A Look at Botswana

Day 1: The Grace Hotel - Johannesburg

Arrive Johannesburg in the morning. Met and transfer to The Grace Hotel located in the heart of stylish Rosebank, a secure, leafy suburb of Johannesburg. The Grace is within one block of one of Jo'burg's most exclusive shopping precincts. An eclectic mix of over 200 popular restaurants is within easy walking distance of the Grace, as well as several excellent art galleries.

Day 2-4: Xugana Island Lodge – Okavango Delta, Botswana

You will be collected at 7:30am and transfer to the Johannesburg airport for check in at 8am. Depart on Air Botswana at 10:00 to Maun, Botswana. Enjoy a scenic flight from Maun to Xugana flying over the southern of the Okavango Delta with large lagoons and river systems spread out below you. From the Xugana airstrip a boat will take you on a 10-minute ride into Xugana, situated on the Xugana Lagoon.

This beautiful Lodge, situated on a wooded island abutting the lagoon, takes full advantage of this magnificent site. The thatched common area, comprising cocktail bar, lounge and curio shop, is still the original building put up in 1974, when Xugana became only the second tourist lodge ever built in the Okavango Delta. Meals, for which the lodge is justly famous, are taken alfresco on the edge of the lagoon, except on those rare occasions of rain when the lounge doubles as the dining room. The lodge swimming pool is a unique construction, allowing guests to swim in the clear fresh water of the lagoon protected by a heavy metal cage, designed to deter "fat Albert" the crocodile, a long-time lagoon resident. Spend two nights here enjoying the peace and tranquility that the Okavango is famous for. Mokoro or boat excursions are lead by professional guides who will share their knowledge with you of medicinal plants and folklore of the area.

Day 5-6: Zibalianja Camp - Selinda

Depart on your flight from Xugana airstrip to Selinda Airstrip. Met and transfer to Charter to Zib camp in the Selinda reserve. Zibalianja Camp is a small intimate four-tented camp located on the edge of the northern Linyanti Swamps, near the Zibalianja Lagoon. Its position on a tranquil palm island, in an immense sea of blonde savannah grassland, affords it a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding floodplains. This cosy camp accommodates only six guests, in three twin-bedded "Meru" tents, each with its own private, raised deck and en-suite facilities. Game passes in front of camp, across the plains, to reach the waters of the lagoon. A canvas dining area and bar atop an anthill completes the facility, making this a true safari camp in the old African traditional style.

This beautiful area of Botswana offers excellent wildlife viewing as the Selinda Spillway, a watercourse linking the Okavango Delta to the Linyanti Swamps, forms a floodplain wonderland where great herds of zebra, elephant, wildebeest, buffalo and red lechwe converge to drink and graze... and with them come their predators for this is big cat country too. This area is wonderful for lion and it is featured in the National Geographic film "Eternal Enemies" where conflicts between hyenas and lions are well documented. Cheetah and leopard along with wild dog and more also call Selinda home!

Wake early in the morning and fall asleep at night to the sounds of the impala mating call, the hippo's chortle, and the lion's rumble off in the distance. Your hosts at Zibalianja will make your stay an unforgettable experience here in the heart of Botswana's remote bushland.

Day 7-9: Jack's Camp - Makgadikgadi Pans - Kalahari

Depart Selinda airstrip on your flight (approx 1hr 20min) to Jack's airstrip. Jack's Camp and San Camp are unique in that they are the only permanent camps to offer a chance to explore and understand the Kalahari. Their concession adjoins the Makgadikgadi National Park with its endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands. Desert palms line the horizon... behind them are the huge salt pans of the Makgadikgadi. Jack's Camp was originally established in the 60's by Ralph's father, the late Jack Bousfield.

The Camp has been completely refurbished in a traditional East African 40s safari style. Eight green canvas tents - authentic, but comfortable and stylish, include many thoughtful and unique details... Roomy, classically styled tents with private bucket showers and flush loos are set into a palm grove creating an oasis of civilization in what can be the harshest of stark environments. Persian rugs underfoot and cool cotton sheets form a striking contrast with the rugged wilderness viewed from the comfort of one's own veranda.

A visit to this area is essential for anyone interested in evolution and the origins and explanation of the Okavango Delta and Botswana’s big picture.

It is also a complete desert experience focusing on species unique to the area such as gemsbuck, brown hyaena and springbuck, as well as the geology, archaeology and anthropology of the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Jack's and San Camp are the only places where guests are guaranteed to see the rare and elusive brown hyena in the whole of Africa.

Many of the guides are fully qualified zoologists/Geologists, often working on PhD research. As such, they are most able to convey all the nuances of the desert and the adaptations of its inhabitants, which are considered to be one of the most interesting features of this environment.

The Makgadikgadi is also one of the most important wetland sites remaining in Africa. In the wet season, the Makgadikgadi’s Pans fill with water attracting flocks of flamingo and other migratory birds. The area is also the only place in Southern Africa where one is able to see a migration of tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebra followed by predators. Although migrations do occur elsewhere in Botswana, the tree cover prohibits a view of the magnitude that we are able to see due to the exposed nature of the surrounding grasslands.

The Makgadikgadi, a relic of one of the world's largest super-lakes, dried up thousands of years ago as a result of the continued shifting of the earth’s crust. When the Pans are dry, to travel where conventional vehicles cannot, and to guard against scarring the Pan's crust, we utilize four-wheel drive quad bikes. Venturing far into the middle of the Pans, we are able to explore remote archaeological sites, periodically discovering sites never before documented such as fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo. Theories as to how and when this vast geographic phenomenon was formed vary. Our aim is to attempt to unravel some of the mysteries while providing the sophisticated traveler a first class traditional safari.

Dry Season activities include the extensive usage of 4WD quad bikes, exploring undocumented archaeological sites and discovering early hominid settlements. Night drives to view unique desert wildlife (brown hyaena, aardvark, aardwolf, and game walks with local Bushman trackers to observe desert wildlife (gemsbuck, suricate/meerkat, springbuck) and learn about their vanishing way of life.

Day 10: The Grace Hotel – Johannesburg

Morning charter to Maun airport for transfer to Air Botswana to Johannesburg. Met and transfer to The Grace Hotel.

Day 11: Departure from Johannesburg

Morning at your leisure, or perhaps take a day trip to visit Soweto township where the modern South Africa was born, before being collected in the afternoon for transfer to the airport for your flight home.