12 Days Exploring Botswana's Kalahari, Delta & Beyond

12 Days Exploring Botswana's Kalahari, Delta & Beyond 12 Days

From $9995 USD

Trip URL: www.adventurelink.com/

2 reviews

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Overview

Highlights

Duration: 12 Days
Comfort: 66.6666666666667%
Language: English
Rating: 80.0%
Trip ID: 44375
Start Location: Maun, Botswana
End Location: Selebi-Phikwe, Botswana

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Primary Activities: Safari
Other Activities: Canoeing, Waterfalls, Wildlife, national parks, Camping
Activity Level: Basic

Botswana’s green season, its most productive and colorful time, offers natural spectacles most travelers miss. Low, sporadic rains in the Kalahari mark a time of dramatic change, signaling a great influx of migrating wildlife and plains game births. The Kalahari’s high game concentrations and expansive open vistas make for some of the best cheetah viewing in southern Africa. Vegetation springs to life on the bleached plains of Deception Valley, attracting herds from all over the expansive reserve.

In the Okavango Delta to the north, water-adapted mammal species like sitatunga and red lechwe thrive. The Savuti region of Linyanti is superb for wildlife viewing, as stable populations of lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog are active amid a wide range of diverse habitats.

Itinerary

Days 1 - 3: Drive to Camp in Deception Valley

Arrive in Maun and fly to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. We drive to our camp in Deception Valley, which offers a sweeping vista of the valley floor, and we feel quite alone here in this little-visited national park. Within these remote environs animal movements are dictated by nature and the rains. We track them on extended game drives, studying the desert ecology along the way. The petrified riverbed is vibrant after brief rains, covered with nutritious grasses that attract herds from all over the enormous reserve. Predators follow these large congregations of desert wildlife with their young into the broad riverbed, creating natural drama we may be privy to observe. The famous black-maned Kalahari lion resides here as well as a healthy population of cheetahs.

Lodging: Kalahari Plains Camp
Description: Kalahari Plains Camp is situated in a remote part of the diverse and productive Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers some of the best summer (November to April) wildlife viewing opportunities in Africa. Located in the Kalahari Desert biome in central Botswana, this reserve is the largest conservation area in this country and one of the largest in the world. The camp, situated in true wilderness close to the famous Deception Valley, comprises 10 Meru-style canvas tents, each with en-suite facilities and an additional outdoor sleeping area, to enjoy the amazing night sky. A central area offers a lounge, dining area and bar. The tents and the shared area are raised off the ground on wooden platforms to catch the breeze and take in the sweeping spacious view across the Kalahari.

Days 4 - 6: Camping in Little Vumbura Camp, Okavango Delta

After breakfast, we depart for the airstrip and fly to Little Vumbura, our tented camp in a private reserve in the Okavango Delta. We search for elephant herds here within the mopane forests, where they are often found breeding. Buffalo and other plains game frequent the wetlands, attracting a variety of predators. Inside the delta’s maze of canals and swamps, we look for wildlife by mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) and boat trips into the floodplains. Open Land Rovers take us close to animals on the savannah, where we often see lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants and sable. Island walks and night drives round out our diverse game-viewing perspectives. We also discover age-old River Bushman culture on a guided walk with a local resident, learning about fire-making, hunting, medicinal uses of plants and ingenious methods for survival in the delta, this tribe’s ancestral home. Our camp provides exceptional comfort at the end of the day, each tent with hot and cold running water, shower and flush toilet. The camp also has a plunge pool.

Lodging: Little Vumbura
Description: Little Vumbura is situated on an island in a private reserve bordering the Moremi Game Reserve in the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta. Attractive palms shading the camp lend the environs a relaxed, tropical feel and often entice elephants onto the island. The camp provides accommodation in six spacious tents, each with en-suite facilities. The dining room and pub, under canvas, are built in and around the existing trees, for a unique setting in harmony with the environment. Other attractions include a refreshing pool and an outdoor dining area built on wooden decks over the floodplains, making dinners under the stars an amazing experience.

Days 7 - 9: Game Drive to Savuti Channel & Linyanti River

Fly today to the Linyanti Concession, one of Botswana’s premier private reserves. Big-game viewing is superb during the green season, when a range of habitats supports a large herbivore and predator population. Day and night game drives along the Savuti Channel and Linyanti River are a highlight, and there are many hides where we can watch wildlife up close in safety, away from a vehicle. Secluded Savuti Camp features tents equipped with en suite facilities, and the camp itself has a thatched dining area, pub and plunge pool all laid out on raised wooden decks.

Lodging: Savuti Camp
Description: Savuti Camp is situated in the southern part of the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in northern Botswana. The camp is built on the banks of the Savuti Channel, the Okavango Delta’s most famous waterway and the heart of a legendary wildlife region best known for its large number of predators. Accommodating 14 guests in seven large walk-in tents, Savuti Camp is a small and intimate enclave in an isolated area, far from any crowds. Each tent has its own bathroom with a shower, hand basin and flush toilet. There is a separate dining room and pub under reed and thatch, as well as a plunge pool.

Days 10 & 11: Boat Cruise Down Chobe River

After a short morning drive, we fly to Chobe National Park. Chobe is famous for its massive herds of elephants in the dry season but also supports a stable population of general game species throughout the year. On a boat cruise down the Chobe River we may find crocodiles, the elusive puku and Chobe bushbuck, and up to 400 bird species this time of year. Leaving Botswana, we drive into Zambia via the Kazungula border, where Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet. Our destination, Toka Leya, offers contemporary luxury on the shores of the Zambezi. Each wood and canvas chalet faces west over the Zambezi for marvelous sunset views, and we frequently see and hear elephants and hippos on the banks. A guided tour of Victoria Falls is a fitting finale to our adventure.

Lodging: Toka Leya
Description: Toka Leya Camp sits in a prime location overlooking the Zambezi River with the east side of the camp under the shade of the canopy trees and the west side in an open setting adjacent to an ancient baobab tree. Wildlife around the camp includes elephants and hippo, as well as many bird species. The camp consists of 12 en-suite safari tents that are connected by wooden walkways connecting to the main common area. The tent décor utilizes earthy hues that harmonize with the environs, and all have private wooden decks with stunning views over the river. The camp’s shared center incorporates a lounge, bar and dining area complete with a pizza oven. A large pool with a sun deck overlooks the Zambezi.

Day 12: Transfer Airport & Fly Home

After a leisurely morning, we transfer to the airport for flights home.

Nuts & Bolts

Trip Includes

Internal scheduled light aircraft flights
Accommodations
All meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on final day
Non-alcoholic drinks at camps and in vehicles
House alcoholic beverages in camps
Services of NHA Expedition Leader
Local guides and lodge staff
Some gratuities
Airport transfers on Day 1 and final day
Permits and entrance fees
All taxes.

Trip Excludes

Travel to and from start and end point of trip
Premium alcoholic beverages
Some gratuities
Passport and visa fees
Optional activities
Items of a personal nature (phone calls, souvenirs, etc.)
Airline baggage fees
Airport and departure taxes
Optional travel insurance
Required medical evacuation insurance

Trip ID#: 44375

CANCELLATIONS: 20% cancellation fee applied if cancelled 60 days prior to departure. Cancellations within 60 days are 100% non-cancelable

Operator

For the specifics on this tour operator, please contact AdventureLink directly.

Reviews (2)

K. Bogart

“The baby animals at this time of year were darling. The nightly lightning and thunderstorms were a great addition! I enjoyed the beauty of the African bush and seeing it in the wet season is SO different than in the dry season!”
- Overall Rating
  100%
- Guide Rating
  90%
- Value Rating
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- Itinerary Rating
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B. Rosenstiel

"It was a privilege to stay inside Deception Valley, so close to the action. It allowed us the unique chance to enjoy long morning and afternoon game drives and see animals and behaviors that others miss."
- Overall Rating
  90%
- Guide Rating
  80%
- Value Rating
  100%
- Itinerary Rating
  100%
- Accomodation Rating
  90%

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