16-Day Botswana and Victoria Falls Safari from Johannesburg

• On arrival in Johannesburg, you will be met by our driver and guide, who will assist you through the airport procedures and help you collect your luggage.
• 07:00 - Depart for breakfast at a local restaurant in Johannesburg or Pretoria.
• 08:00 - Depart for the Cullinan Diamond Tour.
• 09:00 - Check in at Cullinan Diamond.
• 11:00 - Depart for the Apartheid Museum and Hector Pieterson Museum.
• 13:00 - Depart for the legendary Vilakazi Street. This street was once home to not one but two Nobel Peace Prize winners - Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Tata Nelson Mandela. See Mandela House Museum, enjoy dancing and performances by locals along the street, and purchase souvenirs.
• Lunch at one of the finest township restaurants on Vilakazi Street.
• 19:00 - Depart for Balalaika or Hilton Hotel (approximately 14 minutes' drive), check in, freshen up, and have dinner. Overnight stay.

• 06:00 - Have breakfast.
• 08:00 - Visit tactful old colonial buildings such as the Rand Club, original post offices, old police stations, historical hotels, farmhouses, and shops. Rub shoulders with the Carlton Centre, still Africa's tallest building at 50 storeys, as well as glitzy shopping malls, five-star hotels, major highways, classy restaurants, art galleries, divine parks, newer historical landmarks, and award-winning museums.
• Depart for Gold Reef City, plus lunch.
• Late afternoon, depart for Sandton City and Mandela Square for shopping around, with the entire afternoon at your own leisure.
• Return to the lodge for showers and dinner. Receive a briefing about the entire tour, arrangements made, and other important information. Overnight stay.

• Around 05:00, wake up in the heart and atmosphere of Sandton and put luggage in the vehicle.
• After a delightful breakfast, depart for OR Tambo International Airport for your flight to Victoria Falls.
• On arrival at Victoria Falls International Airport, meet and greet your host guide and transfer by car to your special tented camp or lodge, located within the safari plant life of the Victoria Falls National Park. Here, you will be dropped off at your idyllic retreat, located a few minutes away from the enormous and majestic Victoria Falls.
• You will be met at reception on arrival at The Elephant Camp and enjoy a stimulating welcome beverage before being assisted to your Luxury Tented Suite for your two-night stay.
• You will have the remainder of the day at leisure. You may choose to rest in the comfort of your suite or explore and enjoy one of the activities included in your daily rate:
  • Depart for majestic Victoria Falls and indulge at Devils Pool.
  • Canopy tours: zipline, bungee jump, gorge swing, white water rafting, and crocodile cage diving.
  • Depart for a drum and dance experience.
  • Depart for a sunset cruise.

Note: Other activities not included in the budget or daily rates can be done at your own expense.

• After breakfast, depart for the Lion & Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Enjoy the Victoria Falls Rural & Cultural Tour: Village Experience.
• Besides being one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls is the unchallenged adventure capital of Africa, with more than 50 activities available.
• At 1708 metres wide, Victoria Falls is the most expansive curtain of water in the world and drops more than 100 metres into the sheer Zambezi Gorge. Straddling the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, these falls and the Zambezi River are the central points in an area of spectacular scenic beauty. From the falls themselves to the broad, picturesque course of the Zambezi River upstream, the adjacent rainforest, and the stark, jagged gorge downstream, the power and timelessness of nature's forces are evident throughout.
• After supper, go for a safari night drive.
• Return to the lodge for an overnight stay.

• Wake up in the atmosphere of Victoria Falls and have a delicious breakfast.
• This morning, after an early breakfast, you will be collected by your driver and transferred by road to the border of Zimbabwe and Botswana. Once you have crossed the border, your driver and guide will assist you.
• Depart by road to Kasane and the Namibian immigration office on the banks of the Chobe River in Kasane.
• Once you pass immigration, you will step onto your boat shuttle, which will take you upriver to your lodge in Chobe. Check in, relax, and enjoy the area.
• Depart for a boat cruise with beverages and lunch packs.
• Return to the lodge for a sunset safari game drive.
• Return for dinner, showers, and an overnight stay.

• Chobe National Park, on Botswana's northwest border, is a pristine wilderness of open plains, baobab trees, ancient woodland, swamps, and floodplains. It is home to the greatest concentration of game in the entire southern African subcontinent.
• One of Africa's most beautiful rivers, the Chobe River, forms the park's northern boundary. The Chobe Riverfront area is most famous for its large herds of elephants and buffalo, which come down to the river in huge herds to drink during the dry winter months. During this season, one may see hundreds of elephants at one time.
• Other species include waterbuck, lechwe, puku, which can only be seen in this part of Botswana, giraffe, kudu, roan and sable, impala, warthog, bushbuck, monkeys, and baboons, along with predators such as lion, leopard, hyena, and jackal. Over 460 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of Africa's premier venues for bird safaris. A highlight of Chobe is taking a river cruise, which allows you to get up close to hippos, crocodiles, and a mind-boggling array of water birds. You also get really close to animals that come down to the river.
• Depart around 05:00 for a sunrise safari guided walk.
• Return to the lodge for showers and breakfast. Relax at the lodge.
• Depart for a day boat cruise to get close to hippos and crocodiles, with lunch packs and beverages. Return to the lodge and freshen up.
• Depart for a safari sunset drive. Return to the lodge and overnight.

• Wake up in the nature and wildlife of Chobe.
• After your morning game drive and breakfast, you will be relocated by boat and road to Kasane Airport, where you will meet your pilot, who will fly you by light aircraft to your lodge in the Savuti section of Chobe National Park.
• Check in and enjoy Savuti sightseeing and wildlife.
• Depart for a safari day drive.
• Return to the lodge for lunch and freshen up.
• Depart for Bushmen paintings and baobab excursions. Return to the lodge and relax.

• Stretching from the Linyanti River all the way to Savuti Marsh, the winding waterways of the Savuti Channel have pumped life into the western section of Chobe National Park for many thousands of generations. However, this fickle and unpredictable channel, which has a fascinating history of flooding and drying up independently of good rainy seasons and flood levels elsewhere, has mystified local inhabitants, geologists, and others for many years.
• The Savuti area offers great game viewing at certain times of the year. The annual zebra migration is closely followed by many lion prides. Good sightings of cheetah and leopard are possible, and the endangered wild dog also occurs here. Savuti is famous for its large concentrations of elephants that congregate around the waterholes, making game viewing exceptional.
• Birdlife is also amazing, with Secretary Birds and Kori Bustards often seen around the Savuti Marsh. Summer migrants and water birds include Abdim's Storks, Carmine Bee-eaters, and Fish Eagles. Red-billed Queleas, which gather in their thousands, are a spectacular sight as they wheel and turn in unison.
• Depart around 05:30 for a sunrise safari game drive in search of lions, cheetah, and leopards, with possible sightings of the endangered wild dogs. Birdlife, including water birds such as Abdim's Storks, Carmine Bee-eaters, Fish Eagles, and Red-billed Queleas, may also be seen as they wheel and turn in unison.
• Return to the lodge for showers and breakfast. Relax at the lodge.
• Depart for a day drive with your guide.
• Return for showers and lunch. Relax at the lodge and enjoy storytelling about the history of the area.
• Depart for a safari sunset drive. Savuti is famous for its large concentrations of elephants and other general game that congregate around the waterholes, making game viewing exceptional. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

• This dawn, after your game activity and breakfast, you will be driven to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Maun and onwards to your lodge in the Okavango Delta.
• Check in at Okavango Delta Lodge.
• Depart for a boat cruise with lunch packs and beverages.
• Return to the lodge for supper.
• Around 19:00, depart for a safari night drive. Return to the lodge and overnight.

• Wake up in the beautiful atmosphere of the Okavango Delta, located in northern Botswana. The Okavango River is a unique natural phenomenon - flowing more than 1,000 km (620 miles) from its source in Angola, this river disappears beneath the sands of Botswana, creating a lush inland delta in the midst of this otherwise arid country.
• The Okavango Delta is in a constant state of flux, expanding and contracting according to the rainy season. While some parts of the delta remain permanently flooded, others only experience high water levels from May to September, when rainwaters from Angola reach the outer stretches of the Okavango.
• Renowned for its abundant wildlife, the Okavango Delta and the areas surrounding Okuti are home to a large number of species, including many predators, as well as species adapted to the semi-aquatic lifestyle, such as the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga. Lion prides, cheetahs, leopards, and African wild dogs may be encountered, while families of hippos hide in the deeper channels and lagoons. The area supports the continent's largest surviving concentration of elephants and buffalo, while roan and sable antelope roam the open woodlands.
• Early morning safari game drive. Return to the lodge and freshen up.
• Depart for the river cruise with lunch packs and drinks.
• Sunset safari game drive. Dinner and overnight stay.

• At daybreak, enjoy a safari game drive. Return to the lodge for showers and breakfast.
• After you check out, you will be flown to Maun Airport, where you will meet your pilot for your light aircraft flight to your lodge on the western side of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Check in and enjoy the area.
• Depart for a half-day drive for general game and birdlife.
• Cultural village walks. Dinner and overnight stay.

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, a salt pan with an area of 3,900 sq. km, is situated in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana. It is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pan is all that remains of the formerly enormous Lake Makgadikgadi. Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, Makgadikgadi is technically not a single pan but many pans with sandy desert in between, the largest being the Sua (Sowa), Nwetwe, and Nxai Pans. Your lodge is on the western border of the pans - near Nxai Pan.

The pans themselves are salty deserts whose only plant life is a thin layer of blue-green algae. Very little wildlife can exist here during the harsh dry season of strong hot winds and only salt water, but following rain, the pan becomes an important habitat for migrating animals, including wildebeest and one of Africa's biggest zebra populations, as well as the large predators that prey on them. The wet season also brings migratory birds such as ducks, geese, and Great White Pelicans.

• Enjoy the splendid pans' wildlife on a boat, mokoro, safari guided walks, and safari drives, along with delicious cuisine, snacks, and beverages.
• Early morning safari guided walk with the Bushmen.
• Return to the lodge for showers and breakfast.
• Depart for Nata Bird Sanctuary.
• Depart for a day drive to Chapmans or Baines' Baobab and the pans with lunch packs and drinks.
• Sunset drive, then return to the lodge for an overnight stay.

• After a sunrise safari drive and breakfast, you will be transported to the airstrip for your light aircraft flight to Maun.
• On arrival, you will be met by your pilot for your light aircraft flight to your lodge in the Central Kalahari. You will be met off your flight and transferred through to your lodge.
• Check in at the lodge, relax, and have lunch.
• Depart for a day drive. Return to the lodge for supper.
• Depart for a night drive and stargazing. Return to the lodge and overnight.

• The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest and most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second-largest wildlife reserve in the world. Waist-high golden grasses seem to stretch interminably, punctuated by dwarfed trees and scrub bushes. Wide and empty pans appear as vast white stretches of saucer-flat earth, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. At night, the stars utterly dominate the land; their brilliance and immediacy are totally arresting.
• The park contains wildlife such as bush elephant, white rhino, cape buffalo, spotted hyena, brown hyena, honey badger, meerkat, yellow mongoose, warthog, South African cheetah, caracal, Cape wild dog, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, cape fox, African leopard, Kalahari lion, blue wildebeest, plains zebra, common eland, sable antelope, gemsbok, springbok, steenbok, impala, greater kudu, aardvark, cape ground squirrel, cape hare, cape porcupine, chacma baboon, red hartebeest, and ostrich. The land is mostly flat and gently undulating, covered with bush and grasses over sand dunes and areas of larger trees. Many of the river valleys are fossilized with salt pans. Four fossilized rivers meander through the reserve, including Deception Valley, which began to form around 16,000 years ago.
• Depart for a safari sunrise guided walk with Bushmen guides and birding.
• Return to the lodge for showers and breakfast.
• Depart for a cultural walk and have lunch.
• Enjoy day drives, night safari game drives, and stargazing, followed by an overnight stay.

• This morning, after your morning safari game drive and brunch, you will be flown by light aircraft to Maun Airport to connect with your flight to Johannesburg in South Africa and your international flight home. Say goodbye to your host guide.