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Spend eight adventure-filled days in two of Botswana’s most rewarding wilderness destinations, the Kalahari and Okavango Delta. Designed for intrepid families, this safari expedition showcases the glowing expanse of the Makgadikgadi Pans and the game-rich floodplains of Khwai Private Reserve – one of Botswana’s best-kept secrets.
Kick off your family vacation at the laidback Camp Kalahari, one of only three camps situated in a private wildlife reserve three times the size of Los Angeles. Set among the undulating palm trees of Brown Hyena Island, Camp Kalahari will be your base for exploring the desert and Makgadikgadi Pans on quad biking and horse-riding excursions, as well as nature walks and game drives.
Next stop: Meno a Kwena (translated as ‘teeth of the crocodile’). This hidden gem of a camp is perched on a rocky clifftop overlooking the alluring Boteti River. The camp’s lofty position offers a fantastic vantage point of the animals that come to drink from the river. Botswana’s dazzling zebra migration is resident here for most of the year, and during the dry season (about May to October) the Boteti River is a magnet for a myriad of animals. Enjoy game drives in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, boat cruises along the Boteti (water levels permitting) and viewing wildlife at eye-level from a floating photography hide.
Conclude your family safari in Botswana at a luxury camp perfectly set on the banks of a lily-covered lagoon in the exclusive Khwai Private Reserve. This wildlife sanctuary is home to spirited pods of hippo, elephants, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rare wild dog. Go on morning, afternoon and night game drives or float quietly through the tranquil waterways on a mokoro – the Okavango Delta’s quintessential game-viewing vehicle.
Highlights & Activities
What's on offer whilst on this itinerary?
Summary
Tour Duration: 8 Days
Start: Makgadikgadi, Botswana
End: Okavango Delta, Botswana
Accommodations visited
Itinerary
Day to day
Welcome to Botswana! After landing at Maun Airport, you will be met by your guide who will whisk you and your family off to the magical Brown Hyena Island. Your home for the next few days will be Camp Kalahari, a traditional safari camp that will evoke your inner explorer.
Meet the resident meerkat family, the Kalahari’s very own ‘cool cats’, who love nothing more than using unsuspecting guests as lookout posts. Join the Zu’hoasi Bushmen, indigenous hunter-gatherer groups who are the first nations of Southern Africa, on fascinating nature walks through the desert. Go on game drives to encounter unique desert-adapted wildlife like the bashful brown hyena, bat-eared foxes, aardvark and nomadic elephants.
A road transfer will move your family from Brown Hyena Island to your next accommodation, Meno a Kwena. This wonderful camp is set in a beautiful location and overlooks the Boteti River and the yonder Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Here you can sit back and watch wildlife amble along the riverbank from the comfort of your private veranda, a typical ‘armchair safari’.
Meno a Kwena comprises classic safari tents that are perched atop a 100-foot high cliff and offers a natural swimming pool and plenty of areas for the kids to explore. Venture out on game drives in the Makgadikgadi, connect with nature on a walking safari guided by indigenous Bushmen, and cruise along the Boteti River by boat (water levels permitting). Do not miss the opportunity to spend a night in the heart of the Makgadikgadi Pans on an unforgettable sleep-out under an immeasurable blanket of stars.
A road transfer will take you back to Maun Airport before enjoying a short flight into the Okavango Delta. Your next accommodation, Sable Alley, is a sophisticated and Afro-chic safari camp that boasts sweeping views of a gorgeous lagoon loved by a plethora of animals. Sable Alley is located in Khwai Private Reserve, 500 000 acres of pristine wilderness that is run in partnership with the local communities living on the edges of the reserve and the Khwai Development Trust.
Slide open the screen doors of your 590-square feet canvas suite and let the uninterrupted views of the lagoon embrace you. Take a seat on your private veranda, relax and watch the hippo pods emerge from the lagoon. The game drives at Sable Alley are fantastic – you are likely to enjoy up-close sightings of animals like lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. If the water levels are permitting, you will also love going out on a mokoro (traditional canoe) safari. This activity offers a different perspective on game viewing, as you are poled through the tranquil waterways in one of our planet’s last remaining true wilderness areas.