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12 days

Best of Botswana

Best of Botswana

Khama Rhino Sanctuary

Khwai River's big game

Moremi Game Reserve's concentration of wildlife

Okavango Delta by 'mokoro'

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Chobe National Park's river

‘The smoke that thunders' - Victoria Falls

Trip rating

  • Overview

    Botswana is the Africa you’ve always dreamed of. With the year-round water supply of the Okavango Delta and Chobe River, wildlife flock to this area. This trip fully encompasses the country, so you won't miss any of its highlights.

     

     

    Why we love it

    • Meet the locals, including zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, a variety of antelope, elephant, buffalo and hopefully the Big Five!
    • A two night excursion into the Okavango Delta where you’ll enjoy walking safaris and mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursions into the heart of the Delta.
    • A breathtaking sunset cruise on the mighty Chobe River
    • Finish up at breathtaking Victoria Falls, where you’ll soon learn why the locals call it “The Smoke That Thunders”
    • Share an incredible feast of exotic local meats and traditional African entertainment at renowned Boma Restaurant in Victoria Falls.

    Itinerary

    Day 1 - Johannesburg

    • On arrival in Johannesburg you’ll be met at the Arrivals Information Desk (at the international terminal) and transferred to your hotel, where you’ll have the rest of the day to settle in and spend at your leisure.
    • Please note, this is just an arrival day, but your accommodation tonight is covered and has already been booked for you.
    Falstaff Hotel or similar

    Day 2 - Marakele National Park

    • This morning you’ll meet with your tour leader and fellow travellers for a pre-tour briefing about your journey into Botswana.
    • Our first stop en route to Botswana is Marakele National Park. From majestic mountains to deep valleys, Marakele is a magnificent example of South Africa's changing landscapes. Set in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, it’s home to large game species including elephant, rhino and the graceful big cats. We'll enjoy a sunset game drive here.
    Tlopi Camp Sanparks or similar
    Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

    Day 3-4 - Khama Rhino Sanctuary – Maun

    • Today we leave South Africa, crossing the Limpopo River to enter Botswana. We'll visit the 4300 hectare Khama Rhino Sanctuary at Serowe, which is run by the local community and provides prime habitat for white rhinos.
    • Trained rangers will take us on the early morning Rhino Trail, where we might also see the elusive leopard, several varieties of smaller cats and a host of bird species. We'll then continue to Maun, the safari capital of northern Botswana
    Serowe Hotel or similar
    Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

    Day 5-6 - Okavango Delta excursion

    • Today we begin one of the highlights of our trip with an early morning flight to our tented camp, situated deep in the Okavango Delta. For the next two days we'll go on game drives, walking safaris and mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursions to explore the tranquil waterways of the Delta.
    • There is a fair amount of animal movement throughout this area, so keep your eyes peeled for elephant, buffalo, the rare Cape hunting dog and the elusive sitatunga antelope. At the end of each adventurous day, we'll return to our comfy tented camp in Moremi Game Reserve, overlooking Chief's Island.
    • Please note that our crew will not accompany us on our 2 night excursion into the Delta, we will meet them again in Maun. Specialist lodge guides will conduct the wildlife activities in the Okavango Delta.
    Pom Pom Camp or similar
    Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

    Day 7-8 - Nata – Makgadikgadi Pans

    • Today is a travelling day. We take a morning flight back to Maun where we’ll re-join our crew. From here, we'll drive to our lodge in Nata, which sits among the Mokolwane palms on the edge of the pans.
    • On day 8, we have no activities planned for the morning so you can use this time to read, write in diaries, chat with fellow travellers or catch up on sleep. Once we've recharged the batteries, we'll head out to the Makgadikgadi Pans for an afternoon excursion. This is one of the largest salt flats in the world, and is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi. Before it dried up several thousand years ago the lake once covered an area larger than Switzerland.
    Nata Lodge or similar
    Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

    Day 9-10 - Chobe National Park

    • Animal lovers rejoice. Chobe National Park is the place of your dreams, with everything from elephants, buffaloes, zebras, kudus, rare pukus, hippos, lions and leopards coming out to play. As Botswana's third largest reserve, Chobe is as famous for its wildlife as it is for spectacular sunsets and scenery.
    • Over two days, we enjoy morning and afternoon game drives, giving us another chance to spot some of Africa’s famed inhabitants including, if we’re lucky, the resident pack of African wild dogs. A breathtaking sunset cruise is ideal for spotting bird life such as saddle-billed storks, malachite kingfishers, fish eagles and beautiful bee-eaters as well as hippos, crocodiles and families of elephants drinking at the river’s edge.
    • Chobe is host to some of Africa’s most spectacular sunsets and a fitting end to our time in Botswana.
    Chobe Safari Lodge or similar
    Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

    Day 11-12 - Victoria Falls

    • What better way to celebrate 11 days of adventure than with a superb feast? Today we'll head to Victoria Falls, and at night we'll share an incredible dinner at the Boma Restaurant. The mouth-watering main course is a buffet of local meats, which may include warthog, buffalo, crocodile, impala and more. Throughout the meal we'll be entertained with local song and dance, where everyone is given an African drum and encouraged to join the party.
    • On day 12 we'll get the chance to see (and hear!) the spectacular Victoria Falls. Optional activities include canoeing, inflatable kayaking along the upper Zambezi, white-water rafting, morning and afternoon game drives or walks in the Zambezi National Park. Or you might choose to enjoy a jaw-dropping helicopter flight over the Falls and the Zambezi Gorges.
    • If you’d like to enjoy the best of what Victoria Falls has to offer, we highly recommend you stay an extra couple of days in this beautiful region!
    Victoria Falls Safari Lodge or similar
    Breakfast | Dinner
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  • Details

    What to Know

    What's Included

    • An experienced, English-speaking local Peregrine lodge-based leader
    • Entrance fees and game activities including game drives and walking safaris
    • Quality accommodation including: a lodge on the banks of the Upper Zambezi River, Chobe Safari Lodge which borders the national park and one of just 16 spacious tents with en suite facilities set on raised decks in Moremi
    • Most meals including drinks at the Okavango Delta/Moremi lodges
    • Domestic flights with Moremi Air: Maun to Moremi Crossing and Moremi Crossing back to Maun
    • Arrival transfer

    Not Included

    • International flights
    • Airport departure taxes
    • Departure transfer
    • Visas
    • Meals unless specified in the itinerary
    • Insurance
    • Laundry - but there will be opportunity to do some hand-washing in the camps where we stay for two or more nights.
    • Optional tours or activities during free time
    • Tips - this is something to consider, and it might be worthwhile speaking to your group about making a group contribution at the end of the trip

  • Map

    Map Itinerary

  • Reviews

    Past Travellers' Ratings & Comments

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Trip at a glance

Trip Code PFBB
Group size 6 - 12
Start City: Johannesburg
End City: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

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