18 days Botswana: all highlights plus Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls by plane

Upon landing at Victoria Falls International Airport, you are just a few minutes from one of Africa’s most iconic natural wonders - Victoria Falls. Even before you settle in, the distant roar of the falls often carries through the air, offering a first hint of what lies ahead. This marks the beginning of your adventure, where untamed landscapes, abundant wildlife, and unforgettable experiences await.

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Accommodations:

• Gold Ilala Lodge Hotel (ZW)
• Platinum The Palm River Hotel (ZW)
• Diamond Luxury Mbano Manor Hotel (ZW)

The Victoria Falls tour lasts 2 to 2.5 hours and takes you through the rainforest created by the falls’ constant spray. You follow paths to several viewpoints, watching water drop 100 metres into the gorge while feeling mist spread across the forest. Your guide explains the history of the falls, points out local plants, birds, and wildlife, and helps with photographs. On the way, you stop at landmarks like the Big Tree and learn how the waterfall shaped the surrounding landscape. The tour covers the rainforest and viewpoints, unlike the historical bridge tour, which focuses on the bridge’s history.

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Accommodations:

• Gold Ilala Lodge Hotel (ZW)
• Platinum The Palm River Hotel (ZW)
• Diamond Luxury Mbano Manor Hotel (ZW)

You board a 1-hour flight from Victoria Falls International Airport in Zimbabwe to Kasane Airport in Botswana, leaving behind the roar of the falls for the wide-open landscapes ahead.

Activities:

Accommodations:

• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas
• Diamond Luxury Ngoma Safari Lodge

The Chobe Riverfront stretches along the northern boundary of Chobe National Park, where the Chobe River separates Botswana from Namibia. The whole park is home to over 120,000 elephants - the largest remaining population in the world. Still, during the dry season, the herds gather along the riverfront in extraordinary numbers, alongside buffalo and plains game. Game drives along the riverfront put you in the middle of this, while a boat cruise on the Chobe River brings you eye to eye with hippos, crocodiles and elephants swimming, drinking or just bathing in the sun at the water's edge.

Accommodations:

• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas
• Diamond Luxury Ngoma Safari Lodge

The easiest and fastest way to get from one side of Chobe National Park to the other is to first drive from Chobe Riverfront to Kasane, then fly from Kasane to Savuti. Your total travel time will be 2 hours, which means you'll have plenty of time for game drives!

It's also possible to drive the distance, which will take up to 3.5 hours.

Activities:

Accommodations:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Savute Elephant Lodge

Savuti is one of Africa's most extraordinary and ever-changing wilderness areas, a vast, ancient landscape in the remote western reaches of Chobe National Park that has captivated explorers and wildlife enthusiasts for generations. Fed by the legendary Savuti Channel, its waters have come and gone over centuries, shaping a dramatic mosaic of dry riverbeds, open grasslands, and seasonal wetlands that draw some of the continent's most spectacular concentrations of wildlife on any game drive. A Savuti Marsh Excursion offers a rare and privileged window into this untamed world!

Accommodations:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Savute Elephant Lodge

The short flight from Savuti to the Khwai Community Concession takes 15 to 30 minutes, whisking you from Chobe National Park into one of Botswana's most biodiverse and community-managed wild spaces. The Khwai airstrip drops you right at the edge of this expansive concession, where the Khwai River draws an extraordinary concentration of wildlife year-round. After landing, make the most of the afternoon with a game drive along the riverine forests and floodplains.

Accommodations:

• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley
• Diamond Luxury Camp Tuludi

Wedged between Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve, the Khwai Community Concession is where unfenced wilderness meets community spirit. Think roaming elephants, prowling predators, herds of buffalo and shimmering lagoons -  all wrapped into one spectacular safari playground. Add an amazing game drive, a peaceful mokoro safari in a dugout canoe, and a meaningful encounter with the Khwai village community in the mix, and you’ll have an experience as enriching as it is exhilarating.

Accommodations:

• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley
• Diamond Luxury Camp Tuludi

This 30 to 45-minute flight from the Khwai Community Concession carries you deeper into the Okavango Delta, one of Africa's most iconic wilderness areas. Moremi’s airstrip places you at the doorstep of a reserve with habitats ranging from dense woodland to open lagoons teeming with wildlife. On arrival, take a gentle walk around camp before heading out on your first game drive through the waterways and woodlands.

Accommodations:

• Gold Camp Xakanaxa
• Platinum Camp Okuti
• Diamond Luxury Xigera Safari Lodge

In the heart of the Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve offers one of Africa’s richest and most varied safari landscapes. Covering 40% of this UNESCO-listed wilderness, this is where floodplains, lagoons and savannah meet in ever-changing harmony, shaped by the delta’s annual flood, which brings life to every corner. Expect safaris full of contrasts, in a 4x4 safari jeep or a motorboat: elephants wading through channels, hippos wallowing in lagoons, and big cats moving quietly through forested islands. With exceptional year-round game viewing, Moremi is home to the Big Five - including the reintroduced rhino - as well as thriving populations of the rare African wild dog and over 500 bird species.

Accommodations:

• Gold Camp Xakanaxa
• Diamond Luxury Xigera Safari Lodge

Flights from Moremi Game Reserve to the Okavango Delta are usually only 15 to 30 minutes, depending on where your camp is located. In true safari style, you’ll land on one of the delta’s many small, sandy airstrips, discreetly tucked between palm islands and floodplains and serving a handful of exclusive lodges. These light aircraft transfers are as much part of the experience as the stay itself. There are a few practicalities to keep in mind: luggage is usually limited to 20 kilograms per person, and soft-sided bags are essential. From above, the Delta unfolds like a living mosaic - islands, channels and wildlife scattered below - and before you know it, you’re touching down and being welcomed by your driver for the final transfer to camp.

Accommodations:

• Gold Cha Cha Metsi
• Platinum Eagle Island Lodge
• Diamond Luxury andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s seven natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site - an enormous and stunning inland delta caused by a river disappearing into the Kalahari Desert. Seasonal floodwaters transform dry sands into a lush wildlife haven, drawing elephants, big cats, rare antelope, the endangered African wild dog and over 500 bird species. Game spotting from a canoe? Absolutely! The Okavango offers an immersive safari experience with water and wildlife galore amid the desert.

Accommodations:

• Gold Cha Cha Metsi
• Platinum Eagle Island Lodge
• Diamond Luxury andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Travelling between camps by helicopter offers a front-row seat to the extraordinary beauty of the Okavango Delta; arguably the most stylish way to say goodbye to this waterlogged wonderland. A helicopter transfer to Maun takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your departure point within the delta. Along the way, your pilot doubles as a storyteller, sharing insights into this fascinating ecosystem. From above, the delta reveals its intricate patterns: winding channels, palm-dotted islands and floodplains teeming with life. Keep an eye out for elephants wading through the shallows and red lechwe darting across the water’s edge. It’s just like a safari, but with a superior vantage point - both literally and figuratively speaking :-)

Activities:

Accommodations:

• Gold Thamalakane River Lodge
• Platinum Grays Eden Sanctuary
• Diamond Luxury Grays Eden Sanctuary

Your journey begins with a scenic flight from Maun to the Boteti River area in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. During this one-hour flight, the landscape changes quickly. From above, you see dry pans, open savannah, and winding river channels. After you arrive, there is still time to head into the park for some amazing wildlife encounters along the Boteti River!

Accommodations:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park protects one of the most surreal corners of Botswana’s vast salt pan system, remnants of an ancient super-lake once the size of Switzerland. Today, they stretch far beyond the park itself: a shimmering network of salt flats, grasslands and endless horizons. This is a landscape of extremes. In the dry season, the pans are blindingly white, but after the rains, they transform into shallow lakes, drawing flamingos and other birdlife in remarkable numbers. Game drives here feel wonderfully different. Expect desert-adapted wildlife such as oryx, springbok and elephant, along with predators that roam vast territories. But there's more to discover beyond the pans. Visit a local community along the Boteti River, where daily life unfolds at its own pace. This guided experience offers a glimpse into how people have lived alongside the Makgadikgadi for generations - resilient, resourceful, and deeply connected to the land.

Accommodations:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

Choose between a day trip to Nxai Pans National Park and seeing the mesmerising Baines baobabs, or a drive to the salt pans of Makgadikgadi for a night of camping under endless stars. The choice depends on your hotel, as only the Moela Safari Lodge offers the Makgadikgadi sleeping trip.

Accommodations:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

The drive from the Boteti River to Nata takes 2 to 3 hours, covering 150 to 200 kilometres, depending on the lodge you chose. The route takes you up north from the river (via the ferry if you depart from the southern bank) to join the A3 near Motopi, then heading east through the village of Gweta. It's a well-maintained, mostly tarred road, but look out for potholes and free-roaming wildlife, especially elephants. 

Activities:

Accommodations:

• Gold Elephant Sands Lodge
• Platinum Elephant Sands Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Elephant Sands Lodge

The drive from Nata to Kasane covers just over 300 kilometres and takes 3 to 4 hours, most of it on a smooth tarred highway. This route has earned itself a reputation as an 'accidental game drive', and not without reason: wildlife sightings (especially elephants!) are an essential part of the experience. Leaving Nata behind, the landscape shifts from the vast, shimmering salt pans into stretches of mopane woodland and dry savannah, occasionally interrupted by small villages and animals crossing. Your arrival in Kasane marks the final chapter of your Botswana adventure. From here, a short flight whisks you to Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls, where the journey ends on a suitably dramatic note before your onward flight home from Zimbabwe. Get ready for the grand finale!

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