Travel from the world’s largest inland delta to one of Africa’s greatest rivers on this tailored exploration of the waterways of Africa, all the while staying in some truly exceptional camps and lodges, including the only two Relais & Châteaux properties in Botswana.
Learning how to take pictures like a pro with a professional wildlife photographer in the Okavango Delta.
Soaring above the delta on a ‘doors off’ helicopter flight, then landing in the wilderness for a champagne picnic.
Feeling the wind on your face as you travel by speedboat up the Zambezi River.
Spotting lion, elephant, buffalo and more in Zambezi National Park.
Relaxing after game drives in your suite’s private plunge pool at all three of this itinerary’s recommended hotels.
Upon arrival in Maun, take a light aircraft flight to Duba Plains airstrip in the remote northern region of Botswana’s famed Okavango Delta. From the airstrip it’s just a five-minute transfer to Duba Plains Camp, an intimate camp of just five bespoke tents, each with its own plunge pool and private dining area.
The Okavango is the jewel in Botswana’s crown, a lush oasis in the middle of the Kalahari Desert, about the size of Switzerland, where crystal-clear rivers, lily-clad lagoons and grassy floodplains hide hippo, elephant and a host of other wildlife. Duba Plains is the only camp within a 33,000-hecatre private concession within the Okavango Delta. The concession is rightly known for its high concentration of predators, lions and leopards in particular, but is also a great place to spot lesser-known species like aardwolves and pangolins. Come evening, watch the chefs put on a show in the interactive kitchen, preparing five-course tasting menus right before your eyes.
Take a light-aircraft flight to the Selinda Airstrip and transfer to Selina Camp on the banks of the Selinda Spillway, an ancient waterway linking the Okavango Delta to the Linyanti wetlands. The camp sits within the 130,000-hectare Selinda Reserve, one of a handful or private reserves that make up the Linyanti area, and comprises just three luxurious thatched suites, each with a raised veranda, private pool, four-poster bed, professional camera kit and high-quality binoculars.
Huge herds of elephant and buffalo can be spotted throughout the year here, but game reaches its peak during the dry season of June to November, when animals congregate around the waters of the spillway, affording frequent sightings of lion, leopard, cheetah and African wild dog, not to mention giraffe, hippo, eland and sable. A particular camp highlight is searching for the famous Selinda Lion Pride, made famous by the National Geographic film ‘Birth of a Pride’, created by camp owners, Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
Take a light aircraft flight to Kasane near the border with Zimbabwe, then travel overland in a private vehicle to a jetty on the Zambezi River, from which you’ll travel by speedboat to Mpala Jena, an exclusive tented camp in a private concession within Zambezi National Park, just a little upstream from Victoria Falls.
Accommodation will be in one of the camp’s four open-plan safari tents, each of which overlook the river and feature private plunge pools, four-poster beds, indoor and outdoor showers and private wooden decks. The park itself is home to a huge host of wildlife, including high concentrations of elephant and buffalo, hyena, leopard, zebra, wildebeest and more lions per square kilometre than any other park in Zimbabwe. Spend your days on game drives, bush walks and boat cruises, go fishing for tiger fish from June to December, or head downstream for a guided tour of ‘the smoke that thunders’, mighty Victoria Falls.
Travel by river and road on day 10 to Victoria Falls Airport to catch your flight to Johannesburg and on to the UK.