Botswana Wildlife & Culture Safari

The 13-day Botswana Wildlife & Culture safari takes you on a journey through beautiful Botswana. It’s a different type of safari as we search for the best that the country has to offer in terms of Wildlife, Scenery and Culture. A visit to the famous Okavango Delta , exploring the reed-lined channels in a dug out canoe or mokoro is on the cards. In the Kalahari Desert you get to spend time with the San Bushmen! What better way to learn about their culture than to join them for a bushwalk and a dance around the fire in true tradition! We will explore Tsodilo Hills and enjoy game viewing in both the world-famous Chobe and Moremi Game Reserves.

Starts in Maun

Ends in Kasane

Duration: 13 Days

Private safari – booked on request

Day to Day Itinerary

**This safari can be done as a guided or self-drive option.

DAY 1:
Arrival in Maun – Welcome to Botswana! You will be met at the airport and transferred to your accommodation where you will spend your first night. Set on the banks of the beautiful Thamalakane River in northern Botswana, Maun is the third-largest town in this spectacularly scenic southern African country. Maun is the starting point for most expeditions into the Okavango Delta and as a result, has developed into a bustling metropolis that is considered Botswana’s tourism capital.

DAY 2-3:
The Kalahari and the San Bushmen – Today we make our way to Ghanzi where you will spend two nights. The Hainaveld surrounds the northwestern border of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana and serves primarily as game viewing areas. Aside from excellent wildlife-spotting opportunities, this safari area is known for its great accessibility, cultural tourism and first-class bird watching.

The main highlight for the two days will be spending time with the San Bushmen! We will learn more about this unique culture by visiting local villages, joining them on bush walks and spending time around the campfire at night as they tell stories and take part in traditional dances. You also have the option of joining a game drive to look for a wide variety of Kalahari animals & bird species or simply gaze out at the numerous species attracted to the lodge waterhole. The lodge is also home to a carnivore rehabilitation and awareness program and you will get the opportunity to learn more about the project and hopefully see some of the carnivores on the reserve.

DAY 4-5:
The Okavango Delta Panhandle – We’re off to the upper Delta area where we will spend three nights. Situated in the northwestern area of the Okavango Delta, the Panhandle is a stretch of the Okavango River that follows a more-or-less straight course for approximately 70 kilometres before entering the wetlands. This deep channel serves as the main water source feeding the delta and offers excellent tiger and bream fishing, while the surrounding woodlands and the river’s shallow waters teem with a myriad of birds. Your lodge is situated on a secluded island and is a perfect base from which to explore the upper Delta.

You have a variety of activities to choose from. Mokoro excursions where your guide will slowly paddle and explore the small channels offer the chance to see and photograph smaller wildlife not easily seen from a boat or vehicle. Boat cruises will allow you to go deeper into the Delta while island walks is great to explore while being on foot. 

DAY 6:
Tsodilo Hills – Our lodge is also close to the magical Tsodilo Hills, a world heritage site and one of Botswana’s greatest treasures. Today you will enjoy a guided tour to Tsodilo Hills, home to more than 2000 San rock paintings. The tour takes you up the male hill – one of the highest points in Botswana, before giving you the opportunity to explore and enjoy the hundreds of rock art paintings that surround the hills. Guided by local expert guides, the Tsodilo cultural tour is a rare opportunity to experience Botswana’s unique cultural heritage.

DAY 7-9:
Moremi Game Reserve – We will make our way back to Maun, which will be the base for the next three nights. Our lodge is situated on the banks of the Thamalakane River under a canopy of beautifully lush and green Okavango trees and overlooks a floodplain of fields and water that are frequented by an abundance of birdlife and the occasional Hippo. The lodge offers a tranquil bush setting that is complemented by the river view, a pool and the iconic tranquil call of the African Fish Eagle.

We will have two full days to explore the world-famous Moremi Game Reserve. 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.

DAY 10-12:
Chobe National Park – After enjoying 2 full days in one of Africa’s top game reserves you will head off to another one of the great wildlife areas in Southern Africa; Chobe National Park. Depending on what time you arrive there might be time to do a sunset boat cruise or perhaps just relax next to the Chobe River. The next two days are dedicated to exploring Chobe! You will do a combination of game drives and boat cruises and enjoy the hot mid-afternoon hours next to the pool.

Chobe is home to some of Africa’s highest concentrations of game, with the region boasting the largest continuous African Elephant population on the continent, about 80,000 individuals at the last count. Seeing these giants crossing, playing in and swimming in the Chobe River is a sight you will never forget.

Apart from the large number of pachyderms, Chobe is also known for its excellent game viewing boat cruises along the Chobe River, which attracts plenty of animals and birds, and offers guests some of the best sunset views anywhere in Africa. In the southwestern area of Chobe lies the Savuti Marsh, hosting some of Africa’s highest year-round concentrations of wildlife, especially predators. Chobe’s Lions are world-renowned for having learnt how to prey on African Elephants, occasionally even adults!

You will naturally see lots and lots of elephants, but we will also search for African Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, African Wild Dog, Hippopotamus, Nile Crocodile, Giraffe, Sable Antelope, Puku (at the southernmost limit of its range), Lechwe, Waterbuck, Bushbuck and huge herds of Zebra. Some of the special birds you could see include Southern Carmine Bee-eater, African Spoonbill, Racket-tailed Roller, Copper Sunbird, Brown Firefinch, Orange-winged Pytilia, Slaty Egret, Rosy-throated Longclaw, African Skimmer, Rock Pratincole, Half-collared Kingfisher and White-crowned Lapwing.

DAY 13:
Departure or off to Vic Falls – Unfortunately our safari has come to an end and you will be transferred to Kasane Airport for your departure flight or continue with the safari to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Livingstone, Zambia or Namibia.

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