8 DAYS BOTSWANA: SAFARI BY PLANE, CAR AND BOAT

Welcome to Botswana. Upon arrival at Maun International Airport, in the north-west of the country, you step into one of Southern Africa’s busiest aviation hubs and the undisputed gateway to the legendary Okavango Delta. Even before landing, you are treated to a spectacular preview, with low-altitude vista's over a vast, shimmering mosaic of waterways and islands. Your private driver for the whole trip will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall. Today, he will take you to your lodge, where you can get some rest after your long journey and enjoy the genuine Botswana hospitality. This is where your dream safari begins!

Activities:

Accommodations:

• Silver Maun Waterfront Guesthouse
• Gold Thamalakane River Lodge

The flight from Maun to the Khwai Community Concession takes 45 minutes, bringing you straight to an airstrip in the Khwai. Located to the north-eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, you instantly land in a wildlife-filled, watery wilderness. Before touching down, you enjoy stunning views of the delta's palm-fringed floodplains and the Khwai River. It's not uncommon to see herds of elephants and hippos before touchdown! Your driver awaits you at the airport and brings you to your lodge, leaving ample time to step into your first mokoro and hit the river!

Accommodations:

• Silver Camp Khwai
• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley

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 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:

• Silver Camp Khwai
• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley

The flight from the Khwai Community Concession to Savuti Marsh connects Botswana's most popular safari hubs in only 15 to 30 minutes. The Savuti Airstrip is located directly within the Savuti Marsh area of Chobe National Park, making it an immediate gateway to the park's wildlife wonders. Hop in the jeep, stop by your lodge, and continue to enjoy your very first Savuti Marsh game drive.

Accommodations:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge

Savuti Marsh 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. A Savuti Marsh Excursion offers a rare and privileged window into this untamed world!

Accommodations:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge

The drive from Savuti Marsh to Chobe Riverfront, the northernmost part of the Chobe National Park, takes 3 to 3.5 hours and covers roughly 170 kilometres through deep sand and occasionally muddy roads within the park. You leave Savuti in the morning after breakfast, and head north through the Chobe Forest Reserve, traversing savanna landscapes and diverse ecosystems. This is where the Zambezi and Chobe rivers converge, and you have a good chance of spotting lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras and vast herds of elephants along the way. You will still make it in time for lunch, and enjoy your first Chobe Riverfront safari this afternoon.

Accommodations:

• Silver Chobe Elephant Camp
• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas

The Chobe Riverfront stretches along the northern boundary of Chobe National Park, where the Chobe River separates Botswana and Namibia. The whole park is home to over 120,000 elephants - the largest remaining population in the world - but 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 drinking and swimming at the water's edge.

Accommodations:

• Silver Chobe Elephant Camp
• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas

The drive from Chobe Riverfront to Kasane is a short and scenic one, only taking 30 minutes. The route is well-traveled by safari vehicles, making it easy to navigate from the wilderness back to town. You might still spot some wildlife along the way, particularly elephants along the riverbank, before exiting the park via Sedudu Gate and driving straight into Kasane. The airport lies just 4 kilometres south of the town cente.

Activities: