The 8 day Botswana safari offers the country’s top wildlife experiences. The trip takes you to Okavango Delta for mokoro rides and nature walks, you then visit Moremi Game Reserve and Khwai Concession for game viewing. It also features Chobe National Park, home to Africa’s largest elephant herds
Trip summary
Day 1: Arrival at Maun Airport
Day 2: Transfer to Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta)
Day 3: Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango Delta)
Day 4: Transfer to Khwai Community Area
Day 5: Explore Khwai Concession
Day 6: Transfer to Savuti (Chobe National Park)
Day 7: Transfer to Chobe RiverFront
Day 8: Visit Victoria Falls and departure
Detailed Trip itinerary – 8 Days Botswana safari
Day 1: Arrival at Maun airport in Botswana
On arrival at Maun international airport, you will be welcomed and picked by the company tour guide who will take you to the hotel where you will spend your night. If you arrive early you might choose to explore the nearby attractions. You can take a leisurely stroll around the city and try out some local food at Marc’s eatery and buy souvenirs at Duck cafe. Visit the Nhabe museum and learn about Ngamiland tribal heritage which outlines the culture and history of Okavango delta. The museum also features the Bailey Arts Centre, where local artists can create, produce and sell various works. For instance, baskets, screen prints, paintings and pottery. Dinner and overnight stay at Thamalakane River Lodge, the Waterfront, or Maun Lodge.
Day 2: Transfer to Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango delta)
After breakfast depart for Moremi Game Reserve either by road or by air. The journey takes around 3 to 4 hours and between 30 and 45 minutes to fly. The drive takes you through mopane woodland on a wide dirt open road. After you pass the cattle fence which separates wild animals and livestock so as to prevent foot and mouth disease, your drive becomes a game drive and you’re likely to spot animals like elephants. If you arrive by plane, the lodge or tour operator will meet you at Moremi airstrip. When you arrive in Moremi, you’ll be driven to your lodge for lunch, enjoying a short game drive along the way. If you’re on mobile safari, you will go straight into the bush and have a picnic lunch surrounded by nature. In the afternoon, you’ll head out for a game drive in a 4×4 safari vehicle. The area has a variety of wildlife species like elephants, lions, leopards among others.
Moremi Game Reserve is located on the eastern side of Okavango Delta. It is the oldest protected area of the Okavango Delta covering 40% of the region with areas like Mopane Tongue and Chief’s Island. The reserve was named after Chief Moremi III of the Batawana tribe. Before Moremi was recognised as a royal hunting ground but now the Chief Island hosts the highest number of animals in Botswana. On your safari in Moremi you will be able to explore the mopane woodlands, floodplains, lagoons and forests. You will also be able to see all the Big Five here, however the rhinos are just limited to the Chief’s Island where they are safe from poachers. Other animals include African wild dogs, giraffes, hippos and plenty of plain game. After a few hours exploring the wild and spotting animals, you’ll return to your lodge or camp to relax and enjoy dinner. Dinner and overnight stay at Mombo camp, Eagle island camp, Stanley’s camp and Little Mombo camp.
Day 3: Full day exploration of the Moremi Game Reserve (Okavango delta)
You will have breakfast and later go for game viewing in different regions of the reserve. For instance in the Mopane Tongue region, a dry peninsula located in the east of the Moremi game reserve. This region is known for hosting a number of wildlife for instance, herds of Elephant, antelopes such as Tsessebe, Buffalo, lions among others. Explore the lush vegetation seeing other wildlife species. Return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon go for game drives in Chief’s Island located in Mombo Concession of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Delta. This is a great time to spot predators as they typically become active after a long day of resting. You can take part in mokoro rides through the waterways of the Okavango Delta and bush walks where you feel at one with nature. You will find large herds of elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, white rhinos, cheetah, and hippo plus many more species of wildlife all over the whole of Chiefs Island. The island is also an ideal for bird watching with species like malachite kingfishers. Moremi Game Reserve has a curfew during dry season so you’ll head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Transfer to Khwai Community Area
After an early morning breakfast, you’ll go for a morning game drive in Moremi before travelling onwards to Khwai Community Area. To access Khwai Community Area you can use different options as you can either take a short bush flight or travel by road. The better option would be traveling by road because the drive takes you through the reserve giving another chance to see wildlife along the way. The journey takes 4 hours by car or 15-30 minutes by plane. When you reach your lodge, a warm lunch will be waiting for you. If you’re on a mobile safari you’ll stop for a picnic lunch on route to Khwai. In the evening, you’ll go for a game drive in the Khwai area. Since Khwai is a private concession, the night game drives are permitted. This will offer you a chance to explore the area after the sunset and look for the nocturnal animals like civets, spring hares and genets. Keep an eye out for the porcupines and aardvarks.
You might also get an opportunity to spot the threatened pangolin if you’re very lucky. Afterwards, you’ll return to your camp or lodge for dinner. Overnight and dinner at Khwai leadwood and Khwai Lediba.
The Khwai Community Area is a private area located in the northeast of Okavango Delta bordering Moremi Game Reserve to the south, Chobe National Park to east and the private Kwara Concession to the west. The area is famous for its predators with high concentrations of lions, leopards, hyenas and cheetahs. The concession also has a healthy population of wild dogs as well as elephants, zebras, giraffes, sable, buffaloes, elands and hippos. The area is owned by the native San people and has over 400 people in the community today. Before Khwai was a hunting area formed by the local people but now it is managed as a conservation area. This offers an opportunity to talk to locals and participate in their traditional practices. For instance story telling, music and dance, and demonstrations of bush craft skills.
Day 5: Exploration of the Khwai area
After an early morning breakfast, go for a morning game drive when the animals are more active. This is the best time to spot predators in action. The area has a healthy population of leopards as well as den of lions and packs of African wild dogs. After a few hours of exploring different regions of Khwai Community Area, you’ll return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you can set off for a mokoro experience. These traditional canoes offer an opportunity to spot wildlife at a close range. You will be able to see the delta from a different perspective. Later return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Savuti (Chobe National Park)
Day 6 of 8 days Botswana safari starts with another game drive in Khwai so you can spot some more animals and explore new areas you didn’t visit. Later head over to Savuti in Chobe National park. The journey takes 3 to 4 hours drive or 30 minutes flight. If you want to prolong your trip experience, driving will be the best option. You will enjoy a slow drive through the reserve sighting wildlife and other tourist attractions along the way, for instance passing through the Dead Tree Forest in the east of Khwai. Have next stop on the edge of the Mababe Depression. Alternatively if you want to cut down on travel time, you can take a bush flight. It takes 30 mins to fly. You will be able to enjoy the aerial view of the reserve. Check in your lodge and a hot lunch will be waiting for you.
Savuti also known as Savuti Marsh lies in the west of the Chobe National park and covers an area of 6200 square miles.
This area was once a home to an enormous lake but due to tectonic movements, water supply was cut off causing it to dry up. However the river remained and the Savuti channel is unpredictable as it flows and dries up sometimes completely. Besides the channel, Savuti has several habitats like savannah grassland and mopane woodlands which supports a variety of wildlife species. Some of these include; giraffe, elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, wild dog.
The area also boasts over 450 bird species and some of these include; kori bustard, red-billed francolin and secretary bird. You can go for an evening game drive in Savuti in a 4×4 vehicle with a local guide. Dinner and overnight stay at Belmond Savuti Elephant Lodge, Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge, or Savuti Safari Lodge. For a luxurious experience under canvas, Camp Savuti is a popular choice.
Day 7: Transfer to Chobe RiverFront
This morning you’ll head off on your final safari in Botswana. Enjoy a 4 hour drive from Savuti to Kasane. You can also prefer to use flights which take less than an hour. The town lies in the northeast of Botswana near the border of Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Have lunch in Kasane town and later go for a boat cruise at Chobe riverfront. This is an excellent way to observe hippos, crocodiles and elephants up close without causing disturbance, along with other animals that gather at the riverbank. Boat cruises tend to last around 3 hours and give you front-row seats to unparalleled animal encounters and great good points for photos too. Alternatively you can opt for a game drive along the riverfront. You will later return to Kasane where you will spend your night.
The Chobe River is the main water source in the area lying along the northern boundary of Chobe National Park. The river attracts wildlife from miles around for instance, huge numbers of buffaloes, elephants, and lions are often spotted and other plains game. Most safari activities are conducted on the river since it gives access to other inaccessible parts of Chobe National park. Dinner and overnight stay at River View Lodge, Chobe Marina Lodge, and Sunbirds Hotel Chobe.
Day 8: Visit Victoria Falls and departure
After breakfast, you will embark on an hour-long journey to Victoria falls in Zimbabwe depending on how long you spend at the border crossing. It’s a good idea to arrive early at the border to avoid the long queues which can escalate the whole day. You will need to pay for a visa on arrival and payments depend on your nationality. In case you want to view the falls from the Zambia side too you should mention it since you’ll need to be able to re-enter Zimbabwe after seeing falls in Zambia. There’s a special Kaza Univisa that costs US$50 and allows multiple entries between Zimbabwe and Zambia over a period of up to 30 days. The border crossing takes about 10 minutes and then you drive through the mopane woodland. Different animals can be spotted at the side of the road.
Pass through the Victoria falls town which offers a gateway to Victoria falls, the world’s largest waterfall. The falls are 1.7 km wide and drop 108 meters into the Zambezi Gorge. Locally Victoria falls are known as “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” meaning “The Smoke that Thunders.”
It takes around 3 hours to view Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwean side which is the most spectacular side. There are 16 different viewpoints and each offers breathtaking views than the last. However, the last viewpoint can get you pretty wet so make sure to bring some rain coats. Afterward, you can cross the bridge into Zambia, go through immigration, and enjoy another perspective of the cascades from a different angle. You are allowed 3 hours for this side too. On the Zambian side there is Devil’s pool where travelers can swim up to the edge of the falls. This pool is usually open only between mid-August and mid-January. However many visitors combine a stop at Devil’s Pool with a boat trip to Livingstone Island which is in the middle of the river. Dinner and overnight stay at Victoria Falls Hotel, Shongwe Lookout, and Pamarah Lodge in Zimbabwe’s Victoria falls town.