8 Day Botswana Green Safari

Day 1 and Day 2

Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport where you will be met by a representative of Falcon Safaris in the Arrivals Hall.

Our representative will then accompany you to the check-in counter for your flight to Victoria Falls Airport in Zimbabwe (it may be possible to fly directly to Kasane in Botswana depending on your dates of travel).

After clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by our representative who will transfer you by private vehicle to The Elephant Valley Lodge.

This transfer takes approximately 2 hours and involves Zimbabwe and Botswana customs and immigration en-route. On arrival, you will be welcomed by the management who will show you to your room, give a brief overview of the lodge and area, and will then discuss which activities you would like to do during your stay. Enjoy a lovely lunch and afternoon relaxing before your pm activity. You then return to the lodge in time to freshen up before a delicious dinner accompanied by the sounds of the African bush.

2 x Nights at Elephant Valley Lodge in a twin tent with private en-suite facilities. Accommodation includes all meals, park fees, local drinks on activities and snacks on activities, PM game drive on day 1, AM boat cruise and PM game drive on day 2, AM boat cruise on day 3 (time permitting).

ELEPHANT VALLEY LODGE The Chobe region is home to the largest population of wild elephants in the world. This is estimated to be approximately 120,000 individuals. Their sometimes daily passage takes them from Zimbabwe through the Chobe and on into Namibia before returning. Elephant Valley Lodge lies along with one of these routes and is situated in the Kasane Forest, which is adjacent to the Chobe National Park. Open guest areas, a secluded hide, refreshing swimming pool, and 20 ‘Meru styled’ tents complete the lodge which lies beneath a forest of sturdy knob thorns. It is within these tree tops that the largest colony of white back vultures occurs.

The lodge is unique for several reasons and amongst these is the fact that it is situated within a game-rich reserve affording the guests wonderful sightings between our open Landrover safaris into the Chobe and boat cruises along the Chobe River. The camp perimeter is fenced to keep the elephant from moving through the camp, instead, now they move around the camp boundary, along their well-worn paths to and from the Chobe River. Your tent also ensures that you are able to hear the multitude of night sounds as you drift away with vivid thoughts of the experiences of your day on safari. Each of the tents features twin beds, an en suite shower, and toilet, a mini-safe, and a fan. At Elephant Valley we have found that a morning cruise along the Chobe River provides a couple of distinct advantages they include the following; During the morning the river is distinctly less busy with fewer boats. This also permits a longer experience, assuming that sightings kept us busy, and we do not have to cut the trip short to get back before sunset. It does also permit a greater length of the river to be explored. In the afternoons we have found that the Chobe National Park is conversely less busy and we are able to enjoy a sundowner along the river to capture the sunset on camera. It is also during the late afternoon that the game becomes most active.

Day 3

After breakfast and an early morning activity (time permitting), you will be transferred by road to Kasane Airport where you will be met by your pilot and transferred by light aircraft to Delta Camp.

On arrival, you will be welcomed by the Camp Managers and shown to your room. Enjoy a leisurely buffet lunch and a little later this afternoon your guide will take you on a mokoro excursion where you explore the channels which have excellent birdlife.

There is also a chance of seeing Hippo, elephants, and Crocodiles as well as numerous antelope species. While on your activity enjoy sundowners while in the mokoro and watch the sun sizzles as it sets on the waterways. Return to the camp in time to freshen up before a delicious dinner accompanied by the sounds of the African bush.

Day 4

An early morning wake-up call, some tea, coffee, and biscuits, and then accompanied by your Guide you go out on a walking safari – really the ONLY way to go out on safari, on foot, accompanied by a man whose knowledge of the Okavango and its wildlife and plants will astound you. You can, in all safety track and stalk animals that you are particularly interested in seeing a truly remarkable experience. After a leisurely three-hour walk, conducted at your pace, you will return to Delta Camp for a hearty Brunch and a rest during the heat of the day. A little later this afternoon enjoy another mokoro excursion returning to the camp by sunset. Enjoy a leisurely dinner.

DELTA CAMP, OKAVANGO DELTA **MOKOROS ARE SUBJECT TO WATER LEVELS**

This intimate and informal safari camp nestles on a small Falcon close to the south-western edge of Chief’s Falcon, the heart of the Okavango Delta – the vast oasis of the Kgalagadi Desert, Botswana. Accommodation is in spacious ‘lethaka’ (reed) chalets with en-suite facilities. The amazing design of the Chalets is such that you enjoy the luxuries of a ‘top rate’ hotel, but without affecting the environment; you will find you share your chalet with the trees around which the chalets have been built rather than having been cut down during their construction. Delta Camp was voted the Best Safari Lodge in Southern Africa by the prestigious South African Getaway Magazine in its 2004 anniversary edition The Okavango Delta is a shifting web of crystal-clear channels, lagoons, sweeping floodplains, and palm-studded Falcons. Home to over 450 bird and 1,000 plant species, crocodile, hippo, elephant, buffalo – in fact, the full spectrum of African big-game and several species of antelope that are amongst the world’s rarest – the Okavango has earned its reputation as one of the world’s premier wilderness areas. Your chalet at Delta Camp directly overlooks the waterways.

Delta Camp is on the banks of the Boro, one of the primary watercourses of the Okavango. Excursions, by foot and mokoro – the traditional dug-out canoe – are conducted in the renowned Moremi Game Reserve, with your own professional game guide, a man of the swamps, completely at one with his environment.

Dine in the elegant Dining Room overlooking the sweep of the Delta, or take a beautifully prepared picnic onto one of the many nearby Falcons for a secluded and intimate experience.

This unusual Camp engenders in its staff and guests alike, an acute awareness of the ecological sensitivity of this magnificent area. Bio-degradable products have been sourced and are used, careful separation and treatment of refuse ensure that nothing that is not fully bio-degradable stays on the Falcon – light aircraft remove cans, bottles and the like from the Okavango altogether. The accent is on peace and tranquillity (stalking game on foot provides all the excitement one could wish for) and guests are actively encouraged to visit a local village, home to our guides, and to interact, should they wish to, with the people there.

Days 5 to 7

After breakfast and an early morning activity (time permitting), you will be assisted onto your charter flight to Khwai Tented Camp. On arrival, you will be welcomed by the management who will show you to your room, give a brief overview of the lodge and area, and will then discuss which activities you would like to do during your stay. Enjoy a lovely lunch and afternoon relaxing before your pm activity. You then return to the lodge in time to freshen up before a delicious dinner accompanied by the sounds of the African bush.

3 x Nights at Khwai Tented Camp in a twin room with private en-suite facilities. Accommodation includes all meals, activities, park fees, laundry, medical evacuation insurance, and local beverages.

KHWAI TENTED CAMP

This provides the perfect setting of a wilderness area where a community lives in harmony with nature and wildlife. The magnificent Khwai River is the hub for some of the most outstanding wildlife viewing both on the Moremi and in the Khwai area. Khwai Tented Camp is a small 8 bedded tented camp situated along this life-supporting river. It is designed for the luxury camping seeker who is looking for the real African experience in a simple and yet understated tented safari experience. The main focus is the wildlife experience including walking and excursions to the legendary Moremi game reserve. The style of the camp is the East African Meru tent, as the original explorers moved through the African wilderness. Activities on offer are game drives, walking, and night excursions including cultural village outings to the old bushman village of Khwai.

Day 8

After breakfast and an early morning activity you will be transferred by light aircraft to Maun in time for your scheduled flight Maun to Johannesburg