Botswana Under Canvas

Okavango Delta to Chobe

Botswana Under Canvas

Okavango Delta to Chobe

  • Weekly Departures
  • 11
  • Maun, Botswana
  • Kasane, Botswana

Follow in the footsteps of early explorers on a mobile safari across Moremi, Khwai, Savuti, and Chobe. Sleep under canvas in comfort and wake to the wild sounds of Botswana.

Your eleven-day Botswana Under Canvas mobile safari takes you deep into the heart of northern Botswana’s prime wildlife areas, for an authentic wilderness experience – truly up close and personal.

You’ll explore the world-famous Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Concession in the magical Okavango Delta, before venturing into the wild landscapes of Savuti and Chobe National Park. Days are filled with game drives, nature walks, and boat or mokoro excursions, while nights bring the sounds of Africa all around you – from the distant roar of lions to the soft chorus of crickets under star-studded skies.

This is safari as it used to be – back to basics in spirit, but with all the comfort you need. Think spacious walk-in tents with camp beds, ensuite bucket showers, and a friendly camp crew who take care of everything. Delicious meals are cooked over the open fire, and your professional guide brings every sighting and landscape to life with deep knowledge and passion for Africa.

Wildlife encounters here are extraordinary. Expect to see predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and even the elusive wild dog, along with elephants, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, and more. Birdwatchers will be in heaven too, with vibrant migratory species adding colour and song to the wilderness.

A mobile safari offers the best of both worlds – adventure and comfort. You’ll move through different areas but keep the same guide, crew, and travelling companions throughout, building bonds and sharing stories around the campfire as you follow in the footsteps of early explorers.

Your journey begins in Maun  (I recommend arriving at least a day before, and I’ll happily suggest my favourite places to stay), and ends in Kasane. From here, Victoria Falls is just an hour’s drive away – the perfect way to round off your African safari. I’ll gladly recommend my favourite lodges there too.

Highlights

  • Charter flight over the Okavango Delta
  • Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai Community Area, Savuti, and Chobe
  • Explore the Okavango Delta by mokoro
  • Night drives & guided walks
  • Boat cruise on the Chobe River

Pricing

NZD11,523

Limited single rooms available (surcharge applies).

Group Size

Max. 7

Trip Dates

Weekly Departures

Starting Point

Maun, Botswana

Ending Point

Kasane, Botswana

Included

  • Arrival & departure transfers
  • 10 nights in spacious and comfortable tented accommodation, including beds, bed linen and towels, private en-suite bathroom with safari shower.
  • Services of a professional guide, safari chef and camp assistants
  • All meals and drinks (mineral water, soft drinks, beer, wine and G&T)
  • Exclusive camping in private campsites within the national parks and reserves
  • All entrance and camping fees within the national parks and reserves
  • Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta to your first camp

Not Included

  • International flights
  • Visa (if applicable)
  • Travel Insurance (mandatory)
  • Any personal expenses
  • Tips & gratuities

Independent arrival at Maun International Airport and transfer to your lodge accommodation for one night.

Return to Maun International Airport where you’ll be escorted to your charter flight which departs to the Moremi Game Reserve at approximately 14h30. On arrival your guide will meet you at the airstrip with your open-sided land cruiser. Your first three nights are spent in the Xakanaxa region of the Okavango Delta where you’ll explore the surrounding wilderness on morning and afternoon game drives.

Wildlife: From the air you’ll see the large breeding  herds of elephant that live in the mopane scrub. On the open plains large herds of  buffalo and lechwe can be seen and in the waterways, pods of hippopotamus are a common  sight. Once you land in Xakanaxa  you’ll see the smaller game animals.  Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

Moremi lies on the eastern extremity of the Okavango Delta. Habitats here range from wide-open floodplains,  marshes, lagoons, papyrus fringed channels, woodland and savannah. As  a result of the extremely variable habitat the diversity of both wildlife and birdlife is excellent.

Wildlife: Moremi is one of the best game reserves in Africa to see the endangered African wild dog. Xakanaxa is home to a resident herd of several hundred buffalo and at least 4 lion prides which may often be seen flanking the ever moving herd. Breeding herds of elephant move between their browsing areas in the mopane forests and the fresh water of the Okavango. Red lechwe are one of the more unusual antelope species commonly found here.  Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

Following an early morning breakfast you’ll drive through Moremi Game Reserve north-east to the Khwai and Mababe Areas. While travelling to you next camp you’ll enjoy a mokoro excursion in the calmer back-waters of the Khwai and Mbudi channels as opposed to doing the mokoro in the faster moving section of the Khwai River that runs through Mababe.

Habitat: At its eastern-most extremity the Manuchira Channel is known as the Khwai River. The day’s journey follows  this water course, with the track weaving from the riverside and floodplains into the mopane veld and the woodlands to the Mababe Private Reserve where you’ll camp on the banks of the Khwai River before it flows out and into the Mababe Depression. We’ll pass the magnificent Dombo Hippo Pools in the morning stopping to enjoy the scenery and the antics of the resident hippos, and game drive through Khwai to Mababe.

Wildlife: The south-east mopane veld is home to mostly breeding herds of elephant while the more northern reaches of Mababe is home to some impressive old bulls. The mature bulls revel in the cool waters of the Khwai River and are far more approachable while drinking and bathing than the breeding herds. The river has an unusually high density of hippo as well as some huge crocodile. Leopard, cheetah, serval and lion are common predators along this route and both Xakanaxa as well as Mababe are included in the home ranges of different packs of wild dog. General game includes southern giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, tsessebe and red lechwe with roan and sable antelope being less common residents.  Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

The Khwai River meanders through the concession with ample riverside routes to explore. We spend the following  two nights camping at an exclusive campsite in the Mababe concession that has a strict max of 20 vehicles for the whole  concession at any given time. You’ll explore the river banks, Kalahari shrub to the east, and cathedral mopane to the south on both day and at night game drives. Exploring after dark with spotlights offers you an opportunity to experience some of the nocturnal animals that are rarely encountered during the day.

You’ll also have the opportunity to explore the surrounding wilderness on foot (please note that this activity is seasonal  based on rains and grass height, your guide will determine the safety of walking in Mababe) to enjoy an up close and  personal encounter with Botswana’s flora and fauna. It is important to note that night drives and guided walks are not  permitted within the national parks and reserves. These activities are conducted outside the boundaries of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Mababe Private Reserve.

Habitat: We spend our time between the dry-land habitats of the leadwood and camelthorn woodlands and savannahs and the riverside banks of the Khwai River, as well as the “mini-CKGR” habitat in the western parts of the concession.

Wildlife: The Mababe region boasts excellent populations of both bull elephant as well as breeding herds. Lion, leopard, serval and African wildcat are common predators of the region with wild dog and cheetah being less common. Buffalo use this area seasonally with large herds moving in during the summer rains. Other ungulates include tsessebe, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, sable antelope, roan antelope and impala, and even eland and oryx in the western parts. Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

Today you’ll head further north en-route to the Central Chobe region, exploring the desert-like landscape on game drives.

Habitat: A fascinating drive today, looking at some of the evidence of the Paleo-Lake Makgadikgadi that dried up some  ten thousand years ago. The most challenging part of the trip is crossing the Magwikhwe sand ridge that formed the shoreline for this massive inland sea. The winding track through this deep sand makes for interesting travel in summer! The old lake bed is now the Mababe Depression. The vegetation on the dense clay floor of the depression provides high protein feed for wildlife, and the area teams with game after the rains. During the rainy season the depression is impassable due to the “cotton soil” and alternative routes must be used.

Wildlife: A day when anything could happen. The range of habitat that is covered encompasses most of the habitat  types of northern Botswana. We pass through excellent lion country and some of the best cheetah country that our  safari will cover. Elephant occur throughout the drive but are more common at the start and end of the drive where  permanent surface water can be found.  Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

Unlike the vast majority of the country, Central Chobe is not a totally flat landscape. Large outcrops of volcanic rock reach up out of the Kalahari sands, towering over the endless savannah. These hills provide habitat for a completely different array of small wildlife, birds and plants. The Savuti Marsh has been the stage for some of the most dramatic wildlife documentaries in Africa. The wide open country, good ungulate populations, and particularly strong prides of lion and hyena clans make for dramatic wildlife interaction and excellent viewing opportunities. The now dry Savuti Channel runs through this  landscape linking the dry sand-veld, the waterholes, the hills and the grassland that was the Savuti Marsh.

Wildlife: Undoubtedly it is the interaction between lion and elephant that is the most interesting aspect of Savuti. The area is inhabited by a huge pride of lions with numbers fluctuating from 20-30 members. These remarkable lions have learned over the years how to hunt these massive pachyderms that are supposedly above predation. Launching their attack under darkness and  using their numbers, they manage to kill adolescent and even young adult elephant. The marsh is prime cheetah country and in the wet season it is not unusual to have the wild dog hunting here in Central  Chobe.  Accommodation: Mobile Tented Camp

On your final day of your Botswana Under Canvas safari you’ll leave Savuti early to travel along the Chobe River to arrive in Kasane where you’ll stop for a picnic lunch before an afternoon cruise on the Chobe River. Your safari ends in Kasane after your cruise.

The habitat on today’s drive takes us through the stunted  mopane scrub of the Goha clay basin, across the sand-ridge and through the wonderful Zambezi teak woodlands of the Chobe Forest Reserve and along the Chobe River itself. The Chobe floodplain is tens of kilometers wide and in years of exceptional rains the water stretches as far as the eye can see.

Wildlife: While you’ll pass through community areas that are settled by local tribes, for the vast majority of today’s day’s drive you will pass through wild country where wildlife moves uninhibited by fences or man. Roan and sable antelope thrive in the teak woodlands where the low density of predators and lack of competition for food by other ungulates makes this prime habitat for these large ungulates. Leopard occur in these woodlands in low numbers but they are highly secretive and seldom seen. The Goha region has natural waterholes that hold water well into the dry season and herds of buffalo, Burchell’s zebra, greater kudu and elephant come down to drink.

Your safari ends in Kasane, and it’s just an hour’s drive from here across the border to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the perfect place to end your safari. Ask about our favourite lodges in Victoria Falls.

At my stage in life (60+) I prefer travelling in comfort, so the opportunity to go glamping in Africa was very appealing. My partner and I were so well looked after from our accommodation and meals to daily safaris and travel arrangements. On cold mornings we were even given hot water bottles to take with us on the jeep! Of course the wildlife was the biggest drawcard and it did not disappoint. We saw so many different animals and birds and in very close proximity. Our first safari lunch under the trees was interrupted by a small elephant group wandering past. I was speechless!! The small group approach staying mostly in private conservancies meant we were often the only spectators. I was on a high the whole time and although I am widely travelled, our 2016 trip to Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa was the best!! I was quite nervous about going to Africa but once I was there, I felt in very safe hands the whole time. Africa is magical! If you get the chance- go for it! African Encounters will deliver a truly memorable experience! Christine Wright, Auckland

The difference between the private conservancies and National Parks was extreme when I went with you Karen. The relaxed, often the only vehicle and actually seeing wildlife in the wild versus a bun fight for photos with every driver trying to get the best spot. No comparison. I know what I preferred. Anne Merritt

International airfares are not included.

As tour operators (not travel agents), we are not licensed to sell flights. We recommend that you contact your trusted local travel agent to book your flights.

The most direct flights from New Zealand or Australia are with Qantas/South African Airways to Johannesburg, with connections by Airlink or Air Botswana to Maun in Botswana.

Australian and New Zealand passport holders do not require a visa to visit Botswana for up to 90 days. For other nationalities, please check with your nearest Embassy, or your travel agent. However, visa requirements are subject to change, so please check for the most up-to-date visa information before you travel. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your planned date of departure from Botswana.

There are no mandatory vaccinations, however malaria prophylaxis (tablets) is strongly recommended. If you’re travelling from a country where yellow fever is widespread, you’ll need a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Botswana.

We are happy to arrange accommodation before or after your safari.

We are happy to arrange accommodation before or after your safari.

">Email me or call me on 06 9761118 – I love to chat about Africa!

Botswana Under Canvas

from

NZD11,523

Enquire now

  • Day & night game drives
  • Mokoro excursions through the Delta
  • Open 4×4 safari vehicle
  • Guided walks

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