation. Located on the banks of the Savute channel, Savute Safari Lodge is intimate, accommodating only 24 guests in cool thatched timber and glass suites.
The area is renowned for its population of bull elephant and for the unique interaction of the resident predator species.
The Savuti Marsh area constitutes the western stretch of the park and is, for the most part a relic of a large inland lake whose water supply was cut off by tectonic movements. Nowadays the marsh is fed by the erratic Savuti Channel, which dries up for long periods and then curiously flows again, a consequence of tectonic activity in the area. It is currently flowing again and in January 2010, it reached the Savuti Marsh for the first time since 1982. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundreds of dead trees along the channel’s bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannahs and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundreds of dead trees along the channel’s bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannahs and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park. During the dry season, tourists going on safari often see warthogs, kudus, impalas, zebras, wildebeests and even elephants bullying one another. During the rainy seasons, the birdlife springs into action with the movement and song of over 400 species of birds. Packs of lions, hyenas, zebras and, more rarely, cheetahs are visible as well. This region, in fact, is well known for hosting an annual migration of various predator and prey, and many documentaries about lion attacks on elephants during the end of the dry season have been shot here.
Activities include early morning and afternoon game drives and visits to the ancient San rock paintings at Gubatsa Hills.

Accommodation at Savute Safari Lodge
Full Board – Activities included

Day 7-8: Savute – Chobe National Park

After a last early morning game drive and a rich breakfast, you will be transferred by air to Kasane Airport where you will meet the Chobe Game Lodge staff for your next adventure. Chobe Game Lodge is the only permanent lodge within the Chobe National Park in a privileged location along the Chobe River. It has 42 twin/double rooms, four luxury private suites with individual plunge pools and one family unit; all rooms are river-facing, with spacious decks. The recently built boardwalk overlooking the river has added a whole new dimension to game-viewing, simply find your favourite spot along this 250 metre elevated platform and settle down to watch the ever-changing wildlife parade across the river, islands and floodplains.
Other facilities include a large swimming pool with terrace, a riverside boma area, a fully equipped conference room, a business centre for those guests needing to keep in touch, a stylish bar with an outside terrace overlooking the Chobe River and a cigar bar with a full sized billiard table.
The Chobe River forms the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park, renowned for its diverse game viewing.
Activities include game drive on board of 4×4 vehicle and boating safaris. This section of the park is best known for its elephant and hippo populations but the waters attract all manner of game including large herds of buffalo and the lions that prey on them.

Accommodation at Chobe Game Lodge
Full Board – Activities included

Day 9: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

After a last early morning game drive and a sumptuous breakfast, you will be transferred by road to Victoria Falls Hotel where a representative of the hotel will be waiting to welcome you.
The Victoria Falls Hotel, popularly known as “the grand old lady of the Falls”, is situated in the Victoria Falls National Park, a world heritage site, and it is a member of the exclusive ‘Leading Hotels of the World group’. The Edwardian-style five-star hotel, built in 1904, combines the charm of the old with the convenience of the new. Set in lush tropical gardens with lily ponds, palm trees and semi-tropical shrubs, it provides the tranquillity and seclusion that many guests seek.
The famous Victoria Falls are just a ten-minute walk away using the hotel’s private pathway, and “the smoke that thunders” or “Mosi-O-Tunya” in the local dialect, is clearly audible and visible from this luxurious landmark. World-class service, and food and beverage choice and preparation second to none, make the hotel a magnet for international visitors and locals alike. The opulent Livingstone Room for fine dining and dancing, the Jungle Junction with its famous breakfast and dinner buffets and ethnic entertainment in the evenings, offer variety and wide choice. Stanley’s Terrace, with its clear view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia, is renowned for its cocktails and afternoon teas. The Terrace has been a rendezvous for adventurers in Africa for over a century. The ambience of the hotel is steeped in that history with all suites decorated in the gracious Edwardian style of Zimbabwe’s colonial era.
Waking up to the sound of “the smoke that thunders”, seeing the sun rise beneath the mist of one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the lunar rainbow at night, all the while soaking up the history and ambience of a bygone era, is more than unforgettable, it is unique.
Victoria Falls National Park is called “Mosi oa Tunya" by the local Kololo tribe, which means the smoke that thunders because of the nearly 550 million litres of water that cascade into the chasm 100 metres below every minute during peak flow of the Zambezi River. Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1989. It is an area that plunges noisily down a series of basalt gorges that give rise to an iridescent mist that can be seen more than 20 km away. The waterfall splash zone creates an incredible rainforest that is a fragile ecosystem of discontinuous forest on sandy alluvium soils and that is dependent upon the continuous supply of abundant water and high humidity resulting from the spray plume.

Accommodation at Victoria Falls Hotel
Bed and Breakfast
Optional activities: cruise in the Zambezi; Victoria Falls Park excursion; adventure activities (rafting, bungee jumping, gorge zip line)

Day 10: Departure

On this morning after breakfast you will be transferred by road to Victoria Falls Airport for your onward connecting flight back home.