9 Day Taste of Africa - Victoria Falls, Chobe, Okavango, Moremi Game Reserve

Day 1

Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport.

Our representative will meet you in the Arrivals Hall, holding a board with your names on it, and he will accompany you to the British Airways check-in counter for your flight to Victoria Falls Airport.

British Airways, flight BA6285, departs Johannesburg at 11h25, arriving at Victoria Falls Airport at 13h10. Check-in time for this flight will be by 10h00.

After clearing customs at Victoria Falls Airport, and purchasing a visa for Zimbabwe (US$ 55 each for UK passport holders, payable in US$ cash, small denominations), a representative of Falcon Safaris will meet you in the Arrivals Hall and will drive you to the Kingdom Hotel, situated just 20 minute’s drive from the Airport.

The Kingdom Hotel is a large resort-style hotel in the center of Victoria Falls with many restaurants and bars to choose from. Modern and nicely decorated rooms with all the facilities you would expect. The hotel is just a short walk from the Falls themselves, for which there is a US$20 per person entrance charge.

At the Kingdom hotel, you will be accommodated in a Standard Room with en-suite facilities, on a bed and breakfast basis.

Dinner may be taken at the hotel restaurant and will be for your own account.

Day 2

There are many activities available in Victoria Falls, including the ‘Flight of Angels’ a fixed-wing light aircraft flight over the Falls, affording spectacular photo opportunities, The Livingstone Express steam train ride over the Zambezi, a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River, a Cultural visit to a local village, White River Rafting, Bungy Jumping, Elephant Back Safari, Lion Encounter, etc. You may book these activities at the Hotel once you arrive, or we can prebook any activities for you.

Day 3

After breakfast at the Kingdom Hotel, you will be collected from the Hotel by your Falcon Safaris driver, who will transfer you across the border, into Botswana, and on to Elephant Valley Lodge, a transfer taking approximately one hour. Visas will not be necessary for Botswana, although your passports should be handy at the border crossing.

Situated in the Lesoma Valley within the Kasane Forest Reserve, half an hour’s drive from Chobe National Park, this region boasts the highest concentration of elephants anywhere in the world, as well as an abundance of big game.

The lodge is of the classic camp ilk and offers you the joy of the great game, the thrill of sleeping under canvas with a high standard of comfort and personalized service.

Accommodating guests in spacious tents comfortably appointed with bedside and dressing tables, a wardrobe & a spacious en-suite bathroom, with all amenities provided for. An abundance of excellent games can be seen from the main bar and lounge area as well as the terrace of your tent, a stone's throw from the “Discovery Channel” water hole. The family tent is available, which would accommodate the three of you.

Day 4

A wide range of daily game activities is on offer, while the crystal clear swimming pool has large comfortable loungers for those who want to soak up the African sun during the hot midday hours. Meals are a unique blend of African home-style cooking, which is served outside under the starlit sky or in the indoor dining room overlooking the water hole.

Daily Activities include boat cruises along the beautiful Chobe River in the Chobe National Park, Game drives in search of the plentiful game. Night drives in the Lesoma Valley are also included. Two guided activities per day are included during your stay at Elephant Valley Lodge.

Chobe’s wildlife roams in profusion and diversity. It is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Africa and during the dry season, the herds congregate along the fertile flood plains of the Chobe River. Large herds of Buffalo also concentrate on the floodplains during the dry season. Other major species such as Lion, Wild Dog, Puku, Red Lechwe, Sable, and Roan Antelope are encountered in many areas of the Reserve.

Day 5

Another early morning Game Drive in the Chobe National Park, and after breakfast, you will be transferred, by a representative of the lodge, to Kasane Airport (30 minutes) for your 80 minute light aircraft charter flight to Moremi Crossing Camp, taking you across the Chobe National Park

. The Okavango is an immense river that never meets the sea. Instead, its crystal clear waters spread across the Kalahari Desert, forming Africa‘s largest wetland wonder, before the formidable African sun swallows the last of its outstretched fingers. The Delta is an abundant oasis amid the vast plains and pans of the desert that covers most of Southern Africa. Its waterways are a mesh of meandering and intercepting channels, creating a haven for Africa‘s most celebrated wildlife.

Moremi Crossing is a new 16 tented camp set on a palm-fringed Falcon surrounded by the Moremi’s game-rich seasonal floodplains and overlooking Chief’s Falcon. Moremi Crossing combines luxury with simplicity, a 100% eco-friendly development featuring the latest in solar and waste disposal technology. The family tent is available at Moremi Crossing Camp.

The main building consists of a large open plan deck that has a spectacular view over the Boro River onto Chiefs Falcon. This half moon-shaped area is built on different levels to give you the feeling of space. The dining room, bar, and lounge are covered by a large thatched roof that hugs the tree line. Various small private lounge areas are created for comfort, privacy, and spaciousness. Within the tree line, you will find a nice shaded decked area that leads to the pool. The whole camp is shaded by magnificent Llala Palms, Giant Ebony, Mangosteen, Sausage, and Giant Fig trees.

Offering a personalized wildlife experience through the provision of high-quality guiding services and new custom-made boats, Moremi Crossing ensures an outstanding Okavango Delta experience.

Lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, hippo, crocodile, plains of zebra, and a variety of buck, including the red lechwe are the most conspicuous within the Delta’s thriving eco-system. It is renowned for being a birdwatcher’s paradise, with over 240 species of bird flourishing in the swampland environment, including the rare Pel’s Fishing Owl and the endangered Wattled Crane.

Day 6

The main activities are mokoro (traditional dug-out canoes) powerboat excursions, and guided game walks with experienced guides who have spent their lives accumulating knowledge and understanding of the complex ecosystem of the Okavango Delta. As they show you how to silently observe nature with minimal impact you will begin to realize the privilege and quiet excitement of being in one of those places that make memories for you.

Chiefs Falcon where your activities take place offers one the of largest populations of African wildlife in the Delta area. Sightings may include lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and packs of a wild dogs running across the plains of the Delta. The concession is also home to hippo, crocodiles, plains zebra, and a variety of bucks, including the red lechwe.

This region is renowned for being a birders paradise, with over 240 species of bird including the rare Pel’s Fishing Owl and the endangered Wattled Crane.

In the evenings you can relax in the elevated main lodge, or lie in the swimming pool sipping your drink watching the majesty of the African sunset, whilst reflecting on your day with fellow guests.

Day 7

After an early morning activity and brunch, your pilot will collect you from Moremi Crossing Camp airstrip and will charter you to Kwara Camp, 20 minutes away, across the Okavango Delta.

Kwara Camp is located in the remote northern part of the stunning Okavango Delta within the private Kwara concession. The camp fronts onto a huge floodplain, adjacent to the permanent water of the Delta and is backed by extensive bush. It is a magnificent wilderness area in excess of 1,700 square kilometers, bordering the Moremi Reserve. Kwara encompasses a wide diversity of habitats, ranging from the clear Delta waters with reed-lined lagoons and channels, to open grasslands, mopane woodlands, and palm-fringed Falcons.

The 8 safari-style tents are built on raised decks, within a grove of huge and ancient African Ebony trees. Resident hippos will generally serenade you year-round from the water on the floodplain in front of the camp. Each tent has its own viewing deck, private en-suite facilities including hot and cold running showers, flush toilets, and modern amenities. The three of you would share one tent.

The forested Falcon on which the camp sits is typical of those encountered throughout the vast 1.6 million hectares of the Okavango Delta.

Lunch will be served after your arrival, followed by an afternoon activity and dinner.

Day 8

Due to the specific location of the camp, Kwara is able to offer, power boating, mokoro (dug-out canoe) trips, walks, and game drives – all year round. In addition, Kwara is in a large private concession enabling the game drives to operate both off-road and at night. The presence of permanent water ensures year-round game viewing and also allows mokoro trips in shallow water throughout the year. Kwara has a double-deck pontoon boat that allows guests to get very close to birds and animals for up-close photography and game viewing. Well-trained, armed guides will also conduct game walks through the Falcons of the Delta and transfer their knowledge to their guests. Fishing at Kwara is also superb and the famed Tiger Fish, as well as Bream, Catfish, and Pike, are frequent catches. Kwara subscribes to the catch and releases policy.

The area is home to an astounding array of animal and birdlife, including Lion, Hyena, Leopard, Cheetah and Wild Dog. There are good populations of elephants, Buffalo, and Zebra and over 300 species of birds. Antelope species are prolific with good populations of the rare sable antelope. Trips to the wondrous Godikwe Lagoon – one of the largest breeding colonies in Botswana, are an absolute must. In season (from September to December), you will see thousands of birds and their young in their annual nesting grounds with amazing interactions. It is here that guests will most appreciate the double-deck boat as they are able to peer into the birds’ nests from above.

Day 9

After an early morning activity of your choice and breakfast, you will return to the airstrip for your charter flight to Maun Airport (30 minutes), in time to connect with Air Botswana flight BP211, departing Maun at 14h30, and arriving back in Johannesburg at 16h40, in plenty of time to connect with your flight home.