The Great North Road

The Great North Road

The Great North Road is our classic 10 night Maun to Kasane serviced safari (or visa versa) traversing the Xakanaxa and Khwai regions of the Moremi Game Reserve, Savute in the north and the Chobe River front bordering on the Caprivi or Zambesi region of Namibia. 

What you will do:

This safari encompasses the diverse Okavango & Moremi eco- systems to the dry northern areas of Savute and Chobe National Park. We highly recommend starting or ending this safari in Victoria Falls.

Your days on safari are focused predominantly on game drives exploring amazing wildlife areas however the safari starts or ends with a one-hour scenic flight over the Okavango Delta and Chiefs Island. When in the Khwai area a mekoro excursion is included.

Safari camp life

On safari the camp staff attend to your comfort by erecting and dismantling the camp and preparing delicious meals cooked on an open fire. A serviced safari has walk-in ensuite meru style tents complete with your own bucket shower and bush loo, staff who prepare delicious meals throughout your safari and a camp assistant to take care of all camp duties.

Itinerary overview
2 Nights camping in the Xakanaxa / 3rd bridge area of Moremi Game Reserve
3 Nights camping in the Khwai Area of Moremi Game Reserve
3 nights camping in Savute, Chobe National Park
2 Nights camping in Chobe, Chobe National Park

Highlights:

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is one of Africa’s finest game sanctuaries. Situated in the far north of Botswana, Chobe encompasses a wide variety of habitats that are home to a breath-taking variety of animals and birds. Chobe National Park Riverfront The lush Chobe River Front is renowned for its abundance of elephant – almost certainly the highest of these magnificent creatures to be found anywhere in the world. Chobe is also noted for its huge herds of buffalo, its rich birdlife and exquisite sunsets reflected in the ripples of the river. It all adds up to an unmissable wildlife experience.

Savute Chobe National Park

The Savute is noted for the shifting shapes and transience of its most important landmarks: the Savute Marsh and the Savute Channel which supplies it. The Marsh itself is one of the most exciting wildlife destinations in Africa – anything can, and often does, happen there. Rising above the otherwise level landscape of Savute are the Ghoha and Gubatsa Hills which hide perfectly preserved San Bushmen paintings. The Savute hills have a very healthy population of leopard and the best time to see them is either at first or last light as they leave their stony refuges to hunt in the surrounding bush.

The Savute Channel is known as the ‘stolen river’ and its recent history includes several episodes where it has dried up for several years, only to flow again - seemingly at random, but in fact due to tectonic movements. This means that you could encounter either a river, or a ribbon of dry savannah grassland. The skeletons of numerous dead trees stand as mute witnesses to the erratic ebb and flow of this most unpredictable of rivers. Beyond the channel, this area consists of large open game-filled plains and is home to a variety of dry-land animals, including zebra, wildebeest, kudu, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah and lion. Okavango Delta & Moremi Game Reserve The Okavango is a unique ecosystem, a river delta located in the middle of the world’s largest stretch of continuous sand – the Kalahari basin. An oasis in an otherwise arid and inhospitable landscape, the Okavango Delta supports an incredible diversity of animal and birdlife. Where land and water meet, a mosaic of pans, grasslands, forests and lagoons provides an extremely varied range of habitats which is home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. The Okavango is one of the natural wonders of the world, a still-pristine yet fragile ecosystem that richly rewards exploration.

The Moremi Game Reserve lies in the eastern corner of the Okavango Delta. One of the most beautiful and diverse of all the great game reserves of Africa, it protects both huge concentrations of wildlife and incredible scenery. The reserve consists of both seasonally-inundated areas such as Xakanaxa, and drier areas such as Khwai. On this safari, we will set out to reveal some of the secrets of this dynamic ecosystem.

A Typical Day on Safari

The safari day starts as the sun rises. Your wake-up call will be between 5am and 6am - a gentle “koko” (knock-knock in Setswana) at the entrance to your tent. A camp assistant will be on hand to fill your wash basin with steaming hot water, and freshly made tea and coffee will be served around the campfire. Before the early morning game drive, a light breakfast will be offered. This will include tea, plunger coffee, juice, rusks, fruit, cereal, toast and jams – just enough to boost your energy without using up too much of the golden hours of early morning, which is one of the best times of the day to see animals. Later on, as the temperature rises, many of them will retreat to the shade before becoming active again in the late afternoon.

Having spent the morning exploring the surrounding wilderness in search of Botswana’s hidden treasures, you will return to camp for lunch under a shady tree (if the elephants have not pushed them all over!). Lunch typically consists of salads, bread (freshly baked over the campfire), cold meats and pickles. Just as the animals retreat to escape the heat of midday, we recommend that you do too. This is your chance to catch up on your reading, write about your adventures in your journal, take a siesta – or all three!

Later in the afternoon you will head out into the wilderness once more as the animals begin to feed and drink again. As the sun dips below the horizon, marvel at the sheer splendour of an African sunset and toast the beauty of Nature. This is best done with the traditional sundowner choice: a G&T.

On your return to camp, enjoy a starlit hot shower and then gather around the warmth of the campfire to relive the day’s events with your fellow adventurers. A three-course dinner accompanied by South African wines is served beneath the magical canopy of the African night sky. Listen carefully and you may hear lions roaring, hyaenas whooping – or smaller creatures rustling in the leaves nearby… We can confidently say that Botswana beef is the best in the world – and our slow-cooked potjie is just as delicious. And that’s before we even mention our mouth-watering desserts.

Retreating to the comfort of your tent after enjoying a nightcap around the campfire and fall asleep to the calls of the African wild. Good night and sleep tight!

On days when we move to a new campsite, the safari team will strike the camp, then travel to the next campsite and prepare everything for us. When travelling between campsites, we choose routes through wildlife areas wherever possible which means that each transfer is really an extended game drive. A picnic lunch will be served at a suitably scenic spot en-route.