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The Great Botswana Journey
Summary of Itinerary
Days 1 & 2
Ketumetse Trails Camp, North-eastern Okavango Delta
Days 3 & 4
Xigera Camp, Okavango Delta
Days 5 & 6
Linyanti Discoverer Camp, Linyanti Concession
Day 7
Chobe River boat cruise, Chobe National Park and River Club, Zambia
Day 8
Victoria Falls, Transfer to Livingstone Airport
Botswana Safaris
The Great Botswana Journey
7 night /8 day Safari
Tour direction - Maun to Zambia
Combination of Safari lodges and fully serviced camping in private concession areas
At the turn of the century, explorers and adventurers made their way leisurely along the dusty paths of Africa, allowing the great continent to seep into their souls. This guided mobile safari allows you time to experience and explore Botswana's contrasts and extremes: from the grassland savannah of the Linyanti and its forests to the lushly vegetated wetlands of the Okavango Delta.
Wilderness Safaris' newly designed spacious walk-in Meru tents create a sense of connectedness to the Earth and nature, and enhance both the view and the feeling of the wild and untamed.
The style of accommodation in the private Discoverer campsites takes you back to the era of Africa's exploration. Pure linens of heavy cottons, brass bucket showers and basins, separate flushing toilets and shower areas all add to the atmosphere, while luxury comforts and amenities are elegantly provided.
Discoverer camping aims to bring the guest closer to nature, by means of a lively camp fire, hurricane lanterns, wide-ranging activities and a warm atmosphere complimenting the comfort and added luxury of the lodges visited. Discoverer camps are specifically outfitted to ensure that old-style camping feel with a clear emphasis on necessary and stylish comfortable interiors, creating a peerless wilderness experience.
Guides
The entire journey is guided and hosted by a professional trained guide, who shares in-depth knowledge to present a seamless safari experience.
To maximise guests' travel time, a variety of travel modes that bring out the best of each area is used: flying in private charters and overland transfers provide both a bird's-eye view and an in-depth visual experience of the contrasting landscapes of Botswana.
Inclusions / Exclusions
Rates Include:
Game drives and activities as per itinerary
Non-alcoholic drinks
Breakfast, lunch & dinner throughout the tour.
Game or Park entrance fees and permits
Radio communication where communication lines are not available
Accommodation specified as per itinerary
Qualified professional guide
Single/double dome safari tents and safari ablution facilities.
Transport provided by tour company
Rates Exclude:
Visas and visa fees required
laundry
Anti-malarial and vaccinations
Any items bought prior and during the tour for personal use
Insurance for the full duration of the tour
Airport Tax, Departure Tax and / or Government Tax
Flight costs for specific routing
Gratuities/tips & porterage for tour guide and staff
Optional additional excursions to be paid whilst on tour -
Surcharge of 10%
Itinerary
Days 1 & 2: Ketumetse Trails Camp, North-eastern Okavango Delta [B, L, D]
After arrival in Maun, fly by light aircraft to our superb Ketumetse Trails Camp, situated in an exclusive concession. Ketumetse is located in the south-western sector of the Selinda private concession, in the seasonally flooded portion of the Okavango Delta where it joins into the Selinda Spillway.
Accommodation is in 6.3m x 3.5m walk-in hexagon Meru-style tents (maximum of two guests per tent). The tents are airy with the beds facing the best view and are beautifully designed to recreate the accommodation of the early explorers, with brass shower buckets and richly coloured teak director chairs. Separate bedside tables with 12v reading lamps, canvas and wood wardrobes, bathrobes, comfortable beds, flushing toilets and mirrors are provided. Camp amenities (conditioning shampoo, soap, shower gel and body lotion) are elegantly displayed for use and private, en-suite separate toilet and shower areas are part of the main structure.
The area in which the camp is located is scenic with generous shade provided by leadwood and russet bushwillow trees. Open floodplains and woodlands spread out in front of camp. Activities concentrate on nature walks and canoeing, providing a superb view from the canoe of big game coming to the water's edge to drink. Game drives (by day and night) are possible and often reveal sightings of the rare roan and stately sable antelopes, in addition to an array of other general game species. Seasonally, "catch and release" fishing is offered as an alternative activity.
Days 3 & 4: Xigera Camp, Okavango Delta [B, L, D]
We fly by light aircraft to the abundant waters of the permanently flooded region of the Okavango Delta, where sunlight and rich soil combine to produce a paradise bursting with life and diversity.
Xigera Camp is a luxury tented camp situated in the Moremi Game Reserve in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Xigera has something for everyone, in an area where there are no other camps and where permanent water allows a variety of unique activities. Enjoy a true Delta experience while you sit back in a mokoro (dugout canoe) and silently glide through the tranquil Okavango waterways or watch the sunset and birds gliding home to roost from a motorboat on the Xigera Lagoon. When water levels permit (usually September to May), game drives allow the opportunity to observe wildlife and the unique Delta scenery from the comfort of a Land Rover. For the more adventurous we can track animals on foot.
Nestled in a magnificent riverine forest, Xigera consists of 10 luxuriously furnished tented rooms with en-suite facilities and outdoor shower. Each room is raised off the ground on a wooden deck offering superb views of the seasonal floodplain and waterhole. Meals and drinks are enjoyed under the thatch of the raised lounge, pub and dining area overlooking a permanently flowing channel. A traditional boma offers alternative dining under the African stars. Wooden walkways wind through the forest connecting the rooms to the main area. There is a plunge pool for cooling off and relaxation. The wooden footbridge, a feature unique to this camp, connects Xigera to the next island and is often used by lion and leopard moving between the islands, providing guests with great viewing opportunities. Birding in the area is excellent, with Pel's Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret, Wattled Crane, African Skimmers and a host of eagles, vultures, raptors and kingfishers to be found. The area has the highest density of the rare sitatunga antelope found anywhere in the Okavango Delta.
Days 5 & 6: Linyanti Discoverer Camp, Linyanti [B, L, D]
We fly by light aircraft to the private Linyanti Concession, then game drive to our private Discoverer camp. This campsite is elegantly set up under large shade trees overlooking panoramic vistas of the Linyanti.
The landscape varies from the floodplains of the Linyanti to savannah habitat with sweeping views, creating a paradise for a high diversity of wildlife and bird species. Activities include game drives in the private northern sector of the Concession, exploring a range of habitats, from riverbanks to scrub and forest, which reveal a myriad of wildlife en route to slake their thirst from the river. The seldom-seen sitatunga can also be spotted in the waterways, as well as rare plains game such as roan and sable antelope, and of course their predators, the lion and leopard - with the endangered wild dog as an incredible bonus.
There's also a game activity (either game walk or game drive) to a private area for lunch, then a siesta in hammocks and the possibility of an afternoon canoe trip, before returning to camp at dusk. (This activity is not always possible, as it is dependent on whether there are hippo pods moving in and out of the areas in which we canoe.)
To complete the experience, in the rainy season (December to March) there is a chance to enjoy a full-day activity to the Savuti Channel, with lunch at a scenic setting under a shade tree. The spectacular but seasonal (rain-dependent) zebra migration moves between Linyanti and the Savute Marsh between end November and March, the area also boasting an impressive diversity of mammals, including large elephant herds. This day is specifically tailored to enjoy the seasonal and migratory movements of wildlife, although seeing the zebra migration is not guaranteed.
Day 7: Chobe River boat cruise, Chobe National Park and The River Club, Zambia [B, L, D]
After a short morning drive and breakfast, we depart by light aircraft to the northern Chobe region of Chobe National Park. This area is famous for its vast herds of elephants and other unique species such as the elusive puku and Chobe bushbuck that move to the river in the hottest hours of the day. Enjoy a lunch on the boat cruise in a catamaran-style shaded boat.
Leave Botswana and enter Zambia by way of the Kazangula border, a point where the four countries of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet, to stay at the River Club, in Livingstone.
The River Club is situated on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, 18 kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls. The camp has a distinct Edwardian flavour and guests here have the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River in a peaceful and tranquil setting away from the crowds. Ten luxurious, thatched chalets overlook the Zambezi River, and have en-suite facilities including a bath, shower, toilet and basin. All the rooms have fans. The rooms are all completely open in the front giving guests the best possible views of the Zambezi. The main dining room and lounge also has an interesting library. Daily trips to the Victoria Falls are a highlight. Boating to the Zambezi River's islands provides relaxed afternoon activities, and fishing and sundowner trips are offered. A rich birdlife is found in the area. Hippos are regularly sighted (and heard) along the river's edge.
Day 8: Victoria Falls, Transfer to Livingstone Airport [B]
Enjoy a guided tour of the Victoria Falls, one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World. At 1708 metres wide, it is the largest curtain of water in the world and drops more than 100 metres into the sheer Zambezi Gorge.
Transfer to Livingstone Airport after the guided tour of the Victoria Falls and bid farewell to the adventure.
Extra information
International air connection onto the safari
If arrival is planned for the day of the safari's departure, please ensure that this arrival is with the earliest possible flight from Johannesburg. Arrival on a later flight may necessitate additional road or air transfers (as departure for the first camp/lodge will already have taken place), subject to extra cost.
International air connections leaving the safari
Please ensure that your departure flight is booked for after 12h30 from Livingstone. For earlier international departure flights, an additional transfer will be required to arrive for this connection. Extra transfers and flights are subject to extra cost.
Flashlights/ torches
Please ensure that a minimum 2-D cell flashlight is brought on safari, with spare batteries. Head lamps are also useful. Flashlights are not supplied.
Camera battery charging facilities
Please note that a 12V cigarette lighter adaptor will be required (that is compatible with camera make) on this safari for charging batteries while on game drive or transfer drives. 110/ 240V outlets are available at the permanent lodges; however Linyanti Discoverer and Ketumetse Trails Camp only have 12V electricity.
Dietary requirements and special occasions: Due to remote locality of Discoverer camps, please ensure that full dietary requirements and special occasions are advised at the time of your booking confirmation.
