AFRICAN DREAM – An twelve night safari in the Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Linyanti, Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls
Highlights:
3 nights at Xakanaxa Camp – Moremi Game Reserve
2 nights at Pom Pom Camp – Okavango Delta
3 nights at Lebala Camp – Linyanti / Kwando Concession
2 nights at Muchenje Lodge – Chobe National Park
2 nights at The Stanley Safari Lodge – The Victoria Falls – Zambian side
TOUR PRICE: From US$6875 PER PERSON based on 2 people traveling during low season
Arrive at Maun Airport and after clearing customs, and collecting your luggage, you will be met and assisted onto your light aircraft flight to Xakanaxa Camp, a 25 minute transfer.
Xakanaxa Camp is one of the pioneer safari camps in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Its prime location on the banks of the Khwai River on the Xakanaxa Lagoon in the heart of the Moremi Game Reserve ensures that it is one of the only safari camps which can provide guests with an authentic year round Okavango Delta land and water safari experience.
As the custodians of one of Botswana’s very first safari camps the owners of Xakanaxa Camp (pronounced Ka-ka-na-ka) have gone to extraordinary lengths to preserve its original African bush camp character whilst providing guests with every comfort.
The stylish main buildings extend into the Khwai River and are set on raised platforms to maximize the views over the surrounding lagoons and Falcons. Constructed of local timber, reed and thatch they comprise of an elegant lounge containing a small but comprehensive library, dining room, expansive sundeck, plunge pool and Sala with day bed as well as a fire-deck set under giant Jackalberry trees. The reception lounge boasts a curio shop and facilities are provided for charging videos, cameras and batteries. The camp operates on generator power but at night all lighting is supplied by gas and paraffin lanterns, giving the camp an authentic African ambience.
At Xakanaxa Camp you will be accommodated in an en-suite luxury tent, set on a wooden platform. Each tent is tastefully furnished and en-suite facilities with shower, hand basin and ablution facilities. A water sprinkler system aids cooling in the midday heat.
Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild Dog, Hyena, Giraffe, Hippo, Sable Antelope, Wildebeest, Kudu, Lechwe, Sitatunga and many more predator and antelope are resident. Most of Botswana’s national bird list of 550 species are resident or migrants, and include Pel’s Fishing Owl and Slaty Egret. You will track great herds on extensive safaris by open Land Rover, by powerboat or serene dugout canoe.
It is one of the few Botswana lodges that can offer all year round boating trips, as well as extensive 4×4 drives into outstanding game country. The Moremi Reserve is rated as one of Africa’s finest game-viewing areas, offering sanctuary to abundant herds.
Birding is quite spectacular, especially during spring and summer when the migrants breed. Huge numbers of breeding storks and herons are attracted to the world-famous heronries which lie to the north of the lodge. Nature walks on nearby Falcons. Guests are offered two activities of their choice per day, or even an all-day outing can be arranged, complete with picnic lunch.
Daily camp activities follow a rhythmic pattern in harmony with that of the nature that surrounds the lodge – generally you will enjoy a light breakfast of coffee, tea, fruit juices, cereals, muffins and fresh fruit, just before dawn and then set off on extensive safari drives, boat or mokoro outings. Upon your return to camp three or 4 hours later its time for a full breakfast followed by lunch or alternatively, especially in the winter months, these are combined into a scrumptious brunch. A siesta is followed by high tea before you will set off again on a safari activity that returns to camp about half an hour after sunset. A chance to freshen up is followed by pre-dinner cocktails and snacks, dinner and coffee and liqueurs on the fire-deck.
After an early morning activity of your choice and brunch, you will return to the airstrip for your charter flight to Pom Pom Camp. This flight will take around 15 minutes.
On arrival at the Pom Pom airstrip you will be met by the Guide who will be looking after you during your stay there.
Pom Pom Camp is located in the heart of the Okavango in a private concession to the west of the Moremi Game Reserve. Pom Pom offers great Okavango scenery with game drives, night drives, walks and mokoro (canoe) safaris as the main activities on offer. This is a safari camp built and designed in the style of safari camps of old, overlooking a scenic lagoon and under a grove of shady trees. Pom Pom Camp is designed for the wildlife and birding enthusiast, the photographer and those who wish to experience the untamed Africa of the explorers. Birding is one of the highlights of your stay here, with heronries a short boat transfer away.
Pom Pom has nine large walk-in tents, tastefully furnished, with en suite showers and flush loos. The bathrooms are enclosed, but the shower roofless – for a true bush experience! The atmosphere of the lodge is warm, friendly, tranquil and well run. There is also a swimming pool.
All the big predators and buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest can be seen. If you are lucky, some of the nocturnal animals such as serval, civet and genet may be seen on night drives. Hippo and crocodile are found in the deeper lagoons in the area. Birding enthusiasts will enjoy sighting Pel’s fishing owl, African fish eagle, giant eagle owl and white backed vultures. Game viewing at Pom Pom Safari Camp is led by field staff who stalk the game with uncanny skill.
Gracious meals are prepared and noble wines uncorked while over excellent coffee and fine cognac, you will relive the day’s events around the campfire.
Guests may choose from game drives, nature walks, fishing and mokoro excursions or night drives in open 4×4 Land Rovers.
After a light breakfast and an early morning activity and brunch, you will be transferred to the airstrip for your charter from Pom Pom to Lebala Camp, around 40 minutes flying time away.
You will be met at the airstrip by your Guide, and driven the 30 minutes to the lodge.
Lebala means wide open spaces in Setswana and the scenery here is dominated by vast plains with scattered palms and tree clumps backed by wooded savannas. This wild expanse is contrasted with the casual elegance and luxury of the camp itself. Lebala Camp fronts onto the Linyanti Wetlands. Open grasslands scattered with Ilala Palms stretch to the south and west of Lebala. The perennial and southerly flowing Kwando River disappears into the vast marshes before emerging as the Linyanti River, flowing in a north easterly direction.
The eight spacious tents are unique and were designed specifically for this camp. Each one is built on a raised teak deck, laid out with maximum comfort and privacy in mind. The tents have an entrance foyer with a reading and writing area, en-suite bathrooms with Victorian claw foot bathtubs, “his and hers” washbasins and flush toilets. The bathrooms lead out to a reed enclosed open-air shower with hot and cold running water, powered by LP gas for hot water on demand.
Each secluded tent has its own sundeck, and is set back among the trees. The endless vistas from the large windows and decks across the vast plains make Lebala one of the finest wilderness camps in Africa.
The wetlands and flood plains around Lebala offer a wonderful variety of wildlife with excellent sightings of elephant, hippo, lechwe, zebra, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, kudu, tsessebe, roan, sable, buffalo and the ever present predators; wild dog, lion, cheetah and hyena.
After dark, spotlights are switched on and the game drives expose our guests to nocturnal sightings of rare and elusive species such as, leopard, Selous Mongoose, small spotted genet, and aardwolf, to name a few. Nocturnal bird species that are encountered include Natal Nightjar, Pennantwinged Nightjar and a large variety of owls.
Mouth-watering fare is prepared by the chefs and served in the open-sided dining room. After dinner there is a wonderful camp fire around which to sip a coffee or enjoy a nightcap. As you drift off to sleep, you will often hear hippo grazing out of water near your tent.
Lebala has a swimming pool.
Activities at Lebala Camp include morning, afternoon and night game drives, with your Guide, plus a tracker, as well as seasonal guided walks. The Guides are Lebala Camp are of the best-trained in Botswana, and will make your stay here memorable.
An early morning wake-up call, an activity followed by breakfast, and then you will be chartered from Lebala airstrip to Kasane Airport, where a representative of Muchenje Safari Lodge will meet you, and drive you to the lodge. The transfer from Kasane Airport to Muchenje will take around 40 minutes by road.
Muchenje is situated on the western border of the Chobe National Park, within the Chobe Forest Reserve, far from the other lodges in Chobe, and the bustle of Kasane town. You will not meet vehicles from the other Chobe lodges on your game drives.
Botswana’s Chobe National Park remains one of Africa’s prime wildlife areas. Its close proximity to the world-renowned Victoria Falls makes it an essential part of any visit to the region. The magnificent Chobe river and floodplains filled with huge herds of buffalo and elephant (best months being April to November) and flocks of waterfowl winging their way toward the sunset, create an enduring memory of the wild splendour of this majestic corner of old Africa.
At Muchenje Safari Lodge you will be accommodated in a luxury Chalet with en-suite facilities and amazing views of the Chobe River flood plains. Whilst at Muchenje Safari Lodge all your meals and all your beverages are included in your Tour price.
After lunch you will go out on a Game drive in the Chobe National Park, home to huge herds of elephant. The Chobe National Park is one of the premiere Game Parks in Africa, and is noted for the large herds of wildlife of all types, and of course the predators that follow them. After a drive of around three hours you will return to the Lodge for ‘sundowners’ and Dinner. A night drive after dinner is also available.
An early morning wake-up call, some tea, coffee and rusk biscuits, and it’s off on another Game Drive, viewing the wildlife that grazes early in the morning, and possibly the kills from the previous night, returning to the Lodge for a hearty breakfast, and a rest during the heat of the day – Muchenje has a swimming pool overlooking the Chobe River, and its flood plains. After lunch another game drive or perhaps you would prefer a visit to the local village to experience life in an African Village. You may also enjoy a full-day’s River Cruise on the famous Chobe River on one of the days, enabling you to view the wildlife from the water.
After an early morning drive and breakfast at Muchenje Safari Lodge, you will be driven back to Kasane Airport (40 minutes), where you will be met by a representative of African Odyssey/ Wild Horizons Transfer Company, who will drive and boat transfer you across the Chobe River, and on to Stanley’s Safari Lodge, around one hour and forty-five minutes away.
Stanley’s Safari Lodge is situated high on a hill, overlooking the famous Victoria Falls. The views are really outstanding, the lodge small and intimate, and the hospitality very special. This exclusive lodge is the ideal base for the new explorers of the Victoria Falls, as it is close to the Falls, the game parks, the activities and the airport. At the same time it is secluded in the bush and with its magnificent view, it is the ideal place to rest before or after a safari journey – ‘Probably the best Sunsets in the world’.
With only 9 rooms and 2 members of staff for every client, Stanley Safari Lodge is able to offer you an unprecedented level of service.
At Stanley’s Safari Lodge you will be accommodated in an en-suite Chalet with views into the surrounding bush. All your meals and drinks are included in the rate, although activities should be booked and paid for directly.
In the afternoon you may like to visit the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, or perhaps you would like to relax at the Lodge for the rest of the day, alongside the swimming pool, offering you outstanding vistas across the Zambezi River.
After breakfast, you will be free to partake of some of the many activities on offer on this side of Victoria Falls:
Any of these activities may be booked directly at the lodge, and settled for directly.
After breakfast at Stanley’s Safari Lodge, you will be transferred, by a representative of the lodge, to Livingstone Airport (20 minutes), in time to connect with your flight to Johannesburg
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