African Sojourns - Botswana exclusive safari experience including Makgadikgadi

Our expert guides are always on hand to share their wealth of wildlife knowledge as you explore the Delta in modified open 4 x 4 vehicles on morning and afternoon game drives. The game viewing opportunities at Sanctuary Chief's Camp are awe-inspiring. On the plains one may find the roaming lions that prey on the thousands of antelope, zebra and buffalo who live here all year round. There are also healthy populations of wild dog. These extremely rare predators have been hunted to the point of extinction in most areas of Africa and this is one of their last strongholds. There are several local lion prides and leopards, genet cats and hyena are in abundance.

Mokoros, local dugout canoes, offer a different perspective of the bush in the company of a highly trained local guide. Each June the whole area around the camp floods and turns the Okavango Delta into a labyrinth of lily-filled lagoons and streams where hippos fight for bathing rights and crocodiles wait for unwary antelope to linger too long over a drink. Poling through the byways created by the floodwaters is a magical experience that allows guests to get very close to the biggest of game and to see the world from a totally different angle. As a change from a game drive, the quiet, gentle pace of a mokoro is a real introduction to a way of transport still used in the Delta by the 'river bushmen' or BaYei people. (Seasonal Activity)

These scenic flights involve flying west towards the permanent delta, exposing areas which are unreachable by vehicle or boat and showcasing the sheer enormity of the Okavango Delta. There is the option of the doors being removed for unrestricted photographic opportunities. Choose between 30, 45 or 60 minute tour in a single piston engine Robinson r44 helicopter with 3 seats. This activity is offered on a year round basis at an extra cost. Being a personalised activity, it's up to you what time of day you would like to do the activity, however we would recommend early morning and late afternoon as these times usually provide the best light for photography. Preferred flight times can be requested on booking.

Water-based activities are conducted by experienced professional guides who will expertly navigate guests through the many meandering, reed-lined waterways. Roam the vast expanses of water from the comfort of a modern motorboat

Explore the intricacies of the Okavango Delta the quiet, old-fashioned way, in the traditional mokoro (dugout canoe).

Guest spending three nights or more at Camp Okavango can enjoy a night on the new Camp Okavango sleep out deck. The open deck offers you the chance to sleep out under the stars and experience the vastness of the Okavango Delta. The sleep out deck includes a comfortable bed (mosquito net included), bathroom and all the amenities you need for a comfortable night out.

Seeing the Okavango Delta from a helicopter is a truly magnificent experience. Our partners at Helicopter Horizons will remove the doors providing uninterrupted views and close up angles of the majestic delta and its wildlife. A scenic flight is not just a must for keen photographers but an exciting opportunity to witness the remarkable Okavango Delta from above.

The flights are operated with the utmost respect and caution for the natural environment, the wildlife and travellers. Routes have been carefully marked out ensuring guests on other activities and in camp are not disturbed. The flight routes and take off areas are designed specifically to make use of pristine areas within the concession.

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 meerkats. Leaving camp as the sun begins to rise you will accompany these inquisitive members of the mongoose family as they set off in search of their breakfast. Walk amongst them (you're not allowed to touch or feed them) 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 an additional cost.

This is pure desert adventure! Take an exhilarating

quad bike across the salt-crusted pans

(all pan activity is weather permitting). 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. Weather permitting)

A visit to the Fallen Baobab - one of the three largest and oldest trees in Africa and reputedly the campsite of 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.

At an additional cost.

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.