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Starting in Livingstone, with a 2 night stay in a lodge on the Zambezi river. Then a 9 night trip through Botswana with 3 tented camps through the delta and finally a 3 night stay in a lodge at Moremi Crossing. There were only 6 in the group which was a perfect size for one landcruiser - we saw some very crowded with up to 12 people. Our guide and the tent team were brilliant. We had astonishing encounters with wild dogs, lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals, elephants, so many different antelopes and about 180 species of birds. This was the 3rd trip I've booked with Naturetrek, previous ones were liveaboard cruises to Galapagos and Baja. I've been very impressed with the quality of service from the UK office and the guides, both local and Naturetrek. The itineraries are comprehensive and well planned and good value. I have already booked two more trips for 2025 and 2026 and would love to book more in the future, finances and health allowing. I have recommended them to other travellers we've met on the way and also to UK friends and colleagues.
D.D. Middlesex, Sept 24
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Botswana's Highlights
Tour Code: BWA05A 14-day wildlife safari to northern Botswana and the Victoria Falls, including a 9-night mobile camping safari from Chobe National Park through to the magnificent Okavango Delta.
£6,695 (Inc flights)
£5,695
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
A land-locked country straddling the Tropic of Capricorn, Botswana offers one of the last unspoilt wildernesses left in Africa. Within its huge game reserves and national parks, the largest herds in southern Africa roam free and wild, together with some of the continent’s most spectacular and varied birdlife. Remarkably for an African country, Botswana has a tiny population: just over two million inhabitants occupy this nation that is the size of France and Germany combined! It is a dry land, the majority of the country comprising the waterless Kalahari, yet the world’s largest inland delta — the Okavango — transforms 15,000 square kilometres of this desert into a paradise of palms, papyrus and crystal clear waterways. The water that feeds the Delta is Botswana’s lifeblood. Falling as rain on the Angolan highlands a thousand kilometres away, it takes up to six months to reach the Delta; a pulse of flood water that brings life-generating moisture during Botswana’s long, dry winter season. This exciting tour starts amidst the wonderful scenery of Zambia’s Victoria Falls, then continues with a 9-night mobile camping safari through Chobe National Park, Khwai Concession and Moremi Game Reserve, three of northern Botswana’s foremost wildlife reserves.
- Visit the Victoria Falls, one of the 'Seven Natural Wonders of the World'
- AM and PM game drives within Chobe National Park, Khwai Concession & Moremi Game Reserve
- Explore the Okavango Delta
- Enjoy a boat cruise on the Chobe River
- Nine nights fully serviced mobile camping in small exclusive camp sites
- Abundant mammals including Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Southern Giraffe and Burchell's Zebra
- Wild Dog possible!
- Colourful and abundant birdlife
- Expertly guided by local naturalist guides
Grading
Grade A. Mostly vehicle-based wildlife safaris with some gentle walking in the Khwai Concession.
A land-locked country straddling the Tropic of Capricorn, Botswana offers one of the last unspoilt wildernesses left in Africa. Within its huge game reserves and national parks, the largest herds in southern Africa roam free and wild, together with some of the continent’s most spectacular and varied birdlife. Remarkably for an African country, Botswana has a tiny population: just over two and a half million inhabitants occupy this nation that is the size of France and Germany combined! It is a dry land, the majority of the country comprising the waterless Kalahari, yet the world’s largest inland delta – the Okavango – transforms 15,000 square kilometres of this desert into a paradise of palms, papyrus and crystal clear waterways. The water that feeds the Delta is Botswana’s lifeblood. Falling as rain on the Angolan highlands a thousand kilometres away, it takes up to six months to reach the Delta: a pulse of flood water that brings life-generating moisture during Botswana’s long, dry winter season.
We begin our holiday by flying to Livingstone in Zambia. Two nights spent here will allow us to explore the lush forests around the Victoria Falls. One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Falls are twice as high as Niagara, and one-and-a-half times as wide. In the gorges beneath live Red-winged Starlings and Rock Pratincoles, whilst in the gardens of our riverside lodge we will look for Trumpeter Hornbill, Black-collared Barbet and a variety of colourful sunbirds and weavers. Our stay in Zambia will also include a sunset cruise on the magnificent Zambezi River.
We enter Botswana via the small Zambian border town of Kazingula and transfer to Kasane on the edge of Chobe National Park. Before heading deep into the park for our first three nights under canvas, we will take a cruise on the Chobe River. This is Elephant country, and it is possible to see 100 or more of these giants in a single morning lined up along the river’s edge, the only permanent water source in northern Chobe and a magnet for the local wildlife during the dry season. Birds, too, are abundant and include Martial Eagle, African Skimmer and the beautiful Southern Carmine Bee-eater.
For our next three nights we will be based in a comfortable mobile tented camp set up along the edge of the Savuti Channel, deep within Chobe National Park. The dry Savuti Channel and the nearby Savuti Marsh offer some of the very best wildlife-viewing anywhere in Africa. Numerous Impala, Burchell’s Zebra, African Buffalo and other mammals dot the open savannah, falling prey on a daily basis to prides of Lions, clans of Spotted Hyenas and solitary Cheetahs. Savuti is also the stage for one of the most epic battles on the continent, for it is here that (under the cover of darkness) Lions have learnt to hunt, and bring down, Elephants!
Moving west, we reach the outer fringes of the magnificent Okavango Delta where we spend three nights under canvas in the private Khwai Concession close to the permanent waters of the Khwai River. Although the mammals, birds and other wildlife wander freely between here and the neighbouring Moremi Game Reserve, the advantage of spending a few nights in Khwai is that we can enjoy night-drives in search of Leopards, African Civets, bushbabies and genets and such birds as Giant Eagle Owl and Pennant-winged Nightjar.
We conclude our holiday with three nights in the Moremi Game Reserve. This is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled reserves in Africa, its western reaches consumed by the clear waters of the Okavango Delta, its eastern sector clothed in Mopane woodland and grassland. Our friendly local staff will move our camp to the Xakanaxa region of the park, while we watch for the herds of African Buffalo, stately parties of Southern Giraffe and huge bull Elephants that roam here, as well as such bird species as Black Coucal, Wattled Crane and Slaty Egret. With such a large variety of prey on the hoof, it is not surprising that Moremi offers some of the best predator-viewing on the continent and our best chance of finding a pack of African Wild Dogs!
Since our tour ends in the town of Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta, you might like to extend your holiday by flying into the very heart of this natural wonder. Here you can stay in one of the small and remote lodges surrounded by the permanent waters of the Delta and explore the maze of waterways and flooded plains in traditional ‘mokoro’ canoes in search of Sitatunga and the rare Pel’s Fishing Owl.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
We stay in comfortable, fully serviced mobile camping in private camp sites in Chobe, Khwai and Moremi, and a comfortable small lodge in Livingstone. All rooms/tents have private facilities. Please refer to the detailed tour itinerary for additional information.
- Food:
All meals are included in the price.
Reviews
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Two week holiday to Victoria Falls in Zambia and 9 nights mobile camping in Botswana in Chobe & Okovango area. The wildlife was stunning with amazing close views of wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah. Elephants galore and night drives in Khwai to see spring hare, scops owl and common genet. Carmine bee-eater and lilac breasted rollers stunned with their colours and banded mongoose with their cheeky behaviour. Mobile camping catering was excellent. The sounds of the night time at each of the 3 sites was different. From hyena and lions, to bell frogs and to crickets and hippos. Lying in bed listening to hyena pad around outside and elephants eating was a really immersive experience! Naturetrek are reliable and professional. Tour was exactly as billed and extremely well run.
C.T. Lincolnshire, Sept 23 -
We spent the time in Zimbabwe to cruise the Zambezi river at sunset and visit Victoria Falls [pre-tour extension]. The camping safari was amazing and we saw many different animals and birds daily while being well looked after by the extremely knowledgeable driver/guide. The 7 of us on the trip were well cared for by the 3 camp staff and excellent food was produced on the camp fire daily including a freshly baked cake at 3pm each afternoon! The en-suite facilities take a little getting used to but well worth the effort. Being surrounded by animals meant very different night time noises and also the the dawn chorus was interesting. My husband and I both enjoyed the holiday immensely. Naturetrek are always well organised and their attention to detail is excellent. Staff are always helpful and knowledgeable about the holidays on offer. We have travelled with them on a number of holidays and always have the same experience. Travelling with Naturetrek means we do not have to worry about anything.
S.S. South Glamorgan, Sept 22 -
The trip outline proved to be very accurate except that we saw Wild Dogs in Savuti as well as Xakanaxa! Great variety of wildlife and habitats which showed Botswana at its abundant best. The Okovango extension is a must. Shadrek had amazing knowledge and expertise, especially of birds, and we always felt safe with him. I appreciated his balance between getting close to animals but not being intrusive or disturbing them. It was a true safari experience made wonderful by our guide and fabulous camp support team who produced amazing food on an open fire and worked tirelessly to make our trip the best they could. Thank you Mosa, Mulla and KP. I enjoyed the amount of time we spent on game drives and even the journeys between camps were full of opportunities for game viewing. The Okavango extension stay at Jacana Camp was a lovely contrast of habitat and comfort to end the holiday. The light plane flight over the delta was stunning. The whole trip had many, many interesting things to do and see even for this relatively experienced 'Africa hand'. Botswana is the gem I'd been led to believe it was in terms of terrain, ecology, wildlife, culture and the organisation of tourism.
A.F. North Yorkshire
Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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Many of the world’s mammals are instantly recognisable to us. Animals such as Lions, Tigers, elephants and bears capture our imaginations from an early age. At Naturetrek, we take great pleasure and pride in helping people to fulfil their lifelong dreams of seeing these iconic species in the wild. We also enjoy introducing our clients to some of the world’s more unusual mammals, many of which are just as fascinating.
Naturetrek Mammal Watching Tours
Many of our tours have a primary focus on mammals and we offer the widest choices of mammal-watching holidays across the globe, from the poles to the tropics. Our holidays are guided by at least one professional naturalist tour leader and usually benefit from additional guiding by expert local naturalist guides. We have holidays to see an incredible range of the world’s most sought-after mammals, such as orangutans, lemurs, bats, polar mammals, big cats, and mammals of the African savannah. A significant number of tours also targets some of the planet’s more unusual and elusive species, from pottos and pangolins to slender lorises and obscure cetaceans.
Here’s a selection of our mammal tours:
- India’s Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves
- A cruise to Spitsbergen in search of Polar Bears
- A chance to see the ‘Big Five’ and much more in South Africa’s Kruger National Park
- Search for Blue, Fin and Sperm Whales in the Azores
- Close-up views of Brown Bear and Wolverine in Finland
- Enjoy the mammals of Kenya’s Masai Mara, while staying in luxury camps
- Search for elusive nocturnal mammals, such as Aardvark, Black-footed Cat and Aardwolf, in the Kalahari Desert
Bargain mammal selection
We offer a range of action-packed bargain holidays for the dedicated mammal enthusiast, which are exceptional value for money, from Belize to Zambia.
Our specialist recommends...
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
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Safari Holidays – Experience Earth’s Greatest Continent for Wildlife
Why choose Africa for wildlife safaris?
When people think of visiting Africa, safari holidays are regularly at the top of the list. Riding in an open-top jeep along dusty tracks and looking out across sun-baked savannahs teeming with big game is arguably one of life’s best experiences.
For the nature enthusiast, Naturetrek’s African safari holidays offer unparalleled opportunities. Africa is the world’s greatest continent for wildlife, being home to many of the planet’s most iconic mammals and birds.
Many of these animals are relatively easy to observe and exist in scarcely believable abundance, guaranteeing that our African safari tours are always full of amazing sightings.
From the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park to Namibia’s Etosha National Park and the superb Kruger National Park in South Africa, our African wildlife safaris will take you to all the continent’s most unmissable destinations.
Classic African safari holidays
We offer classic safari-style packages to Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Namibia.
On these African safari tours you will stay in or very near the prime game-rich areas such as national parks and reserves, heading out daily for wildlife watching in vehicles. There will usually be additional chances to join night drives and look for nocturnal species.
On the majority of our African wildlife safaris, even those in our bargain range, we are able to use superb accommodation, including in remote locations. Tented, fully serviced camps with private facilities are the norm.
Expert naturalist guides
All of our African safari tours are led by expert naturalist guides. Most of our tours are led by superb local guides (the quality of guiding in many parts of Africa is second to none), while some of our longer tours are joined by a UK leader.
What wildlife might I see?
Africa is the best place in the world for seeing large concentrations of big game such as African Bush Elephant, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe and Blue Wildebeest. On Naturetrek’s African safari tours we visit some of the world’s most famous national parks and reserves, such as the Serengeti, Kruger and Okavango Delta, as well as some less well known regions, in search of a full range of the continent’s most spectacular mammals, from Hippos, Wild Dogs and White Rhinos to Leopards, bushbabies and African Wildcats.
The birdlife is equally staggering, with an enormous variety of charismatic species found across the continent, from bee-eaters and hornbills to finches, weavers and a stunning diversity of birds of prey. Naturetrek’s African wildlife safaris offer a chance to search for a superb variety of species and avian spectacles, such as flamingo-lined lakes in the Rift Valley, bizarre Shoebills in Uganda’s swamps, and giant Ostriches strutting across endless savannahs.
See our list of the best African Safari Holidays
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer a superb choice of expert-led African safari holidays ranging from 9-day bargain tours in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park to a 17-day birdwatching and mammal-viewing safari through Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. For those who have previously enjoyed a traditional safari, I would recommend our ‘South Africa’s Rare Mammals’ tour, which targets some of the continent’s most rarely seen creatures, such as Aardwolf, Black-footed Cat, Cape Porcupine, African Wildcat, Brown Hyaena and the iconic Aardvark
Paul Stanbury – Operations Manager
Big Cat Safari Holidays
Big cats are among the most admired and sought-after mammals on the planet, and we are proud to offer a broad and comprehensive range of big cat safari holidays. We offer inspiring and truly memorable wildlife tours to enjoy sightings of all of the world’s iconic species in their natural habitats, including Tigers in India and Nepal, Jaguars in the Pantanal, Pumas in Chile and Snow Leopards in India and Mongolia and we certainly do not neglect the smaller cats either.
We offer a range of itineraries around Africa and encounter the continent’s high-profile species like Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards and also the lesser known species such as Caracal, Sand Cat, Black-footed Cat, Serval and African Wild Cat. We also have wildlife holidays that catch sightings of the Asiatic Lion in India and the elusive Leopard in Sri Lanka.
We also offer a pioneering tour to try to see the most difficult of all big cats the Sunda Clouded Leopard in Borneo with Leopard Cat, Marbled Cat and Flat-headed Cat all having being seen on our Borneo holidays. Closer to home, we offer holidays in Europe to go in search of Wildcat and both Eurasian and Iberian Lynx.
We have run these holidays for many years with great success, working with the best local contacts and guides and staying at the very best locations with carefully crafted itineraries which allow the optimum amount of time to achieve sightings.
Our specialist recommends...
Tom Mabbett - Operations Manager
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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