Botswana Safari – 2 nights Victoria Falls Zambia | 2 nights Chobe | 3 nights Savuti | 2 nights Okavango Delta
Overview
Lovely time at Victoria Falls – enjoyed the rhino walking safari and the grounds were amazing for resting up after our flight. The sunset cruise on the Zambezi was a very nice surprise – we saw plenty of hippos and crocodiles and enjoyed soaking up the sun. We loved Chobe and the Delta – it was unbelievably beautiful at Xugana Island Lodge which was so unique. Thank you for everything Gail!
You are met at Victoria Falls Airport upon arrival and are transferred to your hotel.
Transfer time – Victoria Falls Airport to Victoria Falls hotels: approx. 20 minutes
Besides being one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls is the unchallenged adventure capital of Africa with more than 50 activities available.
The Victoria Falls is considered to be the largest waterfall in the world. See the mighty Zambezi River as it thunders over the 1700 metre wide Victoria Falls and plunges 100 metres into a narrow gorge below. The great columns of spray rising from the tumultuous falls can be seen from 80 kilometres away on a clear day. If you are lucky enough to be there at full moon, a “moonbow” can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow.
This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred by road to Kasane, Botswana. Once across the Zambian/Botswana border, you will be met and transferred to Namibian immigration on the banks of the Chobe River in Kasane. Once through immigration, you will step onto your boat shuttle to take you up river to your lodge.
Travelling time: Transfer time: Victoria Falls to Kasane – approx 1½ hours
Boat ride to lodge – approx 1 hour
Chobe National Park on Botswana’s north west border is a pristine wilderness of open plains, baobab trees, ancient woodland, swamps and flood plains and is home to the greatest concentration of game in the entire southern African subcontinent. One of Africa’s most beautiful rivers, the Chobe River forms the Park’s northern boundary. The Chobe riverfront area is most famous for its large herds of elephants and buffalo, which come down to the river in huge herds to drink during the dry winter months. During this season, one may see hundreds of elephants at one time. Other species include waterbuck, lechwe, puku (this is the only part of Botswana where they can be seen), giraffe, kudu, roan and sable, impala, warthog, bushbuck, monkeys and baboons, along with the accompanying predators lion, leopard, hyena and jackal. Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of Africa’s premier venues for bird Safaris. A highlight of Chobe is taking a river cruise, which allows you to get up close with hippo, crocodile and a mind-boggling array of water birds. You also get really close to animals that come down to the river.
This morning after your game activity and breakfast, you will be transferred by boat to Kasane and then by road to Kasane Airport for your light aircraft flight to your lodge in the Savuti.
Boat ride to immigration – approx 1 hour
Transfer time: Namibian Immigration to Kasane Airport – approx 10 minutes
Flight time: Kasane to Savuti Airstrip – approx 30 minutes
Transfer time: Savuti Airstrip to Savuti Lodge – approx 25 minutes
Stretching from the Linyanti River all the way to Savute Marsh, the winding waterways of the Savute Channel have pumped life into the western section of Chobe National Park for many thousands of generations.
However, this fickle and unpredictable channel, which has a fascinating history of flooding and drying up, independently of good rainy seasons and flood levels elsewhere, has mystified local inhabitants, geologists and others for many years.
The Savuti area offers great game viewing at certain times of the year. The annual Zebra migration is closely followed by many Lion prides. Good sightings of Cheetah and Leopard are possible and the endangered Wild Dog also occurs here. Savuti is famous for its large concentrations of Elephants that congregate around the waterholes, making game-viewing exceptional.
Birdlife is also amazing, with Secretary Birds and Kori Bustards often seen around the Savuti Marsh. Summer migrants and water birds include Abdim’s Storks, Carmine Bee-eaters, Fish Eagles. Red-billed Queleas, which gather in their thousands, are a spectacular sight as they wheel and turn in unison.
This morning after your game activity and breakfast, you will be driven to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to your lodge in the Okavango Delta.
Transfer time: Ghoha Hills to Airstrip – approx 25 minutes Flight time: Savuti to Okavango Delta – approx 30 minutes Transfer time: Xugana Island Lodge Airstrip to lodge: approx 20 minutes by boat
Located in northern Botswana, the Okavango River is a unique natural phenomenon – flowing more than 1 000 km (620 miles) from its source in Angola, this river disappears beneath the sands of Botswana, creating a lush inland delta in the midst of this otherwise arid country. The Okavango Delta is in a constant state of flux, expanding and contracting according to the rainy season. While some parts of the Delta remain permanently flooded, others only experience high water levels from May to September, when rainwaters from Angola reach the outer stretches of the Okavango.
Renowned for its abundant wildlife, the Okavango Delta and the areas surrounding Okuti are home to a large number of species, including many predators, as well as a number of species adapted to the semi-aquatic lifestyle, such as the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga. Lion prides, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog may be encountered, while families of hippo hide in the deeper channels and lagoons. The area supports the continent’s largest surviving concentration of elephant and buffalo, while roan and sable antelope roam the open woodlands.
This morning after your game activity and brunch, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Maun where you can catch your regional flight to Cape Town.
Flight time – Okavango Delta to Maun Airport: approx 20 minutes