Day 1 - Maun
On arrival in Botswana you are met and driven to Thamalakane River Lodge (or similar accommodation), situated on the banks of the Thamalakane River and about 15 minutes drive from Maun Airport. You will overnight is a spacious stone cottage with time during the afternoon to relax by the pool after your long flight, or to do a spot of bird watching before enjoying dinner and a sundowner drink at the open-sided bar and restaurant.
Dinner is included.
Day 2 - Moremi Game Reserve
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and relaxed morning at your guesthouse before you transfer back to Maun Airport. Here you will meet the rest of the wildlife safari group before boarding a light aircraft for the 30-minute minute flight to the Xakanaxa area of Moremi Game Reserve. Seeing the Okavango Delta from the air is very different from being on the ground and is often a highlight on Botswana safaris. The aerial view of the small palm islands formed by termites, the hippo-filled pools and the criss-crossing animal pathways begins to give you an idea of the vastness of this unique ecosystem.
Your safari guide will meet you at Moremi Game Reserve's Xakanaxa airstrip and transfer you to your pre-erected mobile camp where the rest of the safari team will be waiting to welcome you. There is usually time for a short afternoon game drive before your first day in Botswana's Okavango Delta ends with a tasty dinner.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Days 3 & 4 - Moremi Game Reserve
The Okavango is a fascinating ecosystem, an inland delta situated in the middle of the largest stretch of continuous sand in the world - the Kalahari basin. In 1962 the local BaTawana people of Botswana set aside a third of the Okavango Delta to protect for the future. They called this the Moremi Game Reserve, and it now forms the core of the region's wildlife reserves, encompassing a large area of the Okavango Delta's eastern wetlands. The main dry peninsula that juts into the Delta here is known as the Mopane Tongue and it is at the tip of this tongue that the Xakanaxa Lagoon lies.
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. Buffalo, elephant and lion are regularly seen and the density of antelope is amazing. The area's birdlife is also exceptionally varied, from innumerable herons, egrets, storks and other waders to many species of harrier, buzzard and kite.
Spend time exploring this lush and diverse reserve with your knowledgeable safari guide. Plan your days like the predators: rise early to hunt for game, rest in the middle of the day, and then head out again in the mid-afternoon.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 5 - Northern Moremi & Khwai
Today sees you safari drive slowly from Xakanaxa towards Moremi Game Reserve's north east border and Khwai. Following an early-morning breakfast you begin by searching out predators in the immediate vicinity during the cool first hour of the morning and whilst there's still a chance they're active. You'll then drive towards your next location, taking your time so as not to miss any exciting wildlife action along the way. You'll stop for tea, coffee and biscuits around mid-morning and a leisurely picnic lunch around midday. Depending on what you see along the way, and what game drive routes your guide takes, you'll arrive at your new camp around mid-afternoon.
Tonight's comfortable mobile camp could be set up on a site in the northern Moremi Game Reserve or in the adjacent Khwai community area. The Khwai River forms a natural boundary between these two areas, but there are no man-made fences and the animals pass freely between the national park and the community area.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Days 6 & 7 - Northern Moremi & Khwai
Khwai forms the northeast tip of Moremi Game Reserve. It is a lovely area of Botswana for safaris - tall evergreen trees line a wide floodplain. This region boasts an excellent density and diversity of predator and prey species. In recent years there's been a large pride of lion here, hunting buffalo, while leopard sightings are fairly regular and cheetah are relatively common. The floodplains are particularly good areas to spot saddle-billed storks, the protected wattled crane, bee-eaters and kingfishers.
A typical Moremi Wildlife Safari day here could begin at sunrise with a morning game drive along the waterline where huge crocodiles bask and herds of buffalo come to drink. After a midday siesta back at your private mobile camp you may be able to set out on a guided walk for an up-close and personal encounter with the smaller aspects of Botswana's flora and fauna. On another day you may have the opportunity to enjoy a tranquil cruise through lily-filled waterways in a mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe). Of course, it may happen that you and your safari guide decide to go back out on a drive to find the wild dogs or lion pride you saw that morning and see what they are up to instead! Then your day might end with a spot-lit drive in search of the nocturnal animals that you'll rarely encounter during the day. Walking safaris and night drives are not allowed in Botswana's national parks and game reserves such as Moremi, so these activities will only be possible if you are staying in the Khwai community area.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 8 - Flight home
Take a final morning game drive to the nearest airstrip for a charter flight back to Maun. You will arrive at the airport in time for your scheduled flight home.
Includes breakfast and lunch.
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