Day 1

Johannesburg to Kalahari Gateway

Today we leave Johannesburg, the City of Gold, to make our way northward to Botswana where we travel on the Trans-Kalahari highway and spend our first evening in a small village of Kang, the gateway to the Kalahari.

A landlocked country located in Southern Africa, the Republic of Botswana is approximately the size of France. Its population consists of around 1.9 million people, most of whom reside on the more abundant eastern side of the country. The official language and dominant culture is Setswana and the people are known as the Batawana. There are also various San communities that have made the desert area their home. Botswana has a tradition of democracy in the form of the kgotla system, which is rooted in Setswana culture and is based on a democratic system in which every person has the right to freedom of speech. Previously a British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana got its current name following its independence from the Commonwealth in 1966.

It is surrounded by South Africa in the south and southeast regions, by Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. It joins Zambia at one singular area. Botswana is renowned for it’s stable politics, hospitable residents, and it’s wealth of diamonds. The country is, in fact, the biggest diamond exporter in the world. Botswana is mostly flat, and in addition to the delta and desert regions, there are also enormous grasslands and savannas. Blue Wildebeest, various antelope and a range of other wildlife live in the lush vegetation of this country. Majority of Botswana is covered by the Kalahari Desert and as a result water is a scarce resource. The local currency is Pula, meaning ‘rain’ in Setswana which shows just how cherished water is. Drops of rain were believed to be the closest currency to actual money. Seventeen percent of the country has been reserved for game parks which is more than the international suggestion of just ten percent. Northern Botswana houses one of the few remaining concentrations of the threatened African Wild Dog. Botswana also contains the biggest concentration of elephant in all of Africa.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Kang Ultra Stop 
Facilities: En-suites Per Room, Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Route: Johannesburg to Kang ±680 km
Border Post: Botswana Pioneer Gate Tel: +267 533 3992, Open: 06h00 – 24h00, South Africa Skilpadshek Tel: +27 0800 00 7277, Open: 06h00 – 24h00

Day 2

Kalahari Gateway to Ghanzi

After breakfast we travel deeper into the Central Kalahari where we find our camp for the evening in the Ghanzi district. We will spend some time getting to know the San People and learn the secrets to their survival in the Kalahari Desert. Your evening is filled with traditional song, dance and storytelling.

Accommodation: Two Per Room Dqae Qare San Lodge or Ghanzi Trail Blazers
Facilities: En-Suite Bathroom, Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Kang to Ghanzi ±262 km
Included Highlight: San Evening Dance Performance
Optional Activity: San Guided Walk (late afternoon)

Day 3

Khwai Conservation Area, Botswana

We start the day early and make our way to the gateway of the Okavango Delta. An optional scenic flight over the Okavango Delta.

For the next 2 nights, you will be separated from your vehicle. Therefore, it is imperative that you pack/gather your personal belongings just for the next 2 nights (don’t pack a lot). You will be able to re-pack and store the rest of your clothes.

The fifth biggest town in Botswana, Maun is renowned as the tourism capital and gateway into the Okavango Delta. It is a diverse contrast of modern structures and traditional huts. Presently home to over some 30,000 people, the town was established in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people. Maun initially serviced the local cattle ranching and hunting industries and gained a reputation as a ‘wild west’ town. Maun grew rapidly with the swift development of the tourism industry and the completion of the tar road leading from Nata.

After your optional flight, you will be collected from Maun and will be transferred to the Khwai Conservation area in smaller safari type vehicles. This evening our guide will prepare us on what to expect for our mokoro excursion into the Okavango Delta and our game drive in Khwai.

Accommodation: Two per Room : Magotho / Boga Campsite (no website available)
Facilities: Two per permanent tent with En-suite
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities: Scenic Flight over Okavango Delta
Route: Ghanzi via Maun to Khwai Conservation area

Day 4 – 5

Khwai Conservation Area, Botswana

We get up and hop in the safari vehicle to head to the water which houses the poling station. Get ready to be steered through the tranquil waters waterways and lagoons of the Delta.

After reaching one of the many islands, we may go for a nature walk with your pole and then return by mokoro through the channels back to the poling station.

Mokoro trails are not primarily a game viewing activity, but a variety of wildlife may be seen here, such as elephants, giraffes, kudus, impalas and zebras.

After lunch, we will return to Khwai Conservation area for our afternoon game drive which will be conducted in open 4×4 safari vehicles.

During high floods, the game viewing routes selected by the professional guide may vary, especially if certain roads are closed or impassable.

A maze of lagoons, lakes and concealed channels spreading over 17,000 square kilometres, the Okavango Delta is the world’s biggest inland delta. Originating in Angola, countless rivers merge to form the Cubango River which flows through Namibia, becoming the Kavango River and finally entering Botswana where it turns into the Okavango.

Eons ago, the Okavango River flowed into a massive inland lake named Lake Makgadikgadi which is now known as the Makgadikgadi Pans. Tectonic activity disturbed the currents of the river, resulting in it backing up and thus creating what is now recognised as the Okavango Delta. This has formed a complex network of waterways that sustain a large variety of fauna and flora. There are approximately 200,000 large mammals living in and around the Delta. On the mainland and amidst the Delta islands, lion, elephant, hyena, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and crocodile gather with an assortment of antelope and other smaller animals such as warthog, mongoose, spotted genet, monkey, bush baby and tree squirrel.

Remarkably, the endangered African Wild Dog lives within the Okavango Delta, displaying one of the richest pack densities throughout Africa. The Delta is also home to over 400 species of bird including the majestic African Fish Eagle. Plenty of these creatures live in the Delta, but most simply pass through during their migrations with the summer rains to seek out renewed lush fields ready for grazing. During the beginning of winter, the countryside dries up and these animals head back to the Delta, making for spectacular game sightings as the massive numbers of prey and predators are forced together. Specific regions of the floodplains provide some of the most magnificent predator action seen anywhere in the world.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Magotho / Boga Campsite (no website available)
Facilities: Two per Permanent Tent with En-Suite Bathroom
Route : Overnight accommodation – poling station – Okavango Delta – Khwai Conservation Area
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Highlight: Okavango Delta Morning Mokoro Excursion / Khwai Conservation Afternoon Game Drive

Day 6

Savuti Game Reserve, Botswana

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Thebe River Safaris
Facilities: En-suites Bathroom Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Moremi South Gate – via Savuti Game Reserve – Kasane
Included Activity: Full Day Game Drive through Savuti Game Reserve in 4×4 safari vehicles

Day 7

Chobe National Park, Botswana

In case you choose to participate in the optional game drive in Chobe National Park, you will be picked up early from camp in open safari vehicles.

Then you will have lunch and take a quick siesta before we venture out in the afternoon to explore Chobe National Park from the river, taking a leisurely boat cruise that allows us to get up close and personal with elephants and hippos in the game reserve.

The second biggest park in all of Botswana, Chobe National Park spreads over approximately 11,700 square kilometres of northern Botswana. The Park forms part of the medley of lakes, islands and floodplains created from the river systems of the Kwanda, Linyanti and Chobe Rivers. This region is well-known for it’s enormous buffalo and elephant herds – the population of which is presently around 120,000. The Chobe elephants migrate often and travel up to 200 kilometres from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, where they gather during the dry season, to the pans in the southeast portion of the park during rainy season. These Kalahari elephants are identified by their frail ivory and short tusks which is possibly due to the lack of calcium in the soils. Because of their high population, much damage to vegetation is caused in certain areas and therefore, culls have been considered but never carried out due to the enormous controversy surrounding the act.

The initial inhabitants of this region were the San people, known in Botswana as the ‘Basarwa’. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers who traveled from place to place searching for the next source of food and water. The San were eventually forced out by groups of the Basubiya people and, in 1911, a congregation of Batawana moved to the area. It was decided in 1931 that a national park would be erected in order to guard the wildlife from extinction as well as to attract tourists. In 1932, an area of approximately 24,000 square kilometres in the Chobe region was declared as a non-hunting zone. Throughout the years, the boundaries of the park have been modified and the people who have settled in the region have been progressively relocated. Chobe National Park was eventually completely rid of human occupation in the year 1975, and in 1980 (and once more in 1986) the boundaries were once again altered to it’s current size.

Accommodation: Two per Room Thebe River Safaris
Facilities: En-suites Per Room Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Nata to Kasane
Included Highlight: Chobe National Park Boat Cruise
Optional Activity: Chobe National Park Game Drive

Day 8

Kasane – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We make our way to Victoria Falls town where we have some time to prepare our activities for the following day, before visiting the incredible Victoria Falls and experiencing the thunderous and powerful Zambezi. There is a craft market in the town as well as a delectable high tea on offer at the Victoria Falls Hotel. In the evening you have an opportunity to enjoy an optional dinner out. The following day can be spent participating in some thrilling activities on offer here at this magnificent place.

At 1700 metres wide and 108 metres high, Victoria Falls are said to be the biggest falls in the entire world. According to popular beliefs, Scottish explorer David Livingstone was the very first European to stand witness to the mighty Victoria Falls and wrote: “It has never been seen before by European eyes, but scenes so wonderful must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.” The local name of Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’, is used as the official name in Zambia. Because of its enormous power and size, the Falls are embellished with countless mythologies. It is believed by the local Tonga people of Zambezi that a river god, Nyaminyami, lives in the water in the shape of a gigantic snake. The Zambezi River flooded thrice when the Kariba Dam was constructed in the 1950’s, causing numerous deaths and much devastation. The locals believe that Nyaminyami became angry with the building of the Dam and thus was the entity that caused the horrendous floods. The peculiar form of Victoria Falls allows its entire width to be seen face-on from as near as 60 metres to the Falls due to the Zambezi River dropping into a deep and narrow slot-like fissure connected to a lengthy sequence of ravines. There are very few waterfalls in the world that permit this close of an approach on foot.

The Falls are created by the entire width of the river plummeting in a solitary vertical drop into a 120 metre wide chasm, whittled by the cascading waters along a breakage area in the basalt plateau. The chasm called the First Gorge varies from 80 metres deep at its west end to 108 metres in its centre. The only opening to the First Gorge is through a gap 110 metres wide, approximately two-thirds of the way across the width of the Falls from the western end, through which the entire volume of the river spills into the gorges of the Victoria Falls. Two islands, Boaruka and Livingstone, are situated on the peak of the Falls. They are big enough to divide the sheet of water, even at full flood. At less than full flood, other islands perform the task of dividing the curtain of water into dispersed parallel streams. The main streams are known as Leaping Water, Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls (the tallest) and the Eastern Cataract.

Accommodation: Two Per Room:  Shearwater Explorers Village 
Facilities: En-suites Bathoom Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Route: Kasane to Victoria Falls ±100 km
Optional Activity: Visit to the Victoria Falls, Bungee Jump, Gorge Swing, Sunset Cruise, Helicopter Flights, Boma Dinner Experience
Border Post: Zimbabwe: Kazangula Road, Open: 06h00-20h00, Botswana: Kazangula Road, Tel: +267 62 50330, Open: 06h00-20h00

Day 9

Victoria Falls

Today is spent participating in some thrilling activities on offer at this magnificent place.

Accommodation: Two Per Room:Victoria Falls Rainbow Hotel (01 Jan to 31 March 2020), Shearwater Explorers Village (From 01 April 2020)
Facilities :En-suite Bathroom Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Optional Activities: Visit to the Victoria Falls, Bungee Jump, Gorge Swing, Sunset Cruise, Helicopter Flights, Boma Dinner Experience

Day 10 – 11

Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

Leaving Victoria Falls, we make our way to the Hwange National Park. After lunch we set out to explore the park. The national park is home to a large variety of elephant populations as well as other mammalian species. Also it is one of the largest parks in Zimbabwe. The evening is spent around campfire.

The following day you will be collected from the accommodation and spend the day game driving in an open 4×4 vehicle through the Hwange National Park in search of the Big-5.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Hwange Main Camp
Facilities: En-Suite Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered
Route: Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park ±119km, Hwange National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch x2, Dinner x2
Included Highlight: Full day Hwange National Park game drive
Optional Activity: Victoria Falls National Park Entry, Hwange Sundowner Drive

Day 12

Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe

The following day we make our way to the Matobo National Park which is situated in the magnificent Matobo Hills. The Hills have been sculpted a million years ago and is the site of various exquisite Bushman paintings. We explore the park in the afternoon with our guide before making our way to the accommodation for the evening which is located in Bulawayo.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Travellers Guest House
Facilities: Shared Ablutions Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered.
Route: Hwange National Park to (Bulawayo) Matopos National Park ±317 km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Highlight: Afternoon Game Drive in Matobo National Park

Day 13

Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Zimbabwe

Your tour would not be complete without paying a visit to the famous Great Zimbabwe Ruins, a world renowned site. Also home to eight carved Zimbabwe birds, which is represented on the Zimbabwean National Flag. We spend the afternoon on a guided walking tour of the ancient site, taking us back to the Iron age, this UNESCO world heritage site was previously the capital of Zimbabwe.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Norma Jeans Lake View Resort
Facilities: En suites Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered.
Route: (Bulawayo) Matobo National Park to Great Zimbabwe Ruins  (Masvingo) ±340km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Included Highlight: Visit to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Day 14

Tshipise, South Africa

Making our way across the border out of Zimbabwe, we enter the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Developed in 1936, the name originates from the word chia fisu which means ‘burn, be hot’ referring to the hot springs at 65°C. We spend the night at the hot springs of Tshipise.

Accommodation: Two Per Room: Forever Tshipise Resort
Facilities: En-suite Please visit the website of the accommodation provider for a full list of the facilities offered.
Route: Great Zimbabwe Ruin (Masvingo)s to Tshipise ±422km
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Highlight: Tshipise Hot Springs
Border Post: Beitbridge Border Post +263 862 2303 / 2366 +27 (015) 530-0066 / 71 website: http://www.zimra.co.z

Day 15

Johannesburg, South Africa

Waking early this morning we make our way to the City of gold, most commonly known as the heartbeat of the country. The city has been rebuilt four times within a century and has evolved from tented camps to four story high buildings. Belvedere Estate offers a traditional optional meal and can be booked through your guide. Your tour comes to an end today.

Accommodation: Own Arrangements / Post tour accommodation can be booked through us
Route: Tshipise to Johannesburg ±485 km
Meals : Breakfast, Lunch
Optional Activity: Traditional meal Belvedere Estate

Onward Travel Plans

Due to circumstances beyond our control while on tour (such as border crossings, traffic, breakdowns and delays, etc), the end time on the last day cannot be guaranteed. Therefore we strongly recommend you stay the night and fly out the next day. Please consult with your booking consultant.