Economy Victoria Falls - Zambia / Botswana Safari
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Days 1 & 2
Thorntree Lodge - Zambia
Arrive Johannesburg on Lufthansa 572 at 8:50am. Depart on BA 6285 at 11:25am to Victoria Falls, arriving 1:00pm.
Met by Afro Ventures and transfer by road to The Thorntree Lodge, situated on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi River, 15 kilometers upstream from the Victoria Falls.
It boasts a central lounge/dining area with an open sundeck overlooking the Zambezi River.
There is also a swimming pool with a water-level bar, deck and thatched lapa. Thorntree accommodates 18 guests in individual lodges with en-suite shower, toilet and hand basin. All lodges have a veranda with deck chairs and a private view of the river. All food, meat, fruit and vegetables are fresh and are prepared and served to the highest standards by experienced chefs and waiters. An assortment of pre-dinner snacks are prepared and enjoyed on the deck at sundowner time. All drinks ranging from cordials and soft drinks to beers and spirits are supplied.
You can choose to be as active as you wish. Some options are: Morning and evening river cruises, game drives into the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park where common sightings are elephant, white rhino, giraffe, impala, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and a wide variety of birds. Cultural visits, sightseeing visits to the Victoria Falls on the Zambian side and to the Dambwa Market for curio shopping. Adventure activities such as white water rafting, canoeing, river boarding, bungi jumping, microlighting and helicopter flights can be booked while staying at Thorntree Lodge.
Days 3 & 4
The Garden Lodge - Kasane, Botswana
Sunday morning Afro Ventures will transfer you by road to Kasane airport, arriving at approx. 1pm. A driver from The Garden Lodge will meet you here and drive you to The Garden Lodge, in Kasane, on the banks of the Chobe River. Located in Botswana's far north, 70 km from Victoria Falls, 16km from Kazungula (the meeting point of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia) and 300 km from the Okavango Delta. The Garden Lodge was built with the specific intention of offering personal service to a small number of guests. The lodge has six bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and private verandah overlooking the Chobe River, truly a garden lodge.
The combination of unlimited water and constant sunshine allows hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillea, banana and paw paw to grow in profusion. Guests love the garden and the prolific birds attracted to the flowers and fruits.
The lounge and dining room are furnished in teak and wicker. Guests have the choice of sitting inside under the thatched roof or outside by the swimming pool. Meals are generally served at one table, which allows guest to meet each other, and often the conversation continues well after the meal has ended! The bar is upstairs and overlooks the Chobe River. It is informally known as the Map Room due to the large number of maps hung on the walls.
Chobe is a hot, dry region and for most of the year the wildlife is dependent on the river for water, making for truly spectacular game drives and boat cruises. The lodge activities revolve around game viewing by vehicle and boat into the Chobe National Park with its estimated 70 000 elephants, huge herds of buffalo and daily sightings of lion only 2 km away. Impala, sable antelope, giraffe, warthog and numerous other species are also seen here. Traditionally, early morning game drives and late afternoon boat cruises are safari routine; the Garden Lodge can be more flexible. The guides know from experience a herd of bull elephants drinks in the middle of the day before swimming across the Chobe to feed in Namibia. If guests particularly want to see swimming elephants, they are happy to change the routine by taking the boat in the middle of the day and a game drive in the late evening. This flexibility is not possible in the bigger lodges.
For fishermen, the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers are on the doorstep of the Garden Lodge. The Chobe River is a tributary of the mighty Zambezi River, home to the famed tiger fish. The Garden Lodge will supply all the tackle needed to catch these monsters, but respectfully request guests to practice catch & release. Keen birders will have a field day, with over 500 species in the area.
Guests seeking an insight to tribal life will appreciate a mokoro (a traditional dugout canoe) trip to villages in Namibia. Your guide will take you from Botswana to Namibia by mokoro and on foot through the villages. He is a local and will enjoy the opportunity to explain village life and traditional beliefs and customs to you.
Activities at Garden Lodge include game drives, boat cruise, mokoro trails fishing and village walk.
Days 5,6,7
Semetsi Camp - Okavango Delta
The Garden Lodge will transfer you to the Kasane airport for your departure at 11am on Delta Flyer to Ntswe Airstrip. From the airstrip, it is a 10-minute transfer on foot and by mokoro to the camp.
Semetsi Camp is located on Ntswe Island, deep in the heart of the Okavango Delta, where a grass covered stream of crystal clear water flows, bringing life to the waterways & floodplains that surround Semetsi Camp. Located on the South Western edge of the Okavango Delta, the seasonal Boro River flows out the front, separating the camp from Moremi Game Reserve.
In the presence of your professional guide, you will explore the area in a mokoro (dugout canoe) - silently pushing through the winding channels, and also on foot, walking with your guide.
This area is rich in birdlife and you may encounter game at a close range - either while relaxing in camp as Lechwe graze before your tent, on a mokoro as Crocodiles sunbathe on the water's edge or on foot, watching Elephant plucking mopane leaves. Uninterrupted by vehicles, this is a unique way to observe game. Other animals you may encounter are Kudu, Lion, Hippo, Zebra, Leopard and many more.
Semetsi Camp is a bush camp with 8 permanently erected tents on raised platforms, lighted by paraffin lamps. Shared bathroom facilities with running hot and cold water, flush toilets and a laundry service are provided for your comfort out in this African wilderness paradise. The dining area is an open reed building with a canvas roof.
On a typical day: A light breakfast is taken at sunrise, followed by a morning walk or mokoro excursion. Return to Semetsi Camp for brunch and siesta, going out again in the afternoon for a walk or mokoro excursion. Dinner is served and the evening can be spent relaxing around the campfire, enjoying the sounds of the bush.
Activities are Mokoro Trails and Wilderness walks. Excursions and game walks across into Moremi Game Reserve are accompanied by a licensed guide.
Days 8 & 9
Starlings Camp
Depart Semetsi Camp from Ntswi airstrip on Delta Flyer to Maun. Met upon arrival and transfer by road to Starlings Camp, known as 'The Edge of Freedom'. This will be approximately a 3-hour transfer with game drive enroute. Starlings Camp lies on the edges of the Gomoti River's floodplain, a basic tented safari camp offering travelers 93,000 hectares of private wildlife viewing.
Water from the seasonal Gomoti River can bring renewed life to the southern part of the renowned Moremi Game Reserve, luring large herds of plains game and the predators that inevitably follow in their wake. Sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog are amongst many of the possibilities afforded by this exclusive environment. Afternoon and evening game drives allow you to experience the excitement of viewing nocturnal predators on their 'home turf.
Starlings Camp is a 16 bed photographic lodge that places emphasis on providing guests with a return to the Classic African safari experience. The camp offers comfortable accommodation in en-suite meru style tents. The position of each tent allows panoramic views of the Gomoti river floodplain. Tents are all en-suite with hot and cold running water, a shower and flush toilet. The main area of the camp, nestled under shady Acacia and Marula trees, is the focal point and it is here that all meals are served. A fully stocked cash bar and comfortable lounge area provide a relaxing venue to meet new friends and discuss the day's adventures around a campfire.
Days 10, 11, 12
Leroo-La-Tau Bush Camp - Makgadikgadi National Park
You will be driven from Starlings Camp to Maun airport. Met here by a driver from Leroo-La-Tau Bush Camp and transfer to the camp, about two hours drive. Leroo-La-Tau is built on the 25m high cliffs above the Boteti River that forms the western banks of this very unique Makgadikgadi National Park.
The Boteti River bed winds through the Kalahari, which is referred to as a desert only because of the lack of surface water during the dry winter months. Leroo-La-Tau desert heat is notorious for enveloping almost all signs of life during the day, contrasted by the cooler nights when the Kalahari awakes. From dusk till dawn the night is alive with the sounds of the wild, the very essence of a land of varied contrasts and infinite African beauty.
The area neighbors a quaint Motswana village where a traditional way of life uncovers the cultural heritage of the safari area. During years of average to low rainfall the Boteti experiences one of Botswana's most spectacular Wildebeest and Zebra migrations during the dry season (May to October). People visiting this time of year could be lucky enough to witness the congregation of thousands of African safari animals along with the ever-opportunistic predators that follow them.
Leroo-La-Tau Camp offers guided walks, nature drives and spot light night drives within the camps area as well as cultural excursions in the neighboring village. These activities usually take about 2 hours per activity and although guests do see large game, activities emphasis is on experiencing the beauty of the Kalahari and sharing the wonders, which together constitute this very delicate African ecosystem. One of your days here you will enjoy a day trip with a picnic lunch to Nxai Pan National Park and Baines Baobabs.
Accommodation at Leroo-La-Tau is based on the East African style Meru tents with en-suite facilities designed to bring comfort without losing the rustic feel of the "African Bush". Each tent has a raised deck giving spectacular views. The central lodge complex under thatch consists of a lounge, dining area, bar and curio shop.
Day 13
Departure to Johannesburg and home
You will be transferred to the Maun airport for check in at 2:00pm for Air Botswana BP 211 departing at 3:00pm to Johannesburg, arriving 4:40pm. Depart on Lufthansa 573 at 7:15pm. (International flights - own arrangement)
Total cost $ 8,300.00, for two passengers, twin sharing, excluding international airfare.
The price of your safari includes everything in Africa except:
- International airfare to/from South Africa.
- Meals in Johannesburg.
- Thorntree Lodge - Park fees per activity, adventure activities.
- Starlings Camp - all drinks, Moremi Park fee (approx $12p/p per day) if you enter the Park, Mokoro Trails, Shandereka Day trips.
- There may be other activities on offer at the camps which will be payable direct should you choose to participate.
- Premium drinks.
- Tips for staff.
- Items of a personal nature, telephone, fax, laundry at Garden Lodge.
- The luggage restriction is 15kg p/p in soft-sided bags. Any costs incurred due to excess luggage will be payable direct.
- Increase in fuel prices, currency fluctuations, vat increases.
- Passport fee, Zimbabwe visa $30 p/p, Zambia visa $25 p/p, and health inoculation charges.
Emergency medical evacuation insurance is included at all the above lodges and camps.
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