By visiting the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta, this trip combines two of Botswana’s most famous wildlife locations offering an incredible array of species to encounter.
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) occupies an area of just over 52,800 square kilometres making it the second largest game in the world. It is a vast area of semi-arid desert, home to striking black maned lions, cheetah and abundant prey animals including springbok and majestic gemsbok. At the Moremi Game Reserve on the edge of the Delta we find a healthy population of predators including leopard and wild dog, alongside vast elephant herds, buffalo, antelope and birds.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart UK
Today, we depart the UK on overnight flights to Maun (via Johannesburg).
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Day 2:
Arrive Maun
We are met on arrival in Maun and transferred to our accommodation in the town where we spend the night before travelling south to Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) the following morning.
Accommodation: Maun Lodge, 1-night
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Day 3:
Drive to Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Leaving Maun behind, we head south to CKGR, passing through Botswana’s beautiful countryside and enjoying a myriad of bird species en route, including lesser grey shrike, shaft-tailed whydah, scaly-feathered finch and swallow-tailed bee-eater. This journey will take most of the day and we will arrive in camp during the late afternoon. On arrival we have time to settle into our tents before dinner later in the evening.
Accommodation: Fully-serviced Mobile Camping, 3-nights
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Days 4-5
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Explore Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Over the course of the next two days we will explore the surrounding valleys and pans, seeking out some of the region's most famed wildlife inhabitants through a mix of morning and afternoon game drives. With temperatures soaring once the sun is up, an early start is essential and we will likely leave camp before dawn each morning, travelling to the open plains where we will have the opportunity to scan for nocturnal and crepuscular species like brown hyena and aardwolf.
With its open plains and herds of springbok, CKGR has a healthy population of cheetah and we have an excellent chance of seeing this majestic cat and, with luck, perhaps even witnessing a hunt. Another highlight will be to encounter the black-maned lions of CKGR which were once considered a separate subspecies and are widely reputed to be some of the largest lions on the continent. The birdlife of CKGR is both rich and varied. On the open plains we find both ostrich and secretary bird, alongside kori bustard, double banded courser and Temminck's courser.
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Day 6:
Transfer to Maun
Today we have a long day of travel, as we set off for the journey back through the arid sandy plains of the central Kalahari and pass along the edge of the Makgadikgadi pans, arriving back in Maun in the late afternoon. Throughout the drive we will be on the lookout for any wildlife we may see too, this will likely include birds of prey such as pale-chanting goshawk, bateleur eagle and perhaps a black-backed jackal or herd of zebra.
Accommodation, Maun Lodge, 1 night
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Day 7:
Drive to Moremi Game Reserve
After breakfast in the morning, we begin our journey north to the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. As we leave Maun behind and head into the wilds, we again soon start to see wildlife increasingly frequently.
We should reach Moremi in time for lunch, leaving us with enough time to freshen-up before an afternoon safari and dinner. Today we will likely have our first encounters with some of the delta's iconic wildlife, which is very different from that of the arid plains.
Accommodation: Fully-serviced Mobile Camping, 4-nights
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Days 8-10
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Explore Moremi Game Reserve
Over the course of the next three days, we will explore the fabulous environs of the Moremi Game Reserve through a mix of morning, afternoon and full day safaris.
Elephants, buffalo, red lechwe, greater kudu and countless beautiful birds may be waiting for us in the wilds of this wonderful place. As many large mammals, and particularly carnivores, are active at night, first light is a thrilling time to set off on safari. The tracks of lions, or a leopard, may lead us to a cat as it ends its nighttime hunting. Equally we may encounter African wild dogs setting off for the day or any of the myriad antelopes and dazzling birds which make their home in this exceptional place.
At some point in our drives (away from lions!) we make a comfort stop to stretch our legs and enjoy tea or coffee plus a snack. One of the great advantages of a mobile camping safari is that we are not restricted by a schedule - other than national park regulations, which determine that we must be back in camp by nightfall, around 18:30. Thus, if our guide believes that it is in the interests of the group to stay out longer, we have the flexibility to do this.
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Day 11:
Return to Maun & depart
This morning, we have a final morning safari to enjoy some last memorable wildlife moments. We then bid farewell to our camp crew and safari guide and transfer to the nearby airstrip for our return to Maun by light aircraft. This wonderful flight low over the landscapes of the mighty Okavango Delta will be a fitting finale to our time in this wild country, as we can look down on the mosaic of habitats from above. In Maun we check in for our early afternoon flights to London (via Johannesburg).
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Day 12:
Arrive UK
