Day 1 - Makgadikgadi
On arrival at Maun Airport you will be met by a representative and transfer you to the Camp by road. This transfer takes approximately 2 hours. (D)
Accommodation: 2 nights Meno a Kwena Tented Camp
Overlooking the scenic Boteti River, Meno A Kwena meaning ‘teeth of the crocodile’ offers guests a rustic and traditional safari experience. While not the most luxurious safari camp in Botswana, the focus is on attention to detail, service and sharing a passion for wildlife. The 9 tents feature en-suite flush toilets and are hidden amongst the natural vegetation with full views of the Boteti River. Activities include game drives, bushman guided walks, a floating wildlife viewing hide, or simply relaxing in the plunge pool where you may spot elephants and other wildlife.
Day 2 - Makgadikgadi
Enjoy a full day exploring the area with the activities provided by the camp. (BLD)
The Makgadikgadi Pan is a salt pan situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana and is one of the largest salt flats in the world. Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan, but many pans with sandy desert in between, the largest being the Sua (Sowa), Ntwetwe and Nxai Pans.
A dry, salty, clay crust most of the year, the pans are seasonally covered with water and grass, and are then a refuge for birds and animals in this very arid part of the world. The climate is hot and dry, but with regular annual rains. Very little wildlife can exist here during the harsh dry season of strong hot winds and only salt water, but following a rain the pan becomes an important habitat for migrating animals including wildebeest and one of Africa’s biggest zebra populations, and the large predators that prey on them. The wet season also brings migratory birds such as ducks, geese and great white pelicans. The pan is home of one of only two breeding populations of greater flamingos in southern Africa, and only on the Soa pan, which is part of the Makgadikgadi pans.
Day 3 - Okavango Delta
This morning you will be transferred by road to Maun airport and then board your helicopter for a transfer, and sightseeing, to your camp in the Okavango Delta. (BLD)
Accommodation: 2 nights Molokwane.
Situated on the Matsebi River, Mokolwane camp is made up of tree houses 2 metres off the ground. A real haven for elephants that love the palm trees of this area. This camp is situated in the open flood plains that receive floodwater 3 weeks earlier than the southern areas of the concession. The vegetation consists of smaller palm islands and wide-open spaces.
Mokolwane is a 14-bedded camp, with the accommodation boasting superb views, each with a private bathroom. The Matsebi River is your main feeder for Lake Ngami, which is historically famous to the region.
One of the remotest camps in the Okavango Delta. For certain parts of the year the camp is only accessible on foot. This really is one of the earth’s last wildernesses. A place to take in all the noise of nature from your raised tree cabin. A simple but beautiful camp.
Day 4 - Okavango Delta
Enjoy the day exploring the Delta or relaxing at the lodge. (BLD)
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a vast inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the few interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is largely intact. All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired. Each year, about 11 cubic kilometres (2.6 cu mi) of water spreads over the 6,000–15,000 km2 area.
The Delta is both a permanent and seasonal home to a wide variety of wildlife which is now a popular tourist attraction. All of the big five game animals—the lion, leopard, African buffalo, African bush elephant and rhinoceros (both black and white rhinoceros)—are present. Other species include giraffe, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, hippopotamus, numerous breeds of antelope, cheetah and many more varieties of wildlife and over 400 bird species.
Day 5 - Khwai Private Reserve
Today after breakfast, you will transfer to your next camp in the Khwai area by helicopter. (BLD)
Accommodation: 2 nights Hyena Pan.
Hyena Pan is a tranquil tented camp in private concession area NG18 better known as Khwai. The concession area borders the Moremi National Park and the Khwai River in the South and the Chobe National Park to the East. The camp is positioned 12km’s North of the Khwai River, within Cathedral Mopane forest overlooking a natural Mopane Pan. The pan is a constant water supply to many species of birds and animals year round, the rains in December to March flood the area creating an enormous water feature encouraging Hippo, Elephant and Buffalo and an exceptional array of water birds, as the pan shrinks from March through to late November we pump water to the pan from our close by borehole. The water from the borehole is slightly salty with high mineral content, a big attraction to the resident game and bird species in the concession. The pan is a hive of activity year round.
Day 6 - Khwai Private Reserve
Enjoy a day of morning and afternoon game drives. (BLD)
Khwai Private Reserve is a 200 000 hectare private reserve positioned between the Chobe National Park and the Moremi Game Reserve. The reserve thus benefits from the through-flow of magnificent wildlife from those important and productive areas. The landscape varies from open grasslands to channels and waterways and the mopane hinterland.
Many and varied animals can be found in the reserve including sable, impala, roan, kudu. Large numbers of elephant traverse between the Moremi and Chobe National Park. Big cats are present. Wild dog are found in the area. Hippos and crocodiles frequent the waterways. Birdlife is excellent and varied.
Day 7 - End of your Botswana Odyssey
This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to the local airstrip for your scheduled light aircraft flight to Maun and your onward arrangements. (B)