1 Month Zimbabwe & Botswana

Arrive into Johannesburg and pick up your vehicle and equipment. Spend the first night at Zebras Crossing Lodge. Accommodation is on a full board basis with local drinks and 1x activity included.

Cross into Botswana and drive to spend the night at Moremi Gorge in the Tswapong Hills area of eastern Botswana. Moremi Gorge is a little known gem in the Tswapong Hills. The Gorge is the source of three permanent waterfalls as well as being one of the last breeding sites for the Cape Vulture. Accommodation is in chalets with excellent self-catering facilities, with a view across the hills.

Continue north through Botswana travelling as far as Francistown, spending the night camping at Woodlands stop-over, just outside the town. Accommodation is on a private farm by the dry Tati River, and there is a swimming pool and a barbecue area.

Cross into Zimbabwe and drive to the Matobo Hills area where you spend the next two nights camping at Big Cave Camp. Matobo Hills is a World Heritage site and Big Cave borders the Matobo National Park. The wilderness area is a specially protected area for both white and black rhino. Matobo Hills has the last significant population of rhino in Zimbabwe, and Big Cave Camp offers tracking these animals on foot, with a professional guide. The Matobos also boasts one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world.

Your next two nights are spent in the Hwange area camping at Camp Silwane in a private concession bordering Hwange National Park. Ideally located only 7km from Kennedy Pan in the south of the park.

Continue north through Zimbabwe spending the next three days in the Hwange National Park. Spend the first two nights at Kapula camp, a self-catered tented camp in the centre of Hwange. Accommodation is in well appointed ensuite meru tents, and you have access to a fully equipped kitchen and lounge area. Hwange National Park occupies roughly 15 000 sq km and game sighting is excellent in the dry winter months.

Drive to Victoria Falls, where you spend the next night at Pioneers Victoria Falls. The Zimbabwean side has approximately 2/3 of the fall’s frontage and the falls are easily viewed on foot. Victoria Falls has a lot to offer the visitor and is known as Africa’s adventure capital. From high adrenalin activities like bungi jumping and white water rafting to more sedate pastimes like viewing the falls by helicopter, Victoria Falls has it all.

Cross into Botswana and drive to Kasane, where you spend the night at The Old House. In the afternoon you will do a 3 hour boat cruise on the Chobe River. This is a highlight of many a visitor’s trip to Botswana, and amazing sights such as elephant crossing the river to feed on the grassy islands are never forgotten. Birdlife is spectacular too along the river.

Head south from Kasane to Nogatsaa in the south-east of the Chobe National Park. This area of the park consisted of open grasslands, dotted with pans and waterholes. There is a waterhole directly in front of the campsite with a lookout hide where good numbers of elephant and other game comes to drink – and lot of action happens right in front of the campsite.

Travel through Chobe National Park, spending the next night camping at Thobolos Bush Lodge, 30km outside of Chobe National Park. The lodge overlooks the largest natural pan in the area, Barangwe Pan, which is home to large numbers of species such as elephant, buffalo, eland, kudu, sable, roan, impala, warthog and many other smaller species visiting on a constant basis.

Travel through the Chobe National Park, spending the next two nights at the famous Savuti campsite. Savuti is famous for its elephants, lions and hyenas, all of which visit the campsite area, making for an experience not to be forgotten! Listening to the night sounds from the safety of your rooftop tent is an unforgettable experience. Apart from being one of Africa’s prime game viewing areas, Savuti is also stunningly beautiful, with rocky outcrops, and rolling grasslands interspersed with dead trees.

After spending the day in the Savuti area, make your way east to camp at Mababe River Lodge, ideally situated in a wildlife area to the south of the Chobe National Park’s Mababe Gate. The main lodge next to the campsite has an active waterhole and all the major predators as well as elephant, buffalo and other herbivores are all frequently sighted in the area. There is even a swimming pool here which campers are able to use.

Drive south to spend the next two nights at Mogogelo Camp. The camp is located in a large private concession adjacent to Moremi Game Reserve about 1 ½ hours drive from Maun. The camp overlooks an active waterhole and all the major predators as well as elephant, buffalo and other herbivores are all frequently sighted. Accommodation is in Meru-style safari tents on raised platforms with en-suite facilities and private viewing decks. There is a swimming pool which is a welcome sight on the hot summer days.

Head to Maun where you stock up with supplies before continuing to Leopard Plains situated on a private 8,000 hectare reserve adjacent to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Accommodation is on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis with guided activities offered into Makgadikgadi Pans or on the private reserve. You can also self-drive from here into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park driving along the Boteti River to Khumaga.

The next two nights are spent camping in the Nxai Pan National Park. Nxai Pan features large expanses of grassland interspersed with camel and umbrella thorn tree islands – a very attractive setting. A visit to Nxai gives you the opportunity of seeing Gemsbok, springbok, hartebeest and giraffe and lion are frequently seen. You will camp for both nights at South camp, on the southern edge of Nxai Pan itself. The campsite is attractively set under a clump of tall trees. Baines Baobabs – a group of Baobab trees bordering a salt pan – are worth a visit on your way in to the park.

Drive to Planet Baobab – a traditionally styled grass hut village shaded by giant baobab trees. Camp for the night here and then the following day you will leave your vehicle and do an overnight quad bike trip to Ntwetwe Pan.

Leave your vehicle at Planet Baobab and take a quad bike across the wilderness of the salt pans. Enjoy a drink before a barren sunset followed by a barbeque dinner. Camp out on the pan in bedrolls under the phenomenal Makgadikgadi night sky, your very own star-spangled ceiling. Return to Planet Baobab the following morning for breakfast.

Drive to Khumaga in the western region of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, by the Boteti River. Boteti River Camp overlooks the river, and is a relaxing place to camp. There is even a swimming pool and campers can eat at the restaurant.

Drive north west to The Dune Camp – in 43,000 hectares of private reserve on the northern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The Dune Camp is situated on a vegetated dune overlooking the surrounding bush. Activities are varied. The reserve’s extensive network of tracks make for perfect day and night driving terrain.

Head back to Maun where you return the vehicle before spending the night at Crocodile Camp.

Transfer by light aircraft across the delta to Setari Camp in the Okavango Delta where you spend the final two nights. Setari is a mid range camp situated on a palm island in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Activities offered at Setari are water-based with boating, fishing and mokoro trips offered. The shallow channels and floodplains are perfect for mokoro trips in the clear delta waters, while bush walks are another highlight. Accommodation is in an ensuite safari tent, and includes meals, drinks and activities.