Where it’s not a habit, It’s life

12 Day - LUXURY Botswana Safari for first timers

This all-inclusive, luxury fly-in safari offers you the chance to explore Botswana in full

Botswana

12 Day - Luxury Botswana Safari For First Timers

This all-inclusive, luxury fly-in safari offers you the chance to explore Botswana in full, with effortless travelling between the country’s top wildlife destinations, including the Chobe National Park, the Savute region, Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

STARTING FROM

$7850 per person sharing

$7850

Starting from | per person sharing

10 Day - Highlights of Botswana Safari

Big 5 & Wildlife, Birding, Botswana, Luxury & Exclusive, Romantic & Honeymoon, Water & River

Experience one of the best tourism offerings in Southern Africa during this 12 Day Luxury Botswana Safari with Aquella Travel.

This safari combines all of the top destinations in this beautiful country, including Chobe National Park (including the Savute region), the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans. This all-inclusive safari offers you luxury accommodation, effortless travelling and incredibly scenic destinations combined with unrivalled land-and water-based game viewing.

Safari Summary

Tour duration

Tour duration	12 Days / 11 Nights
Departure / Return location	Johannesburg, South Africa
Destinations on tour	Chobe National Park Savute Region Okavango Delta Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
Included	All transfers Charter flights Conservation fees Drinks Laundry Local flights Luxury accommodation Meals Safari activities
Not included	Drinks not specified Gratuities Helicopter transfers International flights Items of a personal nature Meals not specified Medical insurance Other activities Personal expenses Private Guide and vehicle Travel insurance Visa costs

DAY TO DAY ITINERARY

Day 1

On arrival in South Africa, board a flight from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg to Kasane Airport, Botswana.

On arrival you will be met by our experienced ground crew and transferred to Chobe Game Lodge, situated within the Chobe National Park. Chobe National Park, one of the largest Parks in Botswana is situated in north-east Botswana on the banks of the Chobe River. The Park is biologically diverse and boasts with the highest concentration of elephants in the world. On arrival, check in, relax and settle in the lodge. Lunch can be enjoyed on arrival, with your first afternoon safari activity departing after 3PM.

Chobe Game Lodge

The Lodge

With six comfortably furnished viewing decks, a riverside boma, two bars, six different lounges and four dining locations, a comfy chair or lounger is never far away, each with a different perspective on the wilderness that surrounds the lodge. A large swimming pool provides welcome relief during hot afternoons and there is always a waiter on hand to bring you refreshments from the bar.

Each of the forty-seven rooms at the lodge is river-facing and air-conditioned, featuring overhead fans, complimentary mini bar, en-suite bathrooms and a private terrace. For those guests who demand the ultimate in exclusivity, the Lodge has four river-view suites, each with its own plunge pool and separate lounge area.

Activities & Wildlife

Chobe Game Lodge offers a choice of land or water-based activities and the most complete game experience in the Chobe National Park.

Early-morning and late-afternoon game drives are conducted by our expert guides in open-sided 4×4 vehicles. Meanwhile, riverside game viewing may be done from small and highly manoeuvrable boats, perfect for morning or sunset cruises. Chobe’s diverse wildlife roams in abundance – it is, for instance, home to the largest concentration of elephant in Africa. During the dry season these large herds, as well as vast herds of buffalo, congregate on the fertile flood plains along the Chobe River to drink, bathe and play. There are frequent sightings of lion, African wild dog, puku, red lechwe, sable, giraffe and roan antelope.

Day 2

Explore Chobe

Chobe Game Lodge offers a choice of land or water-based activities and the most complete game experience in the Chobe National Park.

Daily itinerary

05:00 Early morning wake-up call. 05:30 Light breakfast 06:00 Leave for morning activity, (approximately 3 – 4 hours). 09:30 Breakfast is served in the dining area. 11:00 Optional mid-morning Chobe River safari. 12:30 Lunch is served in the dining area. Siesta time – Relax and enjoy the lodge facilities and surroundings. 15:00 Afternoon tea 15:30 Depart for afternoon activity (approximately 3 hours). 19:00 Arrive back at the lodge. 19:30 Dinner is served in the dining area.

Day 3

Chobe to Savute

After your last morning safari activity and breakfast, check out and enjoy a short transfer to Kasane Airport. From here you will be transferred by charter flight to Savute Safari Lodge located in the Savute Region of Chobe Nationa Park.

Savute is famous for the Savute Marsh and its predators, especially its resident lion and spotted hyena populations. The game-viewing can be exceptional, and the wide variety of activities make this an area not to be missed. Savuti’s almost desert-like landscape with a scorching sun, loose, hot sand, animals escaping the heat by clumping together in the limited available shade, and elephants lining up to get to the water supply, offer a wildlife experience you won’t easily forget. On arrival, check in, relax and unwind. Lunch can be enjoyed at the lodge, after which you will enjoy your first afternoon safari activity.

The Lodge

To ensure a private and relaxing environment, Savute Safari Lodge, located on the Savute Channel, accommodates just twenty-four guests in eleven thatched chalets built of local timber. The chalets, which have been elegantly furnished in calm neutral tones to blend with the natural environment, feature expansive private decks, a combined bedroom and lounge area and en suite facilities.

Sink into one of the numerous comfortable sofas in the lounge – and library – or sip a cocktail in the stylish bar. All these facilities are situated in a beautiful two-storey thatch-and-timber main building. Savute Safari Lodge offers a shaded viewing deck, an al fresco dining area and swimming pool with spectacular pool loungers – ideal for watching the varied wildlife – including the resident Elephants – as they make their way to the Channel to drink, bathe and play.

Activities

Activities are organised around game drives throughout the Savute area in open 4×4 safari vehicles. Many trips will incorporate a visit to the Savute Marsh to give you a chance to see the historic presence of the Savute Channel at the marsh against a backdrop of teeming wildlife.

Day 4

Explore Savute

Enjoy a morning and afternoon game drive in the Savute area today.

Daily itinerary:

05:30 Early morning wake-up call. 06:00 Light continental breakfast served in the dining area. 06:30 Leave for morning activity, (approximately 3 – 4 hours). 11:30 Brunch is served at the dining area. Siesta time Relax and enjoy the lodge facilities and surroundings. 15:00 Afternoon tea is served on the open-air patio. 15:30 Depart for afternoon activity (approximately 3 hours). 18:30 Arrive back at the lodge. 19:30 Dinner is served at the dining area.

Day 5

Last day in Savute

Enjoy a morning and afternoon game drive in the Savute area today.

Daily itinerary:

DAY 6

Savute to the Okavango Delta

After your last morning safari activity in Savute, and breakfast, say your final goodbyes and check out. From here you will enjoy a short transfer to the nearby airstrip.

From here you will enjoy a charter flight transfer to Camp Okavango situated in the iconic Okavango Delta. A maze of sparkling lagoons, meandering channels and overgrown islands teeming with wildlife, Botswana’s Okavango Delta (a World Heritage site) lies like a sparkling jewel at the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Adapted for a life in and out of water, the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga antelope are found in this watery wilderness. Lion, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog also share the floodplains with large herds of elephant and buffalo. Check in, relax and unwind before enjoying something to eat and drink. Later on, you will depart on your first afternoon safari activity in this watery wilderness.

The Lodge

Camp Okavango, a unique and exclusive African safari camp is situated on the remote Nxaragha Island. This hidden treasure, in the heart of the permanent Okavango Delta, assures its guests of an unparalleled year-round water wilderness experience

Camp Okavango’s main area comprises of a network of interconnected walkways linking up two lounge areas, a dining room, library, self-service bar and curio shop. Sweeping ramps lead to the lower level deck with two open-air fire pits and comfortable seating areas to relax and take in the natural surroundings. There is a third deck with a rim flow swimming pool and thatched lounge deck for those warm summer days. There are eleven intimate Safari suites built on individual raised wooden platforms and set beneath the thick Okavango Delta vegetation. The en-suite bathrooms have double vanities, double shower and a separate water closet (with a view). The stack away sliding doors open onto a private open-air viewing deck offering beautiful views over the Okavango Delta.

Activities

To experience the true magic of the Okavango Delta this camp offers only water-based activities, including boat cruises, mokoro excursions and bush walks.

Water-based activities are conducted by experienced professional guides who will expertly navigate guests through the many meandering, reed-lined waterways. Roam the vast expanses of water from the comfort of a modern motorboat or explore the intricacies of the Okavango Delta the quiet old-fashioned way, in the traditional mokoro (dugout canoe). For those wanting to get a little closer to nature, guided bush walks are conducted on a number of the nearby islands, offering an opportunity to track some of the larger land-based species that inhabit this water wilderness. Birding opportunities are outstanding, and anglers may put their skill against bream and tiger fish.

DAY 7

Explore the Okavango Delta

Enjoy a range of water-based activities today with experienced and professional guides. Guided bush walks are also on offer.

Daily itinerary:

DAY 8

Last day in the Okavango Delta

Enjoy a range of water-based activities today with experienced and professional guides. Guided bush walks are also on offer.

Daily itinerary:

DAY 9

Okavango Delta to Makgadikgadi Pans

After your last morning safari activity and breakfast, check out and make your way to the nearby airstrip for your charter flight transfer to the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

Quite an unusual, but stunning destination, the shimmering salt pans of Makgadikgadi along with the Nxai Pans are believed to be the largest in the world. Most of the time they appear as glaring, white, endless plains. However, during the rainy season they are one of the most important wetland areas in Botswana – when they transform and come alive into stunning grass-plains attracting water birds and large herds of wildlife. Arrive at Leroo La Tau, check in and relax and enjoy something to eat and drink before departing on your first afternoon safari activity in this extraordinary location.

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

The Lodge

The lodge, located on the banks of the Boteti River, features twelve luxurious thatched and glass-fronted suites with en-suite bathrooms, each unit raised on a wooden platform.

The main lounge and dining area, with its inviting wooden and thatch finish, allows you to relax at the bar while listening to the wide variety of night sounds so characteristic of the African bush. Alternatively, you can lounge around the swimming pool or enjoy the panoramic river vista from the game-viewing hide built into the bank of the river.

Activities and Wildlife

The lodge offers guided game drives in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park focusing on the exceptional wildlife sightings along the Boteti River. Depending on the water level, boat activities are also provided. Optional cultural excursions can be arranged to Khumaga Village as well as day trips to Nxai pan and Baines Baobabs (three night stay only).

Leroo La Tau translates as ‘lion’s paw’ but, although the surrounding area features abundant Lion, Zebra and Wildebeest, it also boasts Chobe Bushbuck, Leopard, Cheetah, Brown and Spotted Hyena, Impala, Kudu, Jackal, Porcupine, Genet and Caracal, to name but a few. Please note: Owing to their remote location within the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans themselves are not visited on daily scheduled activities from Leroo La Tau. Your daily schedule here will be the same as at previous lodges.

Day 10

Land-and Water Activities

Daily itinerary:

Day 11

Last day in the Makgadikgadi

Enjoy one last day on safari in Botswana in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. If you aren’t keen on joining on activities, you can enjoy a day at leisure at the lodge or in your room.

Day 12

Departure

After your last morning safari and breakfast, you will be transferred to the local airstrip. From here you will fly to Maun Airport.

On arrival in Maun you will board a direct flight to Johannesburg. You will remember this 12 Day luxury Botswana experience for years to come!

Highlights & Activities

During your safari you can look forward to the following highlights, activities and experiences to ensure an unforgettable time spent in Africa.

All-inclusive, fly-in luxury safari
Visit all the top wilderness and wildlife destinations in Botswana
High standard of land-and water-based game viewing
Boundless elephant sightings in Chobe National Park
Exceptional predator sightings in the Savute Marsh
The Okavango Delta – a wildlife and birdlife refuge like no other
Visit the largest salt pans in the world
Visit in the green season and witness one of the largest zebra migrations in Africa

Map and Destinations

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park, one of the largest Parks in Botswana is situated in north-east Botswana on the banks of the Chobe River. Due to Chobe National Park’s location close to some of the Africa’s most visited natural attractions, this is an ideal safari destination. The Park is biologically diverse and boasts with the highest concentration of elephants in the world. The wildlife and scenery can be enjoyed during game drives, bush walks and boat cruises which are on offer at all lodges and hotels.

Savute Region

The Savute is an area in Chobe National Park which borders the Okavango Delta to the west and Chobe National Park to the east and is one of Africa’s best-known big game areas. Savute is famous for its predators, especially its resident lion and spotted hyena populations. The game-viewing can be exceptional, and the wide variety of activities make this an area not to be missed.

Okavango Delta

A maze of sparkling lagoons, meandering channels and overgrown islands teeming with wildlife, Botswana’s Okavango Delta lies like a sparkling jewel at the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Known as “the river that never finds the sea”, crystal clear channels spread over the thirst lands of the Kalahari with their papyrus-fringed banks and fertile floating islands. Adapted for a life in and out of water, the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga antelope are found in this watery wilderness. Lion, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog share the floodplains with large herds of elephant and buffalo.

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Quite an unusual, but stunning destination, the shimmering salt pans of Makgadikgadi along with the Nxai Pans are believed to be the largest in the world. Most of the time they appear as glaring, white, endless plains. However, during the rainy season they are one of the most important wetland areas in Botswana – when they transform and come alive into stunning grass-plains attracting water birds and large herds of wildlife. The Boteti River in the west provides water to massive herds of zebra and wildebeest during the dry season and this migration is the second largest zebra migration in Africa – a definitive must see for any visitor to Botswana.