Tour Botswana’S Premium Safari | Visit Botswana, Zimbabwe

Meals

A key facet of our responsible approach to tourism is that we encourage our groups to eat in local restaurants that prepare locally grown food. We give customers choice as to their meals and do not use rather bland and impersonal hotel restaurants or all- inclusive options 11 Breakfasts 6 Lunches 6 Dinners

Guide

Tour Leaders are quite simply the glue that holds our tours together. They are chosen for their travel experience and people skills and are thoroughly trained by Explore, widely acknowledged as some of the best training in the industry. A Tour Leader’s ultimate aim is to ensure everyone is well looked after and have a fantastic trip. They are there to ensure that the tour logistics run smoothly, that health and safety is adhered to and provide comprehensive briefings at the beginning and throughout the tour.

Accommodation

2 nights standard boat 1 nights standard hotel 5 nights premium lodge 3 nights premium tented camp

Transport

4WD, Boat

Others

All accommodation, activities and meals that are shown in the itinerary are included in the total cost of your trip You will also receive a complimentary transfer to and from the airport if you arrive on day 1 of the trip and depart on the last day and have provided your international flight information.

Not included:

Optional

The following excursions and/or activities are usually available and may be arranged locally. Estimated costs are provided below for guidance only, are on a per person basis unless shown otherwise, and may depend on the number of participants. Prices quoted are correct as of the date these tour notes were originally issued but may change at any time due to currency fluctuations. Please note: These activities are booked and paid for direct with the supplier and do not form part of your Explore holiday contract. Kasane - Boat safari on Chobe River US$ 40pp, River Cruise US$40pp Okavango Delta - Tsodilo Hills and Bushman village visit US$ 52pp, Houseboat launch boat trip US$ 15pp. Livingstone - Helicopter for 30 mins flight US$ 360pp (plus US$6pp aviation fee), Whitewater rafting half day US$ 160pp, full day US$ 170pp; Upper Zambezi canoeing half day US$ 110pp, full day US$ 145pp; Zambezi river cruises sunset (1 hour)US$ 65pp, sunset & dinner US$ 85pp; Game drives US$ 65pp for 2 hours; Livingstone tour US$ 50pp; Cultural village tour US$ 50pp (including transfers). Rafting note: River conditions are determined by seasonally predictable fluctuations in water levels. Low water season generally runs from August to January each year - this is when the Zambezi is at its very wildest. High water is from about February to July and there can be a closed season between March and June depending on the season’s rains.

Others

Any visa costs, spending money and tips are not included in the trip price. You can also book extra nights’ accommodation at the beginning and end of the trip and the cost of this accommodation along with any transfers would be quoted separately.

Flights

International flights not included in the tour cost.

Insurance

Travel insurance is not included.

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Join Trip In Maun, Botswana
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Join Trip In Maun, Botswana

Arrive in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. Originally a rural village, it has rapidly developed into Botswana’s ’tourism capital’. However, the town has managed to retain much of its rural atmosphere. Our lodge tonight is the magnificent Thamo Telele, set amongst a lush forest of old growth leadwood and acacia trees, around 25 minutes outside of Maun. Each luxury safari-style tent is on raised wooden platforms with hardwood floors and en-suite bathrooms, all with outdoor showers and nature as the back drop. The stylish canvas tents all have twin beds, which can be converted into doubles, and air conditioning above the bed. There is a swimming pool and central main lounge and bar area, where you’ll find comfy couches and locally designed wall art. Its a truly exceptional property. For those arriving on time our Leader plans to meet you in the lodge reception at 6pm for the welcome meeting followed by dinner served under the stars around 7pm. There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Maun at any time. If you would like to receive a airport transfer today, you’ll need to arrive into Maun Airport (airport code MUB), which is 25km, around 30 minutes’ drive from the hotel. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.
Day 2 Day 2: Drive To The Kazikini Area Just Outside The Border Of Moremi Game Reserve, Game Drive In The Afternoon
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Drive To The Kazikini Area Just Outside The Border Of Moremi Game Reserve, Game Drive In The Afternoon

We will travel together as a group by 4WD safari vehicles to Mogogelo Camp, a classic safari camp in a private concession bordering the Moremi game Reserve. This majastic camp will be our base for the next two nights. The mighty Okavango is the third largest river in Africa and its delta area covers 16,000 square kilometres of crystal clear channels, a myriad of ephemeral lakes and ever changing islands, surviving in the Kalahari desert. The river flows south east from the Angolan highlands over 1,000 km away and takes up to 6 months to reach the delta area that floods on a perennial annual cycle. The Okavango Delta covers an enormous wilderness area composed of permanent swamps, islands, forest and dry land. Exceptional though the geography of the Delta may be, it is the amazing wildlife of the waterways that draws us. During the safaris we will travel in customised, open-sided land-cruisers for game viewings. The Landcruisers are ideal for game viewing opportunities but can be a bit brisk and windy during the longer travel days, so ensure you bring some layers for travel days, and your tour leader will provide blankets to make the journeys as comfortable as possible. The roads through Botswana can vary in quality, so travel days can be slow and bumpy but the scenery more than makes up for this.
Day 3 Day 3: Second Day In Moremi In Search For The Big Five And Huge Variety Of Birds
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Second Day In Moremi In Search For The Big Five And Huge Variety Of Birds

We will enjoy two game drives today. Setting off for our morning game drive at first light (when predator activity is most expected), we get the chance to experience one of Africa’s most natural and unspoiled wonderlands in the park with hippo, crocodile and a great variety of birds all seen in the Delta, as well as the elusive sitatunga antelope. This place is also an ornithologist’s paradise with fish eagle, kingfisher, heron, stork, egret, weaver and bee-eater all regularly seen. Returning for brunch as the day starts heats up, the hottest part of the day is spent at leisure at our camp, a chance of a siesta, a dip in the pool, relax reading a book or birdwatching. Our afternoon activity departs after tea, usually around 4pm, to return in the early evening. Game drives and activities vary from one to the next, depending on sightings and animal activities, generally, we drive quite far and slowly to absolutely maximize game-viewing potential, all expertly guided by our highly experienced tour leaders. Your guide will generally spend maximum time on game-drives, depending on what is seen, trying to cover as much area as possible. The result of this is guests are given the best chances of seeing a variety of wildlife. Species such as Giraffe, Zebra and Wildebeest are but a few that occur here, along with an astonishing variety of birds. Hyena Pan is well known for its waterholes, we get the opportunity to view the wildlife from our ground level hide alongside the waterhole.
Day 4 Day 4: Morning Game Drives; Afternoon Drive To Thamo Thelele, A Private Reserve Outside Of Maun
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Morning Game Drives; Afternoon Drive To Thamo Thelele, A Private Reserve Outside Of Maun

This morning we take a slow drive out of the concession and should arrive to Thamo Thelele around lunch time. The afternoon is free for you to explore the lodge and its wild surroundings on self-guided walking trails. Alternatively relax by the swimming pool. There is also the option to book a giraffe experience. One of the most fascinating things about the lodge is its resident herd of 20 giraffe, which you can observe while on activities in the reserve and most enthralling get up close and personal to in the evening while they feed at the waterhole. There are naturalists on hand, who will be able to tell you all about these fascinating animals. See the budgeting section for more details.
Day 5 Day 5: Explore The Waterways Of The Okavango Panhandle On Our Private Houseboat
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Explore The Waterways Of The Okavango Panhandle On Our Private Houseboat

After breakfast drive up the west side of the Okavango Delta Panhandle to Shakawe, where we leave our vehicle behind and board a motor launch to our houseboat. On arrival, meet our friendly crew who will be our hosts for the next few nights. After settling in dinner is served in the upper deck and lounge with panoramic windows offering the most amazing backdrop of the sun setting over the Okavango river basin. The accommodation is informal and comfortable, with eight cabins with en-suite facilities. Each cabin has glass doors sliding open on to the wilderness of the remote panhandle area, while on the deck above are seating areas from which to enjoy the sunsets and listen to the birds. The boat will be for our exclusive use during our stay. Due to seasonal variations in the level and strength of the river, the houseboat itself might only be able to access limited parts of the river for much of the year, whilst we explore the river on smaller launches. However, the amount of water that falls in the catchment area can be highly variable and occasionally, conditions may allow the houseboat itself to cruise in other areas of the Delta. The next couple of days are spent enjoying this spectacular setting. During our time on the river, there is a possibility of seeing a variety of game. On our launch, we may cruise past submerging pods of hippos, while crocodiles bask in the shallows and on the riverbanks. While drifting along, it is not hard to imagine yourself as David Livingstone, exploring Africa all those years ago.
Day 6 Day 6: Visit To Tsodilo Hills, See Thousands Of San Bushman Rock Paintings
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Visit To Tsodilo Hills, See Thousands Of San Bushman Rock Paintings

Today, we’ll visit the intriguing and sacred World Heritage Site of the Tsodilo Hills. The San Bushmen community believe the hills are the site of the first creation and painted an astonishing 4000 rock paintings across 350 sites marking the area’s significance. Here, four impressive rocks jut out of the expanse of the surrounding land, and it is believed by the San Bushmen that the largest of the rocks is the ’man’, the second largest the ’woman’, and the smallest the ’child’. The fourth rock, which stands apart from the others, is said to be the male’s first wife. Some of the paintings are thought to be over 24,000 years old, and as well as the chance to see ancient rock paintings, the hills offer vast views across the countryside below. A expert local guide will accompany us around the site, interpreting the carvings. The walking tour lasts around two hours, walking along a flat well graded path. It’s possible to opt out at any stage and return to the shade of the small museum located at the entrance of the site, where we will also have a picnic lunch before returning to the houseboat for a relaxing evening.
Day 7 Day 7: Drive To Kasane Home To Chobe National Park
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Drive To Kasane Home To Chobe National Park

This morning will be a early start for the very long journey to Chobe National Park. Today’s total journey time is approximately seven hours depending on time spent at the border crossings, and will of course include comfort breaks and a lunch break. The drive takes us through north to Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, before heading to the riverside town of Kasane. The Caprivi Region has a colourful and interesting history, playing a central part in the Berlin Conference of 1890. Named after German Chancellor General Count Georg Leo von Caprivi di Caprara di Montecuccoli, the strip was once administered by the British before it was swapped for Zanzibar with the Germans at a time of great European political manoeuvring. A mid to late afternoon arrival in Kasane provides just enough time for a refreshing sundowner at our hotel accommodation on the banks of the Chobe River. A variety of habitats of flooded grassland, thicket, salt pan and particularly the banks of the Chobe River, one of the Zambezi’s main tributaries, is home to an abundance of wildlife. A major feature of Chobe is its elephant population and is considered to be the largest surviving continuous elephant population and is currently estimated at 120 000 strong! This population covers most of northern Botswana plus northwestern Zimbabwe and has been built up steadily from a few thousand since the early 1900s when massive poaching at the height of the illegal ivory trade decimated other populations in the 1970s and 1980s. The Chobe elephants in this area have the distinction of being the largest in body size of all living elephants, but the ivory is brittle and there are no more of the huge tuskers from a by gone era.
Day 8 Day 8: Game Drives In Chobe National Park
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Game Drives In Chobe National Park

We’ll maximise our time today to ensure we make the most of game drive opportunities. We head out in the morning and again in the afternoon, for the chance to spot huge trumpeting herds of elephants in and around the southern bank of the Chobe River, where we can also find Chobe Bushbuck and Puku Antelope. Other mammals to be seen are buffalo, kudu, eland, waterbuck, sable and roan antelope, zebra, lion, cheetah, leopard, impala and reedbuck. In the river are hippo and crocodile and the waters teem with bream, barbel and tiger fish (freshwater barracuda). Our tour leader will decide on the exact running times of the day, and lunch arrangements, depending on the weather conditions and the season to ensure the best viewing. For those that wish to there is an optional boat cruise along the Chobe River offered in the afternoon, perhaps the last river where one has a fair chance to see Lion and Elephant, Leopard or Wild Dog from the unique viewpoint of a boat. See the budgeting section for prices.
Day 9 Day 9: Further Game Drives In Chobe River Area
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Further Game Drives In Chobe River Area

Today we will continue with our morning and afternoon game drives in Chobe National Park. The northern Chobe area of Serondela is the heart of elephant country. Up to 35,000 elephants live here, the largest number in any African park. On our game drive this morning we take a slow drive along the southern bank of the Chobe River, where we can find Chobe Bushbuck and Puku Antelope. The sheer variety of animals in abundance, make this region a must-see for any wildlife enthusiast. We hope to watch huge herds in and around the great Chobe River, which also teems with hippo and crocodile.
Day 10 Day 10: Drive To Victoria Falls Town. Witness The Wonders Of Victoria Falls On The Zambezi River
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Drive To Victoria Falls Town. Witness The Wonders Of Victoria Falls On The Zambezi River

This morning, we leave Botswana and cross the border into Zimbabwe to arrive to the town of Victoria Falls. Often referred to as the adventure capital of Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is a pleasant town with a variety of land, air and water-based activities on offer in the surrounding area. Close to our lodge is one of the natural wonders of the world - Victoria Falls. This afternoon we’ll visit the falls from the Zimbabwean side of the river where the Zambezi River plummets over a sheer cliff wall spanning more than 1676 meters and dropping approximately 100 metres into the abyss below. The natives named the waterfall, Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning ’the smoke that thunders’ because of the plumes of water vapour that rise like smoke into the sky above the falls, accompanied by the deafening roar. After our guided tour you can take your time to further explore the network of paths and enclaves around the falls. For the next two nights we will be staying at either the Batonka Guest Lodge or Pioneer Lodge. The two are sister properties located just over 1km from each other and are almost identical. Both are set in beautiful landscaped gardens, feature a swimming pool, spacious rooms, an expansive terrace where breakfast is taken, a bar and a stylish lounge and dining room which are both extremely comfortable. They are both exclusively reserved for residents which ensures the upmost privacy.
Day 11 Day 11: Free Day With A Choice Of Optional Activities
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Free Day With A Choice Of Optional Activities

Today is free to relax, or you may choose to book a two hour game drive in Zambezi National Park in search of the big five. Alternatively, there is the option to take a scenic flight over the falls or go white water rafting in the Zambezi. All activities can be booked at your guesthouse directly and full prices are available in the budgeting section of the trip notes.
Day 12 Day 12: Trip Ends In Victoria Falls
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Trip Ends In Victoria Falls

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Victoria Falls. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Victoria Falls at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you need to depart from Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA), which is about 20 minutes’ drive from the hotel.

12 days tour

Botswana’S Premium Safari

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Botswana’S Premium Safari

Day 1: Join Trip In Maun, Botswana

Day 2: Drive To The Kazikini Area Just Outside The Border Of Moremi Game Reserve, Game Drive In The Afternoon

Day 3: Second Day In Moremi In Search For The Big Five And Huge Variety Of Birds

Day 4: Morning Game Drives; Afternoon Drive To Thamo Thelele, A Private Reserve Outside Of Maun

Day 5: Explore The Waterways Of The Okavango Panhandle On Our Private Houseboat

Day 6: Visit To Tsodilo Hills, See Thousands Of San Bushman Rock Paintings

Day 7: Drive To Kasane Home To Chobe National Park

Day 8: Game Drives In Chobe National Park

Day 9: Further Game Drives In Chobe River Area

Day 10: Drive To Victoria Falls Town. Witness The Wonders Of Victoria Falls On The Zambezi River

Day 11: Free Day With A Choice Of Optional Activities

Day 12: Trip Ends In Victoria Falls

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