Angola, Namibia & Botswana Expedition

PRICE FROM:

US$29,000 Per Person

DURATION:

12 Nights

DEPARTURE:

On Demand

GROUP SIZE:

2 / 10

PRICE FROM:

US$29,000 Per Person

DURATION:

12 Nights

DEPARTURE:

On Demand

GROUP SIZE:

2 / 10

Let the contrasting landscapes of Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans take your breath away.

Why You’ll Love It:

  • Spend time with award-winning National Geographic explorers and scientists, led by brothers Chris and Steve Boyes, in their quest to find, learn and protect the source of Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando river systems.
  • Discover never seen before species of frogs, fish and insects that are new to science.
  • Explore the Cubango Game Reserve, an extraordinary conservation area set up by Angolan national, Stefan van Wyk, who set aside the land to protect it from logging.
  • Let history come alive in Cuito Cuanavale and the battlefields region, the site of some of the fiercest and longest battles in the 1980s.
  • Visit Namibia’s largest protected wetland, Nkasa Rupara National Park, an important wildlife corridor for animal migrations between Angola, Botswana, Botswana and Namibia.

This itinerary is fully customizable. To change this itinerary, please enquire with us.

What’s Included:

  • Internal flights from Maun or Joburg
  • Activities (most!), entrance and park fees & road transfers
  • Accommodation as specified on a sharing basis
  • All meals and local drinks
  • Applicable tourism levies, taxes, and all relevant VAT

Exclusions: Premium brand drinks, gratuities and fully comprehensive travel insurance.

From the Source to the Sands

In 2020 we launched our new flying safaris to Angola. The first trips of their kind, each will be tailor-made to suit all interests but most will follow the paths of the rivers that feed the Okavango and Kwando river systems from their sources in the Angolan Highlands to the Okavango Delta in Botswana and finally, to the sands of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans.

The Source to the Sands is a 12-night itinerary and the ultimate Angolan expedition. It begins with three nights in a simple mobile camp in the source lakes regions of the Angolan Highlands, in the company of National Geographic explorers and scientists, followed by two nights in the Cubango Reserve, which straddles both the Cuatir and Cubango rivers, and a day trip to the Cuito Cuanavale battlefields. From there, it’s into Namibia to spend two nights on Nkasa Island in Nkasa Rupara National Park, then across the border into the Okavango Delta for three nights. This epic journey ends in the Makgadikgadi where the waters dissipate into the sands of the Kalahari Desert at San camp on the edge of the Nwetwe Pan in the Makgadikgadi.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in the Source Lakes region of the Angolan Highlands

Depart either Lanseria or Maun and fly by KingAir B200 or a Pilatus PC12 to Cuito Cuanvale to clear customs in Angola, before heading to the source lakes of the Angola Highlands, the region that is at the very heart of the trip.

** This is a trip that deserves a discussion with one of our people.  It’s an expedition into an area that is seldom visited and you need to understand just how incredible it will be.  Call or email us and we will talk through this adventure in detail and whether it’s something for you.

Day 2 & 3: Source Lakes region, Angolan Highlands

Spend two days exploring this incredible area with the Boyes brothers and the team of explorers from Nat Geo. Activities are focused in and around the source lakes: snorkel in the water and view the many fish that are new (until recently) to science, e-bike between areas, or take to the skies and view the lakes from a chopper.

Accommodations

Angola is not a destination for those expecting the creature comforts found in the luxurious safari camps and lodges in the rest of southern Africa. There are none in Angola and whilst they could possibly start appearing in the coming years, the accommodation for the foreseeable future will be in expedition-styled mobile camps that are modest and simple. As always, beds will be comfortable, the bucket showers will be hot and food will be hearty and homemade and shared around the campfire.

Days 4 & 5: Cubango Game Reserve, Angola

Fly southwest to the 500,000 acre Cubango Game Reserve and spend two days exploring the region on foot, by boat and by vehicle.

Wildlife

Angola is certainly not a Big Five destination, but look a little closer and there is a wealth of wildlife to be spotted. It is worth noting, however, that those expecting the same relaxed herds of wildlife as can be seen in Botswana or Namibia will be disappointed. For animals to be relaxed around wildlife and humans, they need to have been free from harassment for several years, even perhaps decades. We hope this will come in time in Angola.

A safari to Angola is one for people who enjoy exploring grand wildernesses of a scale almost impossible to be experienced anywhere else. In the Source Lakes, scientists are discovering species of fauna and flora that have never been seen before. Visitors here will certainly be one of the very first “outsiders” to ever visit and thus, every day will be a voyage of discovery. In the Cubango Reserve, you will follow trails of sitatungas, roan and whatever else comes your way. The Bico area has the highest concentrations of wildlife, and you’ll find sable, roan, buffalo and elephant in the fore.

Day 6: Nkasa Rupara National Park, Namibia

 

 

Today, you will fly to Cuito Cuanavale to visit the battlefields of the dramatic wars of the 1980s, and then on to Katima Mulilo before driving to Nkasa Rupara National Park, on the northern bank of the Linyanti River.

Day 7: Nkasa Rupara National Park, Namibia

Explore Nkasa Rupara on game drives and walking safaris and spot elephants, buffalo, red lechwe and an impressive array of birds.

Wildlife

Finally, for the mammal enthusiast, it may be possible to add in two or three nights to visit the national parks in central Angola to search for the Giant Sable, an animal unique to Angola that has been the national emblem of the country since its discovery in 1909. For decades it was assumed that the Giant Sable (locally known as the Palanca Negra) was extinct, but thanks to the tireless work of Angolan conservation scientist Pedro vaz Pinto, small populations are thriving in two of Angola’s most remote reserves, the Cangandala and Luando.

Days 8, 9 & 10: Sable Alley or Duke's Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

 

Fly onwards to Botswana and the infamous Okavango Delta.The waters from the source lakes have travelled 1,200 km into the Delta creating a maze of channels and lush floodplains that are home to over 120 mammal and 400 bird species. From a base at Sable Alley in the Khwai Private Reserve or Duke’s Camp in the northern corner, you’ll have the chance to enjoy game drives, walking safaris and mokoro trips.

Accommodations

In Botswana, accommodation will be in a variety of Natural Selection camps and lodges. From the light, bright and beautiful luxury of Sable Alley set amid the game-rich floodplains of the Khwai Private Reserve to characterful Duke’s Camp in the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta. This intimately wild and impossibly stylish safari outpost, offers serious safari panache, in an unfiltered African wilderness.

Days 11 & 12: San Camp, Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana

The last stop on the trip is the vast and arid Makgadikgadi salt pan eco-system, where you will witness the waters of the Delta disappearing into the sands of the Kalahari.

Can this trip be customized?

Yes, absolutely. Every Natural Selection safari to Angola is customised to suit each group’s requirements, time frame and budgets. The group size can be anywhere between two and 10 people. The Source to Sand expedition is the full monty trip, but there are options to shorten the trip to 6 nights and visit the highlights of Angola only. Please click here for details.

Ready to book this safari?

This itinerary starts at US$29,000 Per Person/person* and is fully customizable based on the number of people and travel dates.

Start Planning

Additional Information

When to Go & What to Pack:

Like the majority of sub-Saharan Africa, Angola experiences a winter dry season from July to October, and a hot, wet summer from November to March/April. Our expeditions run strictly from July to early October, when the climate is temperate, the skies blue and the sun shining!

As a guide to what to pack, we recommend similar to what you would take on a trip to Botswana or Namibia: plenty of loose, cotton clothes in neutral colours, a sweater or jacket, a broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sun block, insect repellent and lip balm. For footwear, bring sturdy, closed walking shoes and socks (but no need to bring heavy hiking boots). Binoculars and a camera are a must and you may also like to bring swimming kit for the Source Lakes region, and an underwater camera (for example the Olympus TG6).

Policies & Access:

Child policy: Please enquire with reservations.

Disabled access: Sadly, this trip is not equipped for disabled access.

Wifi: There is no Wifi available on this trip.

Excluded: Visas; departure taxes; gratuities for guides; international flights to the starting point (either Johannesburg or Maun); fully comprehensive travel insurance; additional helicopter excursions.

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