The Legendary Kalahari, Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park
Botswana: Kalahari Explorer
Overview
Botswana is renowned for its wildly varied environments, and the epic Kalahari is arguably one of the most intriguing, with its mysterious beauty and unending sense of space. We've created a special safari that explores the wonders of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its unique desert wildlife and diverse habitats from salt pans and ancient riverbeds to fossil river valleys. We also explore Botswana's renowned destinations of the game-rich Okavango Delta and magnificent Chobe National Park. Our safari is timed for ideal gameviewing in the Kalahari—right at the end of the summer rainy season, when thousands of grazing animals—gemsbok, springbok, wildebeest, and more—and their attendant predators roam the grassy plains.
Arrive: Maun, Botswana
Depart: Kasane, Botswana
Highlights
- Gameviewing in the salt pans and dunescapes of the Kalahari Desert
- Delightful private wilderness camps in beautiful settings
- Exciting game tracking by 4WD vehicle and boat in Chobe National Park
- Extend your trip at Victoria Falls, one of the world's great natural spectacles
Itinerary
We enter the wild world of the Kalahari, known in the San tongue as “The Great Thirstland.” Originally created as a refuge for the San hunter-gatherers, the vast and spectacular Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest and most remote wildlife reserve in Africa. We enjoy splendid gameviewing over the dunes and fossil pans, and overnights in our private mobile camp.
A charter flight brings us to the Okavango Delta, a remarkable maze of solitary islands, tranquil lagoons, and meandering waterways. On foot and by motorboat and mokoro (dugout canoe), we search for elephant, giraffe, zebra, and wildebeest, and should see lechwe and sitatunga, antelopes that are at home in and around the water. In the Moremi Game Reserve, an extraordinary location for birding, we seek out predators such as lion, leopard, hyena, and wild dog.
Our 4WD explorations in Chobe bring us close to huge concentrations of wildlife, including throngs of elephants, buffalo, and a variety of birdlife. Here we also find the puku, an antelope not found in other parts of Botswana. Transfer to Kasane and depart on Day 14, or extend your stay at Victoria Falls.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated Level 2, Easy to Moderate. It is a vehicle-based camping safari, with ten nights camping. It will enjoyed by anyone in reasonably good health. Although the trip is not rigorous, it does involve some long driving days over rough roads and game tracks. You will enjoy the trip more if you are in good shape and in good health. Any African safari is an adventure, and the traveler to Africa should bring along flexibility, a sense of humor, curiosity about new peoples and places, and an openness to the unexpected.
Review Trip Level Details
The best game viewing period is during the “dry” season, which runs from late March to October. Because of the minimal rainfall during this season, the bush turns golden brown and in many areas is beaten flat, so game viewing is easier and animals concentrate around major water sources. The Okavango Delta's water level starts to rise during these months.
October to April can be very hot, with most of the rainfall between December and February. This season characteristically has hot sunny days with afternoon thundershowers. This season is excellent for the viewing of newborn mammals, summer flowers, and the migration of rare birds. Predator viewing during this time remains quite good.
Our mobile tented camping safaris in Botswana provide a true bush experience without sacrificing comfort. Our comfortable walk-in tents feature cozy beds, linens, tent lamps, and have en suite bathrooms with a toilet, mirror, sink, and hot water shower. Our crew sets up camp and prepares all meals. Delicious food is served in a comfortable dining tent. You'll find camping delightful and very comfortable, and you will appreciate how close to nature you feel, away from the lights and distractions of the lodges.
We travel by Toyota 4WD Land Cruiser "go-anywhere" safari vehicles equipped with a refrigerator for cold drinks and a reference library on flora, fauna, and avifauna. They carry five trip members per vehicle, with guaranteed window seating. During drives and walks, we can at times get quite close to wild animals. Being very quiet improves everybody's chances of observation. In the interest of safety, your Trip Leader explains limitations on movement while on game drives, in the safari vehicles, and around camp. Incidents with wild animals are extremely rare on safaris, but no trip can guarantee immunity from such incidents. Wilderness Travel is not to be held responsible for incidents involving the behavior of wildlife.
Client Testimonials
"Our Trip Leaders and crew provided all of the adventure and discovery one could hope for while treating us to first-class service and comfort and giving us a sense of absolute safety."
Ellen B.
St. Louis, MO
"Feel I received more than I bargained for. A trip of a lifetime!"
George R.
Los Altos, CA
"My 3rd trip with WT and I was once again extremely pleased. Needless to say lots of folks will hear about my adventure with WT."
Susan C.
Colorado Springs, CO
"It was a great trip. The Trip Leader excellent in every way possible. His passion for the animals and the environment added so much to our appreciation."
Susan M.
Keswick, VA
"Wow! I am so glad we decided on the Kalahari Explorer and mobile tent camping. I am NOT a camper, and truthfully, didn't realize exactly what it meant to be in a mobile tent camp. But I can honestly say I am so glad to have had this experience. I feel the richer for it."
Vicky L.
San Rafael, CA
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Book your trip today
Our Area Specialists know every detail about our tours. They will be happy to answer any questions and help you choose the journey that’s right for you. Contact us to learn more or book your trip today!
Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Level 1 – Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Level 2 – Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Level 3 – Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
- Tuscany & the Cinque Terre
- Argentina: Hikes and Estancias of Patagonia
- Palau Snorkeling & Sea Kayaking
- Some trips with minimal hiking but rugged travel conditions or long drives, such as Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin, are Trip Level 3.
Level 4 – Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Level 5 – Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Level 6 – Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.