TIER 2 - BEST OF BOTSWANA SAFARI

XIGERA CONCESSION - OKAVANGO DELTA - WATER BASED ECOLOGY

Fly from Johannesburg, South Africa to Maun. Upon arrival at the Maun Airport, our airport guest relations’ officer will personally meet all arriving guests. We will be standing outside the arrival section holding a signboard with your name on it. You are met and transferred by air to the first Okavango Delta concession for 3 nights stay at Xigera Camp situated deep within the Delta surrounded by water and lush vegetation. Nestled in riverine forest on the aptly-named Paradise Island, Xigera has ten luxuriously furnished tented rooms, a clever mix of wood and canvas, each with en-suite facilities and an outdoor shower. All are built on wooden decks, offering views of a seasonal floodplain and small lagoon. Meals and evening drinks are enjoyed in the lounge and dining area overlooking the permanently flowing channel or under the stars in a traditional African boma. The camp is finished off with a plunge pool and curio shop. The concession’s year-round water allows for the Delta’s most sublime experiences – poling on a mokoro and motorboat outings. This is complemented by game drives in the area depending on flood levels. Xigera also offers some of the best birding opportunities in the Delta. Xigera is a water-based camp offering guests an opportunity to experience the waterways of the Okavango Delta. In the peak months, guests are able to boat through over 60 kilometers of floodplain and channels to reach the islands where there are regular sightings of Buffalo, Elephant, Zebra, Giraffe, Lechwe and Sitatunga as well as numerous other Delta species. Lion and leopard can also be seen crossing the deep channels as they move between islands. Hippo can be seen from mokoro and there is an abundance of birds, a special being Pel’s Fishing Owl.

Activities Included: Specialized water based activities - see accommodation for complete details.

Overnight Accommodation: Xigera Camp

CHITABE CONCESSION - OKAVANGO DELTA - LAND BASED ECOLOGY

After breakfast, you will fly to your second Okavango Delta concession experience for 3 nights stay at Chitabe Camp. The accommodation is situated on a beautiful old tree-island in a prime location in the south-east of the Okavango Delta. Eight spacious en-suite Meru-style tented rooms are built on elevated wooden decks, each tastefully styled with unique décor. The spacious en-suite bathrooms include double vanity basins together with an indoor as well outdoor shower. Elevated walkways connect the rooms to the main area. The central part of camp is made up of a thatched dining area and lounge leading onto open decking, all built on raised decks to provide superb views across a floodplain. There is a pool that provides cool sanctuary in the heat of the day. Activities include day and night game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, nature walks and spectacular birding through a diverse array of habitats. Owing its location on the periphery of the delta, Chitabe offers exciting year-round game viewing. The area is a combination of open grasslands, acacia woodland and shallow waterways. Game viewing is varied from the lush green period after the rains to the dry winter months when plains game numbers peak. Buffalo, elephant, lion, warthog, lechwe, hippo, giraffe, leopard, cheetah and tsessebe are found throughout the year. Wild dog are frequently seen in the concession.

Activities Included: Land based activities - see accommodation for complete details.

Overnight Accommodation: Chitabe Camp

LINYANTI RESERVE - SAVANNAH & RIVER ECOLOGY - SAVUTI

After your early morning activity, fly to Linyanti. On arrival, transfer to Savuti Camp for your 3 nights stay. The camp is located on the Savute Channel, which for many years was a dry, wide-open ribbon of grassland snaking through the adjoining woodland. In 2008, the waters returned, and Savuti Camp now has front-row seats to view the abundant game that has congregated and adapted in its wake. The site of the camp is about 17 kilometers ‘downstream’ from the Zibadianja Lagoon – the source of the Channel. Accommodation comprises seven large en-suite canvas-and-thatch rooms that are raised off the ground and face onto the Savute Channel. From the thatched dining area, a plunge pool and large viewing area with fire pit extend outwards on raised wooden decks towards the new waters that flow past the camp. Activities on offer are day and night game drives and nature walks with a guide (on request). Several elevated hides can also be visited in the area.

Activities Included: Land and water based activities - see accommodation for complete details.

Overnight Accommodation: Savuti Camp

MAKGADIKGADI PANS - DESERT ECOLOGY - KALAHARI

After your early morning activity, fly to Makgadikgadi Pans for your 3 nights stay at Camp Kalahari. The camp is a return to the traditional safari style of the old explorers, and is the best way to experience the Makgadikgadi in a fresh and affordable way. It is the ideal camp for those who want fun, comfort, style and adventure. Camp Kalahari accepts children of all ages and makes for a fantastic family safari destination. In the style of Jack’s original camps, is a large and comfortable thatched library, lounge and dining area; here Guests can relax and enjoy the serenity and peace of this enchanting area. Camp Kalahari has ten Meru tents: Seven twin tents, two double tents and one family unit comprising two twin tents with an inter-leading bathroom. All tents have en suite outdoor bathrooms, flush loos and the hottest wettest showers in the Kalahari. The tent interiors are classic old safari style, replete with comfy beds, crunchy cotton sheets, stripy African blankets and hot water bottles in winter.

There are two distinctly different seasons in the Makgadikgadi: The dry season, lasting from mid April to the end of October and the wet season, lasting from the early November to mid April. When the rains arrive at the beginning of the wet season, the landscape is transformed. Water gathers on the saltpan. Algae bloom, crustaceans breed, and clouds of flamingo descend to feed on them. Then herds of zebra and wildebeest materialize, drawn by the lush grass, and for several months, the desert is teeming with game and predators. Guests visiting during the wet season can witness the last surviving migration of zebra and wildebeest in Southern Africa. Most people associate the migration with East Africa and don’t know about this, the second largest migration of African ungulates, with an estimated 30,000 animals, the majority being zebra, participating each year

Activities Included: Specialized desert land based activities - see accommodation for complete details.

Overnight Accommodation: Camp Kalahari

DEPARTURE & TRIP EXTENSIONS

Day 13: Maun Departure & Extensions

Breakfast. Morning activity. Thereafter, transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Maun Airport with a onward connection to Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, check in for your international flight back home. OPTIONALLY customize the below extensions to Cape Town, Victoria Falls and/or Chobe as part of your itinerary.

RECOMMENDED PRE AND POST SAFARI AND TOUR EXTENSIONS IN CHOBE, VICTORIA FALLS & CAPE TOWN

LOCATION OF YOUR ACCOMMODATION IN OKAVANGO DELTA, LINYANTI & MAKGADIKGADI PANS

With the various customization and personalization options available as an independent and/or combination safari with other countries in Southern and East Africa, the prices for this safari/tour are best available by having a discussion with our safari professionals to ensure a perfect match. Please contact us to customize your safari and request prices based on your travel preference.