Namibia, Botswana & Zambia - Etosha to the Victoria Falls!

Southern Africa is blessed with some of the continent’s finest national parks and landscapes. From the harsh Namib Desert to the lush green wetlands of the Okavango Delta and the natural wonder of the Victoria Falls, this spectacular region is home to a fabulous diversity of wildlife, and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. By combining Namibia, Botswana and Zambia in this holiday, we offer not only the opportunity to visit three countries during one tour, but also the chance to enjoy a diversity of birds and other wildlife over a range of over 1,000 kilometres; species as special and diverse as the Blue Crane of Namibia, the Pel’s Fishing Owl of Botswana and the beautiful Schalow’s Turaco of Zambia. Further, by running this holiday during the green season, we will benefit both from the influx of wintering birds that move south for the southern African summer, as well as from the many nesting species resplendent in their breeding dress at this season.

Flying into Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, and meeting our leader, our first port of call is the Waterberg Plateau Park. Rising over 200 metres from the surrounding bush, this plateau is home to over 200 bird species, amongst them such Namibian endemics as Hartlaub’s Francolin, Rüppell’s Parrot, Violet Wood-hoopoe and Rockrunner. Continuing our journey north, we will spend the next four days exploring the Etosha National Park, the finest wildlife reserve in Namibia and one of the best in all of Africa. Covering over 22,000 square kilometres, the park encircles the great Etosha Salt Pan, the dried up bed of a huge ancient lake over 100 kilometres across. Dry and dusty at the end of the dry season, Etosha is by now transformed by the rains into a lush oasis of green grassy plains — on which herds of Burchell’s Zebra, Springbok and Gemsbok feast — and acacia woodland amongst which lie rain-fed pools and larger permanent waterholes. Elephants, Greater Kudu and Southern Giraffe are also common here and we may also encounter a Black Rhino, Leopard, Cheetah or Lion if fortunate, although some of these mammals do become a little more elusive during the green season. Etosha’s birdlife is also incredibly diverse and includes the aforementioned Blue Cranes, plus such other special species as Bateleur, Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, African Scops Owl, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Carp’s Tit and Rufous-eared Warbler to name but a few.

Next, we will drive north-east to spend five days exploring the wetlands of the Caprivi Strip and Okavango Panhandle. The lush, papyrus-fringed wetlands and open plains that border the Okavango and Kwando Rivers are some of the richest areas for wildlife in southern Africa, though less well known than the Okavango Delta that opens out to the south. We will concentrate our time here exploring the Caprivi National Park and Mahango Game Park, but spend one day within the Okavango Panhandle in Botswana in search of the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl. Other wildlife to look out for includes mammals such as Elephant, Hippo, Red Lechwe, Common Reedbuck, Bushbuck and Southern Giraffe and birds such as Dwarf Bittern, Goliath Heron, Slaty Egret, Marsh Owl, Kurrichane Thrush, Lesser Jacana, African Fish Eagle and a variety of colourful weavers, widows and whydahs. If luck is really on our side we may be fortunate enough to find a pack of African Wild Dogs, a rare but more regular treat in this area.

Botswana’s Chobe National Park is next on our agenda, another of Africa’s great wildlife reserves and home to a huge range of birds and mammals. We will concentrate our efforts on the Chobe River for the next couple of days, enjoying the herds of Puku, Impala, Common Waterbuck and Elephant that dot the adjacent floodplains. This is a great place for Lions, as well as such attentive scavengers as Spotted Hyena and vultures, while Leopards are occasionally seen. The birdlife here is again incredibly diverse, especially the birds of prey which often fill the sky on hot sunny days and include such species as Tawny, Steppe, Lesser Spotted and Wahlberg’s Eagles, African Hawk-eagle, Black-breasted Snake Eagle, Lizard Buzzard and many more.

We conclude our holiday in Zambia, spending two nights at the Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Here the mighty Zambezi River plunges over 100 metres into a spectacular narrow gorge, a drop twice as high as Niagara. When the Zambezi is in full flood the Falls are often obscured by spray and mist, but in March its water level is still quite low and the whole vista of the Falls and canyon can be appreciated and enjoyed … as well as such birds as the beautiful Schalow’s Turaco, Rock Pratincole, African Finfoot and Trumpeter Hornbill. After a relaxing couple of days enjoying this great natural spectacle we must sadly say our farewells to the exotic wildlife of southern Africa and return to the more familiar fauna and flora of home.