6.10 AM - Dr Richard Sallie and Dr Sophie Coleman arrive at OR Tambo International Airport ex SQ478. After clearing immigration, you will collect your luggage and clear customs. And exit the international arrivals hall. You will then see the Airport Intercontinental Hotel opposite you 5-minute walk, and you will be at the hotel.
Overnight: Intercontinental Johannesburg O.R.Tambo airport, Standard Room - Bed and Breakfast (booked by self)
4.10 PM - David & Fiona Collins, Steve & Tracey Horn and Simon Reeve arrive at OR Tambo International Airport from QF63.
After clearing immigration, you will collect your luggage and clear customs. And exit the international arrivals hall. You will then see the Airport Intercontinental Hotel opposite you, a 5-minute walk, and you will be at the hotel.
Accommodation: Intercontinental Johannesburg O.R.Tambo airport, Standard Room - Bed and Breakfast
10.00 AM - After breakfast, you will meet Simon in the lobby and walk back to terminal B for your check-in for your Airlink flight 4Z300 to Maun
12.05 PM - Depart South Africa on Airlink 4Z300
1.45 PM—Arrive at Maun Airport, where you are met by a representative from Thamo Talele Lodge. A quick 20-minute transfer will take you to this beautiful lodge.
Enjoy a late lunch on arrival followed by some time to settle in.
This afternoon after high tea, enjoy an afternoon activity of your choice.
Return to camp for dinner.
Located at the Southern-eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, the meandering waters of the Thamalakane River maneuver their way through the frontier town of Maun, the gateway to northern Botswana and the last stop before the Okavango Delta. A life source to this buzzing little safari town, as the river ebbs and flows throughout the year to the beat of its own drum, its banks overflow with an abundance of bird, plant life and wildlife to bring a renewed energy to the area and water relief to the Maun locals.
There have been over 300 species of birds spotted here. This is a great place for bush birds like warblers, owls (pearl spotted and white faced) and is the only place in Maun where you’ll see oxpeckers.
Set amongst a lush forest of leadwood and acacia trees, Thamo Telele, is the perfect hideaway for guests needing to spend a few nights close to Maun. Set in a 250-hectare private reserve on the banks of the Thamalakane river, an area packed with plains game, ideal habitats of river, riverine and dry savannah. A hot spot for bird lovers and wildlife enthusiasts – you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to all you can see and do here.
Overnight: Thamo Telele - 3 x suites and 1 x guide room - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
Wellness Therapies with Robyn Sheldon (at an additional cost)
This morning, after breakfast, you will be collected from Thamo Telele and transferred by road to Camp Kalahari. You will be advised of the departure time the previous evening. The transfer time is approximately 4 hours.
On arrival at Camp Kalahari, you will have time to settle in before heading back to the main area for lunch.
It's time to relax and catch up on some sleep before afternoon tea.
You will then head out on the afternoon activity of your choice.
Return to the camp for dinner.
Overnight: Camp Kalahari - 3 x Meru Tents and 1 guide tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
Camp Kalahari sits amongst the acacias and mokolwane palms of Brown Hyaena Island, on the edge of Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and adjacent to the Makgadikgadi-Nxai Pans National Park, which means that you’re surrounded by dry savannah and the semi-arid Kalahari Desert. The salt-baked, sun-scorched pans are clear of vegetation, quite simply because it can’t grow, but around them are glittering grasslands and profusions of enormous baobabs. It doesn’t get much more dramatic than this lodge.
Brown Hyaena Island, the palm dotted island that Camp Kalahari calls home, took its name from (can you guess?) the brown hyaena. Bashful yet brilliant at foraging and scavenging, this is Africa's third rarest large carnivore and an animal that’s virtually impossible to see elsewhere on the continent. But that’s just the beginning of what you might see in the Makgadikgadi: look out for bat-eared foxes, aardvark and aardwolves scampering across the salt, elephant plodding through on their nomadic journey (our swimming pool is a welcome refreshment stop!), and dazzling numbers of zebra and wildebeest. And where there’s a zebra, a predator will never be far away, so keep an eye out for cheetahs and lions close on the hooves of the herds. Not to be forgotten are their cheeky, habituated meerkats, a constant source of amusement and a regular feature of a safari at Camp Kalahari.
Overnight: Camp Kalahari - 3 x Meru Tents and 1 guide tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
This morning, after a game activity and breakfast, you will be collected and depart Camp Kalahari for Maun. Your departure time will be advised the previous evening.
On arrival in Maun, you will be met by your pilot and assisted to your awaiting plane for your 20-minute flight to Khwai Private Airstrip. After landing, a quick 15-minute transfer will have you at the lodge.
Enjoy lunch and some rest time before heading back to the main lodge for afternoon tea and your afternoon activity.
Return to camp for dinner.
Overnight: Little Sable – 3 x Traditional Tents and 1 guide tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
Little Sable is located in the Khwai Private Reserve, a 200,000-hectare area of pristine wilderness in the Greater Okavango Delta region. The reserve is bordered by Moremi to the south, Savuti to the north and the Khwai Community Reserve to the east – in other words, in the middle of some of the most famous and iconic game-viewing areas on the continent!
The landscape is a truly iconic picture of the Delta. Vast floodplains and sprawling grasslands meet patches of forested enclaves, and through it all runs an intricate network of channels and lily-filled waterways. It’s one of the most well-managed concessions in the area, and with very few other vehicles (and people!) around, a safari in Khwai is a true wilderness experience.
The varied habitats of Khwai support an equally impressive cast of animals, and all the stars of the wildlife show are present – as well as a few extras. The wetlands and rivers host impressive quantities of lechwe, hippos, and crocodiles, and on dry land, big cats lurk along treelines and sometimes right through camp. Sable, roan, impala, and kudu dot the grasslands, alongside giraffe and zebra, an abundance of elephant and buffalo, and, of course, the occasional jackal. The birdlife is fantastic. Guests can expect everything from giant eagle owls to lilac-breasted rollers. Khwai also has an excellent reputation for the rarer species of the African savannah, including wild dogs, serval cats, honey badgers, and the elusive pangolin.
Overnight: Little Sable – 3 x Traditional Tents and 1 guide tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
After a game activity and breakfast this morning, you are transferred back to the airstrip for your quick 20-minute air hop to Dukes Camp. The time will be provided to you the night before.
Upon arrival at the airstrip, you are met and transferred to the lodge. The transfer takes about 45 minutes and takes the form of a game drive.
On arrival, enjoy lunch, followed by some downtime to enjoy the pool or just relax in your room.
Enjoy high tea at main camp, before heading out on your afternoon game drive.
Return to camp for dinner.
Overnights: Dukes Camp – 3 x Canvas Safari Suites and 1 x guides tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
Duke’s Camp is situated on a 220,000-acre (89,000-hectare) concession in the northern sector of the Okavango Delta in the renowned Moremi Game Reserve. The unusually large size of the concession, coupled with limited human impact and a vast abundance of wildlife, ensures that a stay at Duke’s Camp is a rare opportunity to enjoy a truly wild and untouched corner of the Delta.
The camp itself is pitched on an island along the shores of a permanent lagoon, all but hidden amid the boughs of indigenous leadwood and ebony trees. This is a landscape of tawny grasslands interwoven with shimmering channels, where ancient woodland and Ilala palm islands speak to the passage of time in this utterly timeless landscape.
This is one of the most unique wetland areas in the world, unchanged for centuries and regarded by those who know it as one of the best safari destinations. With the high carrying capacity of this concession, guests can look forward to impressive wildlife sightings throughout the year. Lush grasslands sustain large herds of herbivores—including African buffalo—while the Okavango’s iconic elephants are here in abundance. Guests often enjoy thrilling sightings on vehicles, mokoro, and boating excursions.
This diverse habitat is also exceptional in its ability to sustain a diversity of wildlife, from healthy populations of herbivores to leopards, lions, African wild dogs, and smaller carnivores, including servals and caracals. In fact, this corner of the Okavango Delta is said to have some of the highest concentrations of lions in the Delta.
The birdlife in this region is equally remarkable, with more than 350 species recorded, including the endangered wattled crane, black crake, hottentot teal, carmine bee-eaters, and Pel’s fishing owl. The trademark cry of the African fish eagle is the soundtrack to many a game drive as twitchers tick dozens of new species off their life list.
Overnights: Dukes Camp – 3 x Canvas Safari Suites and 1 x guides tent - Full board basis, selected beverages, shared game activities and laundry
This morning, after a final game drive and activity, it is time to bid farewell to the beautiful Okavango and head back to Maun.
2.30 PM David & Fiona Collins, Dr Richard Salllie, Dr Sophie Coleman, Steve & Tracey Horn, and Simon Reeve depart Maun on South African Airlink - 4Z301, arriving at 4.10 PM
Dr Richard Sallie & Dr Sophie Collins will overnight at the Airport Intercontinental Hotel - Booked directly with the hotel.
David & Fiona Collins - Transfer to the Peech Hotel
Overnight: Peech hotel - Bed and breakfast
Steve and Tracey Horn will be under their own arrangements.
Simon Reeve will be collected and transferred to The Residence for his overnight stay.
Accommodation - The Residence 1 x King Room - Breakfast included
11.45 AM - Dr Richard Sallie and Dr Sophie Coleman check-in for SQ479 departing to Singapore at 1.45 PM
3.00 PM - David & Fiona Collins - Transfer from Peech Hotel to Johannesburg International.
4.00 PM - Simon Reeve will be collected from The Residence and transferred to the airport.
6.55 PM - David & Fiona Collins, Steve & Tracey Horn and Simon Reeve will depart Johannesburg on QF64 to Sydney.
Wishing everyone a wonderful safari
