Best of Botswana Budget Lodge Safari

An amazing 14-day Scenic & Wildlife Safari departing from Johannesburg, South Africa and ending in Victoria Falls, Zambia.

Visit the beautiful Okavango Delta with its crystal clear  waterways and lagoons, go on foot in search of the wildlife unique to this wonderful wetland.

It's then off to Moremi Game Reserve in search of Africa's "Big 5" - a wildlife area reputed for its fantastic leopard sightings.

Next we head for the vast Makgadikgadi Salt pans and to Chobe National Park home to some of the largest heards of Elephants in Africa.

Our Best of Botswana Budget Lodge Safari draws to an end in Victoria Falls, the Adventure Capital of Africa.

• Khama Rhino Sanctuary game viewing
• Okavango Delta mokoro trip and bush walks
• Moremi Game Reserve 3 day 4x4 game viewing
• Chobe 4x4 game viewing & Chobe River cruise
• Victoria Falls adventure activities, Zambia

Day 1: JOHANNESBURG to KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY [chalets - LD]

(B=breakfast, L=lunch D=dinner)

This Best of Botswana Budget Lodge Safari departs from Johannesburg in South Africa at 06:30am travelling north to Botswana where we make our way to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

The Khama Rhino Sanctuary is run by a trust operating a community based wildlife project. The wildlife project was established in 1992 to help save the threatened rhino, restoring this area once teeming with wildlife to its natural state.

The economic benefits from tourism to Khama Rhino Sanctuary go to the local Botswana community, as well as the gains from the sustainable use of natural resources.

This reserve situated on the Kalahari sandveld, features several natural waterholes and provides prime habitat for white rhino, zebra and wildebeest.

Includes Khama Rhino Sanctuary entrance fees and chalet accommodation, consisting of two rooms sharing a bathroom.

Day 2: MAUN – BOTSWANA [lodge BL]

On day 2 of the Best of Botswana Accommodated Lodge Safari we drive through the central Kalahari to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. Here we prepare for our excursion into the pristine Delta and have the option of taking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta (own expense).

Since Maun's founding in 1915 as the tribal capital of the Batawana people, it has had a reputation as a hard-living 'Wild West' town promoting local cattle ranching and safari operations. The name Maun is derived from the San word 'maung', meaning 'the place of short reeds'. 

We overnight at a lodge in twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms. The lodge in Maun features a restaurant, swimming pool and bar.

Optional activities include a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta.

Day 3 - 4: OKAVANGO DELTA - BOTSWANA [tented camp x 2 - BLD]

On day 3 we drive into the untamed Okavango Delta transferring to our remote tented camp in the heart of the world's largest inland delta.

This amazing wetland habitat hosts large numbers of red lechwe, buffalo, elephant and birds, particularly kingfishers!

Experience an unforgettable Mokoro trip in the Okavango Delta where local people pole your traditional dugout canoes along the reed lined channels of the Delta.

Simply sit back and relax as you glide tranquilly on the Delta waters, while your skilled poler points out the fauna and flora of this remarkable wilderness area.

The Okavango Excursion includes entrance fees to the Okavango Delta, as well as morning & afternoon game walks with local guides

Leaving the labyrinth of the Okavango Delta we will travel to Moremi Game Reserve.

Fly-In Tour Option:

You have the option of flying into the Okavango Delta for the ultimate Okavango wilderness experience.

The fly-in option takes you to a remote area of the Delta with permanent water for two nights at a tented safari lodge. Flying over the Okavango Delta system provides a new perspective of the delta giving you a great overview of its winding channels and estuaries. Light aircraft flights from Maun to the lodge and back are included. Please see the full pricing for details.

Day 5 - 8: MOREMI – BOTSWANA [3x tented camp, 1 x lodge - Bx4 Lx4 Dx3]

On day 5 we venture into Moremi Game Reserve on an open 4x4 safari vehicle for some superb game viewing.

We visit Chief's Island, the largest landmass within Moremi Game Reserve and once the Batswana tribe's richest hunting grounds, before the tribe declared the area as a game reserve.

Spend the next 4 days on game drives in search of the abundant wildlife in Moremi and private game reserves surrounding this beautiful and diverse wildlife park. Wildlife sighting in the area include elephant, hippo, buffalo, lion, antelopes and other game, as well as a variety of birds.

We spend three nights at a tented bushcamp located on a permanent waterhole in the Mopane bush of Botswana. In the evenings we relax at our lovely safari camp with a swimming pool, restaurant and bar.

This remote camp features 8 meru-style tents with en-suite facilities, including hot and cold running water and flush toilets.

On the morning of day 8 we head back into Moremi for a morning game drive, before returning to Maun in the afternoon and heading out for dinner at a local restaurant (own expense). Tonight we stay in twin rooms with en-suite facilities, at a safari lodge with a swimming pool, restaurant and bar in Maun.

You again have the option of taking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta.

Special Interest:

Moremi is known for its big game including frequent leopard sightings. You have the option of taking a thrilling night drive in an open 4x4 safari vehicle on a private concession adjoining Moremi Game Reserve in search of these beautiful, elusive creatures.

Day 9 : MAKGADIKGADI PANS – BOTSWANA [tented lodge or chalets BL]

After the diverse Moremi Park, covering the eastern part of the watery Okavango Delta, we head south to the experience the untamed vastness of Africa under the wide-open skies of the shimmering white Makgadikgadi Pans.

Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans are the remnants of a vast lake system and are considered one of the largest saltpans in the world.

The seemingly endless flat plains of the pans are covered in grasslands after the rainy season, attracting thousands of wild animals, including herds of zebra, wildebeest and springbok as well as a rich variety of birds, such as large flocks of flamingoes.

Today there is time for an optional game flight over the Okavango Delta before continuing towards Nata, where we admire another magnificent African sunset over the expansive Magadikgadi Pans.

Day 10 - 11: CHOBE NATIONAL PARK – BOTSWANA [lodge BL]

Visiting the Chobe River, one of the most beautiful natural features in Botswana, is a top highlight on our Botswana Lodge Safari.

The meandering Chobe River forms the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park attracting a variety of birds and wild animals, including some of the largest herds of elephant in Africa.

We embark on an early morning 4x4 game drive in the Chobe National Park and an afternoon game viewing "sundowner" boat cruise to see the mighty elephant herds and other wildlife visiting the banks of the Chobe River to quench their thirst at the end of the day.

We stay in twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms at a safari lodge with a restaurant, bar and swimming pool.

On day 10 you have the option of taking an additional afternoon game drive in Chobe Park.

Day 12 - 13: VICTORIA FALLS, LIVINGSTONE – ZAMBIA [chalets Bx2]

We visit the impressive Victoria Falls one of the seven natural wonders of the world, witnessing the “Smoke that Thunders” or Mosi-o-Tunya as the locals call Vic Falls.

After admiring the spectacle of the Zambezi River plunging over 100 meters into the Gorge below we have the option of embarking on a relaxing sunset river cruise on the mighty Zambezi. Alternatively you can take the thrilling “flight of angels” over the Vic Falls (own expense). 

The Victoria Falls Bridge commissioned by Cecil John Rhodes in 1900, was completed by 1905, although Rhodes never lived to see it.

The bridge spans the impressive gorge and the famous adrenalin pumping Victoria Falls bungi jump is done from this bridge, with a terrifying drop of 360ft (111m).

While at Victoria Falls you have the option of participating in some of the numerous adventure activities available, from white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi River and bungi jumping to elephant back safaris and lion encounters and more (own expense).

Day 14: LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA – TOUR ENDS [B]

The action-packed Best of Botswana Budget Lodge Safari ends after breakfast in Livingstone, Zambia.

Accommodation Note:

The accommodation specified in the itinerary is a guide only and subject to availability. Alternatives will be of a similar standard.

Fly In Options:

Please note the 14-day Johannesburg to Livingstone tour has a fly in safari option. There is also the a shorter 13-day Fly into Delta - Maun to Livingstone tour option. 

Shorter Tour Options:

This tour is available as a 13-day Maun to Livingstone and a 10-day Maun to Livingstone (includes Moremi, excludes Okavango Delta days). See Full Pricing for tour rates and options.

Contact African Budgt Safaris for more details.

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