Nature and Culture
22 Days, rate from €2550 pp low season / €2900 pp high season (pax 2)
This trip is a genuine safari with a very high chance of seeing the big five as you travel through the famous parks of Botswana. You also get an idea how people live in the rural areas, see how a community tries to save the rhino from extinction, watch the survival skills of the San and admire their rock paintings.
You drive a Toyota Hilux double cab 4×4 well equipped to negotiate the rough terrain. The roof tent(s) and complete equipment make camping easy. Included are a GPS to find the way in the bush and a Satellite telephone for communication in remote places.
Instead of a Toyota Hilux double cab, you can also choose another 4×4, see 4×4 Rentals.
Itinerary
Day 1 Maun
You collect the 4 x 4 at the airport and receive a comprehensive 1-2 hour briefing of the vehicle, equipment and route. Plenty of time to put forward all your questions. After that you’ll have time to shop before going to the campsite close to Maun.
Day 2 Maun
A guide will accompany you for the day. After a short tour through Maun you visit a family living at a rural homestead. After having tasted a traditional meal you meet other people who make a living in that area. The tour ends with a cool drink at the Thamalakane river.
Day 3 Central Kalahari
After buying supplies for the next days, you drive to a campsite near the Central Kalahari. Here you join for a couple of hours a group of San who will show you how their people survived in the past in this harsh environment.
Day 4 Central Kalahari
You drive into the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and cross the pans where during the hot hours of gemsbok and springbok rest in the shadow of the few trees. In the dry season many animals visit the artificial waterholes, where lions may welcome them.
Day 5 Central Kalahari
Experience the magic of the Kalahari: vast, remote and untouched by humans.
Day 6 Makgadikgadi
You drive to your next campsite in Makgadikgadi National Park. There is enough time for a game drive along the Boteti river where in the dry season big herds of zebra and wildebeest can be seen.
Day 7 Kubu Island
Today you continue on a fascinating trip to Kubu Island. Enjoy the vastness and white splendor of Ntwetwe pan till you arrive at this amazing island, covered with baobabs and rocks. Hard to believe that thousands of years ago the pans were filled with water and people lived on this island.
Day 8 Khama Rhino Sanctuary
The first leg of your journey is a beautiful drive on Sowa pan. After arriving at your campsite at Khama Rhino Sanctuary, you can explore the park and admire the colossal rhino.
Day 9 Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Drive to nearby Serowe, home of the Khama’s, which family is playing a vital role in Botswana for more than a century. Visit the memorial Khama museum, where the guide tells many interesting stories. You can ask permission from the chief to visit the Khama graves, from where you have a beautiful view on Serowe.
Day 10 Nata
Start with an early guided nature walk in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. It is very interesting to hear how the rhino is protected in Botswana. Then drive to Nata, the gateway to the north.
Day 11 Nata
Subscribe to a guided tour through Nata village, and learn more about how people live here. Visit also the nearby Nata bird sanctuary and watch the sun sinking in the flooded Sowa pan.
Day 12 Kasane
The route leads you to Kasane. On the way you will probably see some game, like giraffes and elephants. In the afternoon you make a wonderful boat trip on the Chobe river to watch elephants and hippos and hear the cry of the fish eagle.
Day 13 Kasane / Victoria Falls
You will be taken by bus to cross the border with Zimbabwe and visit the place of “Smoking Thunder”, the magnificent Victoria Falls. In the bordering strip of rainforest you can spot the bushbuck and the trumpet hornbill.
Day 14 Chobe Riverfront
Breathtaking are the panoramic views on the Chobe river with its floodplains dotted with game. You may meet big herds of elephants and buffalos drinking at the river. The campsite at the river bank offers an amazing view during daytime and a wonderful experience of the African night.
Day 15 Chobe Riverfront
Enjoy another day in this fantastic area.
Day 16 Shakawe
After an early morning game drive you travel through the Caprivi strip. Then you cross the border to Botswana to arrive at the boundary of the Okavango river, abundant with birdlife.
Day 17 Shakawe
Enjoy another day in this great area by going by boat into the delta, or by just having a quiet day around the camp.
Day 18 Tsodilo Hills
Cross the border to Botswana and drive to the Tsodilo Hills. This is a holy place for the San, a people with phenomenal skills to survive in the harsh desert.
Day 19 Maun
You use the cool early morning hours for a guided walk in the hills to view the world famous rock paintings. On the way back to Maun you can visit the village that is well known for its woven baskets. You return the 4×4. This night you sleep in a room instead of a tent and dinner will be cooked for you.
Day 20 Okavango Delta
You travel by car and boat to a simple, secluded tented camp in the Okavango delta. Enjoy the tranquil waters and the beauty of this area.
Day 21 Okavango Delta
You can do a mokoro or canoe trip, go for a guided game walk, have a swim, or just relax and delight in the quietness and the beauty of the scenery.
Day 22 Departure
After a last bush shower and a nice breakfast you are transported to the airport in time to fetch your flight home.