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Botswana Safari Holidays Tours Okavango Chobe Savuti Victoria Falls

Botswana Safari Tour: Okavango to Victoria Falls (Mobile Tented Camping)

Botswana Mobile Tented Safari: Okavango to Victoria Falls
Botswana Safari Tour Okavango Victoria Falls Mobile Tented Camping
12 NIGHTS FROM:
$6,311
Per person sharing
Scheduled flights quoted separately
BYB12M
• Botswana Safari Tour
• Mobile Tented Camping
• Maun
• Moremi Game Reserve
• Okavango Delta
• Khwai River
• Savuti Plains
• Chobe Game Reserve
• Victoria Falls
• Safari Tour: Okavango, Victoria Falls

This exciting Botswana safari tour travels overland from Moremi in the pristine Okavango Delta to the plains of Savuti in Chobe Game Reserve and Victoria Falls. Enjoy luxury mobile tented camping, staying in Meru-stye tents with en-suite hot bucket showers. Min 2 / max 7. On certain dates, this tour is run as a specialist photographic safari or as a specialist birding tour. All park fees included. Min 12 years. Also operates in reverse direction.

Day 1
Arrive at Maun Airport and transfer to your light aircraft flight to Moremi Game Reserve, situated on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta.
 
From the airstrip you will be transferred to your tented camp for your exciting overland 'glamping' trip to experience the amazing wildlife of Botswana, sleeping under canvas and travelling in an open-sided 4x4 game viewing vehicle.
 
After arriving at our campsite in this pristine conservation area that offers superb game viewing and outstanding birding, settle in and relax around a roaring campfire.
 
Note:  You will be travelling in an open-sided 4x4 game viewing vehicle throughout your trip, so you must take only soft bags (no hard suitcases). Apart from Chobe and Maun, be aware that you will have no WiFi or mobile phone coverage.
 
As you will be flying in a light aircraft a baggage allowance of 15 kg (which includes your hand luggage) is strictly enforced for safety reasons. Your flight may stop to pick up other passengers en route.
 
All tents will be pre-erected with twin camp beds, mattresses, towels and bed linen provided. At the back of each tent there is an enclosed area with a bucket shower that will be filled with warm water prior to use and a long-drop toilet with a seat. Three delicious meals a day will be prepared by your chef over an open fire, with a small selection of soft drinks and alcohol provided. A head torch and a strong hand torch are essential, as lighting in the tents is minimal. A collapsible camping lantern will also be very useful.
Days 2 To 3
Moremi Game Reserve is situated on the eastern reaches of the seasonal Okavango Delta, which is flooded annually by the great Okavango River, whose waters flow inland from Angola into the vast Kalahari – never finding the sea, but instead forming a great inland delta whose waters are absorbed by the desert.
 
Comprising 6,000 square miles of crystal clear channels, serene lagoons and a myriad of islands, the Okavango Delta forms a natural oasis that sustains a vast variety of wildlife and birds of all descriptions. The waters are at their height from July to October, forming an amazing wetlands ecosystem that is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
 
Activities in Moremi Game Reserve are devoted to land-based game viewing and birding. We hope to see some of the larger animals that inhabit this region such as hippo, lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard, as well as many other species. Red lechwe are one of the more unusual antelope species commonly found here and this is one of the best game reserves for spotting the endangered African wild dog. Giraffe, ostrich, wildebeest, jackal, warthog and tree squirrels are also frequently spotted.
 
For birders, the swampy areas of Xakanaxa are home to African rail, Coppery-tailed coucal, Black coucal*, Red-chested flufftail, African crake*, Black crake, Chirping cisticola, Luapula cisticola, Purple swamphen and Allen’s gallinule to name but a few. The open waters attract the African skimmer, Saddle-billed stork, Yellow-billed stork, Intermediate egret, Goliath heron, African fish eagle, Hadeda ibis and Sacred ibis, as well as the globally threatened Slaty egret and Wattled crane (*=migratory species).
 
In the evening relax around a blazing campfire under a balmy African sky.
Days 4 To 6
Today we continue to explore Moremi Game Reserve, as we travel to our next campsite situated in a private reserve on the banks of the Mababe River.
 
This mopane bushveld is home to breeding herds of elephants, whilst the eastern reaches of the Khwai River is home to some impressive old bulls. These rivers have a high density of hippos as well as some huge crocodile.
 
For birders, the mopane canopy is also home to raptors such as the African hawk-eagle, Tawny eagle, Gabar goshawk, Little sparrowhawk, African harrier hawk and Shikra. Other birds you can hope to see here include the Red-headed weaver, Stierling’s wren-warbler, Scarlet-chested sunbird, Neddicky, Yellow-breasted apalis, Chin-spot batis and Diederik cuckoo* to name but a few. The verges of the swamp are breeding grounds for the Rosy-throated longclaw, Black coucal*, Long-legged bustard and the African crake* (*=migratory species).
 
Enjoy superb game viewing all day in this amazing region, where animals migrate freely across huge distances.
Day 7
Today is one long game viewing day as we travel 5-hours to the vast Savuti Plains in Chobe Game Reserve, driving along sandy roads suitable only for 4x4 vehicles.
 
These landscapes offer world-acclaimed game viewing – especially for predators. Unlike the vast majority of the country, Savuti is not a totally flat landscape and large outcrops of volcanic rock reach up out of the Kalahari sands, towering over the endless savanna and providing a habitat for a completely different array of small wildlife, birds and plants. Savuti has been the stage for many of the most dramatic wildlife documentaries in Africa and the now dry Savuti Channel runs throught this landscape, linking the sand veld with the waterholes, hills and grasslands of what was once the Savuti Marsh.   
 
For birders this broad-leafed woodland, provides good pickings for insectivourous birds that favour canopy habitats. The Grey tit-flycatcher, Ashy flycatcher, Paradise flycatcher, Pallid flycatcher, Scarlet-chested sunbird, Amethyst sunbird, Yellow-throated petronia, Red-headed weaver and Violet-backed starling are some of the species that move around in 'bird parties' in the canopy. Dickenson’s kestrel, Red-necked falcon, Peregrine falcon* and Lizard buzzard are some of the raptors to keep an eye out for, while the diminutive White-faced owl can often be seen roosting in the road-side vegetation. The Flappet lark, Fawn-coloured lark, Dusky lark*, Olive-tree warbler* and Neddicky are species we can also enjoy (*=migratory species).
 
On arrival at our campsite in this great conservation area, relax around a roaring campfire and enjoy an enchanting sunset and delicious dinner cooked over an open fire.
Days 8 To 9
The plains of the now dry Savuti Marsh offer world-acclaimed game viewing – including large prides of lions and breeding herds of elephants.
 
It is also a habitat suited to leopards, black-backed jackals, bat-eared foxes and hyena. You can hope to see plains game such as giraffe, large herds of zebra, buffalo wildebeest, tsessebe, kudu, impala, ostrich, roan antelope and more. The marsh is also prime cheetah country and in the wet season it is not unusual to find wild dogs hunting here.
 
The surface water found here is a major attraction for birdlife, with over 300 different species. In the dry season thousands of doves and sandgrouse come down to drink in the mornings, watched by Yellow-billed kites*, Tawny eagles and African hawk-eagles. The Red-crested korhaan is common in the Kalahari apple-leaf trees. The summer rains bring migrant birds that swell the resident population of over 300 different species, making this a bird watchers delight. Carmine bee-eaters perch on the back of kori bustards, red-crested korhaans plummet from the sky in daring mating displays, marabou storks roost in the trees and woodland kingfishers will sing you to sleep. In summer the marsh is also home for good numbers of Caspian plover* and Montague’s harrier* as well as Chestnut-backed sparrowlark, Grey-backed sparrowlark, Northern black korhaan, Rufous-naped lark, African pipit and Desert cisticola. Dickenson’s kestrel, Amur falcon* and Red-necked falcon are found along the perimeter of the marsh (*=migratory species).
 
Game drives are conducted in the early morning and late afternoon, with balance of day at leisure.
Day 10
Today we leave Savuti and drive 5-hours to Kasane, game viewing all day in Chobe National Park which extends all the way to the perennial Chobe River.
 
Chobe National Park is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, where four African countries meet – Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The Chobe River is the life-giving force of this region and provides a border between Botswana on the southern banks and Namibia on the northern banks. The river has extensive grassy floodplains on either side, which disappear under the annual floodwaters, making boats the best way of getting around.
 
After being dropped off at your lodge at the end of your tour, enjoy a boat ride on the Chobe River. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast game sanctuary and hopefully you will see elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and other river-based wildlife. Afterwards dine in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide.
Day 11
After some final early morning game viewing, transfer to Kasane on the Zimbabwe border. After completing border formalities, connect with your 2-hour private transfer to your hotel situated near Victoria Falls on the mighty Zambezi River.
 
Located in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), where the borders of five African countries converge, the sheer scale of this vast international conservation project is difficult to comprehend. It encompasses a bewildering range of experiences, ranging from the mighty Victoria Falls to the lifeforce of the region, the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers.
  
Check in, settle in and relax whilst you catch your first glimpses of the magnificent Smoke That Thunders first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. The flow of water over the Victoria Falls is greatest from February to June following the summer rains, but they are a magnificent sight at any time of year.
 
Note: As transfer vehicles cannot cross the border, you will be dropped off on one side of immigration control and collected on the other side.
Day 12
This morning enjoy a private tour exploring on foot the mighty Victoria Falls and its rainforests, which offer magnificent views.
 
Afterwards you may wish to visit Elephants Walk, a small crafts complex where you can see talented local artists and sculptors at work and support them by buying one of their items. Alternatively you can participate in various optional activities, such as a helicopter flight over the falls.
 
In the late afternoon enjoy an included shared cruise on the Zambezi River where you may see hippos, crocodiles and abundant birdlife.
 
Note: Take light rainwear for use when the falls are full.
Day 13
Transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for your flight home.