Family safari in Botswana
| country: | Botswana |
| location: | Okavango Delta |
| departures: | 2010: 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 17 Jul, 24 Jul, 31 Jul, 7 Aug, 14 Aug, 21 Aug, 23 Oct, 18 Dec 2011: 9 Apr, 13 Apr, 16 Jul, 23 Jul, 30 Jul, 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 22 Oct, 17 Dec |
| price: | From £2229 - £2999 (11 days) per adult and from £1899 - £2599 per child including flights from the UK. From £1449 - £1699 per adult and from £1399 - £1569 per child excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Family safari in Botswana
Escape to the untouched wilderness of Botswana to experience the awesome power of Victoria Falls and some of the most diverse and wildlife-rich habitats on earth.
Wildlife & Wilderness
Being surrounded by the African wilderness is truly unforgettable. You’ll visit a range of different habitats on this trip - including the wildlife-rich Savuti marshlands – and you and your family will encounter a wide variety of animals.
Okavango Delta
Northern Botswana is a true wilderness, crammed with animals. You’ll head deep into Moremi Game Reserve - one of the few untouched parts of Africa - searching for wildlife in the Okavango Delta. Hippo, crocodile and warthog thrive here, and, of course, the carnivores – lions and leopards.
Chobe National Park
Home to some 120,000 elephants, Chobe National Park is the place to go in search of these loveable giants. The sight of a large herd spread across the landscape is an awesome spectacle.
Victoria Falls
Your trip ends at the incredible Victoria Falls. Here you’ll get soaked by the spray as the Zambezi crashes into the Batoka Gorge, and you can try some of the optional activities – canoeing, gorge swinging, helicopter rides...
Wildlife & Wilderness
Being surrounded by the African wilderness is truly unforgettable. You’ll visit a range of different habitats on this trip - including the wildlife-rich Savuti marshlands – and you and your family will encounter a wide variety of animals.
Okavango Delta
Northern Botswana is a true wilderness, crammed with animals. You’ll head deep into Moremi Game Reserve - one of the few untouched parts of Africa - searching for wildlife in the Okavango Delta. Hippo, crocodile and warthog thrive here, and, of course, the carnivores – lions and leopards.
Chobe National Park
Home to some 120,000 elephants, Chobe National Park is the place to go in search of these loveable giants. The sight of a large herd spread across the landscape is an awesome spectacle.
Victoria Falls
Your trip ends at the incredible Victoria Falls. Here you’ll get soaked by the spray as the Zambezi crashes into the Batoka Gorge, and you can try some of the optional activities – canoeing, gorge swinging, helicopter rides...
day-by-day itinerary
| Cape Town Extension: | Optional Extension Day 1-9: As per itinerary above Day 10: Today you travel with the main group on the flight to Johannesburg where you’ll connect with your flight to Cape Town. On arrival you will be transferred to your accommodation (approx. 30 minutes). The remainder of the day is free. Please note that your stay in Cape Town is unaccompanied. Hotel – 3 nights (B) Day 11-12: Free time to enjoy the many wonderful optional attractions on offer in this exciting city. Tour the scenic winelands, climb Table Mountain, visit Cape Point, see the penguin colony at Boulders Beach, visit the harbour at Hout Bay or enjoy the famous beaches. Visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was a prisoner or the V&A Waterfront with its myriad of shops and entertainments. (Bx2) Day 13: The trip ends for Land Only clients. Those on group flights to the UK transfer to airport (approx. 30 minutes) and fly to London. (B) Day 14: Arrive in London |
| Day 1: | Depart London Depart London on an overnight flight to Maun via Johannesburg |
| Day 2: | Maun You arrive mid-morning in Maun and take a short transfer to your tented lodge for the first night. The rest of the day is free to relax and settle in. Maun meaning, "place of short reeds" is the gateway to the northern parks of Botswana. Take a stroll around the town, along the riverside or relax in the pool and recover from your journey. Permanent Tent with shared ablutions – 1 night (Swimming Pool) |
| Day 3: | Moremi Game Reserve; game drive The big game aspect of your safari begins as you enter Moremi Game Reserve - one of the finest wilderness areas in Botswana. Proclaimed a wildlife reserve by the BaTawana people in 1963, it was the first wildlife sanctuary to be created by an African tribe in their own area, and as such it is unique. The act was described at the time as a shining mark in African tribal history. It is a rich and fascinating area, which is an intricate part of the Okavango Delta, comprising of permanently swamped areas, lily-covered wetlands, seasonally swamped area and also dry land. You drive in four wheel drives for approximately two hours to the reserve and then you take a game drive through the park until you reach your evening camp. (2-4 hours, depending on location of camp) En route you search for giraffe, hyena, kudu, elephant, hippo, crocodile, buffalo, lion and leopard. At sunset there is plenty of time to relax and absorb the sounds and beauty of this region. Later you will dine under the stars and no doubt exchange stories around the blazing camp fire, often called the Bush TV! Camp - 2 nights (BLD) |
| Day 4: | Moremi; Okavango Delta boat safari The Okavango Delta is a unique river delta that flows not into the sea but into the Kalahari Desert. The great Kavango River was blocked from its original course by a series of geological shifts and now flows from its mountain source in Angola to meet the desert. Its waters spill out over the sandy ground to produce a vast aquatic wetland amid equally vast areas of aridity; a true wonder of the natural world and a unique accident of nature, occuring nowhere else. As well as your game drives today you will also take a boat ride through some of the many channels of the delta and may well have the chance to stop on an island to explore on foot; seeing big game on foot is an unforgettable experience, perhaps more than anything, being engulfed in African bush is something to savour. Tonight you can fall asleep listening to the mysterious sounds of the nocturnal wildlife around you. Animals pass by the camp as you sleep under a blanket of African stars.Morning drive approx. 4 hours, afternoon drive approx. 3 hours, boat ride approx. 3 hours. (BLD) |
| Day 5: | Savuti; game drive As you leave your tent this morning you can examine the footprints which may have been left behind by animal visitors to the camp last night; perhaps providing a clue to detect what the sounds you heard may have been made by. Instead of travelling out of Moremi back to Maun for the long round trip via Nata to reach the north-east of the country, you’ll take the much more direct route towards Savuti. Whilst the roads are not as good and travel will be slower, the rewards of being able to see this remote area offering a completely different habitat are immense. Subject to arrival time, you will go on a late afternoon game drive in Savuti. Driving time approx. 6-8 hours. Camp - 2 nights (BLD) |
| Day 6: | Savuti; game drive The Savuti area, in contrast to the much more lush Moremi and Chobe, offers an almost desert-like landscape with a great deal of soft sand. Instead of the animals being able to spread out through the bush they often congregate in whatever shade they can find and are drawn to the dwindling waterholes. Ironically when water does arrive along the Savuti channel it spills into the Savuti Marsh; a large grassland area dotted with dead trees. You explore this tranquil area on leisurely morning and afternoon game drives of approx. 2-3 hours. (BLD) |
| Day 7: | Chobe National Park; game drives From Savuti you head for Chobe National Park. Due to the terrain, the journey continues to be slow but this makes it ideal for keeping an eye out for different species of wildlife as you traverse a variety of different vegetation areas. Chobe is a compelling wilderness packed with game. The park was created in 1968, and named after the river that defines its northern boundary. The different vegetation types, such as thickets of bush, open grassland and riverine forest, are ideal for spotting an abundance of animals. The entire park encompasses an area of 11,000 square km; and provides sanctuary for the great herds of game that follow the ebb and flow of water. Drive approx 6-8 hours. Lodge accommodation with en suite rooms - 2 nights (Swimming Pool) (B) |
| Day 8: | Chobe National Park; game drives This morning you take an early morning game drive through the park. The flood plains, with their different vegetation types are ideal for spotting an abundance of animals. Besides herds of elephant and buffalo, there’s a good chance of seeing other game, such as wildebeest, tsessebe, waterbuck, roan, sable antelopes, eland, giraffe, hyena, kudu and the indigenous Chobe bushbuck. The reserve is also a paradise for a medley of African birds and common sightings include jacanas, skimmers and the beautiful carmine bee-eater. The principal aim of your morning drive is to spot some of the park’s big cats and there are viewing sites en route to stretch your legs and enjoy the early morning sunshine. Chobe is particularly well known for its vast herds of elephants and the 120,000-strong population is legendary. There is the option to take a late afternoon/early evening boat trip on the Chobe River (own expense) - a great way to finish off your time in the park! It is a popular time for the elephants to come down to drink and hopefully you’ll also see plenty of hippos and crocodiles. Alternatively, you can just relax in the lodge and enjoy sunset from the verandah. (B) |
| Day 9: | Livingstone / Victoria Falls This morning you head out of Botswana and travel into Zambia crossing the Zambezi on the Kasungula Ferry; once over the river you’ll drive to the world-famous Victoria Falls. This afternoon you head off to see one of the most awesome sights in the world, ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’- the Smoke That Thunders (the name given to the falls by the Makololo people). The waterfalls are without doubt one of the greatest and most unforgettably scenic spectacles in Africa. It’s hot and humid here, and walking through the rainforest that thrives in the spray from the falls, you can feel the immense power generated by the Zambezi River. It plummets over a width of nearly 2km into a deep gorge over 100m below, causing the ground to vibrate under your feet. The wide basalt cliff over which the falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi from a wide placid river to a ferocious torrent, cutting through a series of dramatic gorges. There are many optional excursions to choose from during your stay here – you might not have time to do all of them! You could leap into space from the 111m bridge bungee jump, situated within earshot of the thunderous noise and spray of Victoria Falls. Bungee jumping is an indescribable feeling and must be the ultimate adrenaline rush! There is also gorge swinging, zip-lining, abseiling, rappelling and white water rafting. Many people choose to fly over the falls for the best aerial view; you can either try a flight by light aircraft, micro-light or helicopter over the falls. The ‘Flight of the Angels’, as it is known, takes its name from a passage in Livingstone’s journal. The overwhelming force and beauty of what he had just seen inspired him to write: “on sights as beautiful as this, angels in their flight must have gazed.”Lodge – 1 night (Swimming Pool) (B |
| Day 10: | Fly to London Trip ends at the lodge for Land Only clients. Clients on group flights to the UK transfer to the airport for your early afternoon flight to Johannesburg where you connect with your onward flight to London. Farewell to Africa, we are sure you will return! (B) |
| Day 11: | Arrive London |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip: The local agent we use in Botswana is committed to the conservation and preservation of the African bush. Working closely with local communities, they encourage international awareness of environmental protection, cross cultural awareness and regional economic empowerment. With your help we also support the Maun Counselling Centre and Children's Orphanage. This well run centre is working hard to combat the devastating effects of HIV on local families and prevent its spread. Within the project a day care centre currently cares for 50 orphaned children age 2-6 and hopes to build more classrooms and increase this to 200. When asked how we could help they replied that no gift is too small. Toys and educational equipment, videos, books and cds, or young children's clothing, which you may no longer need at home, would all be welcomed. Visitors to the centre are always welcome or if you prefer our agent will gladly deliver any items on your behalf.
Our Responsible Travel Code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity Partnerships: We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Carbon Balancing: Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full. Our Foundation: We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you book. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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