Botswana · South Africa
Botswana's Deserts & Deltas
8 days · from $7,295 · Premier Plus accommodation
This long time favorite combines three special game viewing areas into one memorable safari. Start in the Makgadikgadi Pans, where the winter months bring life and the sight of the secont largest zebra migration in the world. Moremi Game Reserve was one of the first reserves set aside in Botswana and it brims with amazing wildlife. Its extraordinary numbers of plains game ensures very active predator activity, which makes for very exciting game viewing! And the Savute Channel, which filled with water in 2008, is striking for its rich variety of plains game.
Stay in luxury lodges and fly between camps by light aircraft. All meals and game viewing are included. Botswana is stunning year round - and this is an amazing look at the incomparable deserts and deltas.
Visiting
- Makgadikgadi Pans
- Okavango Delta
- Savute
This Tour Includes
- Luxury lodges and camps with private facilities
- Full breakfast daily; lunch and dinner daily while in Botswana
- Local soft drinks and beers, house wines and select spirits while in Botswana
- Light aircraft flights Maun-Leroo La Tau-Xakanaxa-Savute-Maun
- Full game viewing with experienced Rangers in camp 4x4 vehicles, mokoro or by foot
- All park entry fees, hotel taxes and service charges
- UTG's Take Me with You Kit and personalize itinerary
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Johannesburg
Welcome to Johannesburg. You will be met and assisted to your hotel, situated adjacent to the airport terminal. The evening is at leisure.
Overnight: OR Tambo Southern Sun
Day 2: Maun-Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (Leroo La Tau)
Make your way back to the terminal this morning for the flight to Maun. The magic begins almost as soon as you land in Maun and are assisted to your light aircraft transfer to Leroo La Tau set in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, which stretches from the banks of the Boteti River. As winter descends on North America, the Makgadikgadi Pans come to life. Settle into your luxury lodge, Leroo La Tau, before embarking on an afternoon game viewing adventure.
Leroo La Tau sets on the western bank of the Boteti River and has twelve luxurious thatched and glass-fronted suites, each on a raised wooden platform. During the day, relax around the pool or enjoy the views from the game-viewing hide built ino the bank of the river.
Overnight: Leroo La Tau
Day 3: Leroo La Tau
Makgadikgadi Pans is home to the second largest zebra migration in the world, where over 25,000 zebra migrate to the Boteti River in the dry winter months. The Boteti River is the main outflow of the Okavango Delta, collecting the water that flows past Maun, and continuing south-eastwards more than 250 kms ending at Lake Xau on the extreme south-western edge of the great Makgadikgadi salt pans. The Makgadikgadi is a harsh environment but during the wet season, the desert area teems with wildlife as these huge herds of zebra and wildebeest graze on the green grass plains. There is a huge influx of migratory birds while resident birds show off their breeding plumage.
Overnight: Leroo La Tau
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Xakanaxa
Today, a light aircraft flight provides stunning views as you fly to the Moremi Game Reserve and Camp Xakanaxa. The Moremi is in the eastern part of the Okavango Delta, where you will find a diverse array of wildlife. Moremi was actually the first wildlife sanctuary set aside by a Southern African community on their own land when the wife of Chief Moremi decided to protect a third of the Okavango Delta and declared the Moremi Game Reserve in honor of her husband. Camp Xakanaxa is on the banks of the Khwai River, one of the few camps that can offer both land and water game viewing year-round. The camp features twelve spacious meru-style luxury safari tents, all ensuite set with a private deck set round the fringe of the lagoon.
Enjoy an afternoon game viewing activity.
Overnight: Camp Xakanaxa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Xakanaxa
Game viewing in the Moremi is always exciting. Leopard and cheetah are seen regularly and the sheer number of impala is amazing. You may spot the rare Situtunga and Lechwe antelope who live in the papyrus banks of the waterways. Packs of wild dogs hunt on the grasslands and birdlife is prolific. More than 400 species of birds make their home in the reserve, including the African Fish Eagle and the Sacred Ibis.
Overnight: Camp Xakanaxa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Savute
A light aircraft flight takes you into the Savute and Savute Safari Lodge. Dry for years, the Savute Channel filled with water in 2008, creating a deep, clear waterway filled with hippo and other aquatic life. No one knows how long the water will remain in the Channel – it could be hundreds of year or just a decade. But for now, the game viewing here is amazing, as all variety of plains game and predators have adjusted to this new source of water.
Savute Safari Lodge has just twelve thatched chalets built of local timber, each of which features an expansive deck and a combined bedroom and lounge. Relax in one of the lounge's comfy sofas or sip a cocktail in the stylish bar. The large viewing deck and swimming pool are great places for game viewing – you might even see one of the resident elephants saunter past for a cool drink in the channel.
Overnight: Savute Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Savute
Activities at Savute are centered on land game viewing, which try to incorporate the Savute Marsh to give you a glimpse of the Savute Channel. You might also visit the ancient San rock paintings at Gubatsa Hills. A highlight is the second largest summer Zebra migration in Africa which usually occurs here between November and December and then again in February. Where this number of plains game are found, predators are never far behind, enhancing the excitement of the game viewing here.
Overnight: Savute Safari Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Maun-Depart
Reflect on your memories as your light aircraft takes you to Maun, where you begin your journey home.
Meals: Breakfast
Dates & Prices
| Land Only Per Person Prices in US Dollars |
| Departs Daily On Request |
| | Per Person Sharing a Twin Bedded Room | Per Person in a Single Bedded Room |
| 01 MAY 26 - 31 OCT 26 | $9,995 | $13,695 |
| 01 NOV 26 - 31 DEC 26 | $7,995 | $11,695 |
| 01 JAN 27 - 31 MAR 27 | $7,295 | $10,795 |
| 01 APR 27 - 30 APR 27 | $9,495 | $12,995 |
| 01 MAY 27 - 31 OCT 27 | $11,695 | $15,195 |
| 01 NOV 27 - 31 DEC 27 | $9,495 | $12,995 |