Botswana Safari

DAY 1: ARRIVE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport your representative will meet and assist you to your hotel.

South Africa's first and only luxury hotel at an airport, the InterContinental Airport Sun is situated within walking distance from the terminals at Johannesburg International Airport.

The remainder of your day is at leisure.

(Dinner and overnight at Sanctuary Intercontinental OR Tambo international Hotel. – Full-board (L/D)

DAY 2: JOHANNESBURG/MAUN/SELINDA RESERVE

Your representative will meet and assist you with check-in formalities.

Depart Johannesburg on a scheduled flight to Botswana where upon arrival in Maun a representative will meet and assist you to your shared light aircraft transfer to Selinda.

Selinda Camp is a comfortable tented safari camp situated on the banks of the eastern Selinda Spillway, a waterway linking Botswana's Okavango Delta to the Linyanti Swamps. Situated along the Spillway is a private wildlife reserve where only a handful of guests can experience some of Africa's finest wildlife. The shaded camp has a splendid view over open floodplains dotted with palm islands.

The remainder of your day is at leisure to enjoy the activities on offer.

(Dinner and overnight at Selinda Camp. – Full-board (B/L/D)

DAY 3: SELINDA RESERVE

Today is at leisure to enjoy the game viewing activities on offer.

Activities include: Early morning and late afternoon/early evening 4x4 open vehicle game drives, guided wildlife bush walks, boating when water levels permit, in-room massages. At Selinda Camp there is no set routine. The wildlife knows the most forgiving times of day, and we take its lead. Early morning, late afternoon and evenings are the prime game viewing times - it's when colours are vibrant, the sun is low and spirits are up. Alternatively, setting out at dawn, when predators are active, our guides are as keen as the guests to discover the riches of each day in Selinda Reserve.

Usually, once the sun is high and strong, we retreat with the herds to our midday resting post, Selinda Camp. Then, as the sun begins to wane again, we head out for the late afternoon to evening, searching for nocturnal wildlife and the action that comes with sunset. But nothing is regimented. Regimes don't suit Selinda, which is why we all love being out here in the first place.

Selinda Reserve is famous for elephant and lion, wild dog and hippo, buffalo and giraffe. Some days we will spend hours with a single herd of elephants; other days we may track cheetah, or wait in a hide for Slaty egrets to arrive and fish. Wattled cranes, a highly coveted sighting, are often spotted here.

(All meals and overnight at Selinda Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 4: SELINDA RESERVE

he remainder of your day is at leisure to enjoy the game viewing activities on offer.

(All meals and overnight at Selinda Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 5: SELINDA RESERVE / MOREMI GAME RESERVE

Depart by shared light aircraft transfer to Chief’s Camp.

Sanctuary Chief’s Camp is a luxury camp situated on Chief’s Island in the exclusive Mombo Concession of the Moremi Game Reserve. This area is considered to have the finest game viewing in Southern Africa including the Big Five. Guest accommodation is comprised of 12 secluded, permanent luxury bush pavilions. The main deck area is split-level and offers expansive views over the floodplain while the lower level of the deck houses an exquisite swimming pool.

The remainder of your day is at leisure to enjoy the game viewing activities on offer.

(All meals and overnight at Sanctuary Chief's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 6: OKAVANGO DELTA, MOREMI GAME RESERVE

The next two days are at leisure to enjoy the game viewing activities on offer.

Apart from its predators, the area is also renowned for its large concentrations of plains-game, elephant and buffalo. Enjoy thrilling guided game drives lead by highly qualified professional guides in customised open 4x4 game viewing vehicles. Game drives are conducted early morning and late afternoon.

Explore the area up close at the gentle pace of a poled mokoro, a dug-out canoe, excursion (subject to water levels).

(All meals and overnight at Sanctuary Chief's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 7: MOREMI GAME RESERVE

Your days are at leisure to enjoy the activities on offer.

(All meals and overnight at Sanctuary Chief's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 8: OKAVANGO DELTA, MOREMI GAME RESERVE / MAKGADIKGADI PANS,

Depart chief’s camp on a shared light aircraft transfer to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans onto your accommodations at Jack’s Camp.

Arrive at Jack’s Camp, pitched on a low grassland knoll amongst an oasis of dignified desert palms and Kalahari acacia. The camp’s hub is a romantic canvas pavilion of low spires and finials with a fluttering valance beneath its eaves and could be the site for a medieval jousting tourney were it not a deciduous green. Three poles support the main chamber where everyone meets for meals at a long communal dining table.

Ten green roomy and stylish canvas tents with en-suite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers (for those who want to feel the Kalahari breeze on their skin) have been fashioned in classical 1940’s style creating an oasis of civilization in what can be the harshest of stark environments…Persian rugs underfoot, cool cotton sheets and mahogany and brass campaign-style kit from the family safari stores form a striking contrast with the rugged wilderness viewed from the comfort of one’s own verandah.

Head off after tea in the beautiful afternoon light, stop to watch the sun set and listen to an explanation of how the pans, the remnants of the world’s largest ever super-lake, were formed.

Return to Jack’s Camp for a delicious dinner.

(All meals and overnight at Jack's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 9: BOTSWANA MAKGADIKGADI PANS

The day is at leisure to enjoy the game viewing activities on offer.

Set off in the morning to visit some of the Kalahari’s sexiest meerkats. (‘suricate’ to science minded people and ‘Timon’ to Lion King fans). Get up close and personal with these captivating creatures. On chilly mornings, you might well find a meerkat snuggling up to you for warmth. Or, in the absence of a termite mound or tree, using your head as a sentry lookout post… By spending quality time with these incredibly social, superbly adapted animals, you will be able to see how they interact with each other and their environment. You also get the chance to see the desert through the eyes of a meerkat – which, despite the fact that it’s only a foot off the ground, is a pretty spectacular vantage point, and definitely one of the most special and memorable game experiences you will encounter in Botswana.

After a picnic breakfast, visit a remote cattle post to learn about the traditional culture of the Botswana people.

Close by is the famous Chapman’s Baobab (Also known as the Seven Sisters) which is acknowledged to be the largest tree in Africa, and was the campsite of early explorers like Livingstone and Selous when they pioneered the area. This gives you an opportunity to gain a fascinating insight into the history of the early explorers.

Return to camp for a rest and refreshing lunch.

Later in the afternoon after tea, travel down to the pans where you will be given a brief safety talk before mounting your trusty quad bike to head off across the pans. Watch the sun set and the stars rise. This is one of the only places in the world where the silence is so complete you can hear the blood circulating through your ears.

Return to camp with your evening at leisure.

(All meals and overnight at Jack's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 10: MAKGADIKGADI PANS

Your day is at leisure to enjoy the activities on offer.

(All meals and overnight at Jack's Camp. (B/L/D)

DAY 11: MAKGADIKGADI PANS/MAUN /JOHANNESBURG

Spend the morning walking with Zu/’hoasi Bushmen Trackers.

It has long been their belief that it is a vitally important tool in terms of preserving this unique, but sadly fast vanishing, culture. Jack’s Camp has been working closely with the Zu/’hoasi people of the Western Kalahari for many years and are privileged to have a small group of these extraordinary men at their service to guide guests on a morning’s walking safari. Offering a window into the past, they'll teach you how they have survived in this harshest of environments, using their vast and ancient knowledge of plants, animal behaviour and survival skills.

Say your farewells and drive to the airstrip in preparation for your flight to Maun and onward to Johannesburg.

On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport a representative will meet and assist you to your homebound flight.
Meal Plan: B

END OF SERVICE.