Botswana – 10 Days in Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta

On arrival at Kasane airport, you’re met by your private driver for the drive to your lodge or camp on the banks of the Chobe River. Depending on where you’re staying, this could between 10 and 45 minutes. You could spend the rest of the day relaxing at your accommodation, making the most of the idyllic setting and looking out for any passing wildlife. Another option is joining a sunset boat cruise, looking out for wildlife along the river with a sundowner in hand.

Enjoy a full day of safari activities. Begin with a morning game drive in a 4×4 vehicle, heading out across the grasslands. Your guide will help point out some of the park’s wildlife, which may include herds of elephant (the park’s home to one of the largest concentrations of elephant in Africa), buffalo, wildebeest, wild dog, cheetah and lion. In the afternoon, join a boat safari along the Chobe River, where you may spot hippo, crocodiles and a variety of birdlife – look out for bright little bee-eaters clustered together in the reeds.

Today you could spend more time on safari, trying to tick off the species you’ve yet to see, visit a nearby village with a guide to learn more about the local culture, try your hand at fishing on the river, or take a day trip to Victoria Falls to see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Relax at your lodge or camp this evening, sharing tales of your travels so far with fellow guests over sundowners.

This morning you’re driven back to Kasane airport for a scenic light aircraft flight across the Botswana bush and delta waterways to the private Nxabega Concession. The flight to this remote area takes around 1 hour 35 minutes. On arrival at the airport you’re met by a driver for a short game drive through the concession to your camp, looking out for sightings of elephant, giraffe, lion and kudu. There’s time for an afternoon game drive once you’ve settled in to spot even more animals.

You have a full day to explore the area with your guide. Game drives are offered in the early morning and late afternoon when the animals are most active. You may also wish to head out with a guide on a nature walk to see some of the smaller creatures that live in the area and learn about the local ecosystem. Birds are particularly prevalent here, with over 300 species recorded, including wattled cranes, black crakes and slaty egrets.

The area is best known for its myriad of lagoons, waterways and islands, which present excellent opportunities for fishing, boat safaris and peaceful mokoro trips out on the water. We suggest spending today exploring these waterways. As you float through the landscape, your guide can help point out the abundance of wildlife that thrives along the banks, including reed frogs, saddle-billed storks, various kingfisher species and occasional mammals such as antelope and elephant that come to the water to drink.

This morning you’re driven back to the airstrip for your brief light aircraft flight to the Gunns Concession in the heart of the Delta. From the airstrip here you’re driven the short distance to your camp or lodge. After settling in and enjoying a leisurely lunch, you can head out into the wilderness on a walking safari this afternoon. Your knowledgeable guide helps to point out the wildlife that inhabits this area and tells you more about each species, which may include zebra, kudu, impala, baboons, warthog and giraffe.

Today we recommend that you make the most of the waterways that drizzle this remote concession. A relaxing mokoro or boat trip gives you the chance to spot crocodiles, hippo and elephant, as well as bird species such as gallinules, jacanas and pygmy kingfishers. The rest of the day can be spent relaxing among your wilderness surroundings or you may wish to head out on another walking safari to spot more wildlife species you may have missed yesterday.

For your last full day on safari, you can choose to enjoy another peaceful mokoro trip along the waterways, do a spot of fishing, head out on foot with a guide or simply relax at your camp while listening to the sounds of the bush. You may also have the chance to visit a nearby village to learn about the local culture and meet people who eke out a living in this remote area.

You’re driven back to the airstrip for your 20 minute light aircraft flight out of the Delta to Maun, where you board your onward flights. As you approach Maun, you can enjoy bird’s-eye views over the town and surrounding farmland.