Gesa’s Favourite Botswana & South Africa

3rd & 4th Nights: Savuti Mobile Safari

The Savuti region of the Chobe National Park is located between the Okavango Delta and the town of Kasane in the North East of Botswana. The area is normally fairly dry and arid as the Savuti channel flows rarely and seemingly unpredictably from the Linyanti swamp to the Savuti marsh. The area consists of small rocky outcrops, fairly dense Kalahari woodlands and also vast open grasslands in the marsh – which all attracts and holds strong concentrations of wildlife. The area was made famous for the number of documentaries filmed there, which focus mostly on the predators and their behaviours having to adapt to the random changes in water abundance. The most recent being “Savage Kingdom”.

Mobile safaris follow an old tried and tested formula that ‘takes everything along, but leaves nothing behind’. The safari crew uses a truck to ‘transport the camp’ and they will setup camp before you arrive. Accommodation is in the form of a private canvas setup, specifically for the safari and then moved to the next location by the mobile crew.

Guests can decide the level of luxury of the camp, but all will be in private tents (with proper beds) with on-suite bathroom, including a bucket shower (with hot water!) and basic toilet. The safaris are fully guided by the best local guides and guests travel in open game viewing vehicles between locations. The food is prepared by an experienced bush chef who prepares delicious meals on the open fire.

5th & 6th Nights: Chobe River-front Mobile Safari

Game viewing along the Chobe river is nothing short of intense. In the drier parts of the year the river attracts thousands of Elephants, Buffaloes, Zebra’s and everything in between! The concentrations of game along with scenic backdrop of the flood plains make this heaven for wildlife photographers. The only downside to this area is that it can be very busy with tourists, however if you are doing a mobile safari, you are already inside the park and some distance from the busy tourism section of Kasane. This distance allows for your group to be the first out in the park and best chance at finding those incredible sightings without the mass of tourists!

Mobile safaris follow an old tried and tested formula that ‘takes everything along, but leaves nothing behind’. The safari crew uses a truck to ‘transport the camp’ and they will setup camp before you arrive. Accommodation is in the form of a private canvas setup, specifically for the safari and then moved to the next location by the mobile crew.

Guests can decide the level of luxury of the camp, but all will be in private tents (with proper beds) with on-suite bathroom, including a bucket shower (with hot water!) and basic toilet. The safaris are fully guided by the best local guides and guests travel in open game viewing vehicles between locations. The food is prepared by an experienced bush chef who prepares delicious meals on the open fire.

7th & 8th Nights: Bayete Guest House

Located in the residential area of Victoria Falls, some distance from the falls itself, Bayete Guests House offers very comfortable accommodation in a casual setting for a very affordable price. We often recommend Bayete as the money saved on accommodation can be better spent on the large range of different activities that Victoria Falls has to offer and these can be booked at the reception.

9th Night: City Lodge - Johannesburg

A stop over at the very comfortable and conveniently located City Lodge is needed for this itinerary due to the timing of flights.

10th, 11th & 12th Nights: Simbavati Trails Camp

Simbavati Trails Camp is Simbavati’s luxury-but-back-to-basics walking trails camp. Located in a secluded area of the Timbavati, Simbavati Trails Camp borders an unspoilt wilderness area of 11, 000 hectares in Kruger National Park. Experience “off the grid”, where the Simbavati Trails Camp will take every opportunity to share the unexpected!

The camp offers 4 en-suite Meru-style safari tents and hosts a maximum of 8 guests. Bucket showers are filled on demand with warm water, hearty meals are prepared over an open fire by an expert cook, and there is no electricity or cellphone reception. — Just guests, in the heart of an untamed African wildlife wonderland.

Experience & Activities

The focus at Trails Camp is walking safaris. Guests are treated to daily morning and afternoon walking safaris with experienced guides.

Currently there are over 40 mammal species in the Timbavati, including the Big Five of lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant, as well as 360 species of birds.

Accommodations

Meru-style Safari Tents: En-suite Meru-style safari tents, complete with bucket showers with on demand hot water. These tents include amenities such as coffee/tea french press and tea making amenities, hot water bottles in winter, solar-powered lights, luxury, complimentary, eco-friendly, biodegradable amenities, plumbed toilets, bush facing shaded patio, foot refreshing baths for after those long walks, and wordrobes.

5th & 6th Nights: Misava Safari Camp

The camp has recently been refurbished and offers five chalets, accommodating a maximum of ten guests.  Misava camp is perfect for multi-generational family safaris or small groups.   Three chalets are authentic African rondavels (chalets) set amongst landscaped gardens.  Each chalet features an en-suite bathroom with large shower, and is tasteful decorated and named after a local artist from the area, along with a framed copy of the artist biography and artwork. There are also two larger river view chalets which have unmatched views and slightly fancier facilities than the garden chalets.

The main area provides a comfortable lounge, a dining area along with a modern, spacious open plan kitchen, scullery and laundry.  The outdoor areas incorporate a beautiful handcrafted wooden bar and rim flow pool overlooking the reserve, boma and another dining area. Best views around by far!

Guest can enjoy two guided game drives per day which are scheduled at the guests’ leisure. The professional guides provide and insight into the ecosystem of the bushveld, the traits of the animals and the diverse terrain and plant life, from flat planes to rocky outcrops and hilly landscapes. The reserve is home to a wide variety of predators, including lion, leopard, smaller cats, spotted hyenas, jackals and wild dogs.

Last day

From Misava one has three options to move onto the next stage of the trip. A road transfer to either Johannesburg for onward connections, or a shorter transfer to Eastgate airport and then a flight to Johannesburg for onward connections. The 3rd option is a day trip/safari through the public roads of the Kruger and then another night just outside Southern section of the park, where you can then catch a flight from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport the next day.