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Highlights...Desert, Okavango, Chobe Houseboat
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Day to Day
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Cost
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The accommodation
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What's Included
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Day 1 Makgadikgadi National Park
Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport for your scheduled flight to Maun Airport in Botswana. At Maun Airport you will be met and escorted to the light aircraft for your charter flight into Leroo la Tau airstrip, 30 minutes away.
Leroo La Tau Camp lies on the western bank of the Boteti River, northwest of Khumaga Village and about 140 kilometres southeast of Maun.
The eastern bank of the Boteti forms the boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, which stretches away from the riverbank towards its interior of scrubland and mineral-rich grasslands. The Boteti River is the main outflow of the Okavango Delta, collecting the water that flows past Maun and stretching about 250 kilometres southeast to Lake Xau on the extreme south-western edge of the great Makgadikgadi salt pans.
Days 2 and 3 Makgadikgadi National Park
Leroo la Tau offers guided game drive inside the Makgadikgadi National Park, especially focusing on the outstanding wildlife dotted along the Boteti River. Depending on the water level, boat activities are also provided.
Optional cultural excursions can be arranged to Khumaga Village as well as day trips to Nxai Pan and Baines Baobabs (three night stay only).
Leroo La Tau translates as ‘lion’s paw’ but, although the surrounding area features abundant Lion, Zebra and Wildebeest, it also boasts Chobe Bushbuck, Leopard, Cheetah, Brown and Spotted Hyena, Impala, Kudu, Jackal, Porcupine, Genet and Caracal, to name but a few.
Please note: Owing to their remote location within the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans themselves are not visited on daily scheduled activities from Leroo La Tau.
Day 4 Okavango Delta
Today you will be chartered to Xugana Island Lodge, 50 minutes away.
Xugana means kneel down to drink in the local dialect. Xugana Lagoon has, for thousands of years, been a safe haven for the Bushman people who lived in this pristine water world. Xugana Lagoon is in the permanent Delta, a world of crystal clear waterways winding through vast reed and papyrus beds, opening unexpectedly onto tranquil lagoons, home to bream, catfish and the fighting tiger-fish and fringed by secret wooded islands, haven for the magnificent bird and wildlife that inhabit the Delta. The lagoon is widely accepted as being the most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta.
Day 5 Okavango Delta
Mokoro trips in eco-friendly dugout canoes built to the traditional design, boat safaris to lagoons and islands and wilderness walks each give guests the chance to see the Delta denizens such as the Sitatunga and Red Lechwe antelopes, Crocodile and Hippo, as well as the other big game that frequents the islands and riverine fringes. Bird-watching opportunities are outstanding, and the Bream (Tilapia) and Tiger Fishing can be excellent at certain times of the year. The peaceful boat ride back across Xugana Lagoon during the spectacular African sunset provides a lifelong memory. All activities are conducted by experienced naturalist guides, who, as well as ensuring that guests come to no harm, are keen to impart their vast knowledge and love of this unique area.
Xugana borders the Moremi Wildlife Reserve and, as such, includes a diverse habitat that supports a wide variety of animals, with possible sightings of Wild Dog, Cheetah and Leopard being highlights. Resident species include Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo, Giraffe, Hyena, Zebra, Kudu, Red Lechwe, Sable and Roan Antelope and many more. Bird watching is excellent throughout the year. Guided nature walks to the Delta's islands afford an opportunity to track the larger species that inhabit this wilderness area.
Xugana Island Lodge is a pure water paradise and gives you the chance to experience a true Okavango Delta safari.
Birding is absolutely spectacular, especially during the summer months when the migrant birds come to breed. Your experienced guide will also take you on a guided nature walk on surrounding islands in the concession, giving you the chance to experience nature up close and personal. Fishing for bream and tiger fish is also offered as an activity at the lodge. Xugana Island Lodge is a water-based camp and game drive activities, using safari vehicles, are not possible.
Day 6 Northern Okavango
After an early morning light snack, an activity and brunch, your pilot will collect you from Xugana airstrip, and will charter you to Mapula Lodge, situated approximately 30 minutes away in the north-western section of the Okavango Delta.
Situated on the northern fringes of the famed Okavango Delta, an enormous, 220,000 acre concession that’s a matrix of floodplains, woodlands and channels, is the home of Mapula Lodge. Here, waterways dissect across the landscape, spilling into shiny lagoons and encircling islands of tall palms and foraging elephant. It’s an especially beautiful Delta landscape, and a magical environment in which to enjoy the abundance of wildlife. This huge concession is slightly to the north of the renowned Vumbura and Duba Plains concessions on the northern side of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Despite its vast size (and the abundance of game), the area is home to only a couple of camps, making it a prime destination for those looking for an exclusive experience in a blissfully uncrowded area. The camp itself occupies a perfect position on a large, treed island at the edge of seasonal floodplains along the upper reaches of the famous Selinda Spillway, the river that connects the Okavango Delta to the Linyanti.
Days 7 and 8 Northern Botswana
These days will offer you the chance to explore one of the continent’s most game-rich and beautiful concessions.
Safari in complete exclusivity, away from the tourist crowds and bulging 4x4s; here, it’s just you, your binos, and the wildlife. Float down secluded waterways and access areas remoter than you can imagine on a mokoro safari.
Game view from the cool depths of the swimming pool and watch the steady stream of wildlife at the lagoon in front of camp. The guides at Mapula are some of the best in the business; trained by safari legend Ralph Bousfield, each one has an intricate knowledge of the area that’s hard to beat.
Described as the best locations in the Delta to spot elusive and lesser-known predators like caracal, serval and mongoose, you’ll also have the change of watching buffalo congregate en masse and trunk-swinging elephant bathe in the lagoon. Antelope dot the floodplains in every direction, and zebra and giraffe appear at the flash of a camera, whilst the hippo and crocs are never far away. The birdlife here is especially noteworthy, with the endangered wattled crane, carmine bee-eaters, and the African paradise flycatcher all regularly spotted to the delight of many a twitcher.
Day 9 Chobe River
Leaving the Okavango Delta behind, today you will charter to Kasane Airport, where a Chobe Princess Houseboat representative will meet you and assist you with the border crossing by boat, into the Namibian waters of the Chobe River.
As one boards the Chobe Princess, you will enter the accommodation deck, which offers 4 double cabins for guests. Each spacious cabin can be configured as a twin or double room, and has en-suite facilities, with sliding windows opening on to the water. Windows are spanned by transparent mosquito screens. Electricity (220V and 12V) is supplied to each bedroom, ensuring the use of shavers, hairdryers and lights. Cupboards are provided.
Days 10 and 11 Chobe Princess
The days are entirely yours and you are free to spend it as you like. You can laze around the sun deck just watching the constant coming and goings of the wildlife and birds around you. You can take a tender boat with a guide and go looking for up close and personal sightings of the game and get extraordinary photo opportunities. Or you can go off fishing to try and catch (and then release) the elusive Tiger fish.
Generally breakfast is served at 08h30 and lunch at 13h00 but the boat is very flexible so if you would like to re-arrange these times to suit you better you would just need to let the Managers know at dinner the night before (i.e. if you want to get up really early and then come back for brunch at 10h30 or 11h00 this would be perfectly fine with them).
Activities include
Game Viewing: by boat into the Chobe National Park, where huge herds of elephants come down to drink, together with all manner of other game such as buffalo, giraffe, leopard, lion, kudu, waterbuck, lechwe, etc. Evening cruises offer the sublime Chobe sunset.
Bird-watching: a year round pleasure, with over 400 recorded species, including both water and woodland birds.
Fishing: the excellent guides have success in landing Tigerfish, especially when fly-fishing. Other species include Tilapia, Largemouth bream, Catfish and Squeakers. The boat has access to over 30km of Chobe River, over 120km of Zambezi River, as well as kilometres of waterways in the Kasai and Indibe wetlands. Each offers a different fishing experience. Guests have access to quality boats with large motors, including a jet boat for the rapids and rocky areas. The major fishing attraction is Tigerfish. Traditionally the best time for Tigerfish will be from September to February, with a window period during June. Bream are also caught and Barbel too, and fishing is done from the banks and rocks in the rapids. All guests are allocated a guide and boat upon arrival.
Day 12: Kasane
After breakfast, you will transfer by tender boat from the Chobe Princess Safariboat at 09h00 to the customs office on Impalila Island to exit out of Namibia. From there you will again cross the Chobe River to enter into Botswana at the Kasane immigration. You will be met here by your Guide, who will transfer you to Kasane Airport (10 minutes), in time to check in for your return flight to Johannesburg International Airport.
Arrive at Johannesburg International Airport for your scheduled flight to Maun Airport in Botswana. At Maun Airport you will be met and escorted to the light aircraft for your charter flight into Leroo la Tau airstrip, 30 minutes away.
Leroo La Tau Camp lies on the western bank of the Boteti River, northwest of Khumaga Village and about 140 kilometres southeast of Maun.
The eastern bank of the Boteti forms the boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, which stretches away from the riverbank towards its interior of scrubland and mineral-rich grasslands. The Boteti River is the main outflow of the Okavango Delta, collecting the water that flows past Maun and stretching about 250 kilometres southeast to Lake Xau on the extreme south-western edge of the great Makgadikgadi salt pans.
Days 2 and 3 Makgadikgadi National Park
Leroo la Tau offers guided game drive inside the Makgadikgadi National Park, especially focusing on the outstanding wildlife dotted along the Boteti River. Depending on the water level, boat activities are also provided.
Optional cultural excursions can be arranged to Khumaga Village as well as day trips to Nxai Pan and Baines Baobabs (three night stay only).
Leroo La Tau translates as ‘lion’s paw’ but, although the surrounding area features abundant Lion, Zebra and Wildebeest, it also boasts Chobe Bushbuck, Leopard, Cheetah, Brown and Spotted Hyena, Impala, Kudu, Jackal, Porcupine, Genet and Caracal, to name but a few.
Please note: Owing to their remote location within the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans themselves are not visited on daily scheduled activities from Leroo La Tau.
Day 4 Okavango Delta
Today you will be chartered to Xugana Island Lodge, 50 minutes away.
Xugana means kneel down to drink in the local dialect. Xugana Lagoon has, for thousands of years, been a safe haven for the Bushman people who lived in this pristine water world. Xugana Lagoon is in the permanent Delta, a world of crystal clear waterways winding through vast reed and papyrus beds, opening unexpectedly onto tranquil lagoons, home to bream, catfish and the fighting tiger-fish and fringed by secret wooded islands, haven for the magnificent bird and wildlife that inhabit the Delta. The lagoon is widely accepted as being the most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta.
Day 5 Okavango Delta
Mokoro trips in eco-friendly dugout canoes built to the traditional design, boat safaris to lagoons and islands and wilderness walks each give guests the chance to see the Delta denizens such as the Sitatunga and Red Lechwe antelopes, Crocodile and Hippo, as well as the other big game that frequents the islands and riverine fringes. Bird-watching opportunities are outstanding, and the Bream (Tilapia) and Tiger Fishing can be excellent at certain times of the year. The peaceful boat ride back across Xugana Lagoon during the spectacular African sunset provides a lifelong memory. All activities are conducted by experienced naturalist guides, who, as well as ensuring that guests come to no harm, are keen to impart their vast knowledge and love of this unique area.
Xugana borders the Moremi Wildlife Reserve and, as such, includes a diverse habitat that supports a wide variety of animals, with possible sightings of Wild Dog, Cheetah and Leopard being highlights. Resident species include Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo, Giraffe, Hyena, Zebra, Kudu, Red Lechwe, Sable and Roan Antelope and many more. Bird watching is excellent throughout the year. Guided nature walks to the Delta's islands afford an opportunity to track the larger species that inhabit this wilderness area.
Xugana Island Lodge is a pure water paradise and gives you the chance to experience a true Okavango Delta safari.
Birding is absolutely spectacular, especially during the summer months when the migrant birds come to breed. Your experienced guide will also take you on a guided nature walk on surrounding islands in the concession, giving you the chance to experience nature up close and personal. Fishing for bream and tiger fish is also offered as an activity at the lodge. Xugana Island Lodge is a water-based camp and game drive activities, using safari vehicles, are not possible.
Day 6 Northern Okavango
After an early morning light snack, an activity and brunch, your pilot will collect you from Xugana airstrip, and will charter you to Mapula Lodge, situated approximately 30 minutes away in the north-western section of the Okavango Delta.
Situated on the northern fringes of the famed Okavango Delta, an enormous, 220,000 acre concession that’s a matrix of floodplains, woodlands and channels, is the home of Mapula Lodge. Here, waterways dissect across the landscape, spilling into shiny lagoons and encircling islands of tall palms and foraging elephant. It’s an especially beautiful Delta landscape, and a magical environment in which to enjoy the abundance of wildlife. This huge concession is slightly to the north of the renowned Vumbura and Duba Plains concessions on the northern side of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Despite its vast size (and the abundance of game), the area is home to only a couple of camps, making it a prime destination for those looking for an exclusive experience in a blissfully uncrowded area. The camp itself occupies a perfect position on a large, treed island at the edge of seasonal floodplains along the upper reaches of the famous Selinda Spillway, the river that connects the Okavango Delta to the Linyanti.
Days 7 and 8 Northern Botswana
These days will offer you the chance to explore one of the continent’s most game-rich and beautiful concessions.
Safari in complete exclusivity, away from the tourist crowds and bulging 4x4s; here, it’s just you, your binos, and the wildlife. Float down secluded waterways and access areas remoter than you can imagine on a mokoro safari.
Game view from the cool depths of the swimming pool and watch the steady stream of wildlife at the lagoon in front of camp. The guides at Mapula are some of the best in the business; trained by safari legend Ralph Bousfield, each one has an intricate knowledge of the area that’s hard to beat.
Described as the best locations in the Delta to spot elusive and lesser-known predators like caracal, serval and mongoose, you’ll also have the change of watching buffalo congregate en masse and trunk-swinging elephant bathe in the lagoon. Antelope dot the floodplains in every direction, and zebra and giraffe appear at the flash of a camera, whilst the hippo and crocs are never far away. The birdlife here is especially noteworthy, with the endangered wattled crane, carmine bee-eaters, and the African paradise flycatcher all regularly spotted to the delight of many a twitcher.
Day 9 Chobe River
Leaving the Okavango Delta behind, today you will charter to Kasane Airport, where a Chobe Princess Houseboat representative will meet you and assist you with the border crossing by boat, into the Namibian waters of the Chobe River.
As one boards the Chobe Princess, you will enter the accommodation deck, which offers 4 double cabins for guests. Each spacious cabin can be configured as a twin or double room, and has en-suite facilities, with sliding windows opening on to the water. Windows are spanned by transparent mosquito screens. Electricity (220V and 12V) is supplied to each bedroom, ensuring the use of shavers, hairdryers and lights. Cupboards are provided.
Days 10 and 11 Chobe Princess
The days are entirely yours and you are free to spend it as you like. You can laze around the sun deck just watching the constant coming and goings of the wildlife and birds around you. You can take a tender boat with a guide and go looking for up close and personal sightings of the game and get extraordinary photo opportunities. Or you can go off fishing to try and catch (and then release) the elusive Tiger fish.
Generally breakfast is served at 08h30 and lunch at 13h00 but the boat is very flexible so if you would like to re-arrange these times to suit you better you would just need to let the Managers know at dinner the night before (i.e. if you want to get up really early and then come back for brunch at 10h30 or 11h00 this would be perfectly fine with them).
Activities include
Game Viewing: by boat into the Chobe National Park, where huge herds of elephants come down to drink, together with all manner of other game such as buffalo, giraffe, leopard, lion, kudu, waterbuck, lechwe, etc. Evening cruises offer the sublime Chobe sunset.
Bird-watching: a year round pleasure, with over 400 recorded species, including both water and woodland birds.
Fishing: the excellent guides have success in landing Tigerfish, especially when fly-fishing. Other species include Tilapia, Largemouth bream, Catfish and Squeakers. The boat has access to over 30km of Chobe River, over 120km of Zambezi River, as well as kilometres of waterways in the Kasai and Indibe wetlands. Each offers a different fishing experience. Guests have access to quality boats with large motors, including a jet boat for the rapids and rocky areas. The major fishing attraction is Tigerfish. Traditionally the best time for Tigerfish will be from September to February, with a window period during June. Bream are also caught and Barbel too, and fishing is done from the banks and rocks in the rapids. All guests are allocated a guide and boat upon arrival.
Day 12: Kasane
After breakfast, you will transfer by tender boat from the Chobe Princess Safariboat at 09h00 to the customs office on Impalila Island to exit out of Namibia. From there you will again cross the Chobe River to enter into Botswana at the Kasane immigration. You will be met here by your Guide, who will transfer you to Kasane Airport (10 minutes), in time to check in for your return flight to Johannesburg International Airport.
Included:
Not Included:
- Scheduled flight from Johannesburg to Maun Airport
- Air charter from Maun Airport to Leroo la Tau Camp
- 3 Nights at Leroo la Tau Camp in an en-suite tent, fully inclusive basis
- Air charter from Leroo la Tau Camp to Xugana Island Lodge
- 2 Nights at Xugana Island Lodge in an en-suite chalet, fully inclusive basis
- Air charter from Xugana Island Lodge to Mapula Lodge
- 3 Nights at Mapula Lodge in an en-suite chalet, fully inclusive
- Air charter from Mapula Lodge to Kasane Airport
- Transfer to the Chobe Princess Houseboat
- 3 Nights on board the Chobe Princess in an en-suite cabin, fully inclusive basis
- Return transfer to Kasane Airport
- Scheduled flight from Kasane back to Johannesburg International Airport
Not Included:
- Travel and medical insurance
- Visa requirements
- Gratuities and items of a personal nature