WILDLIFE WONDER

9 Days & 8 Nights | Botswana

Linyanti Wildlife Reserve & Okavango Delta

HIGHLIGHTS

GREAT FOR

Honeymooners – Small camps keep things romantic and intimate

Families – Consider taking over the whole camp for a family reunion

Photographers – Immersive Olympus camera experience may be available

AVAILABLE ACTIVITIES

Game drives

Night drives

Mokoro rides

Boating

Nature walks

Birding

Seasonal catch-and-release fishing

Hot-air ballooning (extra cost)

Sleepout

Hide viewing

Sundowners

BEST TIME TO GO

High Season:  July to October

Green Season:  November to June

OVERVIEW

Two of Botswana’s most game-rich areas are included in this itinerary. Your first stop is its most famous: the incomparable Okavango Delta. This is the world’s largest inland wetland and comprises small islands, winding channels, oxbow lakes and vast stretches of permanent water. Your second stop revels in its status as a secret gem: the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve. Bordering Chobe National Park and the northern Delta, its fertile grasslands support all kinds of plains game and the predators that depend on them.

The selected camps are small with near-perfect settings where you can walk, go boating, taking scenic helicopter rides, float off in a hot-air balloon or just spend hours being captivated by the antics at the log-pile hide.

THIS ITINERARY WAS DESIGNED BY JOANNE

I lived in Botswana’s safari capital – Maun – for seven years where I worked as everything from a camp manager to a travel agent. Being in the epicentre allowed me experience innumerable lodges first-hand and understand how the Okavango’s fluctuating levels affect your safari.

TRIP SUMMARY

DURATION

8 Nights / 9 Days

DESTINATIONS VISITED

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, Botswana

DAILY ITINERARY

Taking off from Maun, you’ll soon swap the regular squares of zinc-roofed houses for the irregular beauty of the Okavango Delta. If you have a window seat, look down and you might spot your first hippos, elephants or giraffes below.

Once you touch down at Chitabe Airstrip, keep your eyes peeled for the concession’s incredible wildlife, including leopards, lions and lechwe. Home for two nights is Chitabe Camp which has large tents, passionate guides and access to 22 000 hectares of land.

Why we love Chitabe Camp:

  • Brilliant nature walks along the Gomoti from May to November
  • Night drives in search of bush babies and other nocturnal animals
  • Super-comfortable Meru tents with everything you need
  • Exclusive location on a private island in the Okavango Delta

Today you go even deeper into the Delta as your pilot whisks you to Vumbura Airstrip. Little Vumbura is reached by a floating jetty, making it a highly romantic and very private camp. Tents have views over the water which supports not only tiny creatures like painted reed frogs but also carpets of delicate lilac lilies.

If the weather plays along, splurge on a hot-air balloon flight one morning. This is an exceptional way to see the Delta greet the dawn…

Why we love Little Vumbura:

  • Very intimate camp with only six tents and limited guests
  • Built on its own island in a private concession in the Delta
  • Hot-air ballooning reveals the sheer size of the Okavango
  • The melapo grasslands support myriad plains game

A total change of scenery awaits you for your last three nights in Botswana. A hop to Chobe Airstrip will show you just how different Linyanti Wildlife Reserve is to the Okavango: reeds and rivers give way to classic grassland and woodland.

At Savuti Camp, your stylish and expansive tent looks out over the ephemeral Savuti Channel, which comes and goes for years at a time. Night drives could reveal anything from porcupines and civet cats to leopards and honey badgers.

Why we love Savuti Camp:

  • Spend the in a starbed overlooking the lagoon
  • Treat yourself to a helicopter flip over the Linyanti
  • Get awesome close-ups at the waterhole hide
  • Exclusive-use boating and on the Savuti Channel

Depending on what the flight allows, you could either be up early for a final game drive or have a lazy lie-in followed by a hearty breakfast at Savuti Camp. Whatever happens, the game viewing doesn’t really end until you’re in the air on your way back to Maun – you could see a cheetah saunter past camp or find wild dogs hunting on your way to the airstrip!

This will be a holiday to remember, from morning coffee to sundowners at dusk…

INCLUDED*

  • All activities specified
  • All transfers specified
  • All meals, drinks and sundowners specified
  • Laundry if specified

EXCLUDED*

  • International flights
  • Items from the safari shop
  • Pre- and post-itinerary accommodation
  • Visas
  • Travel insurance
  • Medical insurance, tests and vaccinations where stipulated
  • Tips / gratuities

* Subject to change. Your personal consultant will confirm all the details with you while helping you plan your safari to Africa so you have a full understanding of costs with no surprises.

PRICE IS IMPORTANT

This itinerary is here to inspire you and prices may change due to availability, season and the year that you plan to travel.

WHY BOOK WITH BIGGESTLEAF TRAVEL

  • We are passionate about what we sell

  • The most competitive and flexible rates

  • We offer personalised and customised experiences

  • Our consultants specialise in different safari-experiences
  • We have over 10 years’ experience in the travel industry

  • Our quick response and turnaround times