Experience the hugely varied habitats and incredible wildlife of northern Botswana on this exclusive 10-day camping safari. At the start of this Botswana Safari, fly from Maun to Xakanaxa, to explore Moremi Game Reserve then Mababe Private Reserve and Chobe National Park, before heading to Kasane.
On this small-group safari in Botswana, we take in some of the most beautiful (and unspoiled) scenery in Africa. Add to that wildlife and birdlife that'll leave you open-mouthed in wonder and you've got the trip of a lifetime. This region of Botswana is home to an enormous array of Africa's finest animals - leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and hippos to name a few.
On this fully-serviced tented safari, guests stay in spacious safari tents with beds and en-suite bathrooms. No client participation is required, so you can simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery.
This 10-day Botswana Safari begins at Maun International Airport where you catch a charter flight with Mack Air at 14h00. The charter flight takes you from Maun to the Xakanaxa airstrip in the Moremi Game Reserve, where your guide meets you.
We arrive at our mobile tented camp in time to settle into our spacious tents (beds and linen included) with their private, en-suite bathrooms, before enjoying our first serene African sunset as dinner is prepared.
Situated on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve is a wonderland of waterways, floodplains, lagoons, woodlands, and savannahs. As such, it offers habitats to a wide range of wildlife and a beautiful array of birds.
We spend our days exploring the area on game drives and soaking up the African sun, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the bush.
Day four of our Botswana Safari kicks off with an early breakfast at the tented camp in Xakanaxa. Then we take a leisurely game drive through Moremi Game Reserve to the Mababe Private Reserve. This morning, we visit Dombo Hippo Pools to admire the scenery and watch the resident hippos.
Our extended game drive takes us northeast along the Khwai River, pausing en route to enjoy a picnic lunch. Along the way, we stop to embark on a memorable Mokoro trip. We explore the calm channels of the Khwai and Mbudi on the fringes of the Okavango Delta. On this Mokoro trip, local guides pole us along the delta channels in traditional-style mekoro (dug-out canoes), like the gondoliers of Venice.
Today's game drive takes us through riverine habitats and floodplains into mopane bush and woodlands. Common wildlife sightings include elephant herds, hippos, giraffes, zebras, tsessebe, and red lechwe antelopes, among others. Predators of Mababe include leopards, lions, cheetahs, serval cats, crocodiles, and African wild dogs, so keep your eyes peeled. The Mababe area is a birding paradise, attracting an impressive array of bird species, including various eagles, hawks, sunbirds, cuckoos, and warblers.
This evening we set off on a thrilling night game drive (time allowing). This is one of the highlights of visiting Mababe where night drives are permitted. Tonight we'll be camping at a tented camp on the banks of the Khwai River in Mababe Private Reserve.
The next two days of our Botswana Safari are set aside for exploring the game-rich Mababe concession. Mababe Private Reserve hosts both bull elephants and breeding elephant herds, along with lion, leopard, serval, and African wildcat. Wild dogs and cheetahs are sometimes seen here and large buffalo herds are commonly spotted during the summer rains. Tsessebe, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, and various other antelopes are regularly sighted.
Over the next two days, you will get to explore Mababe on exhilarating night drives and guided bush walks. These exciting safari activities are not permitted in Moremi and Chobe, which makes our time in Mababe all the more special. Night drives offer the rare opportunity to view nocturnal animals with a spotlight, while the guided walks give you a close-up perspective of the wilderness. Another perk of going on safari in Mababe is the more exclusive safari experience offered here. Mababe only allows a maximum of 20 vehicles into the concession at any given time.
While in Mababe we explore the riverbanks, Kalahari shrub, and cathedral mopane forests. Keep an eye out for the endangered Kori Bustard, Botswana’s national bird, and the uncommon rosy-throated longclaw. Of Botswana's 450 bird species, about 100 can be found in the Mababe area. We spend the next two nights camping at a private campsite on the Khwai riverbank in Mababe.
On day seven of our Botswana Safari we head further north, crossing into Chobe National Park. We make our way to the Central Chobe region, exploring the arid landscape on an extended game drive.
Today's drive reveals the remnants of the ancient Makgadikgadi Lake which dried up thousands of years ago. We get to see the Mababe Depression region of the dry lakebed. A region that springs to life after the summer rains, attracting mega herds of game. The most challenging section of our drive takes us along a winding track through the sandy terrain of Magwikhwe sand ridge. In the wet season, this area becomes impassable, thus an alternative route is taken.
We experience a wide range of habitats today, passing through excellent lion country and some of the best cheetah territory covered on our safari. We're sure to see elephants along the way, especially at the permanent water sources we pass. The Mababe Depression is a birder’s paradise including an impressive array of estrildid finches and viduids, as well as plenty of secretary birds, eagles, and buzzards.
Savuti is best known for its large lion and elephant populations. Unrestricted by fences, this area boasts an abundance of animals. We spend two days exploring this remote area of Chobe National Park on game drives and soaking up the sights and sounds of Africa. Our tented camp is exclusive and the area vast, allowing us to experience nature in all of its glory, uninterrupted by other humans. If we're lucky, we may even see cheetahs and the endangered wild dog.
A walk to view the local San Bushman paintings reminds us of the ancient civilizations that called this area home.
After an early rising, we travel along the Chobe River for the last stretch of our safari. We enjoy a picnic lunch in Kasane before embarking on a boat cruise along the Chobe River, a wonderful end to a fantastic Botswana Safari.
Mababe Private Reserve is a wildlife concession area ideally located between Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park in northern Botswana, It covers over 50,000 hectares of diverse wild habitats hosting a range of wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, buffalo, and giraffes. The reserve is also home to an impressive array of birds, making it an ideal destination for bird watchers. With its permanent wetland and diverse wildlife, Mababe Private Reserve is a must-visit destination for anyone looking to experience the beauty of Botswana's natural world.
This tour does take children.
While the minimum age on scheduled group departures is 12 years old, children of any age are considered for private departures only.
Please contact African Budget Safaris for further information.
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