Classic Botswana DAY BY DAY ITINERARY classic safaris info@deeperafrica.com www.deeperafrica.com Classic Safaris If this is your first safari in Africa you want it to be brilliant. You want to see all of the wildlife, but you probably still want your creature comforts luxurious rooms, delicious food, and quality service. If this is your profile, then Classic Botswana is your kind of adventure. The options to craft your perfect safari are endless. You ll travel into three diverse ecosystems in Botswana, which will give you the opportunity to view a wide variety of wildlife. We ll move you between each lodge by bush plane, allowing you the opportunity to view the famous Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe waterfront and Makgadikgadi Pans. This is a safari where you get to decide what you want to do and when you want to do it. If the mood strikes you, rise with the sun for a Land Cruiser drive in Moremi, wander by boat through the papyrus channels of the Delta, or glide across the water for a mokoro safari in a traditional dugout canoe.
SAFARI SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #1 Departs: TBD Arrives: TBD INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #2 Departs: TBD Arrives: Kasane, Botswana DAY TRAVEL/ACTIVITY LOCATION CAMP Days 1 & 2: Arrive in Kasane, transfer to Chobe Riverfront Chobe National Park Riverfront Chobe Game Lodge Days 3, 4 & 5: Bush flight to Khwai Khwai Concession/Moremi Airstrip Game Reserve Machaba Camp Days 6 & 7: Bush flight to Okavango Airstrip Camp Okavango Okavango Delta Days 8, 9 & 10: Bush flight to Leroo La Tau Makgadikgadi Pans National Airstrip Park Leroo La Tau Camp Photo credit: Charles Sharbel
DAYS 1 & 2 CHOBE GAME LODGE CHOBE RIVER FRONT In a land full of incredible lodges and camps, Chobe Game Lodge is a standout. Set in the Chobe National Park, it is the only property located within the park boundaries on the banks of the river. Its positon affords you a welcome wildlife viewing head start each morning before the arrival of travelers from outside of the park. The lodge s boardwalks and viewing deck also provides key vantage points to view Africa s largest concentration of elephant from the grounds. You ll come to realize why Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were married here. When you are ready for your first wildlife drive, another surprise awaits. Chobe Game Lodge is famous for its all-female guiding team, the only one in Africa. In an industry that is dominated by men, female guides in Botswana have made inroads in the last fifteen years, growing from 10 women guides in 2004 to roughly 50 today. Initially the decision to employ female guides was economic; they were just better drivers. In the years since the Chobe Angels have become known for their more guest-focused experience, concentrating on a relaxed drive, storytelling and wildlife education WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Baboon Buffalo Crocodile EXPERIENCES Elephant Giraffe Wildlife viewing Hippo Mid-day and sunset Lion river cruise Wild dog High diversity of antelope, including puku, red lechwe, roan and sable More than 450 bird species INCLUDED Breakfast Lunch Dinner Alcohol & Beverages Laundry Photo credit: Chobe Game Lodge
DAYS 3, 4 & 5 MACHABA CAMP KHWAI CONCESSION/MOREMI GAME RESERVE EXPERIENCES WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Bat eared fox Cheetah INCLUDED Crocodile Elephant Breakfast Giraffe Lunch Hippo Dinner Hyena Alcohol & Beverages Leopard Lion Laundry Wild dog Wildebeest High diversity of antelope, including impala, kudu and tsessebe High diversity of bird species Wildlife viewing Mokoro safaris Walking safaris Local village visits Dinner under the stars Nestled in the game rich Khwai concession, Machaba Camp is set on a 35,000 hectare reserve adjacent to the Moremi Game Reserve. The Khwai River flows through this concession, the first major water source that animals migrating down from the Linyanti encounter. You ll find Khwai has sweeping grasslands, mopane woodlands and forests, and riparian floodplains. The flood plains overflow most of the year and create lagoons covered in day and night lilies. In total, Khwai is the part of Botswana that proves itself to be one of the best places for a safari in Africa; such a diversity of ecosystems brings a wonderful mix of animal viewing. You should have sightings of wildebeest, zebra and elephants. There are stable populations of large predators like lion, cheetah, spotted hyena, and even some African wild dogs. From time to time you can also see leopard. This is also a good area to see myriad antelope species such as roan and sable antelope, kudu and tsessebe. Photo credit: Machaba Camp/Shaun Malahn
DAYS 6 & 7 CAMP OKAVANGO OKAVANGO DELTA EXPERIENCES Walking safari Wildlife viewing Boat safari Mokoro safari Bird watching WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Baboon INCLUDED Buffalo Crocodile Breakfast Elephant Lunch Giraffe Dinner Hippo Lion Alcohol & Beverages Wild dog Laundry High diversity of antelope, including tsessebe, impala, lechwe and steenbok High diversity of birds, including Tawny, Bateleur, Wahlberg s and Martial eagles Situated on the remote Nxaragha Island, Camp Okavango assures its guests of a year-round water wilderness experience. Explore nearby islands with your guide by boat, foot and mokoro. You ll see lions swimming in the rivers and leopards lying high up in the fig trees. The islands also have giraffes wandering in the acacia thickets. These are islands formed over decades that get their start when water levels are low enough for termites to form mounds. Birds like to perch on these and deposit seeds that grow into shrubs and trees, around which the Delta current deposits sand. When you are on the water, it may surprise you to see how clear the shallow waters are. It s a great experience to try wildlife viewing from a mokoro, a local dugout canoe that is propelled by standing in the stern and pushing with a pole. Mokoros put you at eye level with the riverbed so you can see all the little creatures hiding in the papyrus reeds, hear their calls and quietly move closer towards them. This is also the way that local families move about the Delta, loaded with supplies from the market. Photo credit: Desert & Delta
DAYS 8, 9 & 10 CAMP LEROO LA TAU MAKGADIKGADI PANS NATIONAL PARK EXPERIENCES Wildlife viewing Night safari Boat activities (water dependent) Cultural village visit WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS Cheetah Crocodile INCLUDED Elephant Genet Breakfast Hyena Lunch Jackal Dinner Leopard Alcohol & Beverages Lion Wild dog Laundry Wildebeest Zebra High diversity of antelope, including kudu High diversity of bird species, including flamingos Leroo La Tau is built on cliffs more than 30 feet above an ever-changing riparian environment, offering a vantage point that ensures unsurpassed views of the river and the Makgadikgadi Pans. The landscape fluctuations around the camp are a dramatic illustration of the fundamental role water plays in Botswana s ecosystems and the adaptations wildlife makes to accommodate. The Boteti River, which flows past the camp, is an outflow from the Okavango Delta. In the mid-1980s the Boteti began to recede due to low rainfall. By 1988, the river stopped short of Leroo La Tau, and by the mid-1990s had dried up completely. For the next ten years, Leroo La Tau was left with a few waterholes in the riverbed which continued to offer refuge to a small pod of landlocked Hippo, together with crocodiles which became completely terrestrial, making dens in riverbank caves downriver from the lodge. Large numbers of zebra and wildebeest migrated to the Boteti River at the end of winter to access the remaining waterholes. In 2009, two decades after the Boteti River stopped flowing, record rainfall resulted in the highest Okavango flood levels for 25 years, and the river once again flows past Leroo La Tau. Photo credit: Natural Selections
DAY 12 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BUSH FLIGHT Departs: Leroo La Tau Airstrip Arrives: TBD INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #1 Departs: TBD Arrives: TBD INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT #2 Departs: TBD Arrives: TBD Photo credit: Charles Sharbel
COMMUNITY & CONSERVATION INITIATIVES: TRAVEL FOR IMPACT TRAVEL FOR IMPACT Botswana-based Travel for Impact aims to bridge the gap between the tourism sector and civil society, allowing visitors and tourism companies to give back to the communities who host them. This is Open responsible Sans Regular tourism. 9 pt, The 11 organization pt spacing believes that conservation and development start with people and communities, so Travel for Impact has created a channel for travelers and safari companies to support myriad community projects they ve initiated. OPEN SANS SEMIBOLD 12 PT Deeper Africa supports Travel for Impact by making a per-night/perbed contribution to the organization on behalf of all our travelers. If you d like to do something more, talk to us. Some travelers have packed gently used scarves, gloves and knit hats to donate to a Travel for Impact community effort called AGLOW - Polokong. Established several years ago, it assists the elderly disadvantaged in Maun who no longer have family to care for them. AGLOW provides food and care for the elderly throughout Maun, making house visits and spending time with them. When the weather turns colder, your donated items are critical to and very appreciated by those that receive them. There are many other projects that can use your help. Photo credit: Travel for Impact
ADDITIONAL SAFARI INFORMATION INCLUDED IN YOUR SAFARI Full board accommodations in all lodges and tented camps All meals as specified in itinerary All park and entrance fees Wildlife viewing in 4x4 Land Cruisers, boat safaris, guided walking safaris, mokoro and night wildlife viewing where available Experienced and professional safari naturalist guides All in-country transportation Enrollment with SATIB Evacuation Service 2018 pricing $8,599 - $11,199 2018 CUSTOM DEPARTURES & PRICING April - May 31, November $8,599 USD per person Single supplement: $1,279 USD Laundry June Best Value Alcohol & Beverages Beverages in your 4x4 safari vehicle Bottled water available at all times Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including health information, reading list and map $9,399 USD per person Single supplement: $1,829 USD July - October $11,199 USD per person Single supplement: $4,099 USD EXCLUDED FROM YOUR SAFARI Gratuities All pricing is in US dollars. Arrivals and departures are through Maun, Botswana. Prices do not include international air travel. All itineraries and prices are subject to change. 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. 5353 Manhattan Circle, Suite 202 Boulder, Colorado 80303 303.415.2574 720.565.0512 fx www.deeperafrica.com classic safaris