Enjoy the perfect combination of a self-drive safari with guided vehicle and boat safaris in Namibia and Botswana, culminating in a stay near the infamous Victoria Falls.
This novel itinerary, which is self-drive as far as Kasane just inside Botswana, combines Namibia’s premier wildlife hotspot, Etosha National Park, with the lush Caprivi Strip which leads along the Kavango River into Botswana, then on to Chobe National Park.
This ensures that you see the best that the Four Corners, as it is known – where Namiba, Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe come together – has to offer, with the immensely rich birdlife of the Caprivi and its many rivers. You finish on a high with an opportunity to see Chobe’s legendary elephant population , followed by Victoria Falls, Africa’s biggest and most spectacular waterfall.
Suggested Itinerary
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Day 1:
Depart the UK
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Day 2:
Arrive Windhoek
On arrival, collect your hire vehicle and drive around an hour to your accommodation in the city. The rest of the day is free to relax or explore the interesting city of Windhoek.
Accommodation: Olive Grove Guesthouse, 1-night
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Day 3:
Drive to Okonjima
Depart Windhoek and drive around three hours north on tarmac highway to Okonjima, home of the AfriCat Foundation. On arrival, enjoy an included vehicle safari or guided walk.
Accommodation: Okonjima Plains Camp, 1-night
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Days 4-5
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Drive to Onguma Private Reserve, Etosha National Park
Continue north to Onguma Private Reserve at the eastern end of Etosha National Park. In the afternoon (and the following day) you can do a self-drive excursion into the park or select an optional guided walk or vehicle safari in Onguma Private Reserve.
Accommodation: Onguma Tented Camp, 2-nights
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Day 6:
Drive to Rundu
Set off early this morning for the long drive (mainly on good tarmac roads) to Rundu in the Okavango (575 kilometres / 7-8 hours). Depending on your arrival time, take an optional boat cruise on the Kavango River.
Accommodtion: Hakusembe River Lodge, 1-night
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Day 7:
Drive to Shadi-Kongoro
Continue due east along the Caprivi Strip parallel to Angola’s southern border, which follows the Kavango River to Shadi-Kongoro. On arrival, enjoy an optional sunset cruise on river or mokoro trip.
Accommodation: Riverdance Lodge, 2-nights
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Day 8:
Excursion to Mahango Game Reserve & Popa Falls
Today, enjoy a self-drive excursion into Mahango Game Reserve for an opportunity to see elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, sable, roan antelope, bushbuck, kudu, reedbuck, impala, wildebeest, tsessebe and sitatunga, plus more than 400 species of birds. Afternoon visit to Popa Falls.
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Day 9:
Drive through Bwabwata National Park to Kwando River
Drive along the Caprivi Strip through Bwabwata National Park to Kongola, with a short boat trip on the Kwando River to your island accommodation. A guided night drive is included on arrival.
Accommodation: Susuwe Island Lodge, 2-nights
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Day 10:
Boat trip on Kwando River & vehicle safari in Bwabwata National Park
Included during your stay at Susuwe Island are a morning boat trip on the Kwando River and an afternoon guided vehicle safari in the Kalahari grasslands of Bwabwata National Park. During the excursions, there is an opportunity to see lion, leopard, elephant, roan, reedbuck, kudu, duiker, lechwe, bushbuck, tsessebe, warthog, bush pig, hippo, sitatunga and crocodile. The birdlife is prolific, and the Kwando River full of interesting fish.
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Day 11:
Drive to Kasane & transfer to Chobe
Today you will need an early start for the long drive to Kasane Airport, where you drop off your hire vehicle and meet transport for the transfer to Chobe Forest Reserve. An included guided night drive on the lodge’s private concession, using a spotlight, will allow you to see the local nocturnal species, from small mammals to buffalo and elephant.
Accommodation: Muchenje Lodge, 2-nights
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Day 12:
Game drive & boat trip in Chobe National Park
Morning vehicle safari in Chobe National Park, followed by an afternoon boat trip on the Chobe River for a chance to see huge herds of elephants, as well as many other mammals and birds that are attracted to the water.
You may also have time to fit in an optional guided bush walk to learn about animal spoor, trees, plants and insects that add an interesting dimension to the wildlife experience, or visit the local village for a cultural experience.
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Day 13:
Transfer to Livingstone
This morning you transfer to Kazungula to take the ferry across the Zambezi to enter Zambia and continue by road to your accommodation just outside Livingstone.
Accommodation: Waterberry Lodge, 2-nights
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Day 14:
Visit Victoria Falls
As part of your stay at Waterberry Lodge, two activities are included today. Almost inevitably, one of these will be a half-day visit to the famed Victoria Falls, but you can liaise directly with lodge staff regarding your other choice.
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Day 15:
Transfer to Livingstone & depart
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Day 16:
Arrive UK
