Chobe & Okavango Delta Safari

Day 1: Maun – Okavango Delta

Light aircraft transfer

Dumela – welcome to Botswana. At the Maun Airport, you will be met by a representative of your charter flight company and ushered aboard your connecting flight taking you to the Okavango Delta. On a clear day, you will be able to gaze over the beautiful landscapes of the Delta below. The Okavango Delta is formed by the waters of the Okavango River which never reaches the ocean. Instead, the river drains into the Kalahari and creates the magnificent landscape of rivers, lagoons, marshes, grasslands, and wooded islands that the Delta is famous for. After having safely landed, you will be transferred by boat through a maze of waterways directly to your camp. Here you have the chance to relax and freshen up before going on your first activity. Explore your surroundings on a boat cruise and watch as the sunset lays a golden glow over the waters of the Okavango Delta. In the evening, a delicious meal awaits you at the Setari Camp, your accommodation for the following two nights.

Day 2: Okavango Delta

You have an exciting day to look forward to and exciting days are best started early. Your camp offers several activities and the following can be viewed as a possible suggestion on how to spend your day: In a traditional dugout canoe called “mokoro”, steered by a local poler, you can gently glide along the water for a unique safari and a special start to the day. The Okavango Delta is home to hundreds of amazingly beautiful and impressive bird species. In a mokoro, you can silently glide close to this birdlife and get rewarded with unique perspectives. In the late morning, you return to your camp for brunch and some time to relax before your next activity in the afternoon. On a motor-powered boat you return to the water and continue your Okavango Delta water-safari adventure. Alternatively, you can opt to go on a full-day, guided walking safari along some of the Delta’s islands. When out exploring on foot, you have the chance to see nature in a different light and you can take a closer look at something which you might ordinarily have missed. Back at your camp and after your evening meal, you can sit around the camp’s outside firepit and admire the beautiful night sky above you as you spend another night at the Setari Camp.

Day 3: Okavango Delta – Maun

Light aircraft transfer

Enjoy another morning in your beautiful surroundings and time permitting, be sure to go on another activity. As your wonderful time in the Okavango Delta comes to an end, you are brought back to the airstrip for your flight to Maun. The end of one adventure simply signals the start of another. Friendly faces await you at the airport and you will be transferred to your accommodation, the Thamalakane River Lodge. You have the rest of the afternoon to spend at your leisure, so feel free to relax in and around the waters of the lodge’s swimming pool. In the evening, you will be met by your safari guide, who will also give you a short briefing for the adventure awaiting you over the following days.

Day 4: Maun – Moremi Region

Distance approx. 150 km; direct driving time approx. 3-4 hours + game drives

After a tasty breakfast, you go on game drive and an exciting safari day begins: Starting in the southern area you drive north across the length of the Moremi Game Reserve. This way, you can explore the different areas of the game reserve. Moremi is known as one of the best safari destinations in southern Africa. The area is home to the Big Five and has high numbers of elephants and buffalos with leopard and lion sightings fairly common too. But sighting a rhino in the wild is a special prize. So, keep your eyes open on any and every game drive and with a little luck, you could very well encounter all of the Big Five. Your guide has trained eyes and will be able to show you things which you might otherwise not have even known were there. In the afternoon, you reach your camp. Here, you can enjoy a refreshing sundowner on the camp’s deck and watch as the animals come to the Mbudi River for a drink of their own. You spend the next two nights at the Mmatsebe Camp, in a private concession north of Khwai.

Day 5: Moremi Game Reserve and surroundings

Game drives

Early morning is one of the best times for safari, so climb into your custom designed 4×4 safari vehicle and head out into the wild. Depending on the time of the year and numbers of wildlife, you will explore the famous Moremi Game Reserve or the wildlife-rich Khwai Region. Today you search for any animals which you may have missed yesterday. Due to the great size of the Moremi reserve and the surrounding private concessions, the region is also home to a substantial population of Africa’s most successful hunters: the African wild dog. By hunting in packs and adapting their hunting technique depending on their prey, they can achieve a success rate much higher than that of lions, leopards, or cheetahs when hunting. They can target impala, waterbuck, warthog and even fully grown wildebeest in this area. Once evening begins to set in, you return to your camp. Here a delicious dinner and a good night’s rest awaits you, as you overnight once more at the Mmatsebe Camp.

Day 6: Moremi Region – Savuti – Chobe Forest Reserve

Distance approx. 160 km; direct driving time approx. 5-6 hours + game drives

You have a long and exciting day ahead of you and therefore, you are up before the first morning light. Although the drive is considerable, you have possible wildlife sightings accompanying you each step of the way. The enigmatic Savuti is widely regarded as an excellent destination for those hoping to see lions or leopards on their safari. The Savuti became famous however, in recent wildlife documentaries, which focused on the area’s elephant-hunting lions. After a day filled with game drives and hopefully many sightings to cherish, you arrive at your camp located approximately two hours north of the Savuti, the Thobolo’s Bush Lodge. Here you can reward yourself by putting your feet up and enjoying an ice-cold beverage before having a tasty dinner and a relaxed evening.

Day 7: Chobe Forest Reserve – Chobe National Park – Chobe Region

Distance approx. 50 km; direct driving time approx. 2 hours + game drives

By now you most likely have become accustomed to the early Botswana start times and after breakfast you are already eager for the next adventure. You make your way through the Chobe Forest Reserve and along the edges of the Chobe Floodplains, with possible wildlife sightings to look forward to along the way. Lunch can be enjoyed as a picnic under a shade-giving tree. You then enter the Chobe National Park and continue to follow the Chobe River. The Chobe National Park is widely regarded as having a higher density of elephants than anywhere else in the world and many can often be seen coming to the riverfront. Witnessing the sheer number of elephants in the Chobe National Park, leaves little wonder why it is sometimes referred to as the “Land of Giants”. Big and small safari moments await you. In the evening, you return to your accommodation, the Chobe Elephant Camp.

Day 8: Chobe National Park

Game drives

The whole morning is dedicated to safari in the Chobe National Park. You may try to spot some of the animals which you didn’t see the day before. The Chobe National Park not only boasts a population of elephants but also lion, leopard, African wild dog, hyena, giraffe, wildebeest, and zebra. Many different antelope species can also be sighted here, including the water-loving puku and the red lechwe. You will find the birdlife in the Chobe National Park superb all year round. The park showcases many spectacular birds such as the African skimmer, African fish eagle, lilac breasted roller as well as the pied, half-collared and malachite kingfisher to name only a few of the over 450 different species. In the afternoon, you go on a boat cruise on the Chobe River. It is moments like these you won’t easily forget: Watch elephants, hippos, and buffaloes come to the Chobe River while rays of sunshine sparkle in the water. You spend another night at the Chobe Elephant Camp.

Day 9: Chobe Region – Kasane – Victoria Falls

Distance approx. 150 km; driving time approx. 3-4 hours

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast before you drive to Kasane. Here, you leave your 4×4 safari vehicle and get into a transfer car. Together with your transfer driver, guide and the other participants, you cross the border to Zimbabwe. You drive to your accommodation in town, the Batonka Guest Lodge. You can take a moment to check-in and settle in. In the afternoon, you go on a tour of the famous Victoria Falls waterfalls. With a length of 1.7 km and a height of 108 m, the Victoria Falls are said to be the biggest waterfall on earth. Afterwards, you can walk around, exploring the little town of Victoria Falls or visit the big souvenir market. You spend the last evening of your trip together with your guide and the other participants enjoying dinner at a restaurant in town (at own cost). You spend the night at Batonka Guest Lodge.

Please note: To join activities such as scenic flights, boat cruises or bungee-jumping at Victoria Falls, you would need to plan for an additional night ahead of your trip. Please get in touch with us!

Day 10: Victoria Falls

Today, your journey across Botswana and to the Victoria Falls comes to an end. After a relaxed breakfast, your transfer driver will take you to the airport where you continue your onward or home journey. We hope you will keep your safari in good memory for a long time to come!