NYG10V: Vic Falls + Chobe + Okavango + Windhoek

SMALL GROUP TOUR

Day 1

You will be met at Livingstone Airport and transferred to your hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River, near the mighty Victoria Falls.

Check in, settle in and relax whilst you catch your first glimpses of the magnificent Smoke That Thunders first discovered by Dr. David Livingstone and still one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.

The flow of water over the Victoria Falls is greatest during the wet months (February to June) but the falls are a magnificent sight at any time of year.

Day 2

Today explore on foot the mighty Victoria Falls, offering magnificent views. Then participate in one of the many optional activities such as a helicopter flight over the falls, an elephant-back safari or relax by the swimming pool and enjoy the facilities of your hotel.

In the late afternoon enjoy a Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River to see hippos, crocodiles and the abundant bird life.

Day 3

At leisure to relax on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River near the Victoria Falls.

Adrenalin seekers can participate in many adventure activities such as canoeing in the gentler rapids above the falls, abseiling or white water rafting in the turbulent gorge below the falls (grade 5), or watch bungi jumping from Victoria Falls Bridge!

Take an optional excursion to view the Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwean side of the river*; enjoy a full day safari to the great Chobe Game Reserve in Botswana*; or simply relax on the banks of the great Zambezi River.

(* = passport required and dual entry visas for own account)

Day 4

Transfer 1-hour by road and ferry to the Botswana border at Kasane. After completing immigration formalities, continue 15-minutes to your game lodge overlooking the Chobe River.

Chobe National Park is Botswana’s premier wildlife reserve and is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, where four African countries meet – Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

After checking in to your lodge, enjoy your first thrilling safari drive in an open-top game viewing vehicle accompanied by a ranger. Game viewing opportunities should present themselves almost immediately in this vast game sanctuary and hopefully you will see elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, antelope and other river-based wildlife today. Later dine overlooking the river in the atmosphere that only the African bushveld can provide!

Day 5

Rise at dawn to take advantage of the best game viewing conditions of the day and enjoy a thrilling open-top game viewing drive into the great Chobe National Park. This region is home to some of Botswana’s most spectacular wildlife, as well as abundant bird life.

Chobe is home to vast herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as numerous other species which roam in profusion and diversity. During the dry season, vast elephant herds migrate from both south and north to congregate in their thousands along the Chobe River – the largest concentration of elephants in the whole of Africa! Also hope to see lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, crocodiles, antelope, waterbuck, warthogs, baboons and many other interesting animals before returning to your lodge for breakfast.

The rest of the morning is free to relax by the lodge swimming pool or enjoy bird watching by the river. Optional Tiger Fishing can also be arranged. In the late afternoon enjoy a game viewing boat ride on the Chobe River to give a completely different wildlife perspective.

After a beautiful African sunset, enjoy the balmy evening and pristine stars of the Milky Way as you have never seen them before – as well as the spectacular Southern Cross.

n.b. Children < 12 are not allowed on open top game drives

Day 6

Depart today on your small group tour across Botswana and the Okavango Delta to Windhoek in Namibia.

Our tour begins as we travel southwards from Chobe to the mesmerising Makgadikgadi Pans, the largest clay pans on earth. On an afternoon nature drive, experience how this geological phenomenon changes this remote and inaccessible landscape into a wonderland of surrealistic beauty.

Day 7

After breakfast, we travel westwards to Maun on the southern edge of the magnificent Okavango Delta.

Our lodge is situated along the banks of the Thamalekane River, proving easy access into the delta. Optional excursions include a visit to a Cultural Village or a nearby Crocodile Farm. Bird watching is also outstanding, as the lush river banks provide breeding grounds for a large variety of bird life.

Day 8

The seasonal Okavango Delta is flooded annually by the great Okavango River, which flows inland from Angola into the vast Kalahari Desert – never finding the sea but instead forming a great inland delta, whose waters are absorbed by the dry Kalahari Desert, making it one of the great natural wonders of the world and an amazing water wilderness and wetlands ecosystem.

Comprising 6,000 square miles of crystal clear channels, serene lagoons and a myriad of islands, the Okavango Delta is a natural oasis in the middle of the Kalahari for a vast variety of wildlife and birds of all descriptions.

In the early morning we depart by 4x4 vehicle into the Okavango Delta for a full day game drive in the Moremi Game Reserve to view the wildlife that inhabits the delta, such as elephants, buffalo and hippo. Enjoy a picnic lunch, before driving out of the reserve and returning back to our lodge in the evening.

Day 9

This morning our journey takes us further west into the plains of the great Kalahari Desert.  The vast and arid Kalahari is the largest sand mass on earth and is home to the Bushman who have lived and hunted here for thousands of years.

After checking in to our luxury tented Kalahari lodge, depart on an afternoon Walk with Bushmen and learn more about their traditions and culture, including their hunting techniques.

Day 10

This morning we complete our journey to Windhoek, travelling via the cattle farming town of Gobabis which boasts a huge statue of a Brahman bull at the entrance to the town. Our tour ends in Windhoek with drop off at your hotel.

Day 11

Transfer to Windhoek Airport for your flight home.