Great Game Parks of Southern Africa

Day 1: Johannesburg, South Africa / Kruger national park / Tanda Tula

A morning flight by small plane from Johannesburg brings us to Kruger National Park, and we drive a short distance to Tanda Tula, one of the most luxurious tented camps in all South Africa, set within Timbavati Private Reserve and surrounded by a vast African wilderness. This afternoon, we head out for our first game drives and bush walks with our Trip Leader and Shangaan trackers. 

Days 2-3: Tanda Tula / Timbavati Game Reserve

While exploring by 4WD vehicle in Timbavati Private Game Reserve, we can expect to see lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and other wildlife on our game drives, and the birdwatching is amazing. With our game spotter and tracker, our daily schedule revolves around safari drives in open 4WD vehicles and “sundowners” in beautiful settings. On optional bush walks, we follow spoor in search of the “Big Five” and, just as importantly, enjoy a chance to explore the fascinating minutiae of bush life—dung beetles, butterflies, and game tracks—which normally cannot be seen from a vehicle... BLD each day

Day 4: Livingstone, Zambia / Victoria Falls

Bidding farewell to Tanda Tula, we drive to the airstrip for a flight to Livingstone, Zambia, and transfer to our hotel, set right on the banks of the Zambezi River just two miles from Victoria Falls. The huge Zambezi River is more than a mile wide when it drops 300 feet into a sheer chasm to create its thundering cascade known as Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfalls whose towering columns of spray can be seen 50 miles away. Above the falls, the river is placid with palm-fringed islands and rainforested banks. In 1860, David Livingstone was the first Westerner to report the falls’ existence, and since then, it has attracted visitors from around the world. From our lodge on the Zambezi River, we walk to the falls to experience their astonishing splendor. Overnight at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge...BLD

Day 5: Victoria Falls

There are numerous activities available (at extra cost) at Victoria Falls, including the sightseeing “flight of the Angels” over the falls. In the late afternoon we enjoy a relaxing sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Overnight at the David Livingstone Safari Lodge...BLD

Day 6: Kasane, Botswana / Chobe National Park

A morning drive brings us to Kasane, Botswana, for a charter flight to Savute Safari Lodge, an intimate game lodge set on the banks of the Stolen River in southwestern Chobe National Park. Here we explore the famed Savuti area of Chobe. One of the best-known wildlife regions of vast Chobe National Park, Savuti is 1,900 square miles of prime gameviewing territory with a landscape of mopane woodland well filled with game. Parts of Savuti are arid while other areas are grassy plains reminiscent of the Serengeti and well watered by summer rains. Savuti also has a number of pans that hold water for months after the rains, allowing the wildlife to remain long into the dry season. The mysterious Savuti Channel, which sometimes flows from the Linyanti River into the heart of Chobe National Park, has an unpredictable flow, having appeared and then dried up again several times over the last few centuries. The Channel last dried up in 1980 but very recently has begin to flow again, weaving a ribbon of water through an otherwise arid region. Its marsh is a vast grassland attracting migrating herds of herbivores and this is one of the best places to find lion, leopard, and other predators and their prey, including large herds of giraffe. Overnight at Savute Safari Lodge...BLD

Day 7: Chobe National Park

We enjoy a full day of game drives with our tracker guides. The Savuti’s nutritious grasses attract zebra in large herds, accompanied by impala, wildebeest, giraffe, tsessebe, buffalo, and elephant. The predators are here, too, in high numbers, from hyena clans and wild dogs to prides of lion and scavenging jackals. Overnight at Savute Safari Lodge...BLD

Day 8: Okavango Delta

A charter flight whisks us to our next destination, Xugana Island Lodge in the remote western corner of the Okavango Delta. The 800-mile-long Okavango is “the river which never finds the sea,” disappearing into a remarkable maze of lagoons, channels, and islands to create the Okavango Delta. This afternoon we enjoy our first gameviewing excursions by boat on the waterways of the Delta. Overnights at Xugana Island Lodge, situated on the Maunachira river system and featuring comfortable en suite chalets...BLD

Days 9-10: Okavango Delta

We have two very active days of exploration from Xugana Lodge, our base for motorboat and mokoro excursions (mokoros are dugout canoes navigated by a skilled poler), as well as walks on the surrounding islands. Taking a break from the big game experience, the emphasis here is on birdlife and enjoying the quintessential delta setting. During our excursions, we should see bushbuck, a plethora of birds, lechwe (a semi-aquatic antelope), and perhaps even buffalo, elephant, and the shy sitatunga, another antelope adapted to this watery realm. As we glide the water lily–filled waterways aboard our mokoro, we enjoy the calm solitude of this beautiful setting. At night, we can hear the hippos that come ashore to graze around camp at night. Overnights at Xugana Island Lodge...BLD each day

Day 11: Depart

A charter flight brings us to Maun, where we connect to regularly scheduled flights to Johannesburg. Depart on homeward-bound flights from Johannesburg...B