Chester & Rose - Africa's Eden Pre Tour

The Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Expedition is Desert and Delta Safaris' newest and most immersive cultural adventure. This journey offers a deeply soulful journey into Botswana's rich cultural heritage, providing the rare chance to explore two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Okavango Delta and Tsodilo Hills, known locally as "The Mountains of the Gods." The Sleep-Out Expedition is intimate and complimentary for Nxamaseri Island Lodge guests staying three nights or more (booking and weather-dependent). To elevate this experience further, secure this journey as an Epic Experience, which promises exclusivity, helicopter transfers and other incredible perks.

The camp accommodation is basic yet beautiful and accommodates a maximum of eight guests and two children. There are twin/double pods (two adults per pod maximum) plus one family dwelling with two pods accommodating a maximum of two adults and two children (under 16 years old). Private outdoor bathrooms are positioned next to each tent. They include a “bush toilet” and an innovative and eco-friendly bucket shower, as well as a basic vanity. Activities include hiking the Male Hill, trekking to ancient rock art, and being hosted by the region's oldest custodians, the San People.

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Nxamaseri Island Lodge is a prime destination for lure fishing from March to December. Tiger fish are indigenous to the area and provide thrilling angling for both experienced and novice fishermen.

Guided excursions through the deeper channels and lagoons of the Okavango Delta in hard-bottom aluminum boats. The boats are equipped with comfortable seats, a foldaway canvas roof and life jackets.

Enjoy a guided tour of one of Botswana's greatest treasures, the Tsodilo Hills. The tour takes you up the male hill - one of the highest points in Botswana before giving you the opportunity to explore and enjoy the hundreds of rock art paintings which surround the hills. Guided by local expert guides, the Tsodilo cultural tour is a rare opportunity to experience Botswana's unique cultural heritage.

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out Credit: Desert & Delta Safaris

Bush walks on the surrounding islands offer the opportunity to track the larger species that inhabit the water wilderness. The birding in the Okavango Panhandle is exceptional and guided walks give guests the opportunity to spot some of the rare species in the area.

Guided mokoro excursions in traditional dug out canoes. Guests experience the shallower channels and floodplains of the Okavango Delta.

Because walking through pristine wilderness that has no sign of a human footprint remains one of Kweene's key ingredients, Beagle Expeditions have left a vast portion of the area inaccessible to any motorized transport. Here, they bring back the safari experience of old: walking through wildest Africa.

The morning walking expeditions can be as long or as short, as intense or as modest, as your ability allows; they tailor make this at the time of your safari. However, as temperatures are much milder in the mornings and the duration of the morning activity generally longer, they prefer to conduct their walking safaris in the morning.

The Kweene River system is characterised by a combination of seasonal and occasional swamp habitats. Here the river receives water - normally - on a yearly basis with the inundation cycle of the annual Okavango flood dynamic. This section of the river is an exposé of exceptional Okavango Delta scenery and its wildlife; endless floodplains with well-wooded islands dotting the plains and all year round surface water drawing in an abundance of wildlife.

When water levels permit (generally May/June to Aug/Sep) the Kweene area has the luxury of unrivalled mokoro territory: vast open floodplains that allow you to see for miles and miles, reinforcing the solitude and wilderness and silence that the Beagle team have grown to treasure and to crave. Their mokoro (dugout canoe) excursions are normally combined with morning walks. Utilizing this age old mode of transport inherent to the lives and peoples of the Okavango Delta, they can further access normally inaccessible territory, and hop from island to island as you adventure and explore these pockets of habitat and the wildlife within.

Game drives along a crafty game drive network allows one to get a sense of the area and a feel for what the resident wildlife in the area has been up to. Beagle Expeditions have sensitively developed a limited game drive network in order to preserve the wild and untouched beauty of this remarkable landscape, without compromising their ability to explore the dry land habitat adjacent to the Kweene River floodplains by vehicle and experience the excitement of observing wildlife from a game drive vehicle.

One has access to two private bush sites that are located along the Kweene River System. On your moving day, you journey between these two sites, a full day out in the wilderness. In order to achieve this, you will pack your backpacks and picnic lunch and set out for a full day of adventure. Journey a distance of anything from 10 to 50 km, depending on the route travelled that day. Normally, it is a tranquil mokoro / walking trail, giving you a sense of age-old exploration as your heightened senses absorb a full day of wilderness sounds, smells and sights. However, based on the group dynamic, the presence of children and abilities of the individual members of the expedition, the trail may be replaced with a full day of exploration by game drive vehicle.

During this time, the Beagle Expeditions back up team breaks your first camp, packs up your tents and bedrolls, your bags and belongings, the kitchen and mess tent, the toilets and ablutions, and moves it all to your second camp, in time for your afternoon arrival, with enough light and time to get settled and appreciate the day's journey you have just undertaken. And that night, while you rest after your full and often tiring day, the first wilderness site begins its recovery and return to its natural state. Within just a few short days, your footprints disappear, as though you were never there; replaced by those of the elephant, impala and beetles that walk away your presence.

No Chobe safari is complete without experiencing the beauty of the Chobe River and its incredible wildlife by boat.

The riverboats are specifically designed to ensure each passenger can take in the magnificent Chobe views in complete comfort from anywhere on the boat. Owing to the flexibility in seating arrangements and the flat deck, the boats are ideal for keen wildlife photographers, with ample space for equipment and the freedom to photograph from any angle.

Unlike any other water-based activity in Botswana, the game viewing while on a river safari in Chobe is unsurpassed anywhere in Botswana. Elephants line the water’s edge, hippo congregate in lagoons, hundreds of antelope and giraffe make their way to the water and sightings of predators along the river banks are common.

All of the boats at Chobe Game Lodge are solar-electric powered boats – a clean and quiet way to enjoy a boat safari and another first for tourism in Africa.

Owing to the location of Chobe Game Lodge inside the Chobe National Park, early-morning game drives set off as soon as the park opens, giving you the best chance of tracking predators while they are still active. The afternoon drives depart the lodge in the late afternoon (the exact time is dependent on the season), only returning at park closure time after sunset, thus maximising the time you spend out in the park to enjoy those special sightings.

The drives follow the course of the Chobe River as your experienced guide interprets the bush signs and tracks in search of the resident wildlife. Elephant encounters are common and huge herds of buffalo abound. The ever-present impala and the majestic giraffe are both common residents, while sightings of the puku antelope are also on offer. Predators are plentiful in the northern region of the Chobe National Park, and excellent sightings of lion, wild dog and leopard are to be had.

The Chobe Game Lodge vehicles are open 4WD game viewers redesigned to make your trip comfortable and your viewing experience astonishing. Included in the fleet are several silent, CO2 emission-free electric vehicles designed to further enhance your Chobe safari.

Birding is spectacular with Schalows turaco, barred owlet and white-browed coucal resident in the gardens as well as rosythroated longclaw, western-banded snake-eagle and hooded vulture among a few of the 450 species of the Chobe region.