Victoria Falls Classic Botswana Safari – 2 nights Victoria Falls | 3 nights Chobe | 3 nights Okavango Delta
Overview
Kerry did a wonderful job planning our trip and everything she organized during our stay went smoothly. We loved Botswana and all of our game drive experiences – the animals and birds did not disappoint and our game ranger was very knowledgeable and we learnt so much on our safari. Our accommodation options were all amazing and were treated like royalty. Thank you Pembury Tours!
Upon arrival at OR Tambo Airport, you will be met by our representative , who will hand over your travel documents and assist you to the check in counter for your flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
On arrival at Victoria Falls Airport, you will be met by your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel, where you spend two nights. The afternoon is at leisure.
Transfer time: Victoria Falls Airport to your hotel – ± 25 to 40 minutes
Today is at leisure and you can explore the area and visit the Victoria Falls.
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.
The Falls’ local name, Mosi-Oa-Tunya – “the Smoke that Thunders” – more accurately defines the essence of the place: the rising, shining spray that can be seen 30km away. This vapour has the effect of adding moisture in the form of humidity to the air in the “splash zone”, so that a unique, small rainforest ecosystem clings to the edge of the Falls, providing a toehold for no less than 70 shrub and 150 herbaceous species, as well as trees such as pod and Natal mahogany, ebony, Cape and strangler fig and Transvaal red milkwood. There are two National Parks in the vicinity: the Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe and the Mosi-oa-Tunya Zoological Park in Zambia, which means that herds of big game such as elephant and buffalo, as well as smaller species and even predators such as lion persist in the area.
The morning is at leisure and later in the day your driver will meet you in reception for your transfer.
You depart Victoria Falls and cross the border into Botswana, where you are dropped off at Elephant Valley Lodge, where you spend three nights.
Transfer time: The Kingdom Hotel to Elephant Valley Lodge – 2 hours
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.
After your morning game activity and breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kasane Airport. Here you will be met by the representative who will assist you to your light aircraft for your flight into the Okavango Delta. On arrival at the airstrip, you are met by your ranger and transferred to Kadizora Camp, where you spend three nights.
Transfer time: Elephant Valley Lodge to Kasane Airport – ±25 minutes
Flight time: Kasane to Okavango Delta – 1 hour
The Okavango Delta in Botswana with its richly diverse wildlife species is one of the premium destinations in the world for a dynamic safari experience. This 22,000 square kilometre area offers a truly unique wilderness safari in Africa. The Delta forms where the Okavango River disappears beneath the sands of Botswana.
Although the periphery is semi-arid, the Okavango Delta itself is a patchwork of cool clear streams, lagoons, floodplains and forested islands. In the dry winter season vast numbers of wildlife flock to where the floodwaters infiltrate the delta, providing one of the world’s most spectacular sights. The world-renowned Moremi Game Reserve covers part of the Delta and is known as the ‘predator capital of Africa’. It is also home to the Big Five and large herds of elephant and buffalo. Famed for its big cat and bird population, the Delta is a peaceful haven where animals have been protected for decades. Watch giraffe and other plains game march across the savannah.
You might even catch a glimpse of rare wild dogs stalking the plains. Wide grassy floodplains are host to a magnificent array of wild animals, including the specially adapted sitatunga and lechwe antelopes. Within this lacework of channels, game viewing and bird watching is frequently guided from mokoro (dugout canoes) or more commonly, environmentally-friendly fibreglass replicas. In these slender flat-bottomed craft, guests are propelled by expert polers, many of whom were born in the Okavango Delta and know the winding waterways and their inhabitants intimately.
The morning is at leisure and you can enjoy your last game activity and a hearty breakfast. You bid farewell to this African wonderland and your ranger will then transfer you to the airstrip for your light plane flight to Maun. On arrival in Maun, you check info for your flight to Cape Town. Here you make your way to your hotel and spend four nights in Cape Town.