At certain times of the year this itinerary will change to suit the weather conditions and to take in better game viewing areas. Additionally the
gorilla safari may run in reverse. A certain amount of flexibility is required when dealing with so many variable factors and third-world conditions. This style of camping safari is for people who love to "rough it" and not for 5-star safari seekers
Day 1 – Depart Johannesburg, 1 night camping near Nata
Departing from Johannesburg the safari heads north and after completion of Customs and Immigration formalities you are into Botswana.
Tonight’s camp is near Nata Lodge, an oasis-like camp on the edge of the saltpan. After a long drive and to allow time for everybody to get to know one another, dinner tonight is catered by the lodge and is at your own expense.
Day 2 – Makgadikgadi Pans, 1 night camping
After breakfast transfer to the 4 x 4 vehicle which will be used throughout the safari and head to the Nata Sanctuary for views of the shallow saltpans, unique bird life and desert adapted species. Return to Nata Lodge for a swim and a
gorilla tracking
bite to eat. Relax for a few hours during the heat of the day before breaking camp and packing up to head out to the Makgadikgadi Pans for a short excursion on to the white crusty surface.
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park includes a portion of the 12000 sq km (4600 sq mile) Makgadikgadi Pans, which are the size of Portugal. Once these pans were one of the world’s largest prehistoric lakes, they dried up only 10,000 years ago due to continual shifting of the earth’s crust and formed today’s salt plains, covered with grasslands and isolated “islands” of vegetation, baobab and palm trees.
Most of the time they appear as glaring, white, endless plains but during the rainy season they are one of the most important wetland areas in Botswana. The pans are nearly devoid of human habitation and give one the feeling of true isolation though man has been around these parts from time immemorial. There are Bushman hunting shelters and sacred sites and the shorelines of Makgadikgadi are littered with archaeological relics including Stone Age tools.
Camp the night wild and take in the isolation and serenity of the star-studded night.
All meals
Day 3 – Maun, 1 night camping
Leaving the pans head to Maun where camp is set up on the banks of the Boteti River. Facilities here are good so you can wash of the Makgadikgadi dust before a traditional braai (BBQ) dinner.
All meals
Day 4 & 6 – Okavango Delta, 3 nights camping
Spend three nights camping in a remote part of the Okavango Delta, exploring the area on foot and by mokoro, the traditional dugout canoe.
Rivers flow to the ocean - not so the Okavango, which originates in Angola and spills back inland to the sands of the Kalahari Desert where it fans out and forms a vast delta of wetlands and waterways. At the flood, the water swells to cover an area of more than 16,000 sq km (6,000 sq miles), quite literally a land of water; lagoons dotted with lilies, narrow channels that are invaded by papyrus reeds, islands and shallow sheets of water that glisten in the sun. Naturally this bounty attracts a huge variety of mammals and bird species, though on occasion they are almost secondary to the sheer wonder of the setting.
All meals
Note – in times of drought, it may not be possible to travel by mokoro so there will be more walking and driving and we may replace a day in the Delta with a visit to the Nxai Pan National Park.)
Days 7 – Return to Maun, 1 night camping
Late today head back into Maun for overnight camping. Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant, at your own expense.
Breakfast and lunch
Days 8 to 12 – Game viewing in a variety of game reserves, 5 nights camping
Before leaving Maun there is the option of an hour-long scenic flight over the delta – at your expense. Over the next 5 nights there will be game viewing & camping in Moremi, Savuti and Chobe and this portion of the itinerary is flexible to allow for game movements.
A typical 5-night plan might be - spend the first night in Moremi, camping near the well-known 3rd Bridge. The Moremi Wildlife Reserve on the northeastern edge of the Okavango Delta packs acacia forests, wetlands, lagoons and
swamps into 1,800 sq km (700 sq miles). As varied as the terrain is, so is the game. From lion and leopard to elephant and buffalo right down to the bird-life, even the least inspired ornithologists will be amazed.
Game viewing along the way, work across the Moremi, via Xakanaxa to camp near North Gate before continuing on to the Savuti area to spend 2 nights.
The Savute channel is a now dry "waterway" that connects the Linyanti River with the interior of the Chobe National Park, ending at the Savute marsh. The Savute has only ever flowed intermittently and today the channel is open grassland and is home to numerous animals including large herds of zebra, impala and wildebeests, as well as abundant predators such as lion, cheetah and Painted Hunting Dog.
Records show that the Savute channel and the marsh dried out during the 1880's. The channel remained dry until summer 1957-58 when heavy rains in the catchments of the Angolan highlands re-flooded the Chobe system and the Channel flowed once again. Savute continued to flow until 1966 when it dried up for one season only and then began a wet cycle that lasted until 1981 when it stopped once more. This cyclical and changing feature of wet and dry in the Channel is not completely understood, but it is generally believed that tectonic activity deep below the Kalahari's sand bed is responsible.
The fifth night is often spent in Chobe at an island camp reached by boat. The best time to visit Chobe National Park is from May
to September when you will be thrilled by the huge herds of elephant and buffalo that have made the park famous. In addition there are big numbers of hippopotamus, giraffe, kudu and impala and more than 250 species of birds have been recorded
All meals
Days 13 to 14 – Victoria Falls, 2 nights Victoria Falls Inn
Crossing the border from Botswana to Zimbabwe, the safari heads for Victoria Fall where 2 nights are spent at Victoria Falls Inn. Accommodation is in twin rooms, with shared bathrooms. There is a swimming pool, garden bar, TV lounge and laundry facility.
The Victoria Falls or Mosi oa Tunya - "the Smoke that Thunders", are truly a magnificent sight for here the mighty Zambezi River encounters a narrow gorge and falls 100 metres in a shower of drenching spray and deafening noise. The Victoria Falls rise and fall considerably with changes in the Zambezi River level, so visits at different times of the year can be dramatically different. In a normal year, the peak is around March/April, and the trough in August/September.
Victoria Falls is the Adventure Capital of Africa and there is plenty to do – from the thrill of
white water rafting & bungee jumping to the more serene pleasures of a sundowner cruise. Your time is your own to plan these optional activities.
Breakfast daily & 1 dinner included
Days 15 – To Nata, 1 night camping
Return to Botswana and complete the triangle back to Nata – it will seem that you were here months before! Camp for the last time and enjoy a catered farewell dinner at your own expense.
Breakfast and lunch
Days 16 – Safari ends in Johannesburg
Re-board the safari bus and transfer back to Johannesburg, arriving in the early evening.
No meals included
