Namibia, Botswana & Zambia safari
| country: | Botswana, Namibia, Zambia |
| location: | Kalahari Desert |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | Selected departures throughout the year, 2-4 times a month |
| price: | From £1572 - £2106 (12 days) including flights from the UK. This trip can also be booked without flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Join this simple camping adventure and cross the great Kalahari Desert, navigate the papyrus channels of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, travel north through the forested Caprivi Strip to Chobe National Park and end by the mighty Victoria Falls. Sleep on comfortable mattresses in dome tents using established campsites. You’ll be asked to erect your own tent (it’s easy!) but all other camp chores are attended to by the camp assistant. Each camping adventure is led by a professional guide who helps you understand each of the vastly different environments, ecosystems, animals and birds seen on this safari.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Flight to Namibia. Scheduled overnight flight from London Heathrow to Windhoek, via Johannesburg. (D) |
| Day 2: | Windhoek. On arrival in Windhoek, you are met and transferred to a comfortable guesthouse. As this is the only afternoon you have in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital city, we recommend you spend your free time exploring. Make the most of Windhoek’s great restaurants by eating out at one of them. It is possible to order in at the guesthouse for anyone who prefers an early night – just ask the guesthouse staff for details. (B) |
| Day 3: | Ghanzi. After breakfast, you are met between 07.30 and 08.00 to head east along the trans-Kalahari highway. Stop for a break and refreshments in the busy town of Gobabis, situated on the western edges of the Kalahari and the centre of Namibia’s cattle country. You then cross into Botswana, heading for the small cattle-farming town of Ghanzi and your campsite for the night. Windhoek to Ghanzi: approx. 7½ hours (600km). (BLD) |
| Day 4: | Okavango Delta. After breakfast, you break camp and make a short stop in Ghanzi to stock up on provisions. From here you drive through a typical Kalahari landscape of low scrubland and acacia before following the south-western edge of the Okavango Delta to your camp on the banks of the picturesque Guma Lagoon. Ghanzi to Guma: approx. 6 hours (400km). (BLD) |
| Day 5: | Okavango Delta. Relish a day spent out of the vehicle as you head deep into the Delta. Navigating the papyrus channels in a motorboat, you may see hippos, basking crocodiles, or herons fishing amongst the reeds. Then enjoy a more tranquil boat ride in a mokoro (dugout canoe), drifting gently through this pristine area rich in birdlife such as white-faced ducks, malachite kingfishers and African jacanas or ‘lily trotters’, also called Jesus birds for their apparent ability to walk on water. A possible sighting of red lechwe, sitatunga or elephant would be an added bonus as you explore this unique environment. Return to camp in time to watch a spectacular sunset over the lagoon. (BLD) |
| Day 6: | Mahango Game Reserve. Leaving Botswana behind, you travel north along the delta’s panhandle into Namibia and Mahango, one of the country’s smallest game reserves. After breaking for lunch there is time for a game drive; you’ll find a tremendous diversity of environments in this productive little park. Wild date palms and lush evergreen forests are sandwiched between papyrus swamps and dry Kalahari thornbush. This gives rise to Namibia’s most diverse birdlife and some of its most interesting game. Sizeable herds of elephant and buffalo are common and it’s a great park for relatively rare antelope species like roan and, especially, sable. Lion and leopard are the main predators but, since Mahango is still part of the Okavango Delta’s ecosystem, you never quite know what animals you’ll see! From here it’s a short drive to your camp where you can relax overlooking the Kavango, the main river carrying water from Angola to feed the Okavango Delta. Guma to Mahango: approx. 4 hours (200km). (BLD) |
| Day 7: | Caprivi. After breakfast you head east into the Caprivi Strip, a landscape of broadleaf forest with small villages dotted along the route. One such community has taken the initiative of opening a traditional kraal (family homestead) and you will stop here for a guided tour, learning about the local culture and customs. From here it’s a short drive to the community campsite on the banks of the Kwando River. Mahango to Kwando: approx. 3 hours (260km). (BLD) |
| Day 8: | Chobe National Park. Continue east through the Caprivi to Namibia’s eastern tip and the town of Katima Mulilo, beautifully situated on the bank of the Zambezi. There’s time to pause here and see some of the local markets before heading to the border and crossing the Chobe River into Botswana. You immediately enter Chobe National Park: big game country. First, you’ll transit through the park to your camp, in the grounds of a local lodge overlooking the Chobe River in Kasane; then, in the late afternoon, you’ll hop on a boat for a stunning river cruise. Enjoy the peace and coolness of being on the water, spotting crocodiles, hippos and a host of colourful waterbirds, and watching the procession of animals that come to the river to drink. After drinking your own sundowner, you’ll float back to your camp as the sun sinks into the depths of the Chobe. Kwando to Chobe: approx. 4 hours (300km). (BLD) |
| Day 9: | Livingstone, Zambia. After breaking camp, you take a ferry (an experience in itself) across the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. Here Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe all meet. You land on the north bank, in Zambia, from where it’s a relatively short drive to Livingstone, beside the mighty Victoria Falls. After setting up camp by the Zambezi River, go down to the falls themselves. This magnificent waterfall is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and it’s captivating in any season. In the evening, your guide helps you plan for the following day, organising the variety of optional activities that are available. Chobe to Livingstone: approx. 2 hours (150km). (BL) |
| Day 10: | Livingstone, Zambia. The area around Livingstone and Victoria Falls is the current epicentre of adrenalin activities in Africa. If there’s something fun that can be done, they’re doing it here! Thus there are options (all payable locally and undertaken at your own risk) to white-water raft, bunjee jump, jet boat, microlight, boogie-board, swing across gorges, and much more. Within a short distance, you can canoe on the Upper Zambezi, go horse riding, enjoy a sedate boat cruise, or choose from a myriad of other options. These include Livingstone itself, which is worth a visit for its shops, excellent museum, and, beside the falls, one of the best curio markets in southern Africa. Lunch and dinner are at your own expense so that you’re free to do whatever you choose. (B) |
| Day 11: | Flight to London.This morning there is time for breakfast before your guide departs to drive back to Namibia, leaving you time to relax overlooking the Zambezi River before you are transferred to the airport for your scheduled homeward flight via Johannesburg to the UK. Alternatively, you can join the guide for the two day transfer via Rundu in the Caprivi, back to Windhoek and continue your travels from there. Speak to us for further information on this option. (BD) |
| Day 12: | Arrive London. (B) |
travellers' tales
Impossible to pinpoint one or two things - the whole experience was what makes it so memorable. Brilliant - will be going back there soon. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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In line with our strong stance on responsible tourism, all guides on this trip are local Namibians, picked for their excellent indigenous knowledge of the area and high degree of training. Their understanding of the country’s flora, fauna and local culture will ensure a true insight into Namibian life. Throughout the trip you will visit community initiatives at various local sights.
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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. |