Family safari in Botswana & Victoria Falls
| country: | Botswana, Zambia |
| departures: | This trip can depart anytime to suit you between March and November |
| price: | From £2650 (9 days) excluding flights. Price includes all meals in Botswana and B&B in Zambia. Minimum child age is 7 yrs. Trip operates between March - November. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This trip combines the African Wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta with time in the Kalahari desert, expert game guides, and lessons in bushman survival tactics, to provide the ultimate family safari! The trip finishes up at the magnificent Victoria Falls.
The itinerary offers the opportunity to experience two parts of Botswana: the Kalahari, offering a rich cultural experience with one of the world’s oldest cultures, and the Okavango Delta, rich with wildlife. You have exclusive use of each camp, with three nights at each. Days will be planned with your guide and might include collecting medicinal and edible plant life with the women from a local village, tracking rhino, learning essential bushman survival tactics as well as bush walks, canoe trips and game drives.
The awesome Victoria Falls is an apt place to end to the trip, providing a fabulous setting for water and land based activities such as canoe trips, scenic flights, boat cruises, elephant back safaris, and guided walks. Because travel by road can be uncomfortable and sometimes difficult, travel is mainly by small aircraft, affording fabulous views of the vast wilderness as well as allowing more time for wildlife viewing activities from each base.
Accommodation whilst on safari is in small camps which are for your exclusive use and which are designed to ensure an authentic bush experience without compromising on comfort. In the Kalahari, accommodation is in spacious luxury tents under a thatched canopy with en suite bathrooms and private verandahs with views across to the waterhole. In the Okavango Delta, the camp is located on the edge of a beautiful lagoon where highly vocal hippos wallow. Both lions and wild dogs are often seen in the area and the variety of plains game includes kudu, tssebe, zebra, and impala. Each tent has its own bucket shower and bush toilet. The high standard of cuisine from the bush kitchen includes fresh fruits and vegetables, and selections of cheeses and South African wines as well as a stocked bar, soft drinks and bottled water.
The itinerary offers the opportunity to experience two parts of Botswana: the Kalahari, offering a rich cultural experience with one of the world’s oldest cultures, and the Okavango Delta, rich with wildlife. You have exclusive use of each camp, with three nights at each. Days will be planned with your guide and might include collecting medicinal and edible plant life with the women from a local village, tracking rhino, learning essential bushman survival tactics as well as bush walks, canoe trips and game drives.
The awesome Victoria Falls is an apt place to end to the trip, providing a fabulous setting for water and land based activities such as canoe trips, scenic flights, boat cruises, elephant back safaris, and guided walks. Because travel by road can be uncomfortable and sometimes difficult, travel is mainly by small aircraft, affording fabulous views of the vast wilderness as well as allowing more time for wildlife viewing activities from each base.
Accommodation whilst on safari is in small camps which are for your exclusive use and which are designed to ensure an authentic bush experience without compromising on comfort. In the Kalahari, accommodation is in spacious luxury tents under a thatched canopy with en suite bathrooms and private verandahs with views across to the waterhole. In the Okavango Delta, the camp is located on the edge of a beautiful lagoon where highly vocal hippos wallow. Both lions and wild dogs are often seen in the area and the variety of plains game includes kudu, tssebe, zebra, and impala. Each tent has its own bucket shower and bush toilet. The high standard of cuisine from the bush kitchen includes fresh fruits and vegetables, and selections of cheeses and South African wines as well as a stocked bar, soft drinks and bottled water.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | You will be met in Maun and transferred to a light aircraft for your flight to the desert. The camp is situated in a private 120,000ha game reserve with luxury tents on raised decks which look out across a large pan. The pan is host to kudu, impala, springbok – amongst others – unthreatened by predators, they can be watched as they come down to drink at the waterhole. |
| Day 2-3: | The next 2 days are action packed, you plan your days with the guide. One option is to meet with one of the world’s oldest cultures – the San Bushmen, who live at a village on one area of the reserve. The women and children go out every morning and you are welcome to join them collecting a range of medicinal and edible plant life. One of the big adventures of your stay will be to join the guides tracking rhino. The bushmen will locate some fresh tracks and you will be off on foot through the bush following the bushmens’ calls and hand signals, so as not to startle the rhino. There are also numerous birding walks and game drives to be taken in the area. |
| Day 4: | After farewells to the camp staff, transfer by light aircraft from the desert to the delta! The camp is for your exclusive use for the next 3 nights. This afternoon there will be a lesson in bush craft and some rules regarding animal behaviour before a short walk. The programme is run by specialised guides experienced in working with children, who quickly have their trainees learning essential bushman survival tactics as well as leading the family on early morning bush walks, canoe trips and game drives. |
| Day 5-6: | The next 2 days will begin before sunrise with coffee around the fire and a light breakfast before heading out on foot, following the water’s edge to examine tracks left by overnight visitors. Experiencing the waterways in a traditional dugout canoe (a mokoro) is an absolute must. There’s an opportunity to try a hand at fishing. Game drives are part of the daily routine; wildlife which may be spotted include lion, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, wildebeest and impala. In the afternoon, adults have a chance to siesta while the young trainee bushmen are watched over by the guides learning some traditional bush skills such as how to make fire from sticks, weave traditional baskets and some bush cooking skills. After dinner cooked in the bush kitchen, it’s time to sit round the fire to hear stories or head off with a spotlight to try and identify some of the many species that wake up as the sun sets. |
| Day 7: | After breakfast, it’s time for farewells again and your transfer to Livingstone. This afternoon, take a trip to get a first glimpse of the Victoria Falls or take a sunset boat cruise. |
| Day 8: | In Livingstone. Try bungee jumping, elephant back safaris, canoe trips, scenic flights, white water rafting or guided walks. |
| Day 9: | End of trip. |
how this holiday makes a difference
|
Botswana’s policy of preserving its wildlife and implementing sustainable tourism policies has paid off with its pristine natural environment. Whilst the country is one of Africa’s more expensive safari destinations, the money paid on entering national parks contributes towards conservation strategies and the development of local communities. Over 17% of the country’s land has been set aside as national parks and game reserves; however, the number of visitors is limited in order that the area can be preserved. In particular, fees from entry to the National Parks are used to develop the country’s eco-tourism strategy which invests in tourism initiatives which are owned by local communities. Sample projects include handicraft production, considered important income earners for women in the remote areas of Botswana, and development of community campsites which allow communities to develop a range of services for visitors.
This trip uses local guides who have an intense passion for nature and their country. Their ability to speak local dialects gives guests a privileged insight into the intriguing local tribal cultures, whilst their well-trained game-spotting skills and expert knowledge of botany and wildlife provide for a unique and informative experience. The camps located in the Okavango Delta are small and traditional, thus minimising strain on scarce resources such as electrical requirements. The camps do not have air conditioning as this is destructive to the environment. Where possible, solar panels are used for electrical requirements – these are supported by generators, and customers are advised on how to save power on arrival. The camps are intended to be quaint, unassuming, and tucked into the environment so that ultimately only a footprint will remain. The camp where you will stay in the desert sponsors an orphanage located on the reserve. Fees from your stay here also help to sustain their running costs. Guests at the camp are welcome to bring books, toys, stationery or deflated footballs or other sporting equipment to donate. We are a wholly online company, and do not produce paper brochures. |
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. |