BOTSWANA'S GREAT HERDS ITINERARY:
Day 1 United States
We board our international flight bound for South Africa.
Day 2 Johannesburg
We touch down and transfer to the Westcliff Hotel, situated
in the city’s most exclusive residential suburb. The Westcliff’s
hillside setting with cascading, sculpted gardens and elegant
accommodations evoke a bygone era of refinement in this renewed
and vibrant city. Dinner will be served in the private home of
our Micato hosts—the first taste of the personal attention we’ll
enjoy over the next two weeks.
Day 3 Okavango Delta
Today we fly to Eagle Island Camp, our home for the next few
nights and the only camp in Botswana to offer helicopter game
viewing! Nestled on a tranquil island, it’s a luxurious escape
in a beguiling wilderness. Under a cooling canopy of Illala
palms, we take in the winding waterways and expansive
floodplains of this remote paradise under wide African skies.
With our expert guides, we set off into the bush for a glimpse
of the area’s ample wildlife.
Day 4 – Day 5 Okavango Delta
In these postcard-perfect surroundings, we continue our
exploration of Okavango’s flora and fauna—by foot, dugout canoe
(mokoro), motorboat—or via an included
game-viewing flight by private helicopter! Breathtaking moments
are plentiful: watching crocodiles sunning themselves by the
water or a pride of lions lounging in the shade of a baobab. The
delta is teeming with over 1100 species including giraffes,
leopard, hippos and elephants among so many others. Later, a
refreshing drink beckons at the Fish Eagle Bar, which The New
York Times calls one of the world’s most romantic bars.
Day 6 Chobe National Park
From Okavango, we’ll take a quick flight to the semi-arid
Savute region of Chobe National Park. Famous for elephants,
Chobe also boasts a swath of other fascinating
wildlife including buffalo, lion and a spate of exotic bird
species. This is a chance to see the Kalahari Desert at its
best: unique and abiding, a remarkable corner of the planet
that is still governed by nature.We’ll stay at Savute Elephant
Camp, a lavish escape ideally located for exploration of these
alluring wilds. With a waterhole only a few feet
away, an impressive view of wildlife is available without even
leaving camp.
Day 7 – Day 8 Chobe National Park
We are now at the centre of a classic big-game country and
there is thrilling evidence all around us. Set unobtrusively on
the banks of the now-dry Savute Channel, Savute
Elephant Camp offers a fantastic base to explore this famed
wilderness. Whether it’s the hulking mass of a bull elephant
herd or the exciting sight of a large pride of lion, we’ll see
what makes this region a wildlife-viewing Eden. We’ll also come
within close viewing range of impala, giraffe, wildebeest and
zebra. One animal is master of the Savute, however—the elephant.
The region is ideal for spotting Earth’s largest land creatures
in all of their imposing glory.
Day 9 MoremiWildlife Reserve
We’ll catch another short flight to one of Botswana’s oldest
safari lodges—Khwai River Lodge. This legendary camp, opened by
the first president of independent Botswana,
will make us feel pampered amidst the wild surroundings.
The location is ideal for elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and
cheetah sightings—and the camp blends so well with the
surrounding bushveld, it’s not uncommon to see some of them from
our private deck.
Day 10 – Day 11 MoremiWildlife Reserve
Game viewing opportunities abound in the area around Khwai
and no experience is more diverse and jaw-dropping than at
nearby Moremi Wildlife Reserve. Here we are close to the core of
timeless Africa; in the centre of a world that is immortally
wild. Whether driving along a roaming zebra herd or watching
baboons play along the riverbank, nearly every turn of the head
seems to offer a spectacular menagerie of exotic animals.
Returning to camp, lounge by the heated pool and perhaps glimpse
a pod of hippo playing in the river. At night we lie under a
star-speckled sky,
basking in the calming cacophony of the African night.
Day 12 Victoria Falls
We’ll be whisked away by flight to Livingstone, Zambia,
where we’ll enjoy a leisurely cruise along the legendary Zambezi
River. Retiring to the five-star Royal Livingstone
Hotel, our thoughts turn to the wonder that awaits us in the
morning.
Day 13 Victoria Falls
This morning we visit the venerable Victoria Falls. Nothing
will prepare us for the pure, humbling power of this regal
sight. Continuing to the heli-pad for our “Flight of Angels,”
we’ll get a bird’s eye view of this colossal cascade in full
perspective; an elephant-back trek is another option. The
experience will inspire breathless awe and the stunning
images will linger in our imagination for years to come.
Day 14 Johannesburg – United States
After breakfast, we fly to Johannesburg for international
connecting flights home—where we can reflect on a true trip of a
lifetime. We arrive home on Day 15.
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