Day 1 & 2: San Camp, Makgadikgadi Pans
After arrival in Maun, you will be met by your guide or our representative and fly by light aircraft to San Camp, situated in a private concession on the edge of the great Makgadikgadi Pans in the Kalahari Desert. The saltpans are among the largest in the world, part of a fossilized super-lake that thrived eons ago.
Surprisingly for such a harsh, lunar-like environment, life abounds, and brown hyaena, oryx and springbok are just a few of the desert-adapted species that can be seen. Activities include up-close encounters with suricates (meerkats), one of the most fascinating and endearing animals in the world. Experience phenomenal geology, quad biking, and authentic San (bushman) cultural walks, or simply enjoy the wide-open spaces of this ancient lakebed.
Guests are accommodated in 6 large walk-in green canvas tents on slightly elevated wooden platforms with en-suite facilities (bucket shower and flush toilet). Camp amenities include a mess tent for dining and a tea tent with Persian carpet cushions for socializing. After the rains (December to April), there can be enormous herds of Wildebeest, Zebra and Springbok (with the accompanying predators) on the open grasslands. The summer rains also leave a warm shallow layer of water that entices waterfowl and flamingos. Activities are conducted in open 4x4 vehicles custom designed for this terrain and accompanied by knowledgeable guides. In the winter months only, all-purpose ATV vehicles (four wheeler motorcycles) are available, allowing guests to travel across the saltpans. A walk with a Bushman tracker is a highlight activity option.
Day 3 & 4: Jacana Camp, Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta represents survival at the other extreme: abundant water, sunlight and soil combine to form a paradise bursting with life. The contrast becomes amazingly clear as we move from desert to delta, from dry sand to water world, on a light aircraft charter from San to Jacana Camp.
Lush Jacana Camp is situated in a permanently flooded region of the private Jao concession of the Okavango Delta.
A true water camp, it represents the essence of the Delta, with year-round mokoro safaris as well as island bush walks and, water level permitting, motorboat cruises. In fact, when the flood levels are at their peak we are able to motorboat from the airstrip to the lodge, a truly surreal camp arrival!
Jacana Camp is set in one of the wetland areas most densely populated with sitatunga and red lechwe. Wildlife concentrations depend on the water flow and volume, thus changing from season to season, but all the large animals can be found in the area including elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo. Pel's Fishing Owl is a favorite amongst birders as well as Greater and Lesser Jacanas.
Jacana Camp has 5 meru-style tents. Each tent is on a wooden deck overlooking the floodplains and has an en-suite bathroom with flush toilet and shower. The bathroom is enclosed but roofless, allowing for showers by starlight. The camp has a plunge pool for cooling off from the midday sun. The main dining area is on an elevated wooden deck between two magnificent sycamore fig trees and surrounded by dense wild date palms. Downstairs, there is a cozy pub and lounge with an area perfect for an open fire under the stars.
Day 5, 6 & 7: Ketumetse Trails Camp, North-Eastern Okavango Delta
We depart this morning by 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.
Our exclusive Discoverer campsite has been erected prior to our arrival in the wildlife-rich seasonal plains region under large shade trees, affording some views of the floodplain in cool comfort.
Activities concentrate around the bushy and wooded islands, open plains and the flooded and dry channels surrounding the camp. In this area seasonal congregations of wildlife (especially in the late afternoons) make for a great experience on game drives, night drives and nature walks on the private concession.
Day 8, 9 & 10: Linyanti Discoverer Camp, Linyanti Concession
After a light breakfast, we drive north eastwards to the private Linyanti Concession; arriving at our private Discoverer camp, which is elegantly set up under African ebony and knobthorn acacia trees overlooking panoramic vistas of the Linyanti Swamps. This can be an all-day game drive/ transfer, with lunch en-route at a shady place en-route. This game / transfer drive is specifically designed to gain an intimate view of the "Stolen River" as well as enjoying a part of the Selinda Spillway and its rich floodplains.
The landscape of the Linyanti varies from floodplains to open dry land savannah and forested 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 is also a 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 rain season and on the third day we can possibly enjoy a full-day activity to the Savute Channel, with lunch at a scenic setting under a shade tree. The spectacular but seasonal (rain dependant) 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. When undertaken and during the correct season, this day is specifically tailored to enjoy the seasonal and migratory movements of wildlife, although sighting the zebra migration is not guaranteed.
Day 11: Chobe River boat cruise, Chobe National Park and Sussi Lodge, Zambia
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 in the dry season 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.
We leave Botswana and enter Zambia by way of the Kazangula border, a point where the four countries of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet, arriving in the late afternoon at Sussi Lodge, in Livingstone.
Guest accommodation at Sussi Lodge consists of 10 luxury tree-houses built into the living canopy of giant ebony trees lining the riverbank. Each unit has a mini bar, en-suite bathroom, mosquito nets, overhead fan and a private view of the Zambezi from its own deck among the branches. The main lodge building features a raised bar/lounge deck, open-air dining area, swimming pool and lawns down to the water's edge.
Day 12: Victoria Falls, Transfer to Livingstone Airport
The grand finale is a guided tour of the Victoria Falls, one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World. At 1708 meters wide, it is the largest curtain of water in the world and drops more than 100 meters into the sheer Zambezi Gorge.
Transfer to Livingstone Airport immediately after the tour of the Victoria Falls and bid farewell to the adventure.
NOTE: THIS ITINERARY IS AVAILABLE ON FLEXIBLE DATES AND ITINERARIES, FOR TAILOR-MADE SAFARIS FOR SMALL GROUPS UP TO EIGHT GUESTS.
