BOTSWANA GRAND PANORAMA

Botswana Grand Panorama is a 10 day long adventure that takes in the very best of the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans journeying through watery wonderlands and into the shimmering desert. Your nights will be spent at a mix of comfortable lodges, private and remote campsites and even the Okavango Spirit houseboat which floats on a panhandle of the world famous Okavango Delta.

Bring your sense of adventure and we’ll ensure memories that last a lifetime.

BRIEF ITINERARY


Day 1: Arrive in Maun and drive to Thamo Telele, Maun. (D)

Day 2: Transfer to Okavango Spirit Houseboat, Okavango Delta. (L, D)

Day 3: Enjoy boating activities on the Delta and visit Tsodilo Hills. (B, L, D)

Day 4: Take a game drive through Bwabwata National Park. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Embark on an Uncharted Luxury Mobile through the Okavango and take a game drive. (B, L, D)

Days 6 & 7: Uncharted Luxury Mobile in the Okavango Delta. Explore the waterways by mokoro. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Travel via Maun to the Makgadikgadi Pans. (B, L, D)

Day 9: Stay at Meno a Kwena and game drive through the Makgadikgadi. (B, L, D)

Day 10: Return to Maun after a game drive through the Makgadikgadi.

DETAILED ITINERARY

DAY 1: THAMO TELELE – MAUN

Known for its resident herd of habituated giraffe, four star Thamo Telele sits on the banks of the Thamalakane River just 20 minutes from Maun. In addition to the giraffe there are zebra, springbok, ostrich, eland, gemsbok, kudu and an abundance of birdlife. Accommodation is in safari style tents or thatched chalets and a candlelit dinner on the lodge’s expansive teak deck is the perfect way to conclude a day’s safari. Marked walking trails beckon guests to explore the reserve at their leisure, or you could take a horseback safari, scenic flight, a mokoro trip along the river or a bike ride through the surroundings.

Accommodation: (D) En suite room. Thamo Telele, Maun

DAY 2: OKAVANGO SPIRIT – OKAVANGO DELTA

A 4-5 hour drive will bring us to the village of Shakawe where Okavango Spirit Houseboat bobs on the serene waters of the Okavango River’s panhandle. This is a true wilderness area and one of the most remote parts of the Okavango. With guests comfortably aboard, the houseboat will slowly make its way to the mooring point for the night.

Accommodation: (L, D) En-suite houseboat cabin. Okavango Spirit Houseboat, Okavango Delta.

DAY 3: OKAVANGO SPIRIT – OKAVANGO DELTA

With tender boats ready to go, a world of adventure awaits from the houseboat including boat safaris, birdwatching and a day trip to Tsodilo Hills. This World Heritage Site consists of four hills that rise from the dry, undulating bushveld south of Shakawe. The hills are one of the world’s oldest historical sites having been inhabited for some 30,000 years, and they’re home to more that 4,000 San bushman paintings. The site holds great spiritual significance to the San Bushmen and is considered to be one of the most important collections of rock art on the planet, offering unique insight into how the bushmen lived and who they might have interacted with. Walking routes ensure that this extraordinary site is easy to navigate.

Accommodation: (B, L, D) En-suite houseboat cabin. Okavango Spirit Houseboat, Okavango Delta

DAY 4: OKAVANGO SPIRIT – OKAVANGO DELTA

A new day means a new adventure on our safaris, and today’s game drive will cross the border into Namibia to explore Bwabwata National Park and take in its abundant wildlife which includes elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, buffalo and numerous antelope species.

A packed lunch will allow more time in the park before returning to relax on the houseboat by mid afternoon Game-viewing activities

Accommodation: (B, L, D) En-suite houseboat cabin. Okavango Spirit Houseboat, Okavango Delta.

DAY 5: UNCHARTED LUXURY MOBILE, OKAVANGO DELTA

Today the safari moves to an area of the northern Okavango that’s known to have some of the best game viewing on the continent. Dry areas, vast wetlands and gin clear channels combine with mopane and apple-leaf woodlands to create a quintessential Okavango landscape that teems with animals such as giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and myriad birds.

The night will be spent close to nature, in luxuriously equipped Meru style canvas tents with real beds, down pillows and cotton sheets, while Persian rugs, campaign furniture and three course meals enhance the experience further. Private bathrooms with bucket showers and bush loos make cleaning up part of the fun, and while there are no electrical facilities, camera batteries can be charged.

Accommodation: (B, L, D) Uncharted Africa. Fully serviced en-suite luxury camp, private site. Okavango Delta

DAYS 6 & 7: UNCHARTED LUXURY MOBILE, OKAVANGO DELTA

The world famous Okavango Delta is best explored in a traditional dugout canoe known as a mokoro and an early starts allows for maximum time on the water. Pole upstream along the crystal clear waterways past African Mangosteen, Water Berry Trees and swaying seas of papyrus, spying kingfishers, fish eagles and pygmy geese along the way. A walking safari around an island of the Delta is the perfect way to watch elephants as they splash in the shallows before drifting back along the channels for a night beneath canvas.

Accommodation: (B, L, D) Uncharted Africa. Fully serviced en-suite luxury camp, private site. Okavango Delta.

DAY 8: UNCHARTED LUXURY MOBILE, OKAVANGO DELTA TO MAKGADIKGADI PANS

After breakfast, it’s an early drive out to the airstrip for a flight to Maun. Upon landing, you’ll transfer to Meno a Kwena, a clifftop camp at the fringes of the Makgadikgadi Pans. These salt pans are the remnants of a super lake and are the largest network of salt pans in the world, making for some spectacular scenery. Today they’re best known for the annual migration of zebra across them.

Accommodation: (B, L, D) En suite room. Meno a Kwena Tented Camp, Makgadikgadi.

DAY 9: MAKGADIKGADI PANS

Meno a Kwena is a gem of a camp and you don’t even need to leave to take a safari here, thanks to the multitude of animals that come to drink at the water below. If you do venture out though, you’ll be rewarded with a glittering roster of activities including day trips to the Makgadikgadi Pans, guided walks with the San bushmen and boat trips to see species such as elephants and zebra along the river.

Meno a Kwena has long been a favourite with some of Africa’s best known explorers and it has the feel of a camp from yesteryear with outdoor bucket showers, African soil between your toes, game viewing from your bed and all the comforts of a camp that’s more than earnt its spot in many a heart.

Accommodation: (B, L, D) En suite room. Meno a Kwena Tented Camp, Makgadikgadi.

DAY 10: MAKGADIKGADI PANS TO MAUN

A last morning deserves a leisurely pace and there’ll be plenty of time to soak up the views and indulge in breakfast before heading back to Maun with a game drive along the way. The arrival time will sync with onward flights and arrangements.

Included:

  • Use of specially modified 4×4 vehicles.
  • Professional Guide & Italian Speaking Guide available on request.
  • Meals as specified (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner).
  • Accommodation on a shared basis.
  • Botswana National Parks and Game Reserves entrance fees.
  • Open Vehicle Game drives in all National Parks and Reserves.
  • Local drinks and wines
  • Flight on day 7

Excluded:

  • All airfares (except for day 7).
  • Optional activities
  • Any gratuities, any personal expenses, visa fees, departure taxes.
  • Travel Insurance (compulsory).
  • Pre and post tour accommodation and transfers. 

Office Hours:  Mon – Fri: 08h00 – 17h00 / Sat: 08h00 – 13h00

Email: reservations@wildernessdawning.com or craig@wildernessdawning.com

reservations@naturalselection.travel

Call:  Agnes+(267) 713 4509  ||  Craig: +(27) 84 805 4459 or +(267) 73 893 611