|
|
|
13 day Desert & Delta Explorer, Botswana
|
|
Expected Botswana Safari Vacation Package Experience:
Accommodation:Fly camping, tented camps and a luxury lodge
Activities: Game viewing, game drives, birding, picnic, Bushman guided walks, boating and island walks
Destinations: Maun, Nxai & Makgadikgadi Pans (Kubu Island & Boteti), Central Kalahari Game Reserve (Deception Valley), Okavango - Moremi Game Reserve (Xakanaxa & Khwai)
|
What you can expect from this 13 Day Desert & Delta Explorer Safari:
The Moremi Game Reserve forms an intricate part of the Okavango Delta with permanently swamped areas and dry land. Where land and Delta meet at Xakanaxa, a mosiac of pans, grasslands, forests and lagoons provide an extremely rich and diverse habitat where a multitude of animals and birds flourish.
This area hosts large numbers of Flamingoes that congregate on the salt pans. The summer months are prime time in the Kalahari. The plants are flowering, the Gemsbuck (Oryx) and Spring Buck give birth with a resultant higher predator activity.
Central Kalahari Game Reserve is home to the kalahari Lions, Cheetah and Leopard. Specially adapted animals including the Gemsbok and kalahari barking Geckos which are unique desert dwelling species.
Note: Every effort is made to adhere to schedules and itineraries, these are subject to change in light of changing local conditions (weather, roads, animal movements) and availability. You will be notified accordingly.
|
|
Days 1 & 2: Camping in Nxai Pan National ParkYour Botswana safari guide will be there to welcome you on arrival at Maun Airport. You will leave Maun and begin your African safari tour.
For those guests who plan on spending a pre-safari night in Maun (highly recommended after a long-haul flight), please arrange a hotel transfer to the airport to meet your guide at the specified time. Or make an arrangement for your guide to meet you at the hotel before going to the airport.
Begin your journey to Nxai Pan, stopping for a picnic lunch en-route, and arriving at the pre-erected camp in time for sundowners. You will be spending your first 2 nights camping in Nxai Pan. Explore the surrounding wilderness on game drives during the day, including a visit to Baines Baobabs. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
Day 3: Fly-camping at Kubu Island in the Makagadikgadi Salt PansFollowing an early morning game drive, you will set off on the long road ahead to Kubu Island for 'fly-camping'. Leaving the rolling grasslands behind, the seemingly endless network of sandy tracks will lead you through local farming communities, to the vast salt pans of the Makgadikgadi, and ultimately Kubu Island, where you will finally rest for the night.
The enchanting experience of the Makgadikgadi starts as the sun sets. The sun baked earth relaxes as the soft warm light washes over the barren landscape. You will spend the evening gazing up at the seemingly endless and mystical canopy of stars.
'Fly-camping' means to camp with only the bear essentials. In this case, simply your bed and bedroll set out on the pans, with one toilet and shower shared by all. This is the best way to fully appreciate the magic of the Makgadikgadi. However, tents will be available on request. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
Day 4: Meno A Kwena Tented Camp on the Boteti RiverLeaving Kubu Island, you will pass numerous cattleposts and traditional villages en route to Meno-A-Kwena. The journey takes you from the salt pans and rolling grasslands of the Makgadikgadi, to the tree lined banks of the now dry Boteti River.
The camp is situated on a cliff overlooking the dry Boteti river bed, bordering the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Wildlife concentrate around the waterhole in front of the camp, and the cliff provides a great view point over the surrounding area.
The Meno A Kwena Tented Camp offers fully serviced accommodation in mini-meru style tents, each with it’s own bucket shower and flushing toilet, with a central dining and sitting area under canvas. It’s a ideal place to relax on your first night on safari, and prepare for the journey ahead. Overnight at Meno A Kwena Tented Camp. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
Days 5 & 6: Central Kalahari Game ReserveFollowing breakfast, you will continue your journey through cattle country and along the controversial Kuke fence, to Deception Valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, arriving in time for lunch. Explore the surrounding wilderness on game drives. Spend the following 2 nights camping in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
Day 7: Central Kalahari Game ReserveFollowing a early morning game drive, you will set off to Deception Valley Lodge situated on the northern boundary adjoining the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, arriving in time for lunch. Guests are accommodated in fully serviced, luxury thatched chalets, each with an en-suite bathroom.
The lodge offers a unique experience, and that is the opportunity to take to the bush on foot with bushman guides and awaken your senses by closely observing, smelling and tasting the African bush. Your guide will enlighten you about the hunting and survival skills, culture and crafts of one of Africa’s oldest cultures.
Later that evening, you will have the opportunity to explore after dark on a night game drive, which promises to reveal a fascinating world of nocturnal species rarely encountered during the day. Overnight at Deception Valley Lodge. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
Days 8 & 9: Moremi Game ReserveTravel further north, passing through the dusty village of Maun, en route to the contrasting Moremi Game Reserve. This is by far the longest transit day and guests should be prepared to spend the full day on the road.
You will spend the first 2 nights camping in an exclusive wilderness campsite in the Xakanaxa region of the reserve, exploring this oasis on game drives. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flamingo
|
|---|
Flamingos live in groups called colonies, which can consist of thousands of Flamingos. When ready to breed, they will form pairs within the colony.
|
|
Open Vehicle Game Drives
|
|---|
Guided open vehicle game drives will allow you to possibly spot the Lion, the largest and most powerful predator in Africa.
|
|
Oryx / Gemsbok
|
|---|
Gemsbok are able to survive in even the harshest conditions thanks to an intricate network of blood vessels called carotid rete, situated in the nose which cool down the blood supplied to the brain, thus protecting the gemsbok from deadly temperatures.
|
| Botswana Travel Tips |
|---|
 FAQ's
|
|
