Maun to Okavango Delta…

Day 1: You will meet your safari guide at Maun Airport, at 12h30, unless you are coming off international flights, which will generally land at 13h00. From here you will fly on a small charter plane to a landing strip near Shakawe, where Okavango Spirit is moored on the pristine waters of the Okavango River.

The Okavango Spirit operates in the Panhandle area of the Okavango Delta, Northern Botswana. This area is recognized as being amongst the quietest and most peaceful in the delta, due to its remoteness. There are only a handful of permanent camps and boats operating in this wilderness area, which make it ideal for our discerning guests.

Once on board, we will slowly make our way to your first sleep-over point, where you will spend the evening taking in the breathtaking scenery surrounding you and soaking up the peace and tranquility from your private deck or the comfort of your bed.

Day 2: Today gives you the exciting opportunity to get onto our smaller game viewing boats, so that we can take you on various activities in the area. These include bird watching, boat safaris and a visit to Tsodilo Hills – an absolute must see!

Tsodilo Hills is a World Heritage Site and is about 50km southwest of Shakawe, in a dry, bush-covered and softly undulating landscape. The site consists of four hills that rise abruptly, to about 400m, from the dry expanse of Bushveld.

Having been inhabited for about 30,000 years, they’re one of the world’s oldest historical sites. The Hills are home to more than 4,000 San Bushman paintings – probably the most important collection of rock art in Africa. Perhaps even more remarkable is the resonant atmosphere of spirituality that inhabits Tsodilo Hills. Several walking trails provide helpful routes around the painting sites. Among the interesting paintings are paintings of whales and penguins that suggest contact between the San Bushman and other people.

End your day with an evening sundowner cruise on the river. As the water ebbs and flows, keep an eye out for elephant eating papyrus shoots on the banks around you, listening to the iconic fish eagle calls, as night falls.

Spend The Night In Our Mobile Tented Camp, In The Heart Of Nature…

Day 3: Today we hop off the houseboat on the Northern banks and travel by road heading into a private game concession in the Okavango Delta (NG12). This area boasts some of the best game viewing in the Okavango Delta and has areas of dry lands rising between vast wetlands, crystal clear water channels on the edges of mopane and apple-leaf woodlands.

Game viewing takes place alongside waterways and floodplains. Species such as giraffe, zebra and wildebeest are but a few that occur here, along with an astonishing variety of birds. This is also one of the best places to see big cats and wild dog in the delta.

Game drives and activities vary from one trip to the next, depending on sightings and animal activities. Generally, we drive quite far and slowly to absolutely maximize game-viewing potential. Here you can also enjoy a night drive, looking for all the elusive nocturnal creatures that hide from sight during daylight hours.

Tonight you will spend the night in one of our luxurious mobile-tented camps, which will place you in the heart of nature. After a delicious dinner, sit around the crackling fire taking in the sights and sounds that surround you. While sitting around the fire looking for shooting stars, your experienced guide might point out a pair of pearl spotted owls calling one another as they perch on the branches in the trees dotted around.

Day 4: Wake up to the smell of coffee and a delicious rusk, before jumping in the game-viewing vehicle at first light. Today we make our way to the banks of the Okavango River along game-drive routes keeping a lookout for wildlife slowly waking from their slumber. This is also one of the most iconic areas of the delta to see large numbers of elephant.

We will explore the clear channels, lagoons and rivers of the Okavango Delta by traditional mokoro, going upstream through a myriad of crystal-clear waterways lined with African mangosteen and water berry trees, as well as swaying seas of papyrus.

We follow the Okavango River in the direction of the lagoons deep into the permanent waters of this unique inland delta. Birdlife is prolific – kingfishers, fish eagles, ducks and beautiful pygmy geese are regularly seen. What a truly magnificent experience, and nothing compares to the peace and tranquility that you will feel as you sit on the water, weaving your way along the twisting channels. Keep an eye out for the small painted reed frogs that cling to the papyrus, a rare and unique sighting. As well as the beautiful waterlilies, that dot their way along the banks.

Once back at camp, it’s time for a moreish dinner, before settling next to the warm fire to reminisce about the day’s adventure.

Spend Your Time Watching Herds Of Elephant Splash & Snort Around The Waterhole…

Day 5: You have an early start this morning; leaving after breakfast we make our way to a remote airstrip and charter a plane to Hyena Pan. A cosy and comfortable tented camp overlooking a magnificent forest of cathedral mopane trees and a watery lagoon in the heart of the Khwai Private Reserve.

A 200,000-hectare area of pristine wilderness in the northern reaches of the famous Okavango Delta. You’ll spend the next two days in one of the most beautifully iconic landscapes in Botswana.

Hyena Pan itself overlooks a watery lagoon from a forest of cathedral mopane, a mere 12 kilometres north of the Khwai River. This area offers an abundance of game all year round. From the camp, keep an eye on the comings and goings at the waterhole from either the comfort of your tent, the lounge sofa or the mini-splash pool.

Spend your afternoon in underground hide, a favourite amongst photographers and a true highlight for visitors. Your afternoon game drive will take you across dry plains and along the Khwai River, so be sure to keep your binoculars at the ready for predators, majestic elephant, buffalo, incredible birdlife and hordes of plains game.

Day 6: After an early morning game drive, we head back to camp for a delicious breakfast. Here you’ll get to spend your time watching herds of elephant splash and snort around the waterhole, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own room for top-notch wildlife-watching. Climb atop a five-metre high elevated platform close to camp, for some awesome game spotting. Or enjoy a game walk with one of the informative camp guides.

Your meals at Hyena Pan are wholesome and tasty. Your last night will be spent in the open-air boma with an evening nightcap. When darkness falls, the waterhole will be illuminated for some incredible nocturnal wildlife watching.

Kalahari / Boteti River / Makgadikgadi National Park…

Day 7: You have an early start this morning; leaving after breakfast we jump on a 35-minute charter flight back to Maun. Today you will also get to experience the thrill of a scenic flight over the lush Okavango Delta, spotting big game and seeing the beautiful waterways that make up the islands to form the shapes of the delta.

From Maun we drive on towards Meno a Kwena, which is situated between the wetlands of the Okavango Delta and the deserts of the Kalahari, on the edge of the Makgadikgadi National Park. It offers spectacular scenery and endless horizons. In migration season a large number of zebra occur here. This is a truly unique experience, as well as an extraordinary opportunity to witness unforgettable sunsets.You’ll get the opportunity to explore the Makgadikgadi salt pans, remnants of a once massive inland lake. This shimmering, salt-baked setting is iconic in its beauty and size.

Meno sits in an awesome location, perched on a rocky clifftop above the Boteti River, overlooking the Makgadikgadi National Park – a completely contrasting location, wildlife and habitat to the green and rich Okavango Delta regions you have just come from. Here you’ll enjoy your afternoon watching the wildlife at the river below; an evening spent in total harmony.

Day 8: The safari never stops at Meno a Kwena, this hidden gem perched on a rocky clifftop above the Boteti River in Botswana. With a glittering roster of activities, you can enjoy a day trip to the Makgadikgadi Pans, guided walks with the San bushmen, and a wildlife-watching boat trip (season dependent), here there is plenty of adventure to experience.

But sometimes, the best game viewing is where you least expect it, and at Meno, it’s right in front you. From their lofty position, the ten tents look down on a menagerie of animals at the water below, from herds of majestic elephant, to dazzles of nomadic zebra – all you need to do is sit back, and take it all in.

The camp was originally used by Southern Africa’s legendary explorers, and although they’ve added a few little touches here, and some little quirks there, it’s refreshingly and stylishly simple.

And actually, the real treat at Meno is the connection with nature; when an elephant provides your alarm call in the morning, and you can game view straight from your private veranda, nothing else really matters.

Makgadikgadi to Maun…

Day 9: Enjoy a leisurely start this morning, leaving after breakfast we make our way to Maun. You’ll spend your last day and night at Thamo Telele, situated on a luxurious private game reserve located twenty minutes from the safari town of Maun.

The lodge is perfectly situated in a 250-hectare private reserve on the banks of the Thamalakane River, twenty minutes from the safari town of Maun. It offers an abundance of wildlife including giraffe, zebra, springbok, ostrich, eland, gemsbok and kudu, as well as an extensive variety of bird life.

Here you will be able to spend your last day relaxing in the comfort of your private and spacious tent or romantic honeymoon suite. At Thamo Telele, it’s not only about comfortable accommodation and family friendly hospitality.

Spend your afternoon enjoying various activities; including getting to experience the giraffe, on foot, horseback, or take a relaxing massage at the spa. This is your choice of escape and adventure!

Your last evening will be spent underneath a canopy of stars, enjoying a delicious candlelit dinner on the lodge’s expansive deck, this truly is the perfect way to end your incredible safari!=

Day 10: The next morning transfer to Maun for your onward journey.