Fly-in Kalahari, Delta,
Victoria Falls

THE BEST OF BOTSWANA IN TOTAL COMFORT

Areas of Interest

Adventurous travelers seeking a truly remote African safari will be thrilled to discover it in central Botswana. The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the second largest game reserve in the world and one of the least visited, nothing can prepare you for the sheer wonder of exploring this vast reserve with its wild, untouched beauty. The landscape is dominated by sand veld, acacias, and Kalahari apple-leaf, interspersed with grasslands and dotted with occasional sand dunes, pans and fossil river valleys. While the reserve is home to an impressive variety of wildlife, there is one animal that is rather obviously absent, the human being. It is this lack of human traffic, combined with the park’s lack of infrastructure, that makes for a challenging and marvellously authentic African experience. Visitors need to be entirely self-sufficient but those willing to make the effort will be richly rewarded.

The Khwai area of the Okavango lies along the northern boundary of the Moremi Game Reserve. This is an unfenced boundary allowing wildlife to move freely between the woodlands in the wet season when water is plentiful and back to permanent rivers and lagoons in the dry season. The Khwai area offers the same wildlife experience as the reserve with the added advantage of being a private concession which means the ability to do walking safaris and night drives.

The Khwai River, the northern-most overflow of the Okavango Delta, pushes water far into the dry lands of Botswana during the dry season, attracting a multitude of wildlife and is known as one of the most dramatic wildlife experiences in the country:

    • Dry season concentration of wildlife along the channel (June to September)
    • Diversity in vegetation from open grass plains to riverine forest
    • Excellent birding during the summer months
    • Very strong predator population including lion, leopard and wild dog

Situated in the east of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve ranks as one of the most beautiful reserves in Africa. It covers more than 4871 square kilometres of pristine wilderness, and the varied terrain includes savannah, winding waterways, and dense forest. This diverse ecosystem supports an incredibly wide spectrum of wildlife, ranging from large herds of buffalo, wildebeest and zebra, to the rare sitatunga and lechwe antelope, lion, cheetah and packs of wild dog in the open grasslands. The birdlife is prolific and includes most of the 550 bird species recorded on Botswana’s national bird list. A range of luxury lodges in the reserve offers visitors the perfect base to experience this corner of paradise.

It is the most diversified of all the parks in Botswana. Although just fewer than 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 square miles) in extent, Moremi Game Reserve is a surprisingly diverse game reserve, combining mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains, and lagoons. Only about 30% of the Reserve is mainland, with the bulk being within the Okavango Delta itself.

Chances of seeing all the Big 5 are high (May to November). By combining drier areas and waterways, the contrasts are astonishing. Imagine views of savannah game as well as birdlife around the rivers, or elephants and hippos splashing in the lagoons. Often referred to as a ‘Garden of Eden’, the Moremi Game Reserve offers excellent game viewing year-round and stunning landscapes of savannah, floodplains, lagoons, dense forests (where leopards and wild dogs hide) and winding rivers.

We strongly recommend reading a bit more about this fantastic place, an ecosystem unique in the World. The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana. It’s known for its sprawling grassy plains, which flood seasonally, becoming a lush animal habitat. The Moremi Game Reserve occupies the east and central areas of the region. Here, dugout canoes (called mokoro) are used to navigate past hippos, elephants, and crocodiles. On dry land, wildlife includes lions, leopards, giraffes, and rhinos.

The Okavango Delta is a unique pulsing wetland. More correctly an alluvial fan, the delta covers between 6 and 15,000 square of the Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River which flows from the Angolan highlands, across Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, and into the harsh Kalahari Desert.

The 1000th site to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2014, the Okavango Delta is an important wildlife area protected by both the Moremi Game Reserve, on its eastern edge, and the numerous wildlife concessions within Ngamiland.

Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Botswana, on the banks of the famous Chobe River, the scenic little town of Kasane rests on the doorstep of the spectacular Chobe National Park. There are no boundary fences separating the village from the park and game such as elephant and hippo are often spotted roaming around the town. If on the lookout for elusive game, pay a visit to the Sedudu Valley Road, where large dead trees provide temporary homes for leopards. Within Kasane, an ancient baobab tree stands on display, once serving as a local prison. Visitors can look forward to a multitude of activities including: enjoying a game drive through the park, taking a sunset cruise down the Chobe River, visiting a local village or jumping on a day trip to the breathtaking Victoria Falls.

David Livingstone became the first European to see Victoria Falls in 1855 and named them in honor of the British Queen.

Victoria Falls presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800s as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. In more modern terms Victoria Falls is known as the greatest curtain of falling water in the world.

Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as, at the height of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge, over a width of nearly two kilometers, into a gorge over one hundred meters below.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 5,604 ft (1,708 m) and height of 354 ft (108 m), resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls. In height and width, Victoria Falls is rivaled only by Argentina and Brazil’s Iguazu Falls.

Sundowner cruises operate above the falls, and the area is also famous for the private flights on small aircraft, as well as the bungee jumps. Rafting in the Zambezi river is exciting, as well as canoeing and kayaking. If you are looking for an active holiday, Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River is the place for you.

Itinerary

  • Day 1 – Arrive Maun – Royal Tree Lodge

One of our members will be waiting for you at the airport for your transfer to Royal Tree Lodge, a private game reserve located twenty minutes from Maun. The lodge is situated on the banks of the Thamalakane River with an abundance of wildlife including giraffe, zebra, springbok, ostrich, eland, gemsbok and kudu as well as an extensive variety of birdlife.

Service: Bed and Breakfast

 

  • Day 2 & 3 – Tau Pan Camp – Central Kalahari Game Reserve

Your adventure starts with the magnificent Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and one of our favorite lodges, the Tau Pan, in the world-famous Kalahari Desert. Tau Pan is the first semi-permanent camp inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and offers truly incredible views from the elevated ridge of an ancient sand dune, an unusual experience in a land as flat as Botswana, and overlooks the famous Tau Pan – recognized for its stark beauty and remoteness.

Service: Full Board and Activities included

 

  • Day 4 & 5 – Khwai River View Camp – Khwai Community Area

Khwai River View is a rustic tented safari camp located close to the Khwai village within the Khwai community. The camp is simple and suitable for guests seeking an Out of Africa safari experience. The Khwai River attracts a multitude of wildlife species. Situated along the eastern border of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta, Khwai River View is offering guests a luxury traditional safari experience in an area renowned for large concentrations of wildlife.

Service: Full Board and Activities included

 

  • Day 6 & 7 – Moremi Crossing Lodge – Moremi Game Reserve

Moremi Crossing is located on an Island called Ntswi near the most southern part of Chief’s Island. As you fly over the Delta you can see the intricate twisting and turn of the waterways and the ever-changing colors where dry land meets Delta. The channels around Moremi Crossing offer far-reaching vistas of the Moremi floodplain, grasslands and marginal woodlands interspersed with Mokolwane palm islands.
Moremi Crossing provides comfortable accommodation in 16 vintage en-suite safari tents, each with its own private wooden deck and magical views over the Boro River and Chief’s Island. All tents are large and airy with en-suite bathrooms consisting of shower and toilet.
The main area consists of a large open plan deck that has a spectacular view over the River onto the largest island in the Delta – Chief’s Island. The half-moon shaped area is built on different levels to give you the feeling of space.
Dining room, bar, and lounge are covered by a large thatched roof that hugs the tree line and accentuates its most beautiful assets.
As Moremi Crossing is a water-based camp, guests arrive either by mokoro or boat from the airstrip and the area hosts a wide variety of animal and bird species. Moremi Crossing offers different activities in the form of mokoro trips,
game and bird walks, sunset motorboat cruises and island camping.

Service: Full Board and Activities included

 

  • Day 8 & 9 – Jackalberry Chobe – Kasane

Set on the banks of the Chobe River on the outskirts of the town of Kasane, Jackalberry Chobe is within easy reach of Kasane Airport and the Chobe National Park entrance.
Jackalberry Chobe has sixteen comfortable tented rooms, some of which have river views whilst the rest have vistas of the distinctive bush surroundings.  All rooms are airconditioned and offer a balcony, tea/coffee making facilities and
en suite bathrooms with a shower and freestanding bathtub.
The main area is comprised of a lounge, bar, restaurant, an outdoor dining venue and infinity swimming pool with a panoramic view over the Chobe River.
Activities are offered twice daily; these being a morning or afternoon game drive and an afternoon or evening boat cruise (water level dependent). A guided Victoria Falls day trip may be arranged at an additional cost.

Service: Full Board and Activities included

 

  • Day 10 & 11 – The Kingdom Hotel – Victoria Falls

The Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls has a distinctive Zimbabwean design based on the Great Zimbabwe Monument in Masvingo which provides this 4-star property with a unique feel and atmosphere. Built around a man-made water feature, the 294 bedrooms create the impression of having been built on a lake.
Accommodation consists of a variety of rooms with all the modern-day amenities. With a food court, bars and a casino, The Kingdom at Victoria Falls has it all and is the nearest hotel to the mighty Victoria Falls.
The entrance to the renowned Victoria Falls is just a five-minute walk from the hotel and The Kingdom is located only 20 kilometers or 20 minutes from Victoria Falls International Airport.

Service: Full Board and Activities included

 

  • Day 12 – Depart Victoria Falls

Extensions

Nxai Pan National Park covers more than 810 square miles and is located in Northern Botswana. It is a fossil lake, and the landscape is famous for the baobabs. Wildlife varies from cheetah to gemsbok, eland, lions and the other predators. The highlight of the park is the Baines Baobabs, a group of five baobabs, recently painted by Prince Charles.

Makgadikgadi National Park is part of the Makgadikgadi Pans, a large area that of 4,600 square miles. The landscape is characterized by the salt pans, with a few land islands scattered in the area. The wildlife includes large herds of blue wildebeest, flamingoes, plain game and the famous meerkats. On the western side, thanks to the fact that the Boteti River is now flowing again, and wildlife viewing is very rewarding. Stargazing is also a famous highlight of the Makgadikgadi. The complete darkness produces the brightest stars you could ever imagine.

You will find this park ideal to visit if you are planning to extend your holiday to South Africa. It is the land of the extremes, with summer temperatures exceeding 105 F (40 C). Animals have adapted to these conditions, and the areas around the Auob River and the Nossob River Valley are very rich in wildlife.

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