Botswana Adventure Safari

Come and have high-tea with our herd of 20 resident giraffe! A real highlight when staying at Thamo Telele. Take a afternoon drive (or walk) to the local waterhole, perch yourself peacefully under the trees enjoying a sundowner and snacks, and wait for our unique ungulates to come and say hello. This is an ideal opportunity to closely observe giraffe displaying their natural behaviours. And whilst the giraffe are feeding, a whole host of other plains game and birdlife will join in on the action too. This unique experience, led by our naturalists on hand, is one not to be missed. You’ll learn all about giraffe conservation throughout Africa and the education programmes at Thamo Telele, as well as how to identify each giraffe by their unique patterning. Each of them has a Setswana name, and if in doubt there is an identification book for referencing to get it right.

Grab your comfiest walking shoes, your bino’s and ask at reception about the various self-guided nature walks you can do around the 250-hectare reserve. The well-marked trails are an ideal way to safely explore this private reserve while stretching your legs after or before a long flight while taking in the wonder of our wooded forest and diverse grasslands. The reserve is free of predators but abundant

in bird life and plains game. You’ll come across so many magical sightings, from the smallest critters, to beautiful big trees. And if you happen to stumble upon our resident giraffe, enjoy quietly observing them on foot.

Saddle up to explore this exquisite private reserve on horseback! You’ll embark on a professionally guided outride (forall level riders). This is an exhilarating way to get up close and personal with our resident giraffe, zebra and all the plains game that reside on the reserve.

Calling all bird lovers! Grab your binos, your bird book and your Natural Selection birding checklist to enjoy your very own birding safari at Thamo Telele. Being on this private reserve with over 300 species of birds, this is a hot-spot for bird lovers and a peaceful way to spend your time bird watching along the banks of the Thamalakane river.

Choose an early morning or afternoon bike ride on our nature trails. We offer off-road safari bikes and biking helmets for individuals, couples, or families with children. Choose guided or self-guided rides. You can also book a day’s biking safari where a professional guide will take you from camp, along the

Thamalakane river and off towards the buffalo fence looking for animals. But please note that bike excursions must be booked in advance.

Heli from camp to enjoy a scenic helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta. This is an incredible opportunity to appreciate the vastness of the Delta when seeing it from above. From your seat, door off (or on) you’ll be able to spot game, take exceptional photos and follow the waterways and animal

pathways that shape this ancient wilderness.

Experience Botswana beyond wildlife and go on a cultural tour of the safari town of Maun. Learn about local customs and traditions from your host, intermingled with their own personal experiences. Feast your senses on the sights, smells and sounds when walking through the vibrant market place. Taste some traditional dishes at a local Café. Meet some of our resident talents and admire their crafts. Look

out for the BaHerero women dressed in their big, elaborate and colourful dresses. Try your hand at the ancient practice of basket weaving and hear the stories behind the beautiful patterns. This is an authentic glimpse of life in Botswana and an experience not to be missed.

Take game drives and night drives in custom built 4x4s to spot the unique desert wildlife that inhabit the pans, like the elusive brown hyena or Kalahari lion. Your experienced safari guide will help you discover a desert landscape, pulsating with life. Complete with bush picnics, morning coffees and chilled drinks.

Get up close and personal with our families of habituated meerkats. Head out from camp at sunrise, so that you are ready to tail these delightful omnivores as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (advised by your guide) and if you take a seat you might be lucky enough to be mistaken for a termite mound, where you'll be used as a look out point for predators.

Discover the secrets of the pans with the Zu/’hoasi Bushmen on a fascinating bush walk. See this ancient desert landscape through their eyes. These skilled hunter gatherers will show you how to survive, using their extraordinary tracking skills to uncover a smorgasbord of culinary delights... from bulbs, to scorpions, to berries. Spending time with them is a very rare privilege.

Saddle up to explore this wild, unspoilt area in the same way many of the earliest explorers, hunters

and missionaries did – on horseback! You’ll embark on an adventurous outride (for all level riders). This is an exhilarating way to spot wildlife, cantering along the crusty salt flats and following the animal

highways that bring life to the Makgadikgadi Pans.

This is pure desert adventure! Take an exhilarating quad bike across the salt-crusted pans (all pan activity is weather permitting and dependent on the dryness of the pans). You’ll feel total freedom as you trek across this vast and ancient landscape, discovering so much about the remnants of this once super lake.

Seasonal: April - October

Visit the site of the Fallen Baobab, one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and the camp site for Livingstone and Selous..

Witness the second largest migration in Africa. A stonking spectacle of black and white stripes

as approximately 30,000 zebra and wildebeest migrate across the Makgadikgadi Pans, followed closely by stalking predators, waiting for the rich pickings of tired hooves. This is a wildlife explosion and an experience not to be missed!

This really is an unforgettable experience. Enjoy a helicopter flight over the Makgadikgadi Pans, doors off (or on), to take in the vastness of this desert landscape. You’ll go in search of the zebra and flamingo migrations (if timed correctly), get dropped on an island of baobabs for lunch, do a bit of sunset sky surfing as you follow the palm tree linings and tell all your friends about it all when you get home.

If you are in need of some serious time out, then one of our spa treatments is your perfect escape. Our professional therapist will put you in seventh heaven. Book a back massage overlooking the Makgadikgadi Pans or enjoy a relaxing spa treatment from the privacy of your tent. Whichever you decide, you’ll walk away feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Grab a fat bike and peddle around the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is a really fun activity for the whole family, and an ideal way to get some exercise. These bikes can easily cruise over the desert terrain, taking you along 4x4 tracks and around the crusty salt flats. Keep a look out for sightings of wildlife, while breathing in the beautiful scenery, alongside the desert silence.

The Makgadikgadi Salt Pans are one of the most important breeding sites in southern Africa for

the lesser and greater flamingos. These flying flame birds, arrive in their millions during seasons of good rain, when millions of small shrimp and other crustaceans crack through the salty pan crust to spawn. The result, a pink extravaganza in the heat of the desert. You can also heli to Sua Pan to view the flamingos in Mar - Apr (scenic helicopter flight must be booked an an additional cost).

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

This is one activity that screams safari. Hop on our comfortable game viewing vehicles for a morning and afternoon/evening game drive. Your safari guide has all the expertise and knowledge to find you some of the best kept secrets and most loved wildlife in the area.

Grab your comfiest walking shoes, and experience a guided walk through the bush with your trusted safari guide. You’ll come across so many magical sightings, from the smallest critters, to beautiful trees and birds. Learn how to track spoor and identify the different grasses and other interesting fauna and flora that make up this beautiful eco-system.

A visit to our underground viewing hides (we have two), is definitely a must-see and a highlight for most guests. Experience intimate eye-to-eye encounters with a wild variety of thirsty visitors while in a safe structure. Each sunken hide is built at a bustling waterhole, with comfy game viewing chairs on which to perch, and enjoy the view.

Enjoy a scenic helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta. This is an incredible opportunity to appreciate the vastness of the Delta when seeing it from above. From your seat, door off (or on), you’ll be able to spot game, take exceptional photos and follow the waterways and animal pathways that shape this ancient wilderness.

This is one activity that screams safari. Hop on our comfortable game viewing vehicles for a morning and afternoon/evening game drive. Your safari guide has all the expertise and knowledge to find you some of the best kept secrets and most loved wildlife in the Okavango Delta.

This is one of the most iconic Okavango Delta experiences. Wind your way around the crystal clear waterways on mokoro. Your experienced guide, will pole you amongst the lily pads and weaving sandbanks, to show you the ebbs and flows of this incredible eco-system.

Jump on board our delta boats to cruise the Okavango waterways. Your experienced driver and guide will show you some of the best river sightings and sunsets. Keep a look out for birds, crocodiles, hippo and exciting game coming to quench their thirst, while you moor up along the river bank sipping a sundowner. This is what safari boat cruising is all about.

A fabulous activity for families with kids. We’re all about catch and release so ask your safari guide to hook you up with a couple of rods. Your experienced guide will pole you amongst the lily pads and weaving sandbanks, showing you the ebb and flow of this incredible eco-system.

Calling all bird lovers! Bring your binos, your bird book and your Natural Selection birding checklist to enjoy a birding safari in the Okavango Delta. Your safari guide will show you spectacular birds, and is at the ready to answer all your birding questions.

Head out with the Khwai Private Reserve Rangers at dawn to see the last nocturnal animals going to bed, before the diurnal’s wake-up for the day. Being the first vehicle out you’ll be the first to find fresh tracks, helping the rangers with the predator identification (all sightings are logged and recorded). You’ll spend your morning tracking, patrolling and visiting conservation projects. Enjoy a packed breakfast out in the bush with the rangers, they will get you back to camp just before lunchtime.

Go on a cultural visit to Khwai Village, located next to Khwai Private Reserve. You’ll learn about the Kgotla (meeting place in the village) its history and traditions. Visit Khwai Pre-Primary School to enjoy interactions with the teachers & children. Meet the ladies doing traditional basket weaving, as well as visit the Kachokachoka, a traditional healer who’ll teach you about traditional medicine & local beliefs. Tour can only be booked once guests are in camp (no pre-bookings). There are strict dress guidelines when entering the Kgotla to show respect. Book a consultation with the traditional healer (additional cost).

Enjoy a scenic helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta. This is an incredible opportunity to appreciate the vastness of the Delta when seeing it from above. From your seat, door off (or on), you’ll be able to spot game, take exceptional photos and follow the waterways and animal pathways that shape this ancient wilderness.

If you are needing a little me time, then this is the perfect activity. Book a back massage or enjoy a relaxing spa treatment while in between game drives and wildlife adventures. This is safari self-indulgence without any guilt allowed.