Overview
Botswana and Zimbabwe greatest natural wonders and wildlife parks in comfort
From the cascading Victoria Falls to the meandering waterways of the Okavango
Delta, this safari visits the best destinations in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Encounter Chobes huge elephant herds, search for rhinos and leopards in
Matopos and spot Wild dogs in Hwange. Starry skies and burnished sunsets
complete the adventure and where better for a sundowner than the shimmering
Magkadigkadi Pans.
/Note: the 3 June 2019 departure will be accompanied by “National Geographic
Traveller Overall Winner 2018” photographer Renato Granieri/
Highlights
* Fantastic wildlife encounters
* Two natural wonders: Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta
* Large populations of elephant, Wild dog and rhino
* Diverse ecosystems and changing scenery
Itinerary
Day 1 Depart London.
Depart London
**
Day 2 Start Victoria Falls; to Chobe N.P.
The group flights normally arrive at Victoria Falls Airport and land only
passengers can either be picked up here or at the Rainbow Hotel in Victoria
Falls town. If the group flights land in Livingstone (Zambia), land only
passengers can still be picked up at the Rainbow Hotel in Victoria Falls
(Zimbabwe). We then transfer 120kms to Kasane in Botswana. The drive from
Victoria Falls takes a little over two hours but there can be delays crossing
the border. Once we are settled into our chalets we will gather for a full
tour briefing.
*Kwalape Lodge or similar*
Day 3 Game drive and river safari in Chobe N.P. known for its elephants.
Chobe National Park is best known for its huge populations of elephant and
buffalo. With an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 elephants, this is, undoubtedly
the best place to see these pachyderms. The park is also home to Wild dogs,
lions, leopards and various other African wildlife.
We start the day by going on a game drive in one of the lodges open
game-drive vehicles. It will be an early start as we aim to get to the park
gates as they open. We spend about three hours on safari before returning to
the lodge in time for some brunch.
There is time to relax at the lodge during the hottest part of the day or
exploring the town of Kasane before heading out again, this time to go on a
boat-safari on the Chobe River. After a short transfer to the jetty we board
the boat for a three-hour safari. This is a great opportunity to view the
vast herds of elephant and other wildlife from the perspective of the water.
*Kwalape Lodge or similar*
Day 4
Transfer to Maun.
Today is a long drive as we transfer the 600kms between Kasane and Maun, the
town on the edge of the Okavango Delta. Well make a stop en route for
lunch at the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan before arriving in Maun
mid-afternoon. We spend a bit of time in town getting supplies for the delta
(this is a chance for you to get any extra drinks or snacks you may want
whilst in the delta). From here its only a short drive out of town to our
lodge.
*Rivernest Cottages or similar*
Day 5-6
Explore the Okavango Delta by foot and dug-out canoe.
After travelling 1,600kms from the highlands of Angola, the Okavango River
reaches the Kalahari and spreads into a large swamp area where the water
eventually transpires into the plant-life and evaporates, never reaching the
sea. This makes the Okavango Delta, as this swamp is known, one of the
largest inland deltas on Earth and a true natural wonder.
Year-round the deltas islands are home to a vast array of wildlife
including all the usual suspects though numbers reach their peak during the
dryer winter months when animals, including many of the larger ones, migrate
into the delta.
We head into the delta in Mokoro dugout canoes poled by local villagers who
have grown up here.
When we arrive in the delta we will find our camp already set up, waiting for
us. The camp is made up of tents fitted with camp beds topped by mattresses
along with two communal bush-showers, two communal bush-toilets and a
gazebo/mess tent. Here we will get to experience African wilderness at its
fullest, not least at night when the milky-way can be seen spreading across
the sky with a billion twinkling stars.
We spend the next two days exploring the waterways and islands by Mokoro
canoe and on foot looking for wildlife and enjoying this amazing part of
Africa.
*Wild Camping*
Day 7
Morning walking safari; return to Maun.
This morning we have our last Mokoro ride as we return to the edge of the
delta before returning to Maun. The afternoon is free to relax by the pool or
take an optional flight over the delta.
**Rivernest Cottages*or similar*
Day 8 To Nata; visit the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans at sunset.
After a brief stop in Maun to resupply we transfer 300kms to Nata arriving
mid-afternoon. In the late afternoon we head to the Nata Sanctuary to watch
the sunset on the Makgadikgadi Pan.
The Makgadikgadi Pan covers over 16,000 square kilometres and forms the bed
of an ancient lake, now dried up, which once spread as far as the Okavango
Delta. Sunsets on the pan are some of the best on the continent.
*Nata Lodge or similar*
Day 9 Enter Zimbabwe; to Matobo N.P.
Today we continue our journey back towards Zimbabwe. We go via Francistown
and Bulawayo on our way to Matobo National Park. The journey is about 380kms
and driving time shouldnt be much more than about 5hrs, however the border
crossing can be busy and may take between two and three hours. We stay in
chalets just outside the park and enjoy sundowners from the granite ridge
overlooking the park.
*Hermits Peak Lodge or similar*
Day 10
Game drive and walking safari in Matobo N.P. known for its rhinos.
Matobo National Park (also known as Matopos National Park) is an area known
for its kopjes, giant boulders which seem to be precariously balanced on top
of one-another, and wildlife. The park is one of the best places to see both
Black and White rhinos and has a very dense population of leopards (though
these predators are still elusive). It also counts amongst its inhabitants a
third of all species of eagle.
These hills were, once, home to San Bushmen who have left their mark with
rock-paintings depicting giraffes, elands and kudu. It was also the
colonialist Cecil Rhodes favourite place and where he asked to be buried.
We enter Matobo National Park early in the morning and go on a game drive
followed by a game walk where we can hope to see rhino on foot. We visit
Worlds End, where Cecil Rhodes is buried and see some of the granite
formations and rock-paintings. We spend most of the day inside the park
returning to the lodge in the afternoon.
*Hermits Peak Lodge or similar*
Day 11 Drive to Hwage N.P.
After a leisurely breakfast we make a quick stop in Bulawayo this morning to
resupply before driving north 335kms to Hwange National Park.
Zimbabwes largest National Park, Hwange covers 14,600 square kilometres of
mopane and teak woodlands and grasslands. The park is home to over 100 mammal
species and 400 bird species including all of Zimbabwes specially
protected animals. Its most famous inhabitants are the elephants and Wild
dogs, and it is the only place where gemsbok and Brown hyena can be found in
reasonable numbers in Zimbabwe.
We stay in a property situated within a game-management area which abuts the
park.
*Miobo Lodge or similar*
Day 12 Full day safari in Hwange N.P. known for its Wild dogs.
We spend all day on a 4WD open-game drive in search of Hwange wildlife.
*Miobo Lodge or similar*
Day 13 Visit Victoria Falls.
After a relaxed start we take a short, final drive back to Victoria Falls,
arriving at Victoria Falls town around lunch time. In the afternoon we head
out towards the mighty falls themselves.
Measuring 1,700 meters wide and 100 meters high, Victoria Falls are the
largest waterfall in the World and one of the most famous highlights of
Africa. The volume of water changes with the seasons but when full the spray
rises into the sky a phenomenon which has given the falls their local
name Mosi o Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders. They are a site to behold and one
which impressed Dr. David Livingstone so much that he commented that
scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.
*The Rainbow Hotel or similar*
Day 14 Full day at Victoria Falls for optional activities.
Today is a free day to enjoy the many activities on offer in the area such as
white-water rafting, taking a flight over the falls, going on a sunset cruise
or crossing into neighbouring Zambia to see the falls from that side.
*The Rainbow Hotel or similar*
Day 15
End Victoria Falls.
Those on the group flights will be transferred to the airport in time for
their flight. Those who do not have a transfer included, the trip ends after
breakfast.
Day 16 Arrive London.
Arrive London
**
