Sample Trip

11 Night Zambia & Botswana Walking Safari

"From the wild Zambezi River to the waterways of the Okavango Delta."

Budget level: Mid-Range

Country

Botswana, Zambia

When to Go

May to Nov

Duration

11 Nights

Location

Livingstone, Lower Zambezi, Makgadikgadi Pans, Okavango Delta

Kids Min Age

Kutali Camp Zambia Lower Zambezi Walking Safari Tent71

botswana okavangodelta luxury shinde footsteps23

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Safari Rating

adventure

wilderness

wildlife

comfort

photographic

guiding

Itinerary in Brief

3 Nights Kutali – Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia
2 Nights Taita Falcon – Batoka Gorge, Zambia
3 Nights Shinde Footsteps – Okavango Delta, Botswana
3 Nights Moela Safari Lodge – Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana

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This 11-night Zambia and Botswana walking safari is for travellers who want to experience Africa at ground level. You’ll walk, canoe and track wildlife across four very different landscapes: the Lower Zambezi, the Batoka Gorge, the Okavango Delta and the Boteti River.

You start in Zambia, the birthplace of the walking safari. The Lower Zambezi National Park runs along one of Africa’s great rivers, with the Zambezi Escarpment rising behind it. Here you explore on foot with expert guides and armed scouts, paddle past elephant and hippo in a canoe, and fall asleep to the sounds of the bush in a small seasonal camp. It’s safari stripped back to what matters most.

From there you head west to the Batoka Gorge, just downstream of Victoria Falls. After the Lower Zambezi, the gorge gives you a complete change of scenery, with sheer basalt cliffs and the Zambezi rushing far below. It’s a chance to slow down, though there are good hikes into the gorge and along its rim for those who want to keep walking.

Next you cross into Botswana and fly into the northern Okavango Delta. A private concession on the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve means you can walk, go on night drives and glide through the channels by mokoro. Tracking fresh spoor each morning to work out what passed through in the night is one of the great pleasures of walking in the Delta.

The journey ends on the Boteti River, the western edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. In the dry season, thousands of zebra and wildebeest come down to the river to drink, with elephants and predators close behind. A private reserve on the riverbank lets you walk and drive at night, ending your safari on foot as it began.

This itinerary suits experienced safari-goers and adventurous first-timers alike. You don’t need a high level of fitness, just curiosity and a willingness to swap the vehicle for your own two feet.

Highlights

Walk in the Lower Zambezi with expert guides and armed scouts, in the country where walking safaris began
Canoe the quiet channels of the Zambezi past elephant, hippo and buffalo
Stay in a small seasonal bush camp on an island in the Zambezi
Hike down into the Batoka Gorge to the rapids of the Zambezi, then look out for the rare Taita falcon on the rim
Visit Victoria Falls, just a short drive from the gorge
Walk with specialist guides in the northern Okavango Delta and learn to read tracks and signs
Glide through the Delta’s channels by mokoro
Go on night drives on private reserves in both the Okavango and the Makgadikgadi
Watch thousands of zebra and wildebeest gather on the Boteti River in the dry season
Explore four distinct landscapes across two of Africa’s finest safari countries

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1–3: Kutali Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park Day 4–5: Taita Falcon, Batoka Gorge Day 6–8: Shinde Footsteps, Okavango Delta Day 9–11: Moela Safari Lodge, Okavango Delta Day 12: Departure

Day 1–3: Kutali Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park

Your safari begins in Lusaka, where a light aircraft takes you about 45 minutes east to Jeki airstrip in the Lower Zambezi National Park. A game drive of about an hour brings you to Kutali Camp, on Kulefu Island in the remote eastern part of the park. This is a true seasonal bush camp. It’s rebuilt each dry season with a light footprint and taken down again when the rains come. Five simple canvas tents with open-air bathrooms sit beneath winterthorn trees, facing the Zambezi, and the mess tent is where everyone gathers for meals and sundowners.

Guiding is the real focus at Kutali, and walking is where it shines. The island and the surrounding floodplains are ideal for exploring on foot, and you might find yourself tracking lion or wild dog or watching elephants cross the river. On the water, a canoe trip along the quiet side channels is a highlight. You’ll drift past hippo pods and elephants feeding on the banks, with remarkable birdlife all around. Boat trips, catch-and-release fishing for tigerfish, and day and night game drives complete the experience, and the guides tailor each day to your interests.

Kutali Camp Zambia Lower Zambezi Walking Safari Tent40

Day 4–5: Taita Falcon, Batoka Gorge

Today you fly to Livingstone, followed by a short drive to Taita Falcon Lodge. The lodge sits on the rim of the Batoka Gorge, 230 metres above the Zambezi and about 11 km downstream of Victoria Falls. The deck looks straight down into the gorge, where you can watch white-water rafters tackle the rapids below, and the pool is set in indigenous gardens.

If you want to keep walking, the gorge hike is a must. A winding trail drops through mopane, marula and leadwood forest to the river’s edge at rapids 16 and 17. It takes about two hours and needs moderate fitness for the steep climb back up. Gentler trails follow the top of the escarpment, where you might see the rare Taita falcon that gives the lodge its name, along with Verreaux’s eagles and peregrine falcons. You’re also close enough to visit Victoria Falls, and there’s a half-day rhino walk on a nearby private reserve. Otherwise, the lodge is a lovely place to rest with a book and watch the light change on the gorge walls.

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Day 6–8: Shinde Footsteps, Okavango Delta

This morning you cross into Botswana at Kazungula and take a light aircraft from Kasane into the northern Okavango Delta. Shinde Footsteps lies in the private Shinde Concession, which shares a long border with the Moremi Game Reserve. The camp was rebuilt and reopened in 2023, and it keeps the spirit of the classic old safaris. It’s small and personal, set in the bush, and built around exploring on foot.

Walking is the heart of a stay here, and you don’t need any special training to take part. Each morning you head out with your guide to read the fresh tracks and work out what passed through overnight, often the most memorable part of the day. Because Shinde sits where the permanent waters of the Delta meet drier woodland, there’s a good balance of land and water activities. You can take game drives in search of elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard, glide through the channels by mokoro, and go on night drives to see the Delta’s nocturnal species.

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Day 9–11: Moela Safari Lodge, Okavango Delta

A light aircraft flies you to Maun, followed by a drive of about two hours south-east to Moela Safari Lodge. The lodge sits high on the banks of the Boteti River inside the Ngande Private Reserve, which borders the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Craftspeople from the nearby Khumaga village built it, drawing on traditional Batswana architecture, and each of its eight suites looks out over the river valley.

In the dry season, roughly June to November, the Boteti is the only reliable water for miles. Thousands of zebra and wildebeest come down to the river to drink, often right below the lodge, and elephants and lions follow them. Game drives take you into the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park on the far bank. Because Moela is on a private reserve, you can also go on guided walks and night drives, so your safari ends on foot just as it began.

Moela Safari Lodge SafariFrank Botswana Zebra Migration1