Botswana: Desert to Delta
Botswana is a land of contrasts. It is most famous for the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland river delta. However, the Kalahari Desert sits just outside those fertile channels. This itinerary seeks to capture both aspects of the country. Start your journey in a romantic tent on the stark Makgadikgadi Salt Pan before moving into the Delta for the best wildlife experience of your life. Botswana has the largest population of elephants on earth, and the herds will be evident as you finish your journey at the Linyanti Private Reserve near the border with Namibia.
Botswana is the world’s premier wildlife destination, and this itinerary will give you an overview of the best wildlife the country has to offer.
✧ Your custom travel playlist includes Qani Xiite’s “Nah-khitshi”
Qani Xiite was an ethnic San singer and dancer from Botswana who sadly passed away in 2009. Her songs are rooted in the traditions of her people, yet they feel surprisingly fresh and modern. They are also sung in Sesarwa, a language spoken only by a few thousand people in the Kalahari region.
Fly to Botswana via Johannesburg, South Africa. On arrival at the Maun Airport, you will clear customs and take a 40-minute light aircraft transfer to Jack’s Camp in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan.
Jack’s Camp is known for its glamorous tents, but the area also offers a range of engaging desert activities, including unrivaled stargazing and the second-largest zebra migration in Africa (December, January, March, April). We recommend taking a bush walk with the San people to get to know the original inhabitants of Botswana.
All guest tents are large, decorated in a Persian/African campaign style, and include private plunge pools overlooking the pan. Other camp facilities include a roving tea tent, natural history museum, and a sizeable tented pool pavilion.
Return to Maun for an onward flight into the Okavango Delta and Abu Camp. Abu Camp is a luxury safari lodge located in Botswana’s Okavango Delta’s 445,000-acre Abu Private Reserve. This is one of the largest privately protected areas in the Delta, giving you exclusive access to the world’s best wildlife sightings. Each of the six luxury tents at Abu has its unique style and includes a private deck, plunge pool, and copper soaking tub for the ultimate wilderness relaxation.
Abu Camp is built around elephant conservation and is famous for the Abu Herd, elephants that have been rescued and are in the process of being reintroduced. Guests have the privilege of watching these elephants return to the boma each night after foraging in the reserve. In addition, sightings of buffalo, giraffes, zebra, and predators such as lions, wild dogs, and cheetahs are common in this area.
We recommend taking a helicopter flight over the Delta while you are here to take it all in. Excursions to the Tsolido Hills World Heritage site, the most sacred place in Bostwana, are also available.
✧ We’ve sent you some reading material including, The Harmless People
In the 1950s, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas was one of the first Westerners to live with the San of the Kalahari desert in Botswana. In this classic book, she describes a way of life that had remained unchanged for thousands of years. View on Amazon
Charter a flight from Abu to the over 300,000-acre Linyanti Wildlife Reserve along the northern border of Botswana and Namibia.
DumaTau is one of Botswana’s most luxurious camps and has access to 27 miles of frontage to both the Linyanti River and the Savuti channel. As a result, there is an almost constant procession of wildlife for visitors to enjoy here. The Linyanti also has one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Africa, which can be viewed on daily game drives, boat tours, or from your private plunge pool. Sightings of predators such as lions, leopards, and wild dogs are also common.
Spend the last few afternoons of your trip relaxing in the Osprey Retreat spa, which has one of the best pools in Africa for game viewing.
On your last morning, fly to Kasane or Maun and then to Johannesburg for your trip home.
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