Botswana Expedition – 10 Night Mobile Safari

Day 1: Arrival Maun-Charter flight to Xakanaxa Airstrip

Upon your arrival at Maun Airport with SA Link flight 8200 from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg OR SA Link Flight 8604 if you are coming from Cape Town, staff will help you connect with the charter company that will fly you to Xakanaxa in Moremi Game Reserve. Your Guide will be waiting to pick you up from the Xakanaxa Airstrip upon your arrival there. You will do a leisurely drive towards camp arriving late in the afternoon.

After your arrival, and introduced to the crew in Camp, your guide will give a thorough briefing on safety. It is important that you pay attention to all of the safety briefing and adhere to these safety precautions at all times while you are on safari. Afterwards, you will be showed the workings of your accommodations. 

Activities: Game driving towards Camp.

Accommodations: Moremi Mobile Camp

Day 2: Xakanaxa/Xini, Moremi Game Reserve

After early morning breakfast, you set off on a morning gamedrive exploring the different habitats of Xini/ Xakanaxa areas of Moremi Game Reserve. Moremi is well known for good Wild dog sightings. You will break in the middle of the game drive for a hot cup of coffee before resuming again, ending up in camp late morning. Brunch is usually served some 30 minutes after you get back. Brunch is followed by a few hours of leisure in camp, to catch up with some much-needed sleep, a book or even a shower.

High tea is served around 1500hrs and is followed by an afternoon game drive. The direction of the afternoon drive is often determined by what you would have seen in the morning. Sightings worth returning to are visited again and whatever activity ensues will determine whether you will be stopping for a Sundowner or not.  You return to camp just after sunset to a hot shower and a three-course dinner.

Activities: Morning and Afternoon Gamedrives

Accommodations: Moremi Mobile Camp

Day 3: Moving Day- Xakanaxa/Xini to Khwai Concession Area

After breakfast we begin our journey to the Khwai Concession area. We will have a picnic lunch en-route as well as good game viewing before arriving in camp later in the afternoon. The drive takes you in the easterly direction through Mopane Woodland, before coming out at Dombo Hippo pools. This is another likely spot for your picnic lunch.

There are good sightings of Bull Elephants, Giraffe, Zebra and sometimes big heads of Buffalo encountered en-route. Be on the lookout for Roan and Sable Antelope in the Mopane woodland.

The arrival in Khwai is via the picturesque Khwai River, which is often teaming with wildlife drinking in the late afternoons, with arrival in camp expected at 1700hrs. You will have a Sundowner in camp, a hot bucket shower and early dinner.

Activities: Game driving into camp from Maun

Accommodations: Khwai Magotho Mobile Camp

Day 4: Khwai Game Reserve

After early morning breakfast, you set off for a morning game drive, which takes you along the Khwai River and its floodplains looking for Lion, Leopard and hunting Wild dogs. African rivers have resident species like Hippopotamus, Crocodiles and great birdlife. They are also a draw for thirsty wildlife, which in turn attracts predator life.

There is always a Coffee break on a morning game drive, arriving in camp late morning to a hearty brunch, some time to relax in camp, read a book, a little nap or a shower.

After the afternoon tea, you head off for the afternoon game drive, normally in a different direction to the morning activity. This activity can include a short hike/game walk before returning to the vehicle for a Sundowner, which is usually by the river while watching wildlife drinking. You will arrive in camp for a hot bucket shower and a delicious 3 course dinner.

A night game drive may follow before sleep time. But this is an optional activity for those that are interested.

Activities: Morning Game Drive, Afternoon Game Drive, Night Drive.

Accommodations: Khwai Magotho Mobile Camp

Day 5: Moving Day-Khwai Game Reserve to Lower Mababe Depression area

After breakfast, we head out for game viewing along the Khwai River. We later leisurely head to the Lower Mababe Depression area, with a picnic lunch along the way. The distance from Khwai to Mababe is not all that long, but the landscape changes dramatically as you get into the depression. The Khwai River empties into the southern extremes of Mababe depression attracting multitudes of wildlife throughout the year.

Your will arrive in camp late afternoon. A drink in camp and an early shower is followed by a delicious dinner cooked over open fire. A night cap is a norm by the fire while re-capping the day’s sightings.

Activities: Game Drive out of Khwai.  Game drive into Mababe Depression

Accommodations: Lower Mababe Depression Mobile Camp

Day 6: Mababe Depression, Chobe National Park

After the early morning breakfast, you set off to explore the openness of Mababe and its watering points. There are deep waterholes that keep rainwater for many months after the rains and these waterholes are a big attraction to wildlife. But is the Khwai River in the southern most parts of Mababe that is most attractive in the later months of the year.

You return to camp late morning to a hearty brunch and some downtime in camp. High tea will be served traditionally at 1500hrs and just before the start of the afternoon game drive.

The sunsets in Mababe are spectacular due to the open savannah littered with Giraffe and other manner of wildlife ambling from the waterholes or the river, and will be enjoyed with a glass of Gin Tonic in hand. You return to camp after sunset to a delicious 3 course dinner, and a night cap by the fire.

Activities: Morning and Afternoon Game drive

Accommodations: Lower Mababe Depression Mobile Camp

Day 7: Moving day-Mababe to Savuti, Chobe National Park

After breakfast, we head out for game viewing in the Mababe area. We later leisurely head to Savuti, with a picnic lunch along the way. The transit to Savuti takes you through the rest of the Mababe Depression, once part of a gigantic lake that spread across northern Botswana. The sweet grasses of the depression are much sort after by grazing species like Buffalo, Zebra and Wildebeest. But they are many other types of wildlife encountered daily on this route.

After a picnic lunch, you arrive in the greater Savuti area early afternoon. You may just have enough time to drive past some of Savuti’s waterholes. Many Elephants, Roan Antelope, Zebra, Wildebeest Warthog, Giraffe, Tshessebe, Ostrich, Impala are seen at these waterholes daily. It is not a surprise that Lions, Hyenas and occasionally Leopard are seen here too.

Your will arrive in camp late afternoon. A drink in camp and an early shower is followed by a delicious dinner cooked over open fire. A night cap is a norm by the fire while re-capping the day’s sightings.

Activities: Game Drive out of Khwai.  Game drive into Savuti

Accommodations: Savuti Mobile Camp

Day 8: Savuti, Chobe National Park

After early morning breakfast, you set off into Savuti to catch up with the Savuti predator life. The Savuti Lions have been a subject of many documentaries because of their unique skill of hunting Elephants. They are a regular sighting at Savuti waterholes: being Pump Pan, Rhino Vlei, Marabou Pan or Harvey’s Pan. Of late two prides dominate two areas of Savuti. The Northern Pride at Harvey’s Pan and Pump Pan area, and the bigger Marsh Pride at Marabou Pan, Rhino Vlei and Jackal Island. The other predators usually skirt around these two Lion prides, while Hyenas compete directly with them for food.

You return to camp late morning to a hearty brunch, followed by some down time in camp. There is plenty of time to shower, read a book or even catch some nap before the afternoon tea.

Following after the afternoon tea is the afternoon game drive, to follow up on some of the morning sightings. A drive around some of the Savuti’s Kopjes is usually rewarding with Leopard or even the unique Klipspringer being spotted. Black Bellied Bustard, Kori Bustard, Denham’s Bustard, Amur Falcon, Rock Kestrels, Black Shouldered Kite are often seen in the Savuti Marsh area.

A Sundowner at some picturesque area, before you return to camp early evening is in order. Dinner follows after a hot bucket shower and a night cap by the fire.

Activities: Morning Game Drive, Afternoon Game Drive.

Accommodations: Savuti Mobile Camp 

Day 9: Moving Day- Savuti to Serondela area, Chobe National Park

After morning breakfast, you pack the Cruiser and head out for a short game drive in Savuti. A North easterly direction takes you out of Savuti towards Ghoga hills gate, through Teak woodland, the Chobe Enclave area that has small villages of Kachikau, Kavimba and Mabele. Re-entry into the Chobe National Park is at Ngoma Gate.

You will have a picnic lunch at Kachikau or near, and after, a visit to the Kachikau craft shop where you can get yourself a Botswana Souvenir.

The approach into camp takes you along the Chobe River front, where depending on the time of year thousands of Zebras, Buffalo and other wildlife can be seen grazing along the floodplains. There is good Sable Antelope, Roan Antelope and great birdlife along the river the adjacent Teak woodland. There is a rare antelope here only seen in Chobe called Puku.

You get into camp late afternoon to a chilled drink and a hot bucket shower followed by a delicious three course dinner, and a nightcap by the fire.

Activities: Game Drive out of Savuti. Game Drive into Chobe

Accommodations: Chobe River Front Mobile Camp

Day 10: Serondela, Chobe River Front

After morning breakfast, you set off on an early morning drive along the Chobe River in north easterly direction towards Kasane town. Chobe wildlife, including Cape buffalo is drawn to the river in the afternoons and stays on to graze on sweet grasses along the river at night, leaving the floodplains in the morning after sunrise. Chobe Lions are very often seen in tow behind the Buffalo, looking for an opportunity for weakness.

You will have brunch at the Oldhouse in the town of Kasane.  At noon, a short walk to the Jetty to start a three-hour Boat cruise on the Chobe River, before returning to camp by road, arriving in Camp at Sunset.

Activities: Morning Game Drive. A Three-hour boat Cruise. Afternoon Game Drive

Accommodations: Chobe River Front Mobile Camp

Day 11: Transfer to Kasane Airport/Vic Falls

After morning breakfast, you leave camp for the last time, and drive leisurely towards Kasane town. Guests extending to Victoria Falls will be switching transport in town that will be taking them to Victoria Falls. Guests flying from Kasane to Johannesburg, with SA LINK FLIGHT 8307 will have brunch at the Old house before a short transfer to Kasane Airport for onward connections.

Activities: Morning Game drive/Transfer to Kasane Airport/Drop off in Kasane for a link to Vic Falls.