Since the 1990s Botswana has been a leading pioneer of high-value, low-volume, low-impact tourism, offering travelers one of the most intimate safari experiences in Africa. This sweeping journey explores four distinct ecosystems and includes a variety of unique landscapes teeming with healthy populations of Africa’s most iconic species. Begin in the far eastern corner of Botswana, where the privately-owned Mashatu Game Reserve offers more than 90,000 acres of savannah, riverine forests, marshland, open plains, and sandstone cliffs. In stark contrast, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is defined by vast open grasslands, centered on a network of epic salt pans dotted with isolated islands of palm and baobab trees. Next, travel north to the Linyanti region, renowned for huge herds of elephants, intense predator action, and frequent sightings of African wild dogs. The grand finale is the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, the drama of life unfolds at every turn while on game drives and during water safaris by mokoro (dugout canoes) through flooded plain.
Three moments you’ll never forget
Glide silently in a dugout canoe through the waterways of the Okovango Delta, for the chance to see wildlife from a different perspective.
Watch the interesting behavior within a mob of meerkats at close range as one member of the group acts as a sentinel, standing on its hind legs scanning for predators.
Gaze across the plains from Lebala Camp and see a wide variety of wildlife that inhabit the area such as zebra, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, and tsessebe.
DAY 1
Johannesburg, South Africa
Arrive in Johannesburg and transfer to the InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Hotel and meet with fellow travelers and your expedition leader for a welcome dinner and overnight.
DAY 2
Johannesburg / Limpopo Valley, Botswana / Mashatu Game Reserve
Check in to the Mashatu Tent Camp and settle in to your spacious tent, nestled under the branches of enormous trees. Relax on your private veranda, or head to the boma overlooking the busy waterhole adjacent to camp. Time permitting, embark on an evening game drive.
DAYS 3 & 4
Mashatu Game Reserve
The privately-owned Mashatu Game Reserve is situated in the eastern corner of Botswana where the great Limpopo and Shashe Rivers converge. This exceptionally diverse landscape includes wide open plains, grassland, riverine forests, rocky hills, marshland, and majestic sandstone ridges. Resident wildlife includes three members of the Big Five, leopards, lions and elephants, as well aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, African wildcats, honey badgers, spotted hyenas, and black-backed jackals. The reserve is also home to more than 350 bird species.
DAY 5
Mashatu Game Reserve / Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
After a morning game drive and breakfast, return to the airport to board our flight to Camp Kalahari, located on the edge of an ancient super lake and adjacent to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
DAYS 6 & 7
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
Search for the desert-adapted wildlife that survives in this harsh environment; oryx, meerkats, aardwolves, and springbok among them. There is also a good chance of spotting the rare brown hyena and large variety of birdlife. In addition to your guided game safaris in open 4x4 vehicles, we have the chance to accompany bushman trackers on foot to learn about their folklore and way of life. There will also be an opportunity to observe habituated meerkats at close range.
DAY 8
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park / Kwando Reserve
Enjoy a morning game viewing activity and breakfast before boarding our charter flight to the privately-owned Kwando Reserve. Check in to Kwando Lebala, set on the floodplains of the Kwando River, adjacent to the headwaters of the Linyanti marshes. Each tent offers a spacious living area, en suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers, and a private deck. After settling in, set out for an evening safari before dinner and overnight at the camp.
DAYS 9 & 10
Kwando Reserve
This part of the Kwando Reserve includes an intricate labyrinth of waterways, reed beds, islands, floodplains, and scattered trees, and is known for big game and large herds of elephant and buffalo. April marks the beginning of the impala breeding season, and it is often possible to see males sparring for dominance. There will also be an opportunity to go on a night drive to spot nocturnal species such as small-spotted genets, springhares, honey badgers, bat-eared foxes, civets, and servals.
DAY 11
Kwando Reserve / Okavango Delta
After a game drive and breakfast, board our flight to Kwara Camp, located on a secluded lagoon in the northern Okavango Delta. Each tent boasts a spacious deck overlooking the lagoon and views out to the floodplains. After a chance to freshen up, embark on a game-viewing excursion.
DAYS 12 & 13
Okavango Delta
Spend two days exploring the unique Okavango Delta, a combination of open floodplains, wooded islands, and lagoons harboring an outstanding assortment of African wildlife. Explore via mokoro (dugout canoe) guided by polers from the BaYei tribe, who have been using them as their traditional form of transport for hundreds of years. Boats take you into the larger and deeper areas of water while 4x4 vehicles allow you to get in proximity to animals in the savannah areas. Wildlife sightings may include lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hippos, and various species of antelope. Birding is also excellent with such species as African hawk-eagle, ground hornbill, scarlet-chested sunbird, red-billed hornbill, gabar goshawk, and red-billed francolin.
DAY 14
Okavango Delta / Maun / Johannesburg
On our last day, embark on one final game drive. Board our charter flight to Maun to connect with our final included flight to Johannesburg. From there, proceed with your independent homeward flight.
Trip details
April 4 – 17, 2025
Departure
The trip starts and ends in Johannesburg, South Africa
“Botswana offers an amazing diversity of landscapes which produce a diversity of wildlife: the arid Kalahari with springbok, oryx, meerkats, ostriches, aardwolf and brown hyaena; the waterways of the Linyanti swamps that attract the highest density of elephants in the world; the unusual sandstone outcrops of Mashatu Game Reserve with some of the best leopard viewing anywhere; and of course the beauty of the unique Okavango Delta, with its abundance of birdlife and wildlife, from lions, leopards and cheetah to mongoose, buffalo and lechwe. The low-volume tourism model adopted by Botswana ensures that there are only a limited amount of tourist camps. This means that visitors tend to have wildlife sightings to themselves, ensuring quality experiences and reduced impact on the wildlife and land.”
— LEX HES
Mashatu Tented Camp
The Mashatu Tent Camp is almost one with the environment; blink and you might miss it! This camp is the leisure choice for the guest who seeks the ultimate one-on-one bush experience and who prefers a more intimate environment. Eight completely private tents are tucked under the branches of enormous trees, accessed by meandering pathways. The tents themselves are spacious, comfortable, and have their own private outdoor en-suite facilities, including W.C. and shower.
Camp Kalahari
Camp Kalahari is one of only three camps within a one-million-acre private wildlife reserve. With just 12 Meru-style tents set amongst the palms, this camp is laidback and understated. Nothing is overly elaborate at Camp Kalahari. Instead, you’ll find canvas tents filled with fresh textiles, Moroccan kilims, and four-poster beds. Camp Kalahari is the ideal base for discovering the charms of the desert and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, a landscape as surreal as it is sublime, and as mysterious as it is magical.
Kwando Lebala
Lebala, meaning 'wide open spaces', is located within the Kwando Reserve’s 232,000 hectares of private unfenced wilderness. The floodplains of the Kwando River are home to a wide variety of Africa’s plains game such as zebra, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, and tsessebe. The variety of wildlife also includes elephant, hippo, buffalo and the ever-present predators of lion, cheetah, and hyena. The camp itself is comprised of nine custom designed tents, with unique mosquito net walls, allowing an unobstructed flow of cooling breezes and stunning views. Each spacious tent has its own viewing deck, bathroom, and luxurious outside shower.
Kwando Kwara Camp
Overlooking a secluded lagoon in the northern Okavango Delta, Kwara offers the ultimate Delta experience. Its location allows access to the permanent waterways of the Delta as well as expansive dry land areas, admired for their quality game viewing. Kwara is known for its consistent sightings of predators, including lion, cheetah, leopard and on rare occasion – white rhino! Herds of elephants also frequent the area, as well as giraffe, zebra, sitatunga, lechwe, impala and hippos. The décor of Kwara pays homage to the authentic African style of Kwando Safaris and has 9 canvas tents. Each tent has a spacious deck overlooking the lagoon, an ensuite bathroom with both indoor and outdoor showers and a gorgeous bath – all of which have views out to the floodplains.
More Detail
PRICING
Per Person: $22,990
For a single room, add: $4,990
Group Size
10 travelers
What’s Included
13 nights accommodations
All meals including beer and wine during dinner and sundowners on safari
All excursions, transportation, and local guides
Park fees, taxes, and permits
Gratuities
Internal airfare: Johannesburg / Mashatu / Kalahari / Linyanti / Okavango Delta / Maun / Johannesburg
Arrival and departure transfers
Ready to Go?
Save your spot on our expedition by booking now.
April 4 – 17, 2025
