A premier wildlife experience combining both water and land safaris
Personalised journeys from start to finish
Every trip helps support Conservation
Every detail taken care of
Itinerary highlights
- Walking with the bushmen of the Kalahari
- Exploring the Okavango Delta by boat
- Exhilarating game drives in the Moremi reserve
- Incredible animal spotting in one of the world's best country's for safaris
What's included
- Land and water based game drives lead by specialist guides on Safari
- Luxury accommodation throughout
- Meet and greet airport service
- Full support from your Travel Designer and Concierge before, during and after your trip
At a glance
Discover Botswana with a safari adventure across land and water. Start in a luxury camp in the Kalahari plains before moving onto the Okavango Delta and the Moremi Game Reserve.
We’ve handpicked the very best accommodation in each area and you’ll be in the careful hands of expert guides to ensure that this trip is your most memorable yet.
Start your trip in the semi-arid savannah of the Kalahari: a game drive to spot the elusive black-maned lion and an interpretive walk with the Bushmen in their ancestral home will make your stay an unforgettable experience.
Once you’ve reached the Okavango Delta, you will have the chance to explore it by boat. Enjoy zooming down the waterways in a motorboat, or a more tranquil floating experience by a mokoro – dugout canoe – allows you to get up close to nature. You will have the opportunity to see elephants, hippos, tiny coloured reed frogs and most importantly, the incredible birdlife that this area is known for.
Your final destination is the Moremi – proclaimed a game reserve in 1963 under the leadership of Chief Moremi III’s wife. Located in the eastern and central part of the Okavango Delta, the Moremi includes Chief’s Island and the Moremi tongue. This area has one of the most diverse ecosystems on the continent and is also the only officially protected part of the Delta, so has a special significance to scientists and environmentalists. Here you can enjoy exhilarating game drives, with lots of big game sightings; in particular, the lion versus buffalo interaction is a big draw.
Example trip itinerary
Central Kalahari Game Reserve
On arrival at Johannesburg airport you will be met airside by a Jacada representative as you enter the terminal building. You will be fast-tracked through immigration, assisted with baggage collection and assisted to your onward arrangements.
Flight
Flight from Johannesburg to Maun
Flight
Light aircraft flight from Maun to the Kalahari Plains airstrip
Spend your days here in the remote wilderness of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve on amazing safari activities. Look out for unusual animals such as honey badgers, take a visit to Deception Valley and learn the traditions of the resident Bushmen.
Experience the astonishing wildlife of the Kalahari semi-arid sandy savannah with a game drive in an open 4x4 vehicle lead by an expert guide. You'll be on the look out for the area's star attraction, the legendary Kalahari black-maned lion and will have the chance to see black rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, giraffes and warthogs as well as other smaller mammals and migratory birds.
Start the day early for an exceptional experience: an interpretive Bushman walk. This unique excursion is lead by camp staff members who hail from an ancient Bushman clan and will give you an insight into their daily life with a fascinating walk in the immediate camp area, their tribal home. You'll come away with an understanding of traditional Bushman dress, hunting techniques using bows and poisoned arrows and explanations of the various uses of the plants and animals found in the area, revealing their long standing culture and connection with the wild bush.
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Light aircraft flight from Kalahari Plains airstrip to Maun
Flight
Light aircraft flight from Maun to your next camp in the Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta
Lodges and Camps in the Okavango Delta
Okavango Delta
Highlights
- 14 spacious rooms (including two family rooms) split into two seperate camps of seven each.
- Private plunge pools
- Lounge and dining area
- Morning, afternoon and night game drives
- Bush walks
- Mokoro trips
- Boat trips
- Seasonal fishing on catch and release
- Birding
- Cultural visits
Overview
Botswana’s mesmerizing Okavango Delta is now brighter than ever with the newly transformed (as of 2022) Vumbura Plains. Nestled in a large private concession of 60,000 hectares in the far north of the Delta, the camp is enveloped in some of the most incredible landscapes, home to some of the best wildlife encounters in the area.
Inside, the camp celebrates its sense of place and culture, with design elements that pay homage to its wonderful setting with patterns, textures and colours bringing nature inside. Rooms at the lodge are amongst the biggest in the delta, all open plan, with a sunken seating area, private shaded deck and swimming pool outside as well as indoor and outdoor showers. There is an amazing sense of space here, in keeping with the wide-open plains that the rooms face onto. The rooms are open on three sides (with netting) giving a feeling of being closer to the nature and wildlife whilst still remaining is absolute comfort.
The local connections continue throughout the camp experience.The menu celebrates seasonal produce sourced directly from local farmers, suppliers and artisans.
Activities here are a mixture of game drives and water activities which will vary according to the level of the water and the time of the year. You will find day and night drives, walks and mekoro (dugout canoes) activities, with hot-air ballooning – from April to September each year – as well as scenic helicopter flights, making Vumbura an exclusive destination for the discerning adventure-seeker.
→ Find out moreThe impact of your stay:
- Wilderness, through its lease of land from the Okavango Community Trust, contributes annual fees that directly benefit the local community. By relying on tourism funding, they have successfully conserved over 2.3 million hectares of land across the continent. Their commitment extends beyond conservation, as they actively engage in education and community upliftment programs, ensuring a sustainable future for Africa’s wilderness.
- In collaboration with CLAWS near the Vumbura Concession in the Okavango Delta, Wilderness plays a crucial role in supporting the Communal Herding and Wildlife Friendly Beef initiative. This innovative project not only safeguards cows from wild animals but also empowers local cattle farmers economically. Simultaneously, it ensures effective management of cattle to protect rangelands, showcasing the dual impact of community empowerment and environmental conservation.
Okavango Delta
Overview
Nature meets comfort at Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp to create a unique safari experience of both land and water game activities.
Set on the edge of the beautifully remote Okavango Delta, this rustic camp boasts just nine tents with a maximum of only eighteen guests staying here at one time. Each tent provides a large en-suite with shower and w/c facilities, while a private deck offers stunning floodplain views. The rest of the camp includes a dining room, sitting room, pool and safari shop.
With a wildlife wealthy location, watch out for the impressive animals that reside in this area including buffalo, elephants and hippos plus the big cats such as lions, leopards and cheetahs. The varying range of land and water based excursions on offer consist of bush walks, exciting mokoro and power boat trips plus day and night safaris in 4×4 vehicles.
→ Find out moreOkavango Delta
Overview
Organic and hand-woven, private and intimate, Sandibe is an architecturally unique hideaway deep in the mighty Delta. Dressed in shades of copper and wood, the lodge’s grand and high interiors open out to even grander views, with spacious decks offering a spectacular spot to drink in the resident wildlife.
Emerging among riverside trees in a private concession come the eight elegant suites, each exuding a sense of laid-back luxury. Filled with giant king-sized beds, outdoor showers and sparkling private plunge pools, they provide the perfect comfort after a day of spotting the Big Five on exhilarating game drives.
An alfresco banquet of Pan-African cuisine is then cooked up by expert chefs, while the relaxed but attentive butlers ensure you enjoy an entirely seamless stay.
→ Find out moreOkavango Delta
Overview
Africa’s ultimate water-focused safari has recently reopened with a new look and feel, allowing guests to discover a unique and dramatic ecosystem in total luxury.
Hidden from the world, deep within Botswana’s Okavango Delta this lodge is located on one of the Delta’s most pristine natural locations with a myriad of waterways, palm-treed islands, and vast flood plains. Ideal for simply relaxing in a beautiful area, Eagle Island Lodge offers you the chance to experience some beautiful tranquillity in a quiet and mildly wild corner of the Delta.
Between November and December the water levels are low enough for you to experience the surrounding areas in game vehicles. April through to October is best for water activities and although game is harder to find, the birdlife is magnificent during this time of the year.
Each of the luxury air conditioned tents are housed on raised wooden platforms, offering great views, and shaded by a traditional African thatch roof. The large private decks are furnished with easy chairs and a hammock, ideal for viewing wildlife, or for enjoying a private dinner in complete privacy. The tent interiors are luxuriously appointed with such comforts as an en suite bathroom and a four poster bed complete with mosquito netting.
Each of the lodge’s spacious Deluxe Tented Rooms now boasts its own plunge pool.
→ Find out moreOkavango Delta
Overview
On an island in the Okavango Delta, Wilderness Jacana Camp is the ideal river camp for travellers who want to explore this rich area of Botswana from the water.
Five tented en-suite rooms are perched on stilts above the water; there’s a refreshing plunge pool overlooking the river; and the dining area is located on a platform surrounded by wild date palms and two grand sycamore fig trees. After dinner, there’s an open-air lounge with a fire pit around which guests can sit and reflect on the sightings of the day.
From the camp, you can explore the floodplains and papyrus swamps by mokoro (dug-out canoe). You might spot all sorts of wildlife, from crocodiles to the rare spotted-neck otter. Birdlife is also prevalent, including waterfowl and Pel’s fishing owl. Without even having to leave the camp, you can often see elephant and hippo drinking and cooling off in the water.
Aside from river safaris, you can go on game drives in the dry season, or spend an afternoon – or even the night – in one of the camp’s raised ‘hides’, from which you can spot Okavango wildlife.
→ Find out moreOkavango Delta
Highlights
- Local community engagement through the Okavango Community Trust
- Plunge pool overlooking the wilderness
- Family-friendly suites available
- Private safaris and nature walks
- Canoeing, fishing and helicopter rides available
Overview
Set within the swishing grasses and leafy jungle of the Okavango Delta, Little Vumbura is classic Botswana at its best. Expect to see elephants roaming on the outskirts of the camp, snacking on the fruits that drop from nearby mangosteen trees, and bring your binoculars to spot myriad birds flitting about the channel.
You’ll eat meals crafted by expert chefs, who utilise local ingredients by farmers and producers within the region, and be able to relax by refreshing plunge pool on the reading deck, which overlooks the grassy plains.
Each of the tented suites here offer a private hideaway within the wilderness, with views across the channels and plains beyond the camp, which often teem with wildlife. Animals aren’t the only thing worth watching out for here, though: spend evenings on the secluded star deck for spectacular sightings of stars and constellations in the night’s sky.
→ Find out moreThe impact of your stay:
- Wilderness, in collaboration with CLAWS, is making strides in stabilising lion populations in the Northern Okavango Delta through the Pride in Our Prides project. This initiative involves providing lion collars that serve as a crucial tool to alert community members when lions approach their villages. These collars are linked to virtual fences, or geofences, automatically activating alerts upon the proximity of a collared lion. This innovative approach significantly reduces lion/livestock mortalities, fostering a harmonious coexistence between communities and wildlife.
- The Wilderness school infrastructure programme is actively enhancing access to education for children residing in rural areas around wildlife protected zones in Botswana. By improving learning environments, this initiative contributes to the educational development of children in these remote regions.
- Having strategically placed camps across the continent, Wilderness has successfully conserved over 2.3 million hectares of land. With ambitious aspirations for the future, they aim to expand this conservation effort to 5 million hectares by 2030. This vision underscores Wilderness’s commitment to preserving natural landscapes on a substantial scale.
The Okavango Delta is rightly known as one of the premier wildlife habitats in the world, home to an enormous density and diversity of wildlife. There’s something quite magical about the Delta, with its amazing sunsets, the sound of the frogs at night, and the elephants wading through the reeds, all combining to make an unforgettable stay.
One of nature’s great spectacles, the flooding of the Delta, brings water from thousands of miles upstream in Angola, arriving into Botswana in the dry season where it spills out into the desert creating an incredible network of channels and lagoons. Huge herds of animals flock to take advantage of the ready supply of water and flourishing grasses, and their predators follow.
The Okavango Delta is known as one of the premier wildlife habitats in the world, home to an enormous density and diversity of wildlife. The flooding of the Delta brings water from thousands of miles upstream on the Okavango river, arriving into Botswana in the dry season. Huge herds of animals flock to take advantage of the ready supply of water and nutrients, and their predators follow. You'll have the opportunity to witness this spectacle as you ride through the reeds as the sun goes down in a ‘mokoro’ - a traditional dug-out canoe - or in a speed boat. Your Okavango-born guide and poler will help you to spot tiny frogs, hippo, crocodile, the elusive sitatunga and colourful waterbirds such as Pel's Fishing-Owl, Slaty Egret, Wattled Crane and a host of raptors, other waterbirds and colourful kingfishers.
Flight
Light aircraft flight to your next camp in Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi Game Reserve
Lodges and Camps in the Moremi Reserve
Moremi Game Reserve
Overview
Overlooking the vast and lively floodplains of the Moremi Game Reserve, this exclusive lodge is composed of 15 luxury tents seated on raised wooden platforms with traditional African thatch roof.
Private decks with easy chairs and hammocks provide panoramic views and rooms are equipped with opulent, four-poster beds. Inside the main area you’ll find a comfortable lounge stocked with chess sets, a TV with a library of wildlife videos, comfy couches, a fireplace and a bar. There’s also a 20 meter pool, a stylish dining area with wooden tables, a small reference library and a curio shop.
A raised observation deck houses a small telescope for relaxed game viewing from the comfort of the lodge across the river where hippos often congregate and other species such as lion and antelope come to drink.
→ Find out moreMoremi Game Reserve
Overview
Nestled in the dense treeline of the Khwai River, the ten luxury tents of the Machaba Camp sit overlooking the Moremi Game Reserve. Faithfully reproducing the original style of a 1950s safari, this camp provides an authentic experience of the African bush.
Machaba is perhaps more simple than other luxury safari camps in Botswana, but in many ways the straightforward, yet elegant design only adds to its appeal. Rooms are equipped with comfortable twin beds and a cloud of inviting cushions, featuring homemade rugs and large armchairs also – you won’t lack for comfort here. All tents are en-suite with large, private outdoor showers. The two family tents are perfect for those wanting a bit extra space or bringing children along for the trip.
During your time at Machaba spend your days out on safari, tracking big game, and your nights around the communal fire, swapping stories of your adventures.
→ Find out moreMoremi Game Reserve
Overview
Alongside the Maunachira River which flows through Xakanaxa Lagoon within the world renowned Moremi Game Reserve, Okuti Camp sits right in the middle of one of Botswana’s prime game viewing regions.
Okuti comprises of five twin-bedded mosasa (an ancient tribal word for house of reeds) on raised teak decks with river views, each with en-suite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers with hot and cold running water.
The honeymoon unit features a double bed, bathtub, indoor and outdoor shower. An additional two family units consist of two bedrooms which share spacious bathroom facilities – ideal for families in this child-friendly camp.
With water flowing in front of the camp, guests can also explore the Delta’s waterways by motorboat, its open lagoons and winding channels a real birder’s paradise. The Moremi Game Reserve itself is rich in wildlife with consistent year-round game viewing, ripe for an action packed safari aboard specially designed vehicles.
→ Find out moreAlthough just under 5,000 square kilometres, Moremi is a surprisingly diverse reserve, combining a patchwork of lagoons, shallow flooded pans, plains and forests. It is one of Africa's finest areas for wildlife, with particularly high game densities. The reserve is a sanctuary for many animals and known for its large herds of plains game such as buffalo, zebra and wildebeest, as well as being home to many predators including lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah and hyenas.
Today, you'll go on a game drive in the game rich Khwai-Moremi area on the eastern tongue of the Okavango Delta in an open 4x4 vehicle lead by an expert guide. You'll be on the look out for big game such as elephants lions, leopards, cheetah, giraffe, hyaena, jackal, African Wild dog, impala and red lechwe.
Enjoy your last day on a thrilling safari in the Moremi Game Reserve. This pristine wilderness is packed with more animal species than anywhere else in Africa. Your expert guide will bring you to the best locations within the reserve for spotting predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, hippo and rare sitatunga.
Flight
Light aircraft flight to Maun airport
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Flight from Maun to Johannesburg
We design private journeys for people who wish to go beyond the typical and experiencing something truly special. Our amazing team of travel designers, concierges and local guides work together to create unique journeys that get deep under the skin of where you’re visiting.