Botswana & Victoria Falls

Transcription

1 Botswana & Victoria Falls DAY BY DAY ITINERARY safaris in style Explore the wilderness of Botswana as you journey through its iconic and diverse national parks and reserves. Enjoy sunset views of bathing elephants along the banks of the Linyanti River and wetlands. See the coveted Big 5 in Moremi Game Reserve, now home to reintroduced populations of endangered rhinos. Wind through the serpentine channels of the Okavango Delta on a mokoro and track wildlife on foot through its islands. And witness epic battles between feline predators and their surprisingly fierce plains game adversaries. Experience the majesty of Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall on the planet and one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Cruise and canoe down the Zambezi River, dine on local Zimbabwean cuisine, and glimpse the 355 foot falls (108 meters) from the very top of Livingstone Island. This Deeper Africa group departure is waiting for you with personal guide, David Foot. Born and raised in Africa, David is one of the region s top safari guides with more than 30 years of guiding experience. Photo credit: Great Plains Conservation Great Plains Conservation BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS

2 SAFARI SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE DAY TRAVEL/ACTIVITY LOCATION CAMP Day 1, 2 & 3 Bush flight from Maun to Linyanti Bush Camp Chobe Enclave Linyanti Bush Camp Day 4, 5 & 6: Bush flight to Khwai Tented Khwai Concession Camp & Moremi Game Reserve Khwai Tented Camp Day 7, 8 & 9: Bush flight to Duba Expeditions Duba Concession in the Camp Okavango Delta Duba Expeditions Camp Day 10 & 11: Flight to Kasane. Road transfer to Elephant Camp Elephant Camp Day 12: International Travel Victoria Falls INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #1 Departs: TBD INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #2 Departs: TBD Photo credit: Great Plains Conservation

3 DAY 1, 2 & 3 LINYANTI BUSH CAMP CHOBE ENCLAVE INCLUDED WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Elephant Hippo Giraffe Buffalo Baboon Zebra High diversity of antelope, including red lechwe, sable, roan, sitatunga and kudu, impala Lion Leopard Wild dog Spotted hyenas Crocodile Excellent bird viewing EXPERIENCES Mokoro safari Boating Fishing Wildlife drives Night safari Breakfast Lunch Dinner Alcohol & Beverages Laundry When the shimmering waters of the Linyanti are broken ahead of your mokoro by a pair of giraffe dipping their necks in for a long pull at the marsh, you ll know you ve arrived in the Linyanti. A quiet, exclusive corner of Botswana, you ll have free-roam of the area to explore during the dry season when game concentrates around reduced water sources. Keep an eye out for wild dog during your stay their pups are out exploring the world, and the adults are never far behind. Spectacular birding is found in the Linyanti due in large part to its myriad habitats: one moment you re in wetlands fed by channels and lagoons flanked by reed beds and papyrus, the next you re under the cover of riparian forests. A further dichotomy of Mopane woodlands and the Savuti Channel makes for exciting wildlife sightings such as lechwe, hippos and buffalo. Photo credit: African Bush Camps

4 DAY 4, 5 & 6 KHWAI TENTED CAMP KHWAI CONCESSION & MOREMI GAME RESERVE WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Elephant Hippo Buffalo Giraffe Leopard Lion Cheetah Wild Dogs Aquatic Antelope Lechwe Waterbuck More than 400 bird species Photo credit: African Bush Camps EXPERIENCES Mokoro safari Boating Fishing Wildlife drives Night safari Walking safaris INCLUDED Breakfast Lunch Dinner Alcohol & Beverages Laundry Moremi is one of Africa s finest area for wildlife viewing, with particularly high wildlife densities. During this dry season predators are in force with lions and leopards the predominant cats. The wild dogs have a presence here too, moving into view quickly, yapping, and dancing. But it is the flood plains between Moremi and Khwai that bring thousands and thousands of lechwe into view. Tucked into the reeds you can also see the more elusive waterbuck. The protected waterways of the Okavango and Moremi Reserve also make this a spectacular place for bird watching, with more than 400 species of birds. Join your guide on a motorboat exploring the channels of the Okavango and Xanakanaxa Lagoon. This is a quintessential day; glide through the marshes pas the reeds, spying elephants, hippo and giraffe on the banks and some of the best kingfisher viewing ever not to mention channels that seem to stretch on to infinity. By summer, wildlife is drawn through the only transit corridor between Chobe National Park and the Okavango; Khwai Concession. This makes Khwai the place to be in July with high densities of wildlife moving into well-established territories of lion, cheetah, leopard and wild dogs.

5 DAY 7, 8 & 9 DUBA EXPEDITIONS CAMP DUBA CONCESSION WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Lion Leopard Elephant Buffalo Red lechwe Tsessebe Warthog Wide variety of birdlife including egrets, herons, cormorants, bee-eaters, kingfishers and eagles EXPERIENCES Walking safari Wildlife viewing Night game drives Mokoro safari Boat safari Fishing INCLUDED Breakfast Lunch Dinner Alcohol & Beverages Laundry Duba Plains is placed in a unique ecosystem; often compared to the Maasai Mara, there are both wide open tall grasses and plains game, bordered by the Okavango Delta s winding channels and water adapted wildlife. It is a place of incredible diversity, and Duba Expeditions Camp is a special habitat experience. Of note, owners Derek and Beverley Joubert are also filmmakers whose famous documentary, Relentless Enemies, was filmed here. You ll no doubt encounter the large herds of buffalo who like to graze in the tall grasses. Although they are herbivores, buffalo are notoriously tough. With large horns and a tendency to charge when danger is near, they are not animals that can be considered easy prey. Despite these characteristics, the local Tsaro pride of lions are renowned for hunting the buffalo, and over the years this camp has become known for these interactions. In recent years the lions have also begun to prey on red lechwe, so expect to witness some of these heart-pounding encounters. Photo credit: Great Plains Conservation

6 DAY 10 & 11 ELEPHANT CAMP VICTORIA FALLS TRANSFER TO VICTORIA FALLS Bush flight to Kasane Road transfer to Victoria Falls WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Elephant Cheetah EXPERIENCES Victoria Falls tour Elephant encounter Lunch at the Lookout Cafe Sundowners at Batoka Gorge INCLUDED Breakfast Pool Wifi This afternoon you ll have an unforgettable tour of the world s largest falling curtain of water. At an imposing 355 feet (108 meters) tall, Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The falls is fed by the Zambezi river system and straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The noise of Victoria Falls can be heard from a distance of 25 miles (40 km), which is how it earned the local name of Mosi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders. Get close and feel the curtains of mist envelope you. Also, experience a unique animal encounter at the Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary with elephants who have been rescued from unsuitable environments and culling operations. On-site guides provide insight into African elephants, the life story of each elephant including what brought them into the sanctuary, as well as the threats facing elephant populations today. Take a short walk in the bush where you will be introduced to the elephants, who are all habituated, so you can feel comfortable touching and interacting with them. You may also have sightings of Sylvester, a rescued cheetah who makes his home at Elephant Camp. Photo credit: Wild Horizons

7 DAY 10 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #1 Departs: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #1 Departs: TBD INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #2 Departs: TBD Photo credit: Great Plains Conservation

8 ADDITIONAL SAFARI INFORMATION INCLUDED IN YOUR SAFARI Full board accommodations in all lodges and tented camps All meals as indicated in itinerary Game drives in 4x4 safari Land Cruisers, boat safaris, guided walking safaris, night wildlife viewing where available and mokoro. All park and entrance fees Experienced and professional safari naturalist guides All in-country transportation, including bush flights Laundry 2018 pricing $15,999 USD per person 2018 GROUP DEPARTURES DATES Departure Dates: June 30 - July 12, 2018 All bush flights included in pricing Alcohol & beverages, excluding premium spirits Evacuation insurance with SATIB Beverages provided in your 4x4 vehicle Additional Single Supplement: $5,099 Safe drinking water provided at all times Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including health information, reading list, and map EXCLUDED IN YOUR SAFARI Arrivals and departures are into either Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe or Maun, Botswana. All pricing is in US dollars. Prices do not include international airfare. All itineraries and prices are subject to change. Gratuities We plan your wildlife adventures in areas where wildlife habitats are known to exist for the season and time you are traveling. Still, animals in the areas you are viewing are not in a zoo. They run freely, and we cannot always anticipate their movements. Also, Deeper Africa uses best efforts to provide the lodging set out in this itinerary, but occasionally there are circumstances that occur in Africa that require lodging substitutions. We reserve the right to make comparable lodging substitutions whenever necessary Manhattan Circle, Suite 202 Boulder, Colorado fx safaris in style BOTSWANA & VICTORIA FALLS SAFARI