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This Owl Safari to Botswana has it all: from the lunar-like landscape of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to
the crystal clear waterways of the Okavango Delta. The journey begins by searching out the amazing
desert-adapted animals of Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pan’s vegetated dunes including the chance to witness one of
southern Africa’s great zebra migrations. Enjoy the magical experience of fly camping under the stars on the
immense salt pans before exploring the remote Central Kalahari Game Reserve during its most productive
season. End off with the incredible abundance of flora and fauna of the Okavango Delta.
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Pearl-spotted Owl Safari Summary:
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| Day 1 |
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Flight to Botswana |
| Day 2 |
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Maun, lodge |
| Day 3 & 4 |
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Nxai Pan National Park, mobile camp |
| Day 5 |
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Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, mobile camp |
| Day 6 |
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Boteti River, lodge |
| Day 7 & 8 |
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Central Kalahari, mobile camp |
| Day 9 |
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Deception Valley, lodge |
| Day 10 & 11 |
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Moremi Game Reserve, mobile camp |
| Day 12, 13 & 14 |
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Khwai area, mobile camp |
| Day 15 |
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Flight to London |
| Day 16 |
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Arrive in London |
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DETAILED ITINERARY:
Day 1 – Flight to Botswana
Your Botswana safari begins with a scheduled overnight flight from London, via Johannesburg, to Maun: the gateway
to the Okavango Delta.
Day 2 – Maun
On arrival you are met and driven to Motsentsela Tree Lodge. This delightful tented lodge is situated on a small
private game farm on the outskirts of Maun. It is the perfect place to relax after your flight: spend the
afternoon by the pool or wandering around some of the property’s marked nature trails. The reserve is home to
game species including springbok, kudu, zebra and giraffe.
Day 3 & 4 – Nxai Pan National Park
After a leisurely breakfast you are met by your guide and the rest of the group before driving east through rural
Botswana, passing villages and cattle posts. Once across the boundary of Nxai Pan National Park you stop for a
picnic lunch before game driving to your pre-erected mobile camp.
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The Kalahari Desert pans around Nxai Pan are fossilized and covered with short nutritious grasses and stunted
acacia trees, creating areas rich in wildlife surrounded by vegetated dune savannahs. This fascinating park is
often underrated because of the unpredictability of its game sightings. During the dry season (June to October)
there is a good population of springbok, giraffe, gemsbok and a smattering of hartebeest – animals not often seen
in the Okavango Delta and Botswana’s northern regions. This in turn attracts predators such as the magnificent
black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetah and both brown and spotted hyena. Spending time watching a waterhole often
yields exciting results!
The animal populations can more than double after good rains (December to April) when the welcome moisture turns
the park into a veritable salad bowl for herbivores. As there are no lodges in Nxai Pan National Park this area
can only be visited on a mobile safari.
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Close by is an extraordinary beautiful group of trees known as Baines’ Baobabs, which stand on an island at a
spectacular site on the eastern edge of the Kudiakam Pan. They were immortalised in a painting by Thomas Baines
who came here in May 1862 and have altered very little since then. The site around the island has been dated to
about 105,000 – 128,000 years old, around which time it stood at the edge of the great super-lake. You only need
to stand here to feel the history around these ancient trees.
Day 5 – Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
South of Nxai Pan, stand the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, a vast complex of silvery-white pans which cover about
10,000km².
Created about 10,000 years ago when a super-lake dried out, you’ll be awestruck by the sheer expanse of
Makgadikgadi’s open spaces. By walking, and driving from this camp, you will discover some fascinating geology
and view Stone Age archaeological artefacts. You may also be surprised to find plenty of life here, including
brown hyena, oryx, springbok and endearing families of meerkats (suricates). Following the summer rains (November
to March), one southern Africa’s largest zebra and wildebeest and zebra migrations happens here as the herds
travel east from the Boteti River in search of the nutritious new grass shoots.
The enchanting experience of the pans begins as the sun sets. The baked earth relaxes as the soft warm light
washes over the barren landscape. As the sun drops below the horizon the sky becomes a seemingly endless canopy
of stars. You have the chance to make the most of these stunning surroundings by ‘fly camping’ out in the open
with only the bare essentials. In this case, just your bed and bedroll are set out on the pans. Although sleeping
out in the bush in Africa may seem a little scary, we love fly camping and can’t recommend it too highly.
However, there will be tents available for those who feel more comfortable sleeping under cover.
Day 6 – Boteti River
An early start to the day leaves the salt pans and rolling grasslands of the Makgadikgadi behind. Your
destination is the delightful Meno A Kwena tented camp overlooking the now dry Boteti River. Forming the western
boundary of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the Boteti was once a major river that carved a channel across
central Botswana, carrying the waters of the Okavango Delta into the Makgadikgadi basin.
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On the edge of a high bank, overlooking a waterhole 30 metres below, Meno A Kwena has a relaxed traditional feel
to it. Each of its Meru style tents is built effectively inside its own kraal – a fence of natural tree trunks.
After continuous game drive activities, this is the perfect spot to sit back, unwind and let the animals come to
you.
Day 7 & 8 – Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Departing Meno A Kwena after breakfast, you drive through cattle country and along the controversial Kuke fence
to Deception Valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. This is one of the remotest and most unspoilt parts of
the continent, and arriving at your campsite in time for lunch, you begin exploring this stunning area in the
afternoon.
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Deception Valley has many interesting drives, one of which takes in some of the better-known pans in this vast
expanse. Great black clouds gather in the summer months (November to March) and roll over the undulating valleys
of ancient sand ridges. The rains are followed by a kaleidoscope of animals in search of the new sweet grass
surrounding the water pans that have swelled with the Kalahari storms. Red hartebeest, eland, oryx and spreading
herds of springbok wander freely in the timeless Kalahari.
Day 9 – Deception Valley Lodge
An early start to the day allows you to make the most of prime game viewing time before setting of to Deception
Valley Lodge. Situated on a private reserved situated on the Central Kalahari Game Reserves northern boundary,
you arrive at this well-appointed lodge in time for lunch.
During the afternoon you set out on foot with a Kalahari bushman as your guide. You will discover the fascinating
cultures and crafts of one of Africa’s oldest cultures. Pick up hunting and tracking skills, taste edible roots
and berries, and even be taught how to find water or make a fire.
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After an appetizing dinner, there is time to explore the reserve on a night game drive. Searching out the glow of
animal eyes by spotlight reveals a fascinating world of nocturnal species rarely encountered during the day.
Day 10 & 11 – Moremi Game Reserve
You set off early on a very long but interesting drive as you travel north, passing Maun, on your way to the
Moremi Game Reserve. Arriving at the mobile camp in the late afternoon you are shown to your tents for the chance
to freshen up before enjoying your sundowner drink.
In contrast to the dry expanses of the Kalahari, Moremi Game Reserve encompasses a large area of the Okavango
Delta’s eastern wetlands. Where land and delta meet, a patchwork of lagoons, grasslands, forests and pans
provides an extremely rich and diverse habitat in which a multitude of animals flourish. Leopard and cheetah are
regularly seen and the density of antelope is amazing. The area’s birdlife is exceptionally varied, from
innumerable herons, egrets, storks and other waders to many species of harrier, buzzard and kite.
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Day 12 – Khwai Community Area
The morning starts with a light, early breakfast followed by a game drive on your way to the Xakanaxa boat
station. From here you will pick up a motorboat to explore the endless network of crystal-clear waterways and
secret lagoons. Today’s mode of transport allows you a different view of this unique habitat and the associated
birds and wildlife. In the afternoon you return to dry land and head northeast, game driving your way to the camp
at Khwai.
Day 13 & 14 – Khwai Community Area
The Khwai River forms a boundary between Moremi Game Reserve and the community area. Although the animals don’t
know the difference, being outside the boundaries of a national park allows you to go on night drives and guided
walks.
This is a lovely area where tall evergreen trees line a wide floodplain. You could spend the morning driving
along the waterline where huge crocodiles bask and herds of buffalo come to drink. After your midday siesta it is
well worth setting out from camp on a guided walk for an up-close and personal encounter with the smaller aspects
of Botswana’s flora and fauna. Then your day could end with a spot-lit drive in search of the nocturnal animals
that you’ll rarely encounter during the day – there’s a particularly good chance of seeing leopard.
Day 15 – Flight to London
After breakfast, you begin your game drive back towards the vet cordon fence and the end of Moremi Wildlife
Reserve and the end of your safari to Botswana. You reach Maun Airport in time for your scheduled homeward flight
to the UK.
Day 16 – Arrive in London
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Find out more about this safari on the general
Owl Safaris
page.
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Departures:
Cost is per person sharing, departing and returning UK
There is no single supplement on this trip.
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| 06/12/08 - 21/12/08 | £3028 | | | | | | |
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This itinerary can be downloaded from our Downloads Page
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