An incredible exploration to one of the world's last pristine natural habitats. The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. The area was once part of Lake Makgadikgadi, an ancient lake that dried up some 10,000 years ago. Today, the Okavango River has no outlet to the sea. Instead, it empties onto the sands of the Kalahari Desert, irrigating 15,000 km² of the desert. Each year some 11 cubic kilometres of water reach the delta. Some of this water reaches further south to create Lake Ngami. The waters of the Okavango Delta are subject to seasonal flooding, which begins about mid-summer in the north and six months later in the south (May/June). The water from the delta is evaporated relatively rapidly by the high temperatures, resulting in a cycle of cresting and dropping water in the south. Islands can disappear completely during the peak flood, then reappear at the end of the season. The delta provides a seasonal habitat to numerous different species. Among these are African elephants, the African Buffalo, the Hippopotamus, the Lechwe, the Topi, the Blue Wildebeest, the Giraffe, the Nile crocodile, the Lion, the Cheetah, the Leopard, Brown and Spotted hyenas, African Wild Dogs, the Greater Kudu, the Sable Antelope, both the Black and the White Rhinoceros, the water monitor, Plains (Burchell's) zebras, the Warthog and then chacma baboon. The delta also includes over 400 species of birds, including the African Fish Eagle, the Crested Crane, the Lilac Breasted Roller, the Hamerkop, Common Ostrich, and the Sacred Ibis.

NOTE: Due to capacity constraints in Botswana, there is a 20% non-refundable booking fee. This booking fee is paid to the lodges directly to secure reservations. This will be paid upon confirmation of your booking.

Day 1
Johannesburg
Upon arrival into South Africa you will be met at the door of the plane and escorted through Customs and Immigration avoiding any queues. You will also recieve all of your neccessary documents for your trip which contains a detailed personalized itinerary, maps, restaurant suggestions, Top Tips for exploring each city or region and a 24 hour concierge service (for restaurant reservations, spa treatments, child minders, day tours etc). Airport transfer to/from your hotel with private vehicle Contemporary convenience at its best...the new 3-star Peermont Metcourt Hotel at Emperors Palace offers stylish and comfortable rooms as well as a "group-friendly" experience for corporate, convention and leisure guests. Johannesburg or Jo'burg, as the locals call the city of the gold, is the biggest metropolis in South Africa. With its 3,2 million citizens the city on the Witwatersrand is the predominant commercial centre and the economic motor of the Republic of South Africa. It is the international flight gateway for most of southern Africa.

Day 2
Johannesburg - Chobe
Kensington Tours donates a portion of our proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Airport transfer to/from your hotel with private vehicle Take your flight from Kasane to Livingstone today. The flight duration is approximately 2 hrs. Transfer to or from Chobe Lodges or Kasane. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Game viewing in the Chobe National Park with your skilled guide. You'll have a great chance to view the abundant elephant and other big game species up close. (shared with other guests at the lodge). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Last Eden of Chobe, Muchenje is a magnificent lodge in a stunning location. Owner run, your genial hosts offer a truly relaxed, homely atmosphere, where nothing is too much trouble. Just 20 guests are accommodated in intimate exclusivity. Each thatched, stone built cottage has private, panoramic views of the Chobe river and Caprivi floodplain. Chobe National Park, in northwest Botswana, has one of the largest game concentration in Africa continent. By size, this is the third largest park of the country, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Gemsbok National Park, and is the most diverse. The park is probably best known for its spectacular elephant population: 60,000 elephants today, the highest elephant concentration in Africa.

Day 3
Chobe
A game cruise on the Chobe River is one of the finest game viewing experiences in Africa. With over 80 000 elephant in the park alone they are a very frequent sighting. Hippo, water birds, buffalo, crocodile and puku are also viewed from the river. (shared with other guest at the lodge). Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Game viewing in the Chobe National Park with your skilled guide. You'll have a great chance to view the abundant elephant and other big game species up close. (shared with other guests at the lodge). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Muchenje Safari Lodge.

Day 4
Chobe - Savute
A game cruise on the Chobe River is one of the finest game viewing experiences in Africa. With over 80 000 elephant in the park alone they are a very frequent sighting. Hippo, water birds, buffalo, crocodile and puku are also viewed from the river. (shared with other guest at the lodge). Take your flight from Kasane to Savute today. The flight duration is approximately 45 mins. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Game drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles are conducted in the Savute area, including the Savute Marsh, and a visit to the ancient San rock paintings at Gubatsa Hills. You will most likely see nearly all the major species in the area, such as giraffe, elephant, zebra, impala, tsessebe, roan, sable, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, eland, as well as predators including lion, hyena, jackal, cheetah and possibly wild dog. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). It is on the banks of Botswana’s fabled Stolen River, that you will find Savute Safari Lodge in a setting of remarkable beauty. The now dry Savute channel is part of the dynamic Savute eco system renowned for its large concentration of elephant and lion and their troubled relationship.
The Savuti Marsh area, 10 878 km² large, constitutes the western stretch of the park (50 km north of Mababe Gate). The Savuti Marsh is the relic of a large inland lake whose water supply was cut a long time ago by tectonic movements. Nowadays the marsh is fed by the erratic Savuti Channel, which dries up when rainfall is abundant and floods up at other times. The channel can also stop flowing during long periods then curiously flows again, a consequence of tectonic activity in the area. As a result of this variable flow, there are hundred of dead trees along the channel's bank. The region is also covered with extensive savannahs and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly dynamic in this section of the park. At dry seasons, tourists going on safari often view warthogs, kudus, impalas, zebras, wildebeests and above all elephants bullying each other. At rain seasons, the rich birdlife of the park (450 species in the whole park) is well represented. Packs of lions, hyenas, zebras or more rarely cheetahs are visible as well. This region is indeed reputed for its annual migration of zebras and predators.

Day 5
Savute
You'll meet up with others from the lodge for your Game Drive. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). You'll meet up with others from the lodge for your Game Drive. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Savute Safari Lodge.

Day 6
Savute - Okavango
Luggage restricted to 12 kg per person in soft sided bags. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). The Okavango Delta features some of the best game viewing in all of Africa. Drives are typically done at around 4pm when the animals are active. Usually lasting for a few hours. (shared with other guests at the lodge). Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Stanley's Camp is situated at the edge of Botswana's Moremi Game Reserve, a secluded space in the wild. The camp offers 8 safari tents that are well-appointed and beautifully furnished for comfort. Rich bedding and high quality fabrics add to the allure of these accommodations. Private balconies and hammocks allow for privacy. Dine on meats and vegetable dishes prepared with local ingredients and influences. Mingle with other guests, and a hospitable staff. Be sure to take in the views from the camp's raised deck, or have a dip in the swimming pool. The Okavango is a labyrinth of lagoons, lakes and hidden channels covering an area of over 17,000 square km and the largest inland delta in the world. Trapped in the parched Kalahari sands it is a magnet for the wildlife who depend on the permanent waters of this unique feature. Sometimes called a 'swamp', the Okavango is anything but. Moving, mysterious, placid, gentle and beautiful, from a wide and winding channel it spreads through tiny, almost unnoticeable channels that creep away behind a wall of papyrus reed, into an ever expanding network of increasingly smaller passages.

Day 7
Okavango
Today you'll have plenty of options, a walking safari is just one of them. Professional guides accompany you as they teach you about the bush from a different perspective, up close and personal with the environment. A walking safari is the perfect way to awaken your senses where you can touch, feel and smell the African bush while listening to the various interesting stories the guides have to tell. Walks allow you to read the news of the night in the smooth sand of the road. Lion, leopard, elephants, genets and even millipedes are all part of the signs, each with their story to tell. A walking safari is about seeing the small five and the various flora in the area.

Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). The Okavango Delta is of course flooded for much of the year and when it is, you can experience serene silence at the gentle pace of a poled mokoro excursion along the narrow Delta channels. Just sit back and relax as they glide through lily ponds on local dugout canoes while they get eye to eye with a buffalo as it laps water from the river, watch crocodiles sunbathe on the banks or cruise past a pod of hippos as they lie in a pool. Fish eagles, frogs and fabulous lilies form much of this experience, but more frequently it is the quietness and gentle pace that makes its impression on you after a mokoro morning.


Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Stanley's Camp .

Day 8
Okavango - Makgadikgadi
Take your flight from Okavango to Maun today. Take your flight to/from Maun to Makgadikgadi today. The flight duration is approximately 30 mins. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). This afternoon you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Camp Kalahari a return to the traditional safari style of the old explorers, and is the best way to experience the Makgadikgadi in a fresh and affordable way. It is the ideal camp for those who want fun, comfort, style and adventure. Camp Kalahari accepts children of all ages and makes for a fantastic family safari destination.
The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in Northern Botswana, the largest salt flat complex in the world. These salt pans cover 16,000 km2 (6,177.6 sq mi) and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi that started evaporating 10,000 years ago. The area is home to one of Africa's biggest zebra populations

Day 9
Makgadikgadi
Early morning you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). This afternoon you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Camp Kalahari.

Day 10
Makgadikgadi - Maun
Early morning you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive. Take your charter flight from Makgadikgadi to Maun today. The flight duration is approximately 30mins. Take your flight from Maun to Johannesburg today. The flight duration is approximately 1 and a half hour. Depart from Maun airport - End of itinerary. Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district. It is also the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations who run trips into the world-famous Okavango Delta. Although officially still a village, Maun has developed rapidly from a rural frontier town and has spread along the Thamalakane River. It now has shopping centres, hotels and lodges as well as car hire, although it retains a rural atmosphere and local tribesmen continue to bring their cattle to Maun to sell.