Itinerary

Day 1 Johannesburg

Johannesburg or Jo'burg, as the locals call the city of the gold, is the biggest metropolis in South Africa. With its 3.2 million citizens the city on the Witwatersrand is the predominant commercial centre and the economic motor of the Republic of South Africa. It is the international flight gateway for most of southern Africa.

Upon arrival into South Africa you will be met at the door of the plane and escorted through Customs and Immigration avoiding any queues.

Upon arrival you will receive all of your necessary documents for your trip which contains a detailed personalized itinerary, maps, restaurant suggestions, Top Tips for exploring each city or region and a 24 hour concierge service (for restaurant reservations, spa treatments, child minders, day tours etc).

Airport transfer to/from your hotel with private vehicle

The pristine four-star Protea Hotel OR Tambo is set in the heart of Kempton Park, minutes from OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa’s largest airport. Themed around an aircraft hangar, the industrial ambiance of the Hotel is felt in the polished concrete floors, steel finishes, chrome lighting and top to bottom windows that overlook the aeroplanes as they dock and take off.

Overnight at Protea Hotel Tambo Airport.

Day 2 Central Kalahari

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is an extensive national park in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. Established in 1961 it covers an area of 52,800 km² making it the second largest game reserve in the world. The park contains wildlife such as giraffe, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dog, leopard, lion, blue wildebeest, eland, gemsbok, kudu and red hartebeest. The land is mostly flat, and gently undulating covered with bush and grasses covering the sand dunes, and areas of larger trees. Many of the river valleys are fossilized with salt pans. Four fossilized rivers meander through the reserve including Deception Valley which began to form around 16,000 years ago.

Airport transfer to/from your hotel with private vehicle

Take your flight from Johannesburg to Maun today.  Flight time is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Fly from Maun to the Central Kalahari. Luggage restricted to 12 kg per person in soft sided bags.

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve gets animals such springbok, gemsbok and wildebeest in their thousands and is quite a sight to behold. Predators abound with plentiful Lions – especially the famous Kalahari black-maned Lion, Cheetah, Leopard and Jackals. Brown Hyenas and Wild Dogs are also found in the area. Several species of antelopes make the trip to the sweet grasses of the CKGR which include the Eland, Springbok, Steenbok, Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Kudu and Duiker. Honey Badgers are regular visitors as well as Ground Squirrels and Meerkats and many an hour can be wiled away watching these fascinating animals.

Tau Pan Camp is situated inside the world famous Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) right on the edge of the beautiful Tau Pan. "Kalahari' is derived from the Tswana word Kgala meaning “great thirst” – and it has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent water. The Kalahari Desert is the largest sand basin in the world stretching 2,500 kms from the northern regions of South Africa through to Namibia/Angola and ending in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest game reserve in the world (52,800 sq km’s) and for many years was closed to the public, hence it is known for being one of Africa’s last true wild areas.

Overnight at Tau Pan Camp .

Day 3 Central Kalahari

At first light you'll meet up with others at the lodge for your morning game drive in open 4X4's. Please note that Tau Pan is in a national park and an ecological sensitive area – for this reason we cannot drive off road or at night!

You'll also have the opportunity to have a guided walk with a San who will explain and entertain you by answering all your questions from birth to marriage to bush survival.

Overnight at Tau Pan Camp .

Day 4 Okavango

The Okavango is a labyrinth of lagoons, lakes and hidden channels covering an area of over 17,000 square km and the largest inland delta in the world. Trapped in the parched Kalahari sands it is a magnet for the wildlife who depend on the permanent waters of this unique feature. Sometimes called a 'swamp', the Okavango is anything but. Moving, mysterious, placid, gentle and beautiful, from a wide and winding channel it spreads through tiny, almost unnoticeable channels that creep away behind a wall of papyrus reed, into an ever expanding network of increasingly smaller passages.

Luggage is restricted to 12 kg per person in soft sided bags.

Enjoy a short flight from to Okavango today.

Here in the Okavango Delta lives some of the most spectacular and varied wildlife on Earth. Famed for its big cat and bird population, the delta is a peaceful haven where animals have been protected for decades and know they will not be disturbed. You'll have the opportunity to see animals up close when expert guides accompany you on morning and evening game drives in open 4 x 4 vehicles. A night game drive is the perfect means to see some of the nocturnal animals one wouldn’t see during the day time. The park also boasts a diversity of landscape with desert, dry savannah, lagoon and swamps in close proximity – cheetah, crocodile and elephant can also be seen on a game drive.

Kwara is located in the remote northern part of the stunning Okavango Delta within the private Kwara concession. The camp fronts onto a huge floodplain, adjacent to the permanent water of the Delta and is backed by extensive bush. It is a magnificent wilderness area in excess of 1,700 square kilometres, bordering the Moremi Reserve.

Overnight at Kwara.

Day 5 Okavango

The Okavango Delta is of course flooded for much of the year and when it is, you can experience serene silence at the gentle pace of a poled mokoro excursion along the narrow Delta channels. Just sit back and relax as they glide through lily ponds on local dugout canoes while they get eye to eye with a buffalo as it laps water from the river, watch crocodiles sunbathe on the banks or cruise past a pod of hippos as they lie in a pool. Fish eagles, frogs and fabulous lilies form much of this experience, but more frequently it is the quietness and gentle pace that makes its impression on you after a mokoro morning.

The Okavango Delta features some of the best game viewing in all of Africa. Drives are typically done at around 4pm when the animals are active. Usually lasting for a few hours. (shared with other guests at the lodge).

Overnight at Kwara.


Day 6 Okavango

The Okavango Delta features some of the best game viewing in all of Africa. Drives are typically done very early and lasting for a few hours then returning to the lodge for breakfast. (shared with other guests at the lodge).

Here in the Okavango Delta lives some of the most spectacular and varied wildlife on Earth. Famed for its big cat and bird population, the delta is a peaceful haven where animals have been protected for decades and know they will not be disturbed. You'll have the opportunity to see animals up close when expert guides accompany you on morning and evening game drives in open 4 x 4 vehicles. A night game drive is the perfect means to see some of the nocturnal animals one wouldn’t see during the day time. The park also boasts a diversity of landscape with desert, dry savannah, lagoon and swamps in close proximity – cheetah, crocodile and elephant can also be seen on a game drive.

Overnight at Kwara.
    

Day 7 Linyanti

The Linyanti Marsh, located at the Northwest corner of the park and to the North of Savuti, is adjacent to Linyanti River. To the west of this area lies Selinda Reserve and on the Northern bank of Kwando River is Namibia's Mamili National Park. Around these 2 rivers are riverine woodlands, open woodlands as well as lagoons, and the rest of the region mainly consists of flood plains. There are here large concentrations of lions, leopards, wild dogs, Roan antelopes, Sable antelopes, hippopotamuses and above all enormous herds of elephants. The rarer red lechwe, sitatunga or crocodile also occur in the area. Birdlife is very rich here.

Fly from the Okavango Delta to Linyanti. Luggage restricted to 12 kg per person in soft sided bags.

Later this afternoon you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive.

Selinda Camp was completely rebuilt and re-opened in 2007 to acclaim. It is a small, wonderful, luxury tented safari camp that is situated on the banks of the eastern Selinda Spillway - a waterway that links Botswana's Okavango Delta to the Linyanti and Kwando marshes, rivers and floodplains. The shaded camp is raised a meter or so off the ground and offers extraordinary views over the floodplains, waterways and wide open savannas which are only broken by attractive palm islands. It is these views that are one of Selinda's most compelling features. Sit on your verandas while enjoying meals and gaze pensively over the floodplains of the Selinda, enjoy the passing wildlife as it has done for millennia. There is hardly a moment which goes by without animals in front of camp.

Overnight at Selinda Camp.

Day 8 Linyanti

The Linyanti Wildlife Management Area is truly a hidden gem, here you can enjoy truly untouched game viewing. Linyanti is an absolutely superb safari area, completely comparable to nearby Okavango. It is renowned as one of the best game viewing areas in the region with a wide range and diversity of wildlife, with large herds of elephant, buffalo and zebra. This is truly a gorgeous, unspoiled region of waterways and lagoons, riverine forests, huge trees and palm tree islands.

During the dry season, Jun-Oct, game gathers around watering holes and rivers in large numbers, most notably elephant, buffalo, lion and wilddog. During the Linyanti green season, Nov-May, the game expand their range and you have the opportunity to see the park as the bush comes into bloom.

Enjoy daily game drives in the morning and evenings with others from your lodges as you seek out game each day. Game viewing is superb in both the wet and dry seasons, and the birding is exceptional.

Later this afternoon you will meet up with others from the lodge for your game drive.

Overnight at Selinda Camp.

Day 9 Linyanti

Whether you enjoy game drives or wish to rest at your camp, there are several other activities available. Depending on where you are staying, optional activities could include: day and night game dives, nature walks, boat cruises and canoe or "mokoro" game viewing.

During your time in the Selinda Reserve you'll have the choice of Game Drives in open 4X4's and also the chance to explore the area by boat.

Overnight at Selinda Camp.

Day 10 Johannesburg

Luggage restricted to 12 kg per person in soft sided bags.

Take your flight from Maun to Johannesburg today via Gaborone. The flight duration is approximately 1 and a half hour.

Depart from Johannesburg international airport - End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart.

More information from Kensington Tours:

• View trip on provider's website
  www.kensingtontours.com/tours/africa/botswana/botswana-signat…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips