Trips & Tours: Best of Botswana (Camping)

Depart Livingstone at 0830 by road transfer and cross into Botswana where you will meet your guide. Our guide will assist with drinks purchase in Kasane and we then drive to Nata Sanctuary. An Interesting drive to Nata gives us a perspective of Botswana's wide open spaces and characteristic bushveld. We enjoy a picnic lunch en-route, arriving at Nata in the late afternoon. Nata Sanctuary is situated on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans which offers spectacular scenery and various water birds (in season) and makes for a truly unique camping experience. We then head out to explore the pans and enjoy our first Botswana sunset.

After a light breakfast, we break camp and head west across the northern part of Makgadikgadi towards Nxai Pan National Park. Lunch is taken en route and after a short break we continue to Nxai Pan to camp for the next two nights in a beautiful wilderness location. This afternoon we take a game drive in search of wildlife. The area is known for large herds of springbok and the water hole at the heart of the pan allows for some spectacular viewing – especially towards sunset as animals come in to drink.

Nxai Pan, once part of an ancient lake, is a huge grass covered pan teeming with antelope species, all foraging on its sweet grasses. We start with a light breakfast early in the morning and head out in search of game as it starts to get light. Our game drive normally lasts until late morning when brunch is served and everyone takes the opportunity to siesta during the heat of the day. As the air starts to cool towards late afternoon we embark on an afternoon game drive in another area of the park.

Today we move on to the frontier town of Maun. A short drive takes us to our hotel where there is a pleasant bar and a swimming pool. The afternoon is at leisure.

We travel by road to Xakanaxa in Moremi Game Reserve, which forms part of the permanent Delta. The area boasts some of the best game sightings in Botswana. Game viewing is done along the waterways and floodplains. Species such as giraffe, Zebra and wildebeest are but a few that occur here. Visitors to this part of Moremi are surprised by the abundance and variety of wildlife in the area.

This morning we venture into the vast expanse of the Okavango Delta. After an interesting boat ride through crystal clear channels, we arrive on an island to conduct a guided bush walk - one of the most fascinating aspects of our safari. Lunch is served on a sand bank in the water. Guests can also cool off at our safe swimming area. After lunch and the final swim, the boat ride takes us back to our camp, adjacent to Xakanaxa lagoon. Sunset is spent watching scores of herons, egrets and storks coming to roost at the heronries.

We start our journey to Khwai from Xakanaxa by vehicle, game driving along the Khwai River flood plains to our camp near North Gate. We spend the next two nights camping in the area. Later this afternoon we’ll enjoy a game drive. Animals are attracted to the area by the waters of the Khwai River and predators such as lion, leopard and wild dogs are often spotted there.

A second day at Khwai River. Early morning and evening game drives deliver game viewing of the highest calibre. There is of course, that obligatory siesta during the hottest part of the day.

We travel by road via the Mababe depression to Savuti which is situated in South Western Chobe. The area's abundance of rocky hills and open, dry marshland makes stunning scenery. We spend two nights camping along the dry Savuti channel and by vehicle we search for the wildlife that has made this area famous.

Today we visit the three man-made waterholes in the area as well as the San bushman paintings hidden in the rocky outcrops. Savuti is well known for its healthy populations of bull elephants.

We spend two nights at Serondela and game drives are conducted along the Chobe river and adjacent teak forest. Serondela is elephant country and at certain times of the year the abundance of large game can sometimes be overwhelming.

Afternoon an early morning game drive, game viewing by boat adds to the spectacular diversity of this area (optional). The mighty Chobe River attracts large herds of big game, such as elephant and buffalo. Other species such as hippo, giraffe and kudu also occur in large numbers.