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DAY 1: KASANE TO CENTRAL CHOBE / TRAVEL DAY (5 HOURS)
Activities: Game drive and boating
Safaris begin at Kalahari Tours in Kasane at 9 a.m. Guests who are transferring from Livingstone or Victoria Falls Town will need to arrive at the Kalahari Tours office by 8:45 a.m.Kick off your safari with a morning boat cruise along the mighty Chobe River before crossing the scenic Chobe National Park to reach your campsite in Central Chobe.Habitat: See the twisting curves of the Chobe River — a key oasis for area wildlife — before passing through the lush Zambezi teak forests of the Chobe Forest Reserve, over the sand-ridge and into the stunted mopane scrub of the Goha clay basin.Wildlife: Though the day’s drive will take you through some areas settled by local tribes, most of it will be spent traversing the unsettled wilds of Botswana, where wildlife is free to roam unimpeded by fences or by people. With little competition and few predators, populations of roan and sable antelope thrive in the teak woodlands. Leopards also slink through the area, although they are far fewer in number and are only occasionally spotted. Herds of buffalos, Burchell’s zebras, greater kudus and elephants flock to the Goha region and its natural waterholes well into the dry season.
DAY 2 & 3: CENTRAL CHOBE EXPLORATION DAYS
Activities: Game drive and Bushman painting walks.
Explore the varied landscapes of Central Chobe and the stunning, wide-open grasslands of the Savuti Marsh — the setting for some of the most dramatic wildlife documentaries filmed in Africa.Habitat: Unlike most of Botswana, the lands comprising Central Chobe are not flat, but are instead littered with impressive outcrops of volcanic rock which reign over the tree-dappled savannah. These features provide shelter for a unique variety of small wildlife, birds and plants. The open plains of the Savuti Marsh support large herds of wildlife, including buffalo and zebra, alongside well-established prides of lion and hyaena clans. Their proximity creates excellent opportunities to view dramatic encounters between predators and prey in the wild. The long-dry Savuti Channel carves a path that connects the dry sandveld to the waterholes, hills and grasslands of the Savuti Marsh.Wildlife: Diverse wildlife can be found in the area, though interactions between the huge lion prides that litter the area and the sizable elephant herds are arguably the most interesting. Lion prides can boast as many as 30 members. They use those numbers to attack under the cover of darkness, targeting adolescent and young adult elephants. The marshlands are prime habitat for cheetahs. In Central Chobe, it’s not unusual to stop wild dog hunting during the wet season.
DAY 4: CENTRAL CHOBE TO KHWAI / TRAVEL DAY
Full day of extended game drive and journey time with picnic lunch between camps.
Activities: Game drive.
See the remnants of Lake Makgadikgadi, a massive paleolake that once covered a huge swath what is now the Kalahari Desert, while travelling south to the Khwai Community Area.Habitat: Cross the deep sands of the Magwikwe Sand Ridge, an area that once formed the shoreline of Lake Makgadikgadi, and see the former lake bed — now known as the Mababe Depression. The depression features dense clay floors that provide high-protein feed for local wildlife, attracting large numbers of game after it rains. Please note that during the rainy season, it’s necessary to take routes which bypass the Mababe Depression, as the area becomes impassable.Wildlife: During the day you’ll cross landscapes that encompass a wide variety of the habitats on offer across northern Botswana, giving you a front-row seat to any number of wildlife encounters. The area includes excellent lion country and some of the best places to view cheetah on the whole safari. Elephants can also be seen in this area, although they’re more commonly seen toward the start and end of the drive.
DAY 5 & 6: KHWAI EXPLORATION DAY
Activities: Game drive, walking safaris (conditions permitting), night drive and mokoro excursion.
The fifth and sixth nights of the safari are spent camping at an exclusive spot near the Khwai River, a curving waterway that forms the northern boundary of the Moremi Game Reserve.Please note that night drives and guided walks are not allowed within Botswana’s national parks and reserves. We conduct these activities outside the Moremi Game Reserve, in the Khwai community area.Habitat: Survey the floodplains during the day or with spotlights at night. Travel by foot through the surrounding wilderness for close-up encounters with Botswana’s flora and fauna, or hop on a mokoro for a tour of the area by water. See dry lands occupied by flourishing leadwood trees and camel-thorn woodlands alongside the marshy backwaters of the Khwai. Time permitting, we might visit the lagoons and waterways of Xakanaxa, an area that boasts the largest heronry in southern Africa.Wildlife: Opportunities to explore the floodplains on daytime and nighttime game drives give you the chance to spot nocturnal animals rarely seen during the day. The region also hosts large elephant populations with lions, leopards, serval and African wildcats among the commonly seen predators. Wild dogs and cheetahs can also be spotted, although they are less common. During the summer rains, buffalo can be found nearby. The western swampy areas are also home to red lechwe. Other animals to be seen in the region include tsesebe, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, sable antelope, roan antelope and impala.
DAY 7: KHWAI TO XAKANAXA / TRAVEL DAY
Full day of extended game drive and journey time with picnic lunch between camps.
Explore the Manuchira Channel, known as the Khwai River on its easternmost side, and see why it’s earned a reputation as one of the most scenic areas of the Okavango Delta.Habitat: From the riverside, journey through the vast floodplains to the unspoiled expanse of the mopane veld and other woodlands. The seventh day of the safari includes a morning-time stop at the busy Dombo Hippo Pools.Wildlife: Herds of elephants, including impressive old bulls, call the western mopane veld home. The bulls found in the eastern stretch of the Khwai River are far more approachable than others found in the area, particularly while enjoying the cool river waters. The river also attracts huge crocodiles and a high number of hippos. You can find herds of the social water-lovers gathering at the Dombo Hippo Pools. Leopard, cheetah, serval and lion are the most common predators seen on this part of the safari. The Zakanaxa and Khwai areas are also part of the home ranges of two wild dog packs. Other animals found in the area include southern giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, tsessebe, red lechwe and roan and sable antelope..
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