The Great Botswana & Namibia Safari - Natural Habitat

Itinerary

Day 1: Windhoek, Namibia

Upon arrival, transfer to Olive Grove poised above NamibiaÂ’s former colonial capital, which retains its German character. Tonight you meet for an informal welcome dinner.

Days 2-3: Sossusvlei Sand Dunes

Fly to Little Kulala, amid massive gold-orange dunes that rise a thousand feet from the floor of the oldest desert in the world. Amid this arid clime you may find springbok, gemsbok, ostrich, bat-eared fox and aardwolf. Discover the desertÂ’s quiet magic on short walks and game drives, returning to the comfort of your camp for matchless sunsets and stargazing.

Days 4-5: Damaraland / Skeleton Coast

Follow the Skeleton Coast by air, where you may see the remains of shipwrecks on the beach, to the port city of Swakopmund. On a private boat cruise in Walvis Bay youÂ’re likely to see seabirds, Cape fur seals and dolphins. Inland, you come to Damaraland, where stark desert is cooled by early-morning mists from the coast. Explore the austere and rocky terrain on foot and by four-wheel-drive vehicles, tracking the uniquely desert-adapted elephants and watching for ostrich.

Days 6-7: Etosha National Park

Drive to Etosha National Park, an ancient lakebed where perennial springs draw a plethora of game. Your lodge is set on an extensive private reserve with access to NamibiaÂ’s best wildlife viewing. You will take day and night drives and walks, and watch animals up close from hides. A myriad of species reside here, including black and white rhino, elephant, lion, cheetah, gemsbok, springbok and hartebeest.

Days 8-9: Okavango Delta, Botswana

Leaving the dry Namib Desert, you fly to another realm entirely: the Oka­vango Delta, where the river pours over the sands of the Kalahari in a green maze of canals and lagoons, sustaining a profusion of wildlife. You stay in solitude at Xigera Camp in the Moremi Game Reserve. There is water here year-round, and you glide silently in a mokoro – a traditional dugout canoe – spying a host of animals and birds on the banks.

Days 10-12: Northeastern Okavango Delta

Today you depart by light aircraft and journey deep inside the Selinda Con­cession, a huge private reserve on the dry floodplains edging the delta. The remote camps here are only accessible by air, and you stay in old-style luxury beneath spreading shade trees. On game drives and bush walks you look for elephant, buffalo, wild dog, hyena, leopard, lion, cheetah, roan and sable antelope, and large herds of eland.

Days 13-14: Linyanti Concession

A game drive takes you into Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, one of the best game-viewing regions in Botswana. Elephants thrive in the mopane woodlands, especially in winter when they number in the thousands. Your camp, Duma Tau, is built on raised boardwalks over­looking a hippo-filled lagoon. Day and night drives may reveal all the large predators as well as impala, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest lechwe, tsessebe and other plains animals.

Day 15: The River Club, Zambia

Fly to Chobe National Park for more of Botswana’s magnificent big game. Famous for its vast herds of elephants, the park is also home to feline predators and plenty of hoofed beasts. You enjoy lunch aboard a game-viewing boat cruise down the Zambezi River before entering Zam­bia, en route to the River Club. At this elegant Edwardian-flavored lodge facing the sunset, elephants and hip­pos often frequent the riverbank.

Day 16: Victoria Falls / Home

Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and arguably the most stupendous water­fall on the planet. Your epic explora­tion comes to a fitting end with a guided tour to the falls, followed by a transfer to the airport.