Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Khwai Community Area Bordering Moremi Game Reserve & Okavango Delta 

Safari Summary / Includes:

Starts Victoria Falls / Ends Maun - Road transfer from Victoria Falls Airport to Lokuthula Lodges - 2 Nights Lokuthula Lodges – Family Unit, Victoria Falls (Bed & Breakfast) www.lokuthulalodges.com

Road transfer from Lokuthula Lodges to Chobe Safari Lodge -2 Nights Chobe Safari Lodge – Family Room, Kasane – Chobe River Front (Includes meals, 3 private game viewing activities, 2 days park fees) - www.chobesafarilodge.com

Road transfer to Kasane Airport, seat in charter from Kasane to Khwai - 3 Nights Safari Life – En-suite Tent, Khwai Community Area Bordering Moremi Game Reserve (Fully Inclusive with limited drinks) -www.safarilifeafrica.com

Seat in charter from Khwai to Oddballs Camp - 2 Nights Oddballs Camp – Family Room, Okavango Delta (Includes meals, activities, park fees & laundry) - www.oddballscamp.com - Seat in charter from Oddballs Camp to Maun

All properties included in this itinerary accept children between 6 and 11 years old – younger children can be accommodated on request. Family friendly accommodation and child discounts applicable. Children are allowed to participate on all activities.

DAY 1 & 2: LOKUTHULA LODGES, VICTORIA FALLS

Upon the guest’s arrival into Victoria Falls Airport, they will be met and transferred to Lokuthula Lodges by road where they will stay for 2 nights.

Lodges is situated on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge property, 24 kilometers from Victoria Falls Airport and a mere 4 kilometers from the World Heritage Site of Victoria Falls. It is surrounded by 80,000 hectares of unspoilt African bush and borders the unfenced Zambezi National Park. A nearby waterhole facilitates the free movement of game between the park and the lodges.             

AREA DESCRIPTION – VICTORIA FALLS

Victoria Falls town lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River at the eastern end of the Victoria Falls. It is a lovely tourist town which is easy to explore on foot and which offers a wide range of activities from the challenge of white water rafting and bungi jumping, to the awe-inspiring elephant back safaris and sunset cruises. It has something for everyone

The Victoria Falls are one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is the largest sheet of falling water on earth - a spellbinding and mesmerising spectacle. The sheer mass of water cascading down the 100m drop across nearly 2km makes  a thunderous roar and creates a magnificent spray of water that can be seen for miles - hence the local name 'mosi oa tunya' meaning 'the smoke that thunders'.

Access to Victoria Falls is within easy walking distance from the town centre. Water flow over the Falls varies throughout the year. The river's annual flood season is February to May when the spray can reach a height of over 400m, this is spectacular from above but it makes it very difficult to see the Falls at ground level as it is under a heavy shower/mist. Water levels start dropping in August and are at their lowest October - December when much of the rocky face becomes dry. At times of low water, the falls are best viewed from the Zimbabwe side or from Livingstone Island.

DAY 3 & 4: CHOBE SAFARI LODGE, KASANE

Following breakfast the guests will be transferred by road to Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane, where they will stay for 2 nights.

Chobe Safari Lodge is situated on the border of Chobe National Park close to the small town of Kasane, which lies at the northern apex of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Caprivi. Due to the lodge’s proximity to Chobe National Park, you can have a game viewing experience from your balcony.

Chobe Safari Lodge offers accommodation to suit all requirements with eighty rooms including luxury safari and river rooms, simple chalets as well as a fully serviced campsite - all with access to the main lodge area. The luxury, river-facing rooms are spacious and stylishly decorated with air-conditioning, en-suite bath and shower facilities, as well as satellite TV and phone. The newly renovated central area overlooks the river and features a large family friendly swimming pool, buffet restaurant, bar, curio shop, conference room, internet café, squash, and beauty spa.

This package is based on private activities with Chobezi Safaris. Guests can enjoy a sunset cruise on the afternoon of arrival, a morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise the following day.

AREA DESCRIPTION – KASANE, CHOBE RIVER FRONT

Situated on the banks of the Chobe River, Kasane is the administrative centre of the Chobe District. This little town supplies the tourism industry that surrounds it including the Chobe National Park and Chobe Forestry Reserve. There are a number of hotels, guest houses and camp sites located along the river. The Chobe National Park is only a 10 minute drive from town. Wildlife such as warthog, elephant and buffalo is often seen wondering around and walking down the road. Activities in the area include drives into the park and boat cruises on the Chobe River. Fishing trips on the river and day trips to the Victoria Falls across the river in Zimbabwe or Zambia can also be arranged.

The Chobe River Front is a remarkable wildlife area due to the permanent water source of the Chobe River. However its accessibility from Kasane and neighbouring towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone has created quite a busy tourist area with larger hotels and lodges than you find in the more remote Okavango Delta. The spectacle of all the animals coming to drink and frolic at the water's edge is one to behold, particularly in the dry season (May - Oct) where water is scarce away from the river. It is an area famous for its abundance of elephants, a variety of predators and, in addition, you are likely to see herds of buffalo and possibly even roan and sable antelope. In the rainy season (Nov - Apr) the game is much less concentrated at the river as the wildlife spread throughout the greater area of Chobe National Park due to availability of surface water from nearby pans. This assists the vegetation on the river banks in recovering from the massive herds that are attracted to the area in the dry months. The summer rains bring beautiful wild flowers, exquisite scenery, impressive bird life and an abundance of young animals usually born around November/December. The spectacular Chobe sunsets alone are worth a visit to the area. Please note that activities are restricted within the national park in accordance with government rules and regulations: these include no driving off-road, no walking and no driving after dark.

DAY 5, 6 & 7: SAFARI LIFE CAMPING, KHWAI

Following breakfast and a leisurely morning, guests will be transferred to Kasane airport for their onward air transfer to Khwai Airstrip for their camping with Safari Life, where they will stay for 3 nights.

On arrival at the airstrip you are met by your private guide and it is a short transfer to camp. You receive an important safari briefing on safety in the campsite and then settle into camp.  The campsite is a 'wilderness' area, a private bush setting where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature......uninterrupted!

Over a refreshing drink and snack the guide will discuss the afternoon route and some guidelines on animal behaviour before heading out on an afternoon game drive to explore the area. You return by sunset to a welcome site with the campfire lit and dinner preparations beginning. All of the meals are cooked over an open fire.

The camp consists of accommodation spacious 3m x 3m ‘dome’ tents with en suite bush bathrooms. Clients sleep on comfortable mattresses on a camp stretcher, and all bedding is provided – sheets, duvet, blankets and pillow. The bathrooms are adjoined at the back of the tent- open air tented enclosures with a real toilet set over a dugout /pit latrine.  Showers are ‘bucket’ showers that are filled with hot water as required. Each tent has its own wash basin. We recommend you bring your own toiletries, only soap and towels are provided.

Dinner is served at the table, but you return to the campfire after dinner to enjoy an evening of stories under the stars. The night skies are generally clear and the stars bright, so you can learn about the African night sky and constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.  We head to bed quite early so that we can be up at first light, ready to find out what the bush has in store for each new day.  Generally in the middle of each day clients spend some time relaxing in camp, this is when they generally shower and have lunch and then have some free time. You may use this time to read by yourself, or you may prefer to go over your bird or wildlife check list, draw some of the wildlife you have seen and perhaps write a bush journal. The days will follow a pattern of a light breakfast, morning game drive, lunch and siesta (optional!), afternoon/evening game drive and returning to camp for dinner around the stars.  Short walks may also be possible, safety permitting – the guide will assess the children’s ages and arrange what is suitable.

AREA DESCRIPTION – KHWAI COMMUNITY AREA BORDERING MOREMI GAME RESERVE

Moremi Game Reserve is a rich and diverse wildlife sanctuary, encompassing the Okavango Delta. The reserve is unfenced and its boundaries are defined naturally by river systems. The vegetation is varied, with dry land complemented by permanent and seasonal swamplands, resulting in an excellent diversity of both wildlife and birdlife. There is a network of game drive routes through the reserve as well as access to the permanent delta waterways in Xakanaxa where boating can be enjoyed (not available from lodges in the Khwai area).

Moremi is amongst the best game reserves in Africa for viewing the endangered African wild dog. Xakanaxa is home to a resident herd of several hundred buffalo whose range covers the territories of at least 4 prides of lion which may often be seen flanking the ever moving herd. Breeding herds of elephant move between their browsing areas in the mopane forests and the fresh water of the Okavango. Red lechwe are one of the more unusual antelope species commonly found here. Game is more concentrated around the permanent water during the dry season (Apr - Oct) with it becoming very hot in the later months. The heronries become active as the migrant birds return to Botswana from September through November, and general bird watching is excellent throughout the summer months. The rainy season (Nov - Apr) invigorates the lush scenery with wild flowers, dramatic thundershowers, spectacular sunsets and the birthing season brings great predator and prey interaction.

Please note that activities are restricted within the national park in accordance with government rules and regulations. These include no driving off-road, no walking and no driving after dark.

Moremi Game Reserve is surrounded by wildlife management areas of the Okavango, with no boundaries between the concessions and the reserve allowing wildlife to move between the woodlands in the wet season when water is plentiful and back to permanent rivers and lagoons in the dry season. The prior inhabitants in the area (the River Bushmen) were moved to the periphery of the reserve, establishing Khwai village near the North Gate exit of the park. The Khwai area is managed by the community through the Khwai Development Trust. This area offers the same wildlife experience as the reserve itself. However, a key advantage of being outside the park is the freedom to do walking safaris and night drives as the area is not governed by the same rules.

DAY 8 & 9: ODDBALLS CAMP, OKAVANGO DELTA

After an early morning activity and breakfast, guests will be transferred to Oddballs Camp by light aircraft, where they will stay for 2 nights.

Situated in the south-western Okavango Delta, Oddballs Camp is one of the original camping sites in the Okavango Delta. The camp is accessible by a 25-minute light aircraft flight from Maun. Oddball’s camp is an affordable delta experience that suits the adventurous traveller or those just wishing to get away from it all.

The Camp offers guided safaris on foot and mokoro excursions with your own special game guide. An exciting option from Oddballs Camp is to camp ’wild’ out in the delta on a mokoro trail accompanied by your poler/guide. There is a provisions and camping equipment store at Oddballs and when you undertake a mokoro camping trail your food will be provided but you will be responsible for its preparation.

The Okavango Delta is home to over 400 bird and 1,000 plant species, crocodile, hippo, elephant and buffalo. The Okavango has earned its reputation as one of the world’s premier wilderness areas.

AREA DESCRIPTION – OKAVANGO DELTA

The Okavango Delta is one of the world's largest inland deltas situated in the middle of the largest stretch of continuous sand in the world - the Kalahari basin. This oasis in the middle of the desert is a rich yet fragile ecosystem, providing a life source for an incredible variety of wildlife. A wealth of species have adapted to the contrasting conditions created by living in the harsh Kalahari desert which is transformed annually with the arrival of the delta flood waters originating in Angola.

The Okavango wetland encompasses Moremi Game Reserve and surrounding regions divided into areas known as Private Concessions. These concessions are wildlife management areas, carefully administrated to balance the growing community’s development and conservation, whilst empowering citizens through sustainable tourism. Many of the exclusive lodges in Botswana are situated within these concessions in the delta, providing an unparalleled wildlife experience - exclusive and remote, avoiding mass tourism and exploitation.

Flood levels fluctuate dramatically throughout the year, with high water levels peaking in the central Okavango during the dry winter months and water levels at their lowest during the later summer months, contrary to the seasonal rainfall.  The landscape, activities and game viewing vary considerably throughout the delta depending on your location, the season and flood levels. Some areas have larger tracts of permanent dry land which generally means there is more focus on land based activities (game drives) and big game viewing. Lodges situated on islands deep in the delta concentrate more on water activities such as mokoro excursions, walking, boating, fishing and bird watching. Those lodges situated on the outer fringes of the delta, referred to as the 'seasonal' delta, offer varied experiences at different times of the year - more water based during high flood levels and more land based as the flood recedes.

Game is more concentrated around the permanent water during the dry season (Apr - Oct) with it becoming very hot in the later months. The heronries become active as the migrant birds return to Botswana from September through November, and general bird watching is excellent throughout the summer months. The rainy season (Nov - Apr) invigorates the lush scenery with wild flowers, dramatic thundershowers, spectacular sunsets and the birthing season brings great predator and prey interaction.

DAY 10: SAFARI ENDS IN MAUN

Following the morning activity, the guests will be transferred to Maun by light aircraft, for their onward travel arrangements.

***END OF ARRANGEMENTS***

Notes: Please note that where a booking crosses over 2 different rate periods e.g. Oct & Nov, neither rate is applicable – please request a special quote

The above rate is subject to change due to major currency fluctuations and fuel surcharges

Rates subject to availability

Excludes

• Additional meals, all drinks, laundry and activities at Lokuthula Lodges
• All drinks, laundry and additional activities at Chobe Safari Lodge
• All spirits while on safari with Safari Life (Local beer & wine included)
• All drinks at Oddballs Camp
• International flights unless otherwise specified
• Errors and omissions
• Visas & Vaccinations – Please check with your local embassy

GENERAL NOTES

• Road and air transfers and activities are quoted on a seat basis (shared) unless otherwise requested or specified.  Passengers may have various stops en-route to a destination. The transfer or charter company reserves the right to specify departure and arrival times.  Private charters can be requested at an additional cost.
• Passengers weighing over 100kg should please advise us at the time of booking as we may need to cost in an additional seat on internal flights for your safety and comfort.
  • There are strict luggage restrictions in place on any itinerary which includes light aircraft transfers for safety reasons. Luggage, including camera equipment and hand luggage, is restricted to 20 kg per person travelling (soft bags only) on seat rates.
  • All quotes exclude international flights and visa costs. The onus is upon the guests to ensure that passports and visas are valid for the countries visited.
  • The costs are subject to change at any time due to fluctuations in fuel costs, taxes, levies, government regulations, rate of exchange and factors that are imposed upon us by our suppliers that are beyond or control.
  • Please advise us of the ages of children (under 18) travelling, together with their date of birth, at the time of booking as not all lodges accept children and there may be restrictions or conditions applicable.
  • Please request any optional additional activities at the time of booking, specifically in Livingstone or Victoria Falls e.g. sunset cruise. We recommend that activities are booked in advance to guarantee availability.
  • Please allow a minimum 2 - 3 hours connection time in Johannesburg for international flights. Where you require us to book onward flights, please advice guests names in full as per their passport together with international arrival and departure details at the time of booking so that we can allow for this connection time accordingly.
  • Please note that Botswana is a Malaria area. Anti-malaria precautions should be commenced prior to departure. Please consult your doctor for specific advice.
  • There is no or limited electricity and no cell phone coverage in the camps and lodges excluding major towns and cities.
  • Please note that most camps & lodges in Botswana do not have double beds.  Twin beds are pushed together to make up a double room.
  • Although every effort is made to adhere to schedules the company reserves the right and in fact is obliged to occasionally change routes and camps on safaris as dictated by changing conditions or unforeseen circumstances.
  • Please notify us in advance of any special dietary requirements and / or medical conditions.
  • We wish to draw your attention to the fact that there are certain inherent risks involved when on a safari.

Terms and conditions for booking

• A 30% non-refundable deposit is payable at confirmation of booking
• Balance of 70% payable 56 days before commencement
• 60% Refund for cancellation 42 - 56 days prior to commencement
• 50% Refund for cancellation 28 - 42 days prior to commencement
• Cancellation within 28 days subject to full forfeiture
• Payment of deposit implies acceptance of terms and conditions
• Cancellation must be made in writing to Brothers Safaris
• An administration fee of ZAR 500-00 per person will be charged for amendments made after confirmation
• Brothers Safaris reserves the right to use a similar lodge/hotel if the intended lodge/hotel is not available, this may affect pricing
• The itinerary costing is subject to availability and currency fluctuations
• Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice