Botswana Classic Luxury Tented Safari

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.

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

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

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.

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.

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.

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 at an additional cost).

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

Credit: Natural Selection

There is no better way of viewing the Delta and its wildlife than adventuring by traditional mokoro (dugout canoe). Drift across Botswana's Okavango floodplains, the world's largest freshwater, inland delta. The riverine forest surrounding Wilderness Jao are ideal for spotting smaller creatures amongst the papyrus reeds.

* Water levels permitting.

A boating excursion allows us to reach and explore the more distant waterways and clear, deep channels. Explore the iconic Delta floodplains at Wilderness Jao.

* Water levels permitting.

Fishing with a limited supply of basic equipment (spinner rods and a small range of lures) is on offer seasonally on a catch and release basis.

* Note that fishing is seasonal as it is prohibited by Botswana law in January and February due to breeding purposes.

Morning and afternoon game drives are offered in open 4x4 vehicles, and reveal the spectacular wildlife diversity of the vast floodplains. Traverse the iconic Jao Reserve in search of game ranging from the elusive Pel’s fishing-owl, to the infamous ‘Jao Mafia’ mongoose gang, to a myriad of big cats, to co-habiting crocodiles and hippos, to a multitude of antelope species, buffalo, and elephant herds.

Night drives with spotlights allow you to find those nocturnal animals you wouldn’t see during the day. Please note that during high water levels, night drives are not possible.

Wilderness Jao rests under a fantastic tree canopy on its own remote island, surrounded by a watery garden of channels, reeds, and lilies. A 45 minute boat ride from Wilderness Jao, you can enjoy a full-day game drive, along with a picnic, on wildlife-rich Hunda Island.

Tucked away in amongst palms for privacy, overlooking lush waterways, the Wilderness Jao Spa is an exquisite setting from where you can rest, relax and feel utterly restored. A full menu of therapies from facials to manicures, and a range of signature massage options, may be experienced. A treatment is bound to further inspire guests to fully appreciate Wilderness Jao's extraordinary holistic offering.

Stay active and energised amid the wild beauty Jao. The well-equipped gym (treadmill, elliptical trainer, punch bag for boxing, stationary exercise bicycle, exercise mats, medicine ball, skipping ropes and a range of free weights) is a haven for a refreshing workout with a view of the magnificent floodplains.

A fascinating feature at Wilderness Jao is the museum and gallery, with its emphasis on learning and knowledge sharing of the area and its denizens, from a metres high giraffe skeleton, to geographical maps. In addition, a series of botanical pressings by EE Galpin, known as the 'Prince of Collectors' and one of the pre-eminent botanists of his time, is beautifully showcased here. In fact, he was the great-grandfather of Cathy Kays, co-owner of Wilderness Jao. Included is a fascinating history of the Kays family, who have been rooted in Botswana since the 19th century and today based in Maun, operating Ngamiland Adventure Safaris (NAS) and other ventures.

Morning and afternoon game drives are offered in open 4x4 vehicles. Bringing you closer to many thrilling interactions being played out in the wild, our knowledgeable guides are the vital link between guests and the intricacies of the natural world.

Wilderness Vumbura Plains’ unique community concession agreement means that many of the professional guides here grew up in this area, adding an extra layer of authenticity and cultural relevance to their expert tracking and identification skills. Swap your game drive for a nature walk, and marvel at the smaller things you may miss when travelling by vehicle.

* Seasonal and subject to the availability of a qualified walking guide.

After dark game viewing with filtered spotlights allow you to find intriguing nocturnal animals.

Wilderness Vumbura Plains truly an Okavango experience, and there is no better way of viewing game and exploring the channels than by traditional mokoro (dugout canoe). The wondrous wetland habitats result in a multitude of aquatic life, and these excursions reveal the fascinating smaller creatures of the Delta including colourful frogs and lively waterbirds.

* Water levels permitting.

Excursions by boat are another idyllic form of water wildlife exploration in the amazing paradise of the Okavango Delta.

* Water levels permitting.

Fishing is on a catch and release basis, and the Vumbura Private Wilderness Area, is considered one of our best fishing areas as there is permanent water all year round. A limited supply of basic equipment is available at camp, whereas all fly fishing equipment is to be supplied by guests if required.

* Note that fishing is seasonal as it is prohibited by Botswana law in January and February due to breeding purposes.

The birding at Wilderness Vumbura Plains is as varied as it is exceptional all year round. Search for some of the the hundreds of bird species, from lilac-breasted rollers, to carmine bee-eaters, and secretary birds. Or even the Pel's fishing owl! In the summer months many migrant species are present, while other specials which are regularly seen include wattled crane, slaty egret, chirping cisticola, fan-tailed widowbird, pink-backed pelican and possibly rosy-throated longclaw for the dedicated birders.

As part of this unique collaboration, lightweight and compact OM-D photography equipment has been provided for guests to try out a number of the impressive features offered by Olympus. The picturesque vistas at Wilderness Vumbura Plains will amaze even the most seasoned safari explorers, and we hope that you will enjoy learning more about wildlife photography with our passionate guides.

* Olympus Photo Hub experience dependent on camera availability.

Children in the Wilderness (CITW) is a non-profit organisation supported by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris, which aims to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of children in Africa.

Insight, care and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s pristine wilderness and wildlife areas. If we are to ensure that these places continue to exist – in this generation and those to come – we need the rural children of Africa to understand the importance of conservation and its relevance in their lives. Hence, our Children in the Wilderness programme: an environmental and life skills educational programme for children, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers; inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future.

This is achieved in a variety of ways – from hosting Eco-Club programmes at local schools, to running camps at Wilderness Safaris and partner camps, for the children within the rural communities that live on the edges of the wild areas of Africa.