Guided day trip to Augrabies Falls Park
Kgalagadi Lodge ( Twee Rivieren) - A beautiful lodge with east-facing chalets on a massive sand dune is the ideal place to spend your first night in the Kalahari. Enjoying the sunrise from here is simply breathtaking! Although the lodge is still outside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, we are only a short drive from the park. After breakfast we take a day drive to our next destination: Polentswa.
Drive time Upington - Kgalagadi Lodge: approx. 3h
Polentswa is situated directly north of Nossob Camp in the Nossob Valley, one of only a handful of camps owned by the Botswana authorities along the Nossob Valley. The camp crew is waiting for us here in the mobile tented camp. The campsites in Botswana offer the unique opportunity to camp in unfenced areas. unfenced sites, giving people a truly wild experience. The Polentswa Waterhole is not far away and is an absolute paradise for birds and the elusive Brown Hyena. After the stay at Polentswa, the journey continues into the far more remote dune country of Botswana and finally into one of the wildest areas of Africa.
Drive time Kgalagadi Lodge - Polentswa Campsite: full day, with lunch en route.
At Kaa Campsite, owned and managed by the Zuthswa community, we stay in a mobile Campsite. We will have the opportunity to do some hiking in the area, as well as explore some of the magical dune routes in the area. The spectacular views from some of these high sand dunes, make you feel like you're the only person in the world. We get the opportunity to explore a piece of untouched land and the San people who live in this area are the true custodians of the land. From here we will continue north.
Drive time Polentswa - Kaa Gate: full day, with lunch en route.
Kalahari Rest, right on the Trans Kalahari Highway, will be a welcome stopover on our way to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Due to the long distances between these areas, we need to give our crew time to move camp to the next location.
The programme includes a leisurely walk in the area, tracking and observing various game species on foot, before we leave for our next stopover.
Drive time Kaa Gate - Kalahari Rest: 5 - 6 hours, possible stop at a village en route.
Palm Afrique Lodge - a beautiful stopover just outside Ghantsi, a true oasis in the Kalahari, it gives us a chance to prepare for our long drive into the CKGR. Ahead of us is a long drive to Piper's Pan , which will give us a sense of how big and wide the Kalahari really is! On this journey we will pass through an old San settlement called Xade, which chronicles how the people find their livelihood in this harsh environment.
Drive time Kalahari Rest - Palm Afrique: approx. 3 hours
Piper's Pan - a series of pans, all remnants of the ancient valleys that once snaked through the Kalahari.
We will explore this area on numerous game drives, a place that is rich in predators. A waterhole has been strategically placed in the area and has attracted many animals, they come from far and wide to visit this waterhole. We can spend a lot of time here observing what is happening at the waterhole. Also the bird life here is incredible and we can see many different species.
Drive time Palm Afrique - Piper's Pan: full day of driving, with lunch on the way.
Letiahau Valley - a beautiful valley, ultimately the continuation of the same valley in the northern part of the reserve. Somehow, the valley has a finer sediment and the grasses seem to thrive better here after the rains. Some of the largest aggregations of oryx in the Kalahari still occur along this valley. The late rainy season is very good for predators as the resident lion pride is very active in this area during this time.
Drive time Piper Pan - Letiahau Valley: not very far, but camp will be moved today.
Sunday Pan - Our camp here overlooks a beautiful pan with a waterhole where birds abound. This area gives us access to some of the most beautiful parts of Deception Valley and Passarge Valley, the valleys made famous by Mark and Delia Owens in their book "Cry of the Kalahari".
The late rainy season is incredibly good for ungulates that move up and down these valleys and of course the predators that follow them. The landscapes around these areas are simply breathtaking!
Drive time Lethihau Valley - Sunday Pan: full day, with lunch en route.
Kumaga Camp - Our camp is relocated to this unique part of the Okavango Delta ecosystem. In recent years the terminal waters of the Okavango have reached this area and transformed it into a wildlife paradise.
Usually the zebra migration uses this area as a winter stopover and depending on the rains we might see some of the large herds returning.
Drive time Sunday Pan - Kumaga Camp: full day with lunch en-route. Camp will be moved.
Nxai Pan National Park - A fantastic area to end the desert part of the trip. Large herds of ungulates gather in the Nxai Pan during the late rainy season, a final stopover before they settle down for the winter. We are close to Baines Baobabs, a spectacular landmark in this area. This area gives us a true taste of the vastness of the Makgadikgadi Pans and of course the animals that live here.
Drive time Kumaga - Nxai Pan: full day, with lunch en route.
Transfer to Maun, then either end of tour or further land transfer to Nokanyana Camp.
The following activities are included at Nokanyana Lodge:
GAME DRIVES
The Khwai River is often the only source of water all year round for species that depend on it, such as elephant - as well as aquatic and semi-aquatic antelope such as red lechwe, waterbuck and reedbuck. Giraffe, kudu and zebra are often seen - as are their predators! Botswana has the largest African wild dog population on earth and it is not uncommon to see a pack or two denning. Likewise, the Mababe Depression is another incredibly rewarding area to explore.
FULL DAY EXCURSION
We spend the day exploring the Moremi Game Reserve in the company of our Nature Guide. Lunch and drinks are provided so we can leave early in the morning and return just before dark.
Optional:
HELI-FLIGHT
We experience the best of the Okavango Delta on an open-door helicopter flight over some of the most pristine and remote areas. Because of its manoeuvrability, the Robinson R44 is ideal for flying over the Delta.
Transfer to Khwai Airfield, charter flight to Maun, then scheduled flight via Johannesburg to Switzerland.
