Practical info ...
Groups:
Minimum: 4 / Maximum: 8.
Accommodation:
Tents (2.5m x 2.5m) for two people. Mattress provided; clients to bring their own sleeping bags. Last night is in a B&B.
Transport:
Customised Land Rover 4x4; mokoro (dug-out canoe).
Meals:
In Botswana meals are prepared around the fire by the cook who accompanies the group.
Comfort:
A safari in the bush offers simple comfort. Meals are nutritious and tasty. Toilets and baths are usually available at the different camping spots.
Difficulty:
This trip is accessible to most people (12 years old minimum). No previous experience is necessary.
Conditions...
What is included:
All road transfers, all mentioned activities, full board (except first day and near Victoria Falls, where only breakfast is included), park fees, professional guides.
What is not included:
International flights, personal expenses, drinks, tips, airport tax, visas, meals on the first day and near Victoria Falls.
Day by day...
Day 1: Maun – Okavango Delta...
Your guide will welcome you at Maun airport. Transfer by 4x4 to a rustic lodge located on the edge of the Delta. Overnight in thatched cottages. Dinner at the restaurant (at your own expense).
Days 2-3: Okavango Delta...
After breakfast, we transfer in a 4x4 to a village where we start our mokoro safari. There is no better way to experience the Okavango than to travel through it by mokoro, walking and camping out on a densely-forested island - all essential elements of the Xigera Mokoro Trails experience. The experience gives you a chance to see the permanently flooded inner Delta, from the serene waterways and islands of trees and bush. Our guest tents are smaller here than the rest of the safari, with a gauze main frame to enhance the views. Space is limited in the morokos so bedrolls are on the ground (not on a stretcher) and our light comes from battery-powered lamps.
Activities include mokoro and walking safaris, which enable up-close encounters with the excellent diversity of birdlife (including Pel's Fishing Owl), frogs and a myriad of game species. Some are specially adapted to water, such as the rare sitatunga and the familiar red lechwe. Walks vary in length and duration through the seasons, and as more islands become flooded during the peak flood months of June, July and August, they will be shorter. We spend two nights in this natural labyrinth.
Days 4-5: Moremi Reserve...
After breakfast, we return to the village and pick up our 4x4 to drive to Moremi Reserve. The next two nights are spent camping in the area, in search of leopards, lions, buffaloes and antelope. We explore habitats as diverse as savannah, mopane forests, acacia thickets and vast reed beds flooded by the waters of the Delta.
Days 6-7: Chobe National Park - Savuti...
Leaving Moremi, we enter Chobe National Park and drive slowly northwards through it to reach Savuti, located right in the middle. Here the landscape is totally different: wide open savannah grasslands are home to numerous elephant and prides of lions. Chobe is indeed a kingdom for these big cats and contains more than 80,000 - the biggest African population.
Day 8: Chobe River...
Today, we have a long transfer north as we drive through Chobe to reach the Chobe River, where we camp. These permanent waters attract large herds of elephant and buffalo, which appear in the late afternoon for a drink.
Day 9: Chobe River - Victoria Falls...
Today is our last 4x4 safari along the banks of the Chobe River as we travel to Kasane. On arrival, we embark for a boat cruise on the river. Later we transfer to the Victoria Falls and you may choose to take a trip to the mighty falls (at your own expense). Accommodation is in a B&B in town. Meals on your own account.
Day 10: Victoria falls...
You have the morning free before transferring to the airport where you catch a flight back to your country. This is the end of the trip.