Wilderness Dawning is a privately-owned safari company based in Maun, Botswana and Johannesburg, South Africa.
11 DAY SAFARI – OKAVANGO, SAVUTI & CHOBE
Eleven Days, Three Wonderfully Wild Landscapes…
ELEVEN DAYS DEEP IN THE WILDLIFE-PACKED HEART OF BOTSWANA, THIS IS A SAFARI THAT TAKES YOU FROM THE WATERWAYS OF THE OKAVANGO DELTA TO THE WIDE-OPEN LANDSCAPES OF SAVUTI AND ALONG THE CHOBE RIVER, BEFORE FINISHING AT THE THUNDERING VICTORIA FALLS. IT’S SAFARI THE WAY IT USED TO BE, WITH YOUR DAYS REVOLVING AROUND THE WILDLIFE AND WHEREVER IT HAPPENS TO BE.
Eight nights are spent under canvas, with comfy beds and the wilderness all around, and lodge stays at either end. Along the way, you’ll experience three of Botswana’s most iconic wildlife areas: the Okavango Delta’s Moremi and Khwai, the vast grasslands of Savuti, and the Chobe River area, before crossing into Zimbabwe for one final night beside Victoria Falls. It’s a journey through very different landscapes, with plenty of time to slow down, look around and simply enjoy being in the bush.
Scheduled departures – minimum 2 and maximum 8 guests, with your own 4×4 vehicle and guide throughout. Accommodation is 6 nights of fully serviced mobile camping, 2 nights in permanent tented camps and lodge accommodation at the beginning and end – 10 nights in total. The safari starts in Maun, Botswana and ends at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
DAYS 1 – 4
Maun, Moremi and the Okavango Delta
Day 1 – Maun to Thamo Telele
Arrive in Maun at any time today before making the short drive to Thamo Telele, around 25 minutes outside town. There’s no fixed schedule, apart from a 6pm welcome meeting with your guide. Settle into your tent amongst the leadwood and acacia trees, take a dip in the pool, or head out for the camp’s giraffe encounter with the resident herd – there are more than twenty of them here. Dinner is served under the stars around 7pm, with your safari officially underway.
Accommodation: (D) Thamo Telele
Day 2 – Into Moremi
This morning, you’ll make your way into the Khwai and Xakanaxa area of the Okavango Delta. Right on the eastern edge of the Delta and bordering Moremi Game Reserve, it really is one of the best game-viewing regions in Africa – and we know that’s a big claim!
For the next three nights, home is a wild camp within the reserve complete with comfy meru-style tents, private open-air en-suites, real beds and duvets. It’s all pitched and struck by a dedicated crew, so all you have to worry about is falling asleep to the sound of hippos harrumphing nearby.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite – Fully Serviced Mobile Camp
Day 3 – Moremi
After a coffee and a rusk at dawn, it’s straight out of camp and along the Okavango River for a game drive, followed by a boat trip. As you glide along the gin-clear channels and brush against the reeds, keep an eye out for painted reed frogs clinging to the papyrus, as well as kingfishers, fish eagles and pygmy geese.
The Delta has a way of slowing everything down, and there’s plenty of time to simply take in the changing landscape as you move between waterways and islands.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite – Fully Serviced Mobile Camp
Day 4 – Moremi
Today brings two game drives into the northeastern reaches of the Delta, prime territory for hippo, crocodile and the elusive sitatunga, plus a serious cast of birdlife: fish eagles, herons, storks, weavers and bee-eaters among them. Brunch and a lazy midday siesta are a welcome gap before heading back out again for the afternoon drive.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite – Fully Serviced Mobile Camp
DAYS 5 – 7
Savuti, Chobe National Park
Day 5 – Moremi to Savuti
This morning, you’ll cross the Khwai Bridge into Chobe National Park before travelling through the Mababe Depression towards Savuti. Botswana’s parks are unfenced, so wildlife can appear almost anywhere along the way – you may even find hippo, buffalo or lion before you reach camp.
Savuti is a landscape of wide-open plains, grasslands and dry marshes shaped by the unpredictable Savuti Channel. After settling into camp near the dry channel, head out on an afternoon game drive in search of the area’s famously large elephant bulls and lion prides.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite – Fully Serviced Mobile Camp
Day 6 – Savuti
Today brings a full day of exploring Savuti’s wide-open plains and dry marshes, all shaped by the unpredictable Savuti Channel, which ran dry for many years before flowing again in 2008. Elephant, lion and, with luck, leopard are all possible, while the birdlife keeps things interesting overhead. Look out for lilac-breasted rollers and kori bustards moving through the grasslands.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite – Fully Serviced Mobile Camp
Day 7 – Savuti
This is going to be another full day of adventure, with no schedule apart from whatever the wildlife decides to do next. Elephant bulls, lion prides and the possibility of seeing leopard are all still very much in play. There’s also a chance to climb one of Savuti’s hills to see the ancient San rock paintings, a reminder that people have been drawn to this incredible wilderness for a very long time.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Chobe Noka or Similar
DAYS 8 – 11
Chobe River and Victoria Falls
Day 8 – Savuti to Chobe
The Chobe River is the second-largest river in Southern Africa after the Zambezi and home to some of the largest elephant herds in the world, alongside huge numbers of buffalo, hippo and lion. Today we’ll drive from Savuti to the river with plenty of time to settle into the campsite and head out on an afternoon drive to see all the action on centre stage – the riverbank!
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Private Campsite
Day 9 – Chobe River
A morning game drive along the southern bank will hopefully reveal bushbuck and puku antelope alongside the regulars, and in the afternoon it’s time to swap the vehicle for a boat. The Chobe River cruise is one of the best ways in Africa to see elephant right at the water’s edge, with leopard and wild dog making the occasional appearance too. And of course, it wouldn’t be a boat trip without sundowners and snacks.
Accommodation: (B, L, D) Chobe Noka – or Similar
Day 10 – Chobe to Victoria Falls
Your guide will escort you smoothly across the border from Botswana into Zimbabwe, and the rest of the day is yours to marvel at Victoria Falls. At nearly a mile wide and over 100 metres high, with 550,000 tonnes of water thundering into the Zambezi Gorge every minute, it’s every bit as awe-inspiring as its reputation suggests. If you’re not ready to slow down, heart-pumping activities include white-water rafting, bungee jumping and even microlight flights for a magnificent bird’s-eye view over the landscape.
Accommodation: (B) Pioneers, Batonka or Shongwe
Day 11 – Departure
Savour a last breakfast before the journey home, or stay on a little longer. Victoria Falls has plenty to keep you busy while you start planning your next trip…
INCLUDED
• Use of specially modified 4×4 vehicles.
• Professional guide and back-up crew.
• Fully serviced, non-participation camping in private campsites.
• Camping equipment.
• Meals as specified (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner).
• Local soft drinks, wine and beer while camping.
• Accommodation on a shared basis.
• Botswana National Parks and Game Reserves entrance fees.
• Open-vehicle game drives in all national parks and reserves.
• Lodge accommodation where specified.
EXCLUDED
• All international airfares.
• Optional activities in Maun and Victoria Falls.
• Gratuities and personal expenses.
• Visa fees and departure taxes.
• Victoria Falls entrance fee.
• Travel insurance (compulsory).
• Pre- and post-tour accommodation and transfers.
A Community, Conservation and Reserve (CCR) Fee is charged in addition to the safari rate and will be added to the invoice. This non-refundable, net non-commissionable fee applies to all guests, including children aged 6 years and older. The full amount, together with the 1.5% turnover contribution, goes directly towards conservation and community initiatives, including anti-poaching patrols, wildlife monitoring, community upliftment, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, land management and conservation education.
Vehicles take a maximum of 8 guests. All vehicles have open sides, roll-down weatherproof canvas, individual bucket seats with seat belts and a fridge, and 24-hour radio, satellite or cellular phone contact is maintained with the operations base in Maun. Park fees and bed levies are statutory rates and subject to change without prior notice at the discretion of the Botswana Government. Any increases will be passed on to clients as an additional levy to prices quoted or confirmed. All accommodation is en-suite. Departures are operated on an exclusive-use basis.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Wilderness Dawning WhatsApp (+267) 7179 1225
Craig Nesbitt WhatsApp (27) 84 805 4459 & (267) 73 893 671