Botswana Explorer Small Group Tour

This 10-day trip is a guided lodge-to-lodge safari experience and will take you deep into the iconic Okavango Delta eco system and Makgadikgadi National Park. You will spend 10 glorious days exploring the abundant landscape, birdlife, and wildlife of each area; gaining a deeper understanding for Botswana, its beauty, and its people.

This itinerary is aimed at guests who want a rich variety of game activities as well as a comfortable lodge-to-lodge safari experience. Ideal for private groups (minimum of 6 people required) who are looking for a great variety of Botswana landscapes. We will take you to remote areas, where you will sleep in the African bush as well as along riverbanks on water. Time on the Okavango Spirit houseboat offers you the tranquillity of spending time exploring some of the most beautiful waterways in Africa. Allow your safari guide to show you all the hidden gems that the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi National Park have to offer.

ITINERARY

Day 1

• On arrival in Maun you will fly on a small charter plane to a landing strip near Shakawe, where Okavango Spirit is moored on the pristine waters of the Okavango River

• Once on board, we will slowly make our way to your first sleep-over point, where you will spend the evening taking in the breath-taking scenery surrounding you and soaking up the peace and tranquillity from your private deck or the comfort of your bed.

• Overnight: Okavango Spirit Full Board

Day 2

• Today gives you the exciting opportunity to get onto the smaller game viewing boats, so that you can partake in various activities in the area. These include bird watching, boat safaris and a visit to Tsodilo Hills – an absolute must see!

• End your day with an evening sundowner cruise on the river.

• Overnight: Okavango Spirit Full Board

Day 3

•  Today we hop off the houseboat on the Northern banks and travel by road heading into a private game concession in the Okavango Delta

• Game drives and activities vary from one trip to the next, depending on sightings and animal activities

• Tonight you will stay in a luxurious mobile-tented camp, which will place you in the heart of nature

• Overnight: Unchartered Expeditions Camp Full Board

Day 4

• Wake up to the smell of coffee and a delicious rusk, before jumping in the game-viewing vehicle at first light

• Today we make our way to the banks of the Okavango River along game-drive routes keeping a lookout for wildlife slowly waking from their slumber. This is also one of the most iconic areas of the delta to see large numbers of elephant

• We will explore the clear channels, lagoons and rivers of the Okavango Delta by traditional mokoro, going upstream through a myriad of crystal-clear waterways lined with African mangosteen and water berry trees, as well as swaying seas of papyrus

• Overnight: Unchartered Expeditions Camp Full Board

Day 5

• You have an early start this morning; leaving after breakfast we make our way to a remote airstrip and charter a plane to Hyena Pan - a cosy and comfortable tented camp overlooking a magnificent forest of cathedral mopane trees and a watery lagoon in the heart of the Khwai Private Reserve

• Spend your afternoon in underground hide, a favourite amongst photographers and a true highlight for visitors. Your afternoon game drive will take you across dry plains and along the Khwai River, so be sure to keep your binoculars at the ready for predators, majestic elephant, buffalo, incredible birdlife and hordes of plains game

• Overnight: Hyena Pan Full Board

Day 6

• After an early morning game drive, we head back to camp for a delicious breakfast. Here you’ll get to spend your time watching herds of elephant splash and snort around the waterhole, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own room for top-notch wildlife-watching

• Option to enjoy a game walk with one of the informative camp guides

• Overnight: Hyena Pan Full Board

Day 7

• You have an early start this morning; leaving after breakfast we jump on a 35-minute charter flight back to Maun - you will also get to experience the thrill of a scenic flight over the lush Okavango Delta, spotting big game and seeing the beautiful waterways that make up the islands to form the shapes of the delta

• From Maun we drive on towards Meno a Kwena, which is situated between the wetlands of the Okavango Delta and the deserts of the Kalahari, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi National Park

• You’ll get the opportunity to explore the Makgadikgadi salt pans, remnants of a once massive inland lake - in migration season a large number of zebra occur here

• Overnight: Meno A Kwena Full Board

Day 8

• With a glittering roster of activities, you can enjoy a day trip to the Makgadikgadi Pans, guided walks with the San bushmen, and a wildlife-watching boat trip (season dependent); here there is plenty of adventure to experience

• Overnight: Meno A Kwena Full Board

Day 9

• Enjoy a leisurely start this morning, leaving after breakfast we make our way to Maun

• You’ll spend your last day and night at Thamo Telele, situated on a luxurious private game reserve located twenty minutes from the safari town of Maun

• Spend your afternoon enjoying various activities; including getting to experience the giraffe, on foot, horseback, or take a relaxing massage at the spa

• Your last evening will be spent underneath a canopy of stars, enjoying a delicious candlelit dinner on the lodge’s expansive deck, this truly is the perfect way to end your incredible safari!

• Overnight: Thamo Telele Full Board

Day 10

• The next morning transfer to Maun for your onward journey