Ultimate Botswana

Bestowed with the gift of diamonds, Botswana is one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s richest and most stable countries and offers the traveller astonishing natural beauty, wide open spaces, and some of the most unique and unrivalled wildlife viewing in the world. This exclusive tour will explore the bounty of natural treasures on offer in both the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park and our days will be full of activities including game drives, canoe safaris, bush walks and birdwatching. We will fly between lodges to avoid long overland journeys and to maximise our time spent in the luxury surrounds or our private reserves.

Our first week is spent in the Okavango Delta to fully discover this diverse area of northern Botswana where a wealth of wildlife can be seen on drives, walks and traditional mokoro rides. Known as the jewel of the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta is all that remains of an ancient super lake that was once fed by the Okavango River; today it is the largest inland delta in the world. From the Okavango Delta we fly to the Chobe River whose exotic banks boast one of the densest populations of wildlife on the African continent. There can be few natural wonders as synonymous with Africa’s raw wilderness as the great Chobe River and our three night stay here is a fitting finale to our Botswana visit. Teeming with life, the National Park sprawls across some 11,000 kilometres of lush African bush, and is home to elephants, prides of leopard and lion, huge groups of buffalo, waterbuck, roan, eland, sable, giraffe, and, if you are lucky, one of the rare puku, can also be seen. In the river itself watch out for hippo and crocodile, and keep your binoculars at the ready for spotting a rich selection of bird life. Next we fly to Kasane and traverse to neighbouring Zimbabwe where our final two nights are spent at the Victoria Falls Hotel, one of Africa’s most famous and our base to explore the wonder of the Falls.

Botswana has maintained a policy of low-impact tourism, ensuring that the wilderness remains pristine and, in the company of just sixteen or so fellow travellers you will be able to truly immerse yourself in the untamed world of wild Africa and enjoy game viewing at its best. Added to this, we have personally selected the finest luxury lodges and accommodations; all ideal places to unwind after the eventful days and from which to enjoy the wonderful African hospitality.

Useful links & Travel Advice

Please find a selection of useful websites to refer to for information from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, on visa requirements, NHS travel health advice and other useful travel tips.

We have sourced the best available accommodation for this the itinerary.

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Itinerary

Day 1 - London to Maun, Botswana.

Fly by scheduled indirect flight to Maun.

Day 2 - Moremi Game Reserve.

Arrive into Maun and take a scheduled charter flight to the Moremi Game Reserve. Transfer to Camp Moremi, our base for the next three nights. (L, D)

Days 3 & 4 - Moremi Game Reserve.

Situated in the east of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve ranks as one of the most beautiful reserves in Africa. It covers more than 4871 square kilometres of pristine wilderness, and the varied terrain includes savannah, winding waterways, and dense forest. This diverse ecosystem supports an incredibly wide spectrum of wildlife, ranging from large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra, to the rare Sitatunga and Lechwe antelope, lion, cheetah and packs of wild dog in the open grasslands. The birdlife is prolific and includes most of the 550 bird species recorded on Botswana’s national bird list. (B, L, D)

Day 5 - Xugana Lagoon, Okavango Delta.

Today we fly by scheduled charter flight to Xugana Lagoon and on to the Xugana Island Lodge where we spend three nights. (B, L, D)

Days 6 & 7 - Xugana Lagoon.

Situated in the north-western corner of Botswana, the Okavango Delta is a World Heritage Site as it is the largest inland delta in the world. The magnificent Okavango River sprawls out over the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert forming this flourishing waterlogged oasis featuring countless meandering waterways and crystal clear lagoons studded with water lilies, as well as fertile floodplains and reeded islands inhabited with abundant wildlife. The Okavango Delta stretches over 15,000 square kilometres. Visitors can enjoy a number of wonderful activities such as game viewing, fishing, bird watching or taking an authentic guided Mokoro excursion through this wetland paradise in a traditional dugout canoe. Commonly spotted animals include lion, rhino, leopard, giraffe, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and countless species of bird. (B, L, D)

Day 8 - Savute, Chobe National Park.

Our next stop is Savute. We fly by scheduled charter flight to Savute and transfer to Savute Safari Lodge where we will be staying for the next three nights. (B, L, D)

Days 9 & 10 - Savute

Savute lies in the heart of Botswana’s beautiful Chobe National Park. This dynamic wilderness is a sweeping expanse of savannah brooded over by several rocky outcrops which guard a relic marsh and the dry channel that was once its lifeline. The Savute goes through wet and dry cycles, where wild dogs hunt in the dry river channel where crocodiles swam only twenty years ago. Visitors to this spectacular area can spot abundant wildlife including a variety of birds, elephants, antelope, lion prides, black-backed jackal, bat-eared foxes, tsessebe, kudu, hyena, cheetah Cape buffalo herds, and thousands of migrating zebra and wildebeest. (B, L, D)

Day 11 - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The final stop on our wonderful journey is the stunning Victoria Falls. We fly to Kasane Airport and transfer by road to the luxurious Victoria Falls Hotel for our two night stay. (B, D)

Day 12 - Victoria Falls.

We take a guided tour of the Falls which form the largest single curtain of falling water on earth (on average the curtain is 92 metres deep). The Victoria Falls’ 500 metre plume of spray can be seen from as far as 70 kilometres away. The sound of the water can also be heard from kilometres away and up close this muted ‘thunder’ becomes a roar. In full flood, over 550 million litres of water per minute cascade over the brink. The vast width of the Falls, extending 1708 metres, allow for many safe vantage points from where you will be able to get different views of the roiling water as it crashes into the gorge and whose constant spray maintains the rain forest. The forest is an attraction on its own with many of the trees marked to help identification. These include fig, mahogany, date palm, milkwood and ebony. The bird life is prolific and species that may be seen include the colourful sunbird and large trumpeter hornbill. This evening we enjoy our farewell dinner at the hotel. (B, D)

Day 13 - Victoria Falls to London.

After breakfast transfer to Victoria Falls airport for your return indirect flight to London. (B)

Day 14 - London.

Arrive London.

Dates and Prices

Prices per person based on double occupancy

2 to 15 March 2020
Category	Price
Twin	£9795
Single	£12295

25 November to 8 December 2020
Category	Price
Twin	£9995
Single	£12495

2 to 15 March 2021
Category	Price
Twin	£10095
Single	£12695

Tour Reference Code: LABOTSW

PRICE INCLUDES: Economy class scheduled air travel • 11 nights accommodation (3 nights at Camp Moremi, Moremi Game Reserve, 3 nights Xugana Island Lodge, Okavango Delta, 3 nights Savute Safari Lodge, Chobe National Park, 2 nights Victoria Falls Hotel, Victoria Falls) • Meals as listed (B - breakfast, L – lunch, D – dinner) • Excursions & game drives as listed • Tour Manager • Local guide/s • Gratuities • Transfers • Airport taxes.

Not Included: Travel insurance, visas, optional activities.

NB. Due to restrictions on the domestic flights, the total luggage allowance is 20 kilos per person and only soft-sided travel cases are permitted.