Our Tours & Safaris
Themed Safaris
Single Country Safaris
Multi-Country Safaris
Destination Map
Bush & delta
Known for its world-leading conservation efforts and incredibly diverse habitats, once you arrive in Botswana you will never want to leave. However, this safari is ideal for travellers on at time budget, showcasing the fertile regions of the Chobe, and the lush waterways of the Delta. Expect wildlife at an intensity that is hard to beat.
9 Nights, 10 Days
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 3 nights in the Linyanati and Savute at Wilderness Safaris Kings Pool Camp
- 3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Vumbura Plains Camp
- 3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Mombo Camp
Snapshot
Botswana is a wildlife mecca. Almost 20% of its land has been dedicated to wildlife conservation, and no hunting is allowed in the country. Very broadly, there are four distinctive destinations, being the Kalahari Desert in the centre, and the Makgadidkgadi Salt Pans, the Okavango Delta and the Chobe National Park in the north. Our Botswana safaris offer a number of combinations of these.
If you have not been to Botswana before, and are a little pressed for time, this is the safari to do. It covers two wildlife rich regions, each with a very distinctive character.
The Linyanti and Savute regions are part of the Chobe National Park. The Linyanti River and Savute Channel provide permanent water to the region, and sanctuary to thousands of elephants that gather here in the winter months. The Savute has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, including a terrifying pride of elephant-hunting lions.
After this, the safari makes two stops in the Okavango Delta. The first is in the north-east, in a section that is on the edge of the permanent delta. Field trips are a mix of water-based, mostly off boats rather than mokoros, and land-based. This area is renowned for varied and high densities of game and excellent predator sightings.
The second delta stop is at Chief’s Island, a huge area of waterways, plains and forests. Due to its slightly higher elevation, the really big flood waters never reach quite as high as Chief’s Island, which makes it one of the best ‘dry’ safari destinations in the area. Chief’s Island has incredibly high concentrations of plains game and their predators - setting the stage for intense predator interactions. Field trips are almost exclusively on foot or in game drive vehicles.
Overview
3 nights in the Linyanati and Savute at Wilderness Safaris Kings Pool Camp
Along the western side of the Greater Chobe National Park lies the Savuti and the Linyanti areas. These are not separate reserves. Both lie within the borders of the Chobe. But both are distinct enough to merit special mention. The Linyanti is dominated by 3 main ecological features – the Linyanti River, the woodlands of the interior, and the Linyanti river chanel. Floodplains, grasslands, exotic palm islands and scrub vegetation occur in abundance, and provide a magnet for the highest density of elephant in the country. The Savute has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, and spine chilling stories of elephant-hunting lions and warring hyena clans have been told far and wide, around camp fires and dinner tables around the world. Bisecting the Linyanti consession is the Savute channel, a mysterious river that seemed to fill and empty without rhyme or reason. It is currenlty flowing again, and has transformed the 10 880 km2 Savuti Marsh into which it empties.
3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Vumbura Plains Camp
3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Mombo Camp
The Okavango Delta, with its glittering channels and watercourses, is a massive inland delta that covers over 15 000km2. The summer rains that are the lifeblood of the delta, fall in the highlands of Angola and take about four months to complete their journey, lazily meandering their way down the 1 200km watercourse to arrive in the Delta and slowly spreading through the wetlands just in time for winter. There is less than a 2 metre difference in elevation across the Delta, which means that once the water gets there, it fans out extensively. By June each year, the flood basin has normally swelled to three times its normal size. There are an estimated 200 000 large mammals in the Delta, mostly elephant and buffalo, Herds of 250 000 zebra make the 240km march to the Makgadikgadi every year, returning home to the Delta for the winter feast. The predators follow this age-old pattern instinctively. Lions, leopards, hyena, wild dog, cheetah and jackal smack their lips at the inevitable return of the great herds, waiting patiently for their moment to pounce.
Detail
Named for Scandinavian royalty, Kings Pool overlooks the Linyanti River and Kings Pool lagoon and is one of Botswana’s premier camps. It has 9 tented suites that are set under permanent thatch. Each room has individually raised lookout decks and a plunge pool overlooking the river and the marsh below, and the nearby waterhole has a sunken hide, where you can sit for hours secretly watching the animals as they come down to drink and cool off in the shallow water.
For the brave and daring, a raised sleep out deck is set in a secluded spot away from the main camp, and the grunting of hippos, the roaring of lions and the singing of frogs is the sound track to an exciting evening out, with the southern night sky wheeling brightly above.
The 125 000 hectare Linyanti concession is dominated by Mopani woodlands, meandering rivers, marshy plains and open grasslands. During the dry season, massive herds of buffalo, elephant and a variety of antelope emerge from the Mopani forests and move towards the Linyanti River and the surrounding marshlands. The predators inevitably follow in their wake, and this area is known for its interaction between predators and prey.
The Linyanati and Savute regions of the Chobe
Channels and lagoons in the bends of the Linyanti River are fringed with lush reed beds, and provide permanent water to the region, and sanctuary to thousands of elephants that gather here in the winter months. Here colossal leadwood trees stand tall and indestructible amongst the leafy ebony and spectacular sausage trees. Lion, leopard, wild dog, hippo, red lechwe, roan and sable gather here in fantastic numbers, complemented perfectly by an incredible variety of bird life.
Between the Linyanti and the Savuti marsh lies the hot and dry hinterland, an area dominated by grassland and mopane woodland, an excellent place to see enormous herds of eland.
Bisecting the Linyanti consession is the Savute channel, a mysterious river that seemed to fill and empty without rhyme or reason. As a result of its erratic flow, hauntingly beautiful dead trees line the banks of the Savute channel. It is currently flowing again, and in January 2010, the waters of the Savuti River reached the Savuti Marsh for the first time since 1982. The Savute is generously covered with pockets of savannah and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly exciting. It has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, and spine chilling stories of elephant-hunting lions and warring hyena clans have been told far and wide, around camp fires and dinner tables around the world.
A trip to Botswana would not be complete without a visit to the famous Chobe National Park, and the Linyanti and Savuti areas are an absolute must within the park. Here you are able to get far away from the madding crowds, and experience the diversity that the reserve has to offer.
Vumbura Plains is an exceptionally luxurious eco-retreat of contemporary design, set on a forested island overlooking a vast floodplain in the northern Okavango Delta. Children 6 years and over are welcome at the North Camp, while South Camp is more couple-orientated. Connected by boardwalks, both camps at Vumbura Plains boast seven palatial open-plan suites each. Suites are set well apart and raised on wooden platforms. Each has its own open-sided sunken lounge, additional outdoor shower, private plunge pool and spacious viewing deck.
Vumbura Plains is located in the Kwedi, an unfenced private concession in the extreme north of the Okavango Delta and is renowned for varied and high densities of game. Predators include several resident prides of lion, as well as leopard, cheetah, African wildcat and African wild dog. There is good seasonal viewing of elephant, giraffe, impala, kudu, zebra, common waterbuck and reedbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, and red lechwe, and the area produces some of the best sable antelope sightings in the whole of Botswana.
Mombo Camp was recently named ‘Best Hotel in the World’ by Travel+Leisure, and deservedly so. It is sumptuous and ultra luxurious. It is located in the midst of the Okavango Delta on the northern point of Chief’s Island, a huge area of waterways, plains and forests.
The raised camp nestles under large, shady trees and overlooks a floodplain that is generally brimming with life. The extremely spacious and luxurious en-suite tents are raised two metres from the ground and connected by wooden walkways. They feature expansive en-suite sleeping quarters, a large indoor shower overlooking the plains, and a dedicated lounge area that opens onto a long veranda with an outdoor shower and shaded seating.
Viewing high concentrations of plains game and their predators is the order of the day at Mombo. These include all the big cats, of which lion sightings are frequent - setting the stage for incredible predator interactions. Leopard sightings are superb.
The Okavango Delta
Life in the Okavango Delta is governed by the rise and fall of floodwater, and access to different parts of the Delta varies with the season. June through to August is considered the best time for a safari, much of which is done by boat or canoe, as the water is at its highest. At this time of year the extent of the floodwater is at its most dramatic, and the animals will all have arrived in their droves. Hot, dry September and October are also good. The waters will have begun to recede and animals will crowd the waterholes.
The water of the Okavango River never reach the sea. Some drains into the neighbouring Moremi National Park, to the east of the Delta, and into Lake Ngami to the south. But the majority of the water is there to nourish the grasses and trees of the Delta, and to support one of the greatest concentrations of game in Africa. It is a seasonal rhythm, and when the floodwaters begin to ebb, many of the huge herds disperse, following the rains to greener pastures, only to return in the winter months in an endless repetition of one of nature’s greatest cycles.
The largest island in the Delta is known as Chief’s Island. It was formed by a fault line that uplifted an area over 70km long and 15km wide. In days gone by, it was reserved as an exclusive hunting area for the chief of the area, but now it provides the core dry land mass for much of the resident wildlife when the Delta is in flood.
LOGISTICS
This safari commences and ends in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Commercial flight, economy class, ORT International Airport in Johannesburg to Maun Airport
- Scheduled charter flight, Maun to Kings Pool Camp
- 3 Nights accommodation at Kings Pool Camp in the Linyanti and Savuti
- Scheduled charter flight, Kings Pool Camp to Vumbura Plains Camp
- 3 Nights accommodation at Vumbura Plains Camp in the Okavango Delta
- Scheduled charter flight, Vumbura Plains Camp to Mombo Camp
- 3 Nights accommodation at Mombo Camp in the Okavango Delta
- Scheduled charter flight, Mombo Camp to Maun
- Commercial flight, economy class, Maun Airport, Botswana to ORT International Airport in Johannesburg
9 Nights, 10 Days
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 3 nights in the Linyanati and Savute at Wilderness Safaris Savuti Camp
- 3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Little Vumbura
- 3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Chitabe Lediba Camp
SNAPSHOT
Botswana is a wildlife mecca. Almost 20% of its land has been dedicated to wildlife conservation, and no hunting is allowed in the country. Very broadly, there are four distinctive destinations, being the Kalahari Desert in the centre, and the Makgadidkgadi Salt Pans, the Okavango Delta and the Chobe National Park in the north. Our Botswana safaris offer a number of combinations of these.
If you have not been to Botswana before, and are a little pressed for time, this is the safari to do. It covers two wildlife rich regions, each with a very distinctive character.
The Linyanti and Savute regions are part of the Chobe National Park. The Linyanti River and Savute Channel provide permanent water to the region, and sanctuary to thousands of elephants that gather here in the winter months. The Savute has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, including a terrifying pride of elephant-hunting lions.
After this, the safari makes two stops in the Okavango Delta. The first is in the north-east, in a section that is on the edge of the permanent delta. Field trips are a mix of water-based, mostly off boats rather than mokoros, and land-based. This area is renowned for varied and high densities of game and excellent predator sightings.
The second delta stop is at Chief’s Island, a huge area of waterways, plains and forests. Due to its slightly higher elevation, the really big flood waters never reach quite as high as Chief’s Island, which makes it one of the best ‘dry’ safari destinations in the area. Chief’s Island has incredibly high concentrations of plains game and their predators - setting the stage for intense predator interactions. Field trips are almost exclusively on foot or in game drive vehicles.
Overview
3 nights in the Linyanati and Savute at Wilderness Safaris Savuti Camp
Along the western side of the Greater Chobe National Park lies the Savuti and the Linyanti areas. These are not separate reserves. Both lie within the borders of the Chobe. But both are distinct enough to merit special mention. The Linyanti is dominated by 3 main ecological features – the Linyanti River, the woodlands of the interior, and the Linyanti river chanel. Floodplains, grasslands, exotic palm islands and scrub vegetation occur in abundance, and provide a magnet for the highest density of elephant in the country. The Savute has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, and spine chilling stories of elephant-hunting lions and warring hyena clans have been told far and wide, around camp fires and dinner tables around the world. Bisecting the Linyanti consession is the Savute channel, a mysterious river that seemed to fill and empty without rhyme or reason. It is currenlty flowing again, and has transformed the 10 880 km2 Savuti Marsh into which it empties.
3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Little Vumbura
3 nights in the Okavango Delta at Wilderness Safaris Chitabe Lediba Camp
The Okavango Delta, with its glittering channels and watercourses, is a massive inland delta that covers over 15 000km2. The summer rains that are the lifeblood of the delta, fall in the highlands of Angola and take about four months to complete their journey, lazily meandering their way down the 1 200km watercourse to arrive in the Delta and slowly spreading through the wetlands just in time for winter. There is less than a 2 metre difference in elevation across the Delta, which means that once the water gets there, it fans out extensively. By June each year, the flood basin has normally swelled to three times its normal size. There are an estimated 200 000 large mammals in the Delta, mostly elephant and buffalo, Herds of 250 000 zebra make the 240km march to the Makgadikgadi every year, returning home to the Delta for the winter feast. The predators follow this age-old pattern instinctively. Lions, leopards, hyena, wild dog, cheetah and jackal smack their lips at the inevitable return of the great herds, waiting patiently for their moment to pounce.
Detail
Savuti Camp is situated in a remote part of the Linyanti Concession along the Savute channel. This intimate camp is raised off the ground and faces directly onto the channel, providing a wonderful view of the deep, clear waterway that abounds with hippo and other aquatic life.
The 7 luxurious tented suites are scattered along raised wooden walkways and are positioned for maximum privacy. The expansive communal area is perfect for relaxing during the heat of the day, and has a refreshing pool in which to escape the midday heat. The small library is also great for curling up in and getting stuck into a good book.
The Linyanti concession of the Chobe National Park is dominated by mopane woodlands, meandering rivers, marshy plains and open grasslands. Two-thirds of the Savute Channel lies within the concession, giving guests exclusive access to its abundant game and natural marvels. The game viewing here is fantastic all year round, peaking in the dry season with the arrival of thousands of elephants and other big herbivores, with predators following in their wake.
The Linyanati and Savute regions of the Chobe
Channels and lagoons in the bends of the Linyanti River are fringed with lush reed beds, and provide permanent water to the region, and sanctuary to thousands of elephants that gather here in the winter months. Here colossal leadwood trees stand tall and indestructible amongst the leafy ebony and spectacular sausage trees. Lion, leopard, wild dog, hippo, red lechwe, roan and sable gather here in fantastic numbers, complemented perfectly by an incredible variety of bird life.
Between the Linyanti and the Savuti marsh lies the hot and dry hinterland, an area dominated by grassland and mopane woodland, an excellent place to see enormous herds of eland.
Bisecting the Linyanti consession is the Savute channel, a mysterious river that seemed to fill and empty without rhyme or reason. As a result of its erratic flow, hauntingly beautiful dead trees line the banks of the Savute channel. It is currently flowing again, and in January 2010, the waters of the Savuti River reached the Savuti Marsh for the first time since 1982. The Savute is generously covered with pockets of savannah and rolling grasslands, which makes wildlife particularly exciting. It has long been synonymous with some of the best predator viewing in the country, and spine chilling stories of elephant-hunting lions and warring hyena clans have been told far and wide, around camp fires and dinner tables around the world.
A trip to Botswana would not be complete without a visit to the famous Chobe National Park, and the Linyanti and Savuti areas are an absolute must within the park. Here you are able to get far away from the madding crowds, and experience the diversity that the reserve has to offer.
Little Vumbura is an intimate camp on the north-eastern edge of the Okavango Delta and lies in the shade of an ancient forest of ebony and African mangosteen. It is surrounded by water, giving it the feel of a luxurious private island. With access to large rivers from the floating jetty, all the water-based activities are excellent. Boat cruises have an extensive reach into the waterways of the delta, and makoro rides afford a more intimate interaction.
Each of the 6 tented suites has been designed to blend in with the landscape, and there is a beautiful view from each of the spacious en-suite tents. The main area of the camp is friendly and charming and has extensive leisure areas from which to enjoy the sights and sounds of the delta.
The vast open plains around Little Vumbura, and the mosaic of tree islands and meandering water-ways attract enormous herds of buffalo, inevitably followed by prides of lion – lots of them. The area is well known for some of the best interaction between these two perpetual nemeses, creating some of the most exciting game viewing on offer. The mixed habitat draws almost every species of animal that occurs in the delta, including the rare sable antelope.
Chitabe Camp is the perfect combination of luxury, romance and untamed wilderness. Its secluded and intimate tented suites are indulgent in every way, attended to by a team of staff that are friendly, charming and helpful. The guides are extremely knowledgeable, and will make you safari experience fun, fascinating and unforgettable, no matter what your interest.
Chitabe Camp consists of 8 luxury tented suites, including a special honeymoon suite. Set under a towering canopy of trees, the main lodge area is a fabulous place to unwind, a place where the smell of the campfire, the incandescent glow of the Milky Way, and the night songs of the cicadas and frogs, draw a perfect day to a close.
The Chitabe concession is situated on an island in the south-eastern reaches of the Okavango Delta. The Delta rises and falls in an annual cycle as old as time itself, but the really big flood waters never reach quite as far as Chitabe Camp, which makes it one of the best ‘dry’ safari destinations in the area. This part of the delta is still affected by the seasonal ebb and flow, but more gently so, making it a perfect combination of seasonal wetlands, dense forest woodlands and open grassy plains. Chitabe falls in Botswana’s wild dog research area and these highly endangered animals are regularly seen on game drives.
The Okavango Delta
Life in the Okavango Delta is governed by the rise and fall of floodwater, and access to different parts of the Delta varies with the season. June through to August is considered the best time for a safari, much of which is done by boat or canoe, as the water is at its highest. At this time of year the extent of the floodwater is at its most dramatic, and the animals will all have arrived in their droves. Hot, dry September and October are also good. The waters will have begun to recede and animals will crowd the waterholes.
The water of the Okavango River never reach the sea. Some drains into the neighbouring Moremi National Park, to the east of the Delta, and into Lake Ngami to the south. But the majority of the water is there to nourish the grasses and trees of the Delta, and to support one of the greatest concentrations of game in Africa. It is a seasonal rhythm, and when the floodwaters begin to ebb, many of the huge herds disperse, following the rains to greener pastures, only to return in the winter months in an endless repetition of one of nature’s greatest cycles.
The largest island in the Delta is known as Chief’s Island. It was formed by a fault line that uplifted an area over 70km long and 15km wide. In days gone by, it was reserved as an exclusive hunting area for the chief of the area, but now it provides the core dry land mass for much of the resident wildlife when the Delta is in flood.
LOGISTICS
This safari commences and ends in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Commercial flight, economy class, ORT International Airport in Johannesburg to Maun Airport
- Scheduled charter flight, Maun to Savuti Camp
- 3 Nights accommodation at Savuti Camp in the Linyanti and Savuti
- Scheduled charter flight, Savuti Camp to Little Vumbura
- 3 Nights accommodation at Little Vumbura in the Okavango Delta
- Scheduled charter flight, Little Vumbura to Chitabe Camp
- 3 Nights accommodation at Chitabe Camp in the Okavango Delta
- Scheduled charter flight, Chitabe Camp to Maun
- Commercial flight, economy class, Maun Airport, Botswana to ORT International Airport in Johannesburg
Itinerary
Hot Right Now!
Take advantage of the lower South African exchange rate and get a luxury trip at an amazing price:
Hottest Tours of 2016
Cape Town & the Kruger
Active Adventure Tour
Golf & The Big 5
