Your all-inclusive safari will start at the Maun International airport where you will be greeted with a warm welcome by one of the friendly staff members. From there you will be escorted to a light aircraft for an amazing scenic flight to Central Kalahari airport.
Upon arrival you will be transferred on a luxury safari vehicle to your tented paradise in Central Kalahari where your every need is catered for, with absolutely no compromise on indulgence. While refreshing welcome drinks are being served , the head guide will give you a short brief on what you can expect the next few days whilst on safari.
All campsites have been carefully selected based on locations best suited to offer the most unforgettable safaris Botswana has to offer. The spacious luxury tents come complete with king size beds, Egyptian cotton linen, towels and private en-suite facilities. This enables you to get as close as possible to nature, while creating a truly rare and exclusive experience.
For the next 8 days you will get to experience the diverse wildlife and wonderful scenery offering an amazing contrast to the rest of the country whilst roving through the desert.
In the early morning you will be greeted with a “KOKO” (‘knock knock’ in Setswana) and a steaming mug of coffee. A light breakfast will be served after which you will set out in search of the famous black-maned lions of the Kalahari. These wonderful large cats with their black manes can often be found lying around the waterholes during the dry seasons waiting for an easy meal as antelopes come down to drink.
The Central Kalahari was made famous by Mark & Delia Owen’s book Cry of The Kalahari published in 1984 after several years of research on the Black-maned lions of the Kalahari. Game viewing is best during the dry season, from June to December, one truly gets to experience the diverse wildlife and wonderful scenery offering an amazing contrast to the rest of the country and one is able to rove throughout the pans.
One can see these wonderful large cats with their black manes lying around the water holes during the dry seasons waiting for their opportunity for an easy meal as antelopes come down to drink. Other predators include leopard, cheetah, black-back jackals and bat eared foxes, to name a few. The elusive honey badger, brown hyena, striped polecat, aardwolf and cape fox can also be sighted in the beautiful desert region.
The largest flying bird in the world, the Kori bustard, can be seen throughout the region as well as African Red-eyed Bulbuls, Namaqua and Burchell Sandgrouse, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Rock Kestrel and Tawny Eagle are regular sightings.
Antelope such as the Springbok, Gemsbuck (Oryx) and Red Hartebeest frequent the area. The annual migration of the Wildebeest and Zebra in the area, similar to the great migrations in Kenya and Tanzania but on a smaller scale, takes place during the wetter seasons on the year around February and March depending on the annual rainfall. Here one can see the predators, such as lion, cheetah and leopard waiting for their opportunities to catch the offspring for an easy meal.
The pans in the east of the park don’t have much animal activity in the dry, winter months, but this is when their stark beauty is best appreciated.
Having spent the morning exploring the surrounding wilderness in search of Botswana’s hidden treasures, you will return to camp for a hearty brunch. Just as animals retreat to escape the heat of midday, so will you. This is the time to enjoy reading, chatting, relaxing or taking a siesta.
Afternoon tea will be served before heading out again into the wilderness as the animals awaken from their resting places. As the day draws to an end, one can only marvel at the sheer splendour of African sunsets, and toast the wonders of nature with a gin and tonic, wine, beer or soft drinks.
On your return to camp, enjoy a hot shower under the starry night sky and gather around the warmth of the campfire to relive the day’s events and excitements. As night sets in, lanterns and candles are lit, and dinner is served under the African night sky with the bush as the backdrop to end a perfect day. After enjoying a night cap around the campfire whilst listening to tales from the guide, you can retreat to the comfort of your tent and drift to sleep to the calls of the African wild.
Your days are spent exploring the area on game drives and soaking up the African sun, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the bush.
After having spent a few days in the Kalahari you will be treated to full day’s safari experience travelling through the desert to your next camp. A picnic style lunch, served under the shade of an Acacia tree.
The dedicated camp staff will ensure that all your luggage is safely transported to Makgadikgadi Pans camp where you will spend the next few nights. You will get to experience the diverse wildlife and wonderful scenery offering an amazing contrast to the rest of the country whilst roving through the pans. You might also get to witness large flocks of flamingos gathering by the thousands to feed in the pans.
After having spent some days in Makgadikgadi Pans you will be transferred to the next campsite, at Nxai Pans. During your stay in Nxai Pans you will head to the south where you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of the Baines’ Baobabs. The cluster of millennia-old baobab trees owes its name to the man known to have discovered them, Thomas Baines, a member of Livingstone’s expedition.
On day nine you will set out for your last game drive. Upon your return to the camp you will enjoy a light brunch before you set off to Maun airport where you will say “see you soon” to your guide, knowing you will long for the bush under the African sky. Your departure point back home on this trip will be from Maun International Airport.
