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This is a fantastic Botswana Safari to the wild Okavango Delta - Khwai River Area & Moremi, Kalahari Desert, Makgadigadi Pans and Chobe River, ending at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
Departing from South Africa, we drive into the Central Kalahari Desert region and then onto the pristine Okavango Delta to explore the maze-like waterways of this famous wilderness area by mokoro and on foot, and take a full-day 4x4 safari in Okavango's Moremi National Park. Then head to the birdlife of Nata Pan in Makgadigadi Pans, and Chobe River for a game-viewing boat cruise in this famous Botswana National Park, home to huge herds of elephants, and numerous other animals, and birds. We then cross into Zimbabwe and travel to Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world!
During this trip you are likely to come across activities that encourage tourists to participate in lion, elephant or other wildlife interaction. This includes walking with lions, riding elephants and any other tourist operation putting travelers in close contact with animals that would normally live wild and separate from human contact.
We absolutely do not encourage or endorse this type of wildlife interaction operation. For more information on why this is not good for Africa's wild animals, please see our detailed blog post on the subject.
This budget Botswana Camping Safari leaves from Johannesburg, economic hub of South Africa. From Johannesburg, we travel through the North-West Province of South Africa towards the Botswana border.
Once border formalities are complete, we continue northwest through the stark landscapes of the Kalahari Desert along the Botswana Trans-Kalahari Highway. We will spend our first night staying in en-suite rooms at a lodge in the village of Palapye, strategically located about halfway between the Botswana's two major cities, Francistown and Gaborone. Palapye town offers a blend of modern amenities and is a significant multicultural historical site.
Day 2 of our Africa Camping Overland Tour takes us through the Central Kalahari Desert, a vast arid area stretching across South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia. Our journey takes us through rural Botswana, dotted with small dusty towns and villages. We pass the diamond fields, past one of the world's most significant diamond mines, Orapa Diamond Mine, which contributes significantly to the Botswana GDP. Our journey then takes us around the southern stretches of the extensive Makgadigadi Pans, a string of salt pans that are all that remain of the evaporation of a great, ancient ocean. This is a surreal landscape of stark white flats, dotted with occasional trees and home to a surprising number of desert-adapted animals.
Our destination for the night is the town of Maun that stands as the gateway of the great Okavango Delta. We overnight at a comfortable campsite close to town. If there is time, you have the option to book a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta, either today or early tomorrow. This flight gives you the perfect perspective over the delta, a true wonder of nature where the Kavango River, which rises in the Angola highlands, flows out into the the dry sands of the Kalahari Desert.
Tomorrow we will leave the safari truck behind in Maun and travel to the Khwai River Area of the Okavango Delta in smaller game viewing vehicles. You will need to pack a smaller overnight bag for this 2-night trip into the delta due to luggage restrictions on the small game-viewing vehicles used.
Today you have another chance to take an optional early scenic flight over the Okavango Delta. A little later, we are collected in smaller game viewing vehicles for a transfer through the Okavango Delta back roads to the Khwai Conservation concession sharing a border with the Moremi National Park portion of the delta. This wilderness area is known for its excellent game viewing throughout the year. For the next two nights we will stay in luxury tents in a comfortable tented camp on the Khwai River floodplains with fantastic views of the animals drawn there to the lush grazing.
After you have settled in, we set out for a mokoro polers station. Here local guides will take us out into the delta waterways on traditional dugout mokoro boats. Sit back and enjoy the serenity as your guide stands and steers the mokoro through reed-lined channels and tranquil lagoons dotted with lilypads. You may stop on one of the islands to take a nature walk with your guide, learning fascinating details of the many animals and plants found in this amazing habitat. Paddle back to base as the sun breaks out in one of the Delta’s unforgettable sunsets.
Day 4 of your Botswana Overland Lodge Safari is spent exploring the Moremi National Park in open 4x4 safari vehicles. Our game drives take us through diverse Okavango Delta habitats, from islands adorned with palm trees, expansive grasslands embraced by winding water channels, tranquil lagoons, and serene papyrus swamps. The arrival of more water in the wet season rejuvenates the delta, nurturing its abundant wildlife. With a rich tapestry of over 1,000 plant species, the park is a vibrant epicenter of biodiversity. It is home to the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros), and some of most endangered of the large mammals like cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, and African Wild Dog. It is also home to nearly 500 species of bird, making it a paradise for bird watchers.
By late afternoon we will return to the tented camp to relive the day’s game viewing adventures around the campfire.
Day 5 of our South Africa to Victoria Falls Camping Overland Tour gets an early start as we leave the Khwai River area behind, making our way back through the Okavango Delta to rejoin our overland truck in Maun. From here we head northeast on a scenic route through rural Botswana towards the Makgadigadi Salt Pans. The Makgadikgadi is a vast salt pan complex in northeastern Botswana, considered one of the largest salt flats in the world and known for its stark landscapes.
We are headed for one of the salt pans, Nata Pan, which receives seasonal water from the Nata River each year. This water attracts hosts of water birds, including large numbers of flamingos who flock here to feed in the brackish waters during the wet season. We stay a campsite in the palm lined fringe of Nata Pan.
Today we head through the last of the Kalahari Desert sands towards the town of Kasane on the Chobe River near to the Zimbabwe border. On Day 6 of our Africa Camping Overland Tour, we will overnight at a campsite on the banks of the Chobe River. You will have a chance to settle in and relax by the river before embarking on our afternoon excursion.
This afternoon we take a boat cruise on the Chobe River, just upriver from where it joins the Zambezi River before plunging over the great Victoria Falls. Chobe River offers great Chobe National Park game viewing as you get close-up views of wildlife and birds on the riverbanks from your position on the water. Look out for hippos, antelopes, buffalos, crocodiles, and elephants amongst other animals. Our boat-based game viewing provides excellent photographic opportunities.
On Day 7 of our budget Botswana Safari, we cross the border into Zimbabwe. Border formalities complete we drive to the town of Victoria Falls close by. It is located alongside the great Zambezi River at the site of the magnificent natural wonder, Victoria Falls.
Today you have the chance to explore the mighty Victoria Falls waterfall and experience why locals call it ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’, the "Smoke that Thunders". It is an awe-inspiring experience to feel the raw power as the Zambezi plummets over 100 feet into the gorge below, forming the largest curtain of falling water in the world at 1,7 kilometers (just over 1 mile) wide (depending on the season). In the Rainy Season, the waterfall causes an impressive smoke-like spray rising over 1,000 feet above the Falls so that it is visible 50 kilometers away!
In addition to viewing Victoria Falls waterfall, you can spend time relaxing at camp, exploring the town of Victoria Falls, or embarking on the many optional adventure activities. Tonight, you have the option of eating out at one of the restaurants in Victoria Falls village and your guide will tell you more about the optional activities available to do at Victoria Falls, assisting you with any bookings for the following day.
This Africa Camping Overland Tour officially ends after breakfast today, bringing your unforgettable African wildlife and wilderness experience to an end.
Most people spend an extra day or two at Victoria Falls in order to participate in more of the exciting adventure activities. This part of the Zambezi River is famous for offering some of the best whitewater rafting in the world, an unforgettable experience! Other optional adventures include helicopter and microlight flights over Vic Falls, zip-line rides, bungee jumping, skydiving, and more.
This Botswana Safari from South Africa to Victoria Falls is also available as a shorter Botswana Highlights Safari, traveling overland from Maun to Victoria Falls. Contact us for more details.
Similar versions of this Botswana Camping Safari are also available in the opposite direction as the Chobe & Okavango Delta Camping Safari (South) and the shorter Highlights of Botswana Safari from Victoria Falls to Maun.
For more details about the various overland tour options and versions, contact Africa Budget Safaris.
For up-to-date and confirmed pricing info for optional items, please drop us an enquiry.
This tour does take children.
There is a minimum age limit of 8 years of age, for travellers on scheduled departures, however, children aged 8 and 9 years of age are accepted on a request basis only.
A maximum of 4 children, aged between 10 - 15 years will be allowed per scheduled tour departure date.
Should there already be 4 children confirmed on a tour, any further children requests will be dealt with on a request basis only.
Age restrictions may apply to certain items listed in the respective tour activities and it is important that you are aware of these restrictions prior to confirming children on tour.
Please contact African Budget Safaris for further information.
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