15 days – Botswana & Zimbabwe Ivory Route

The majestic sight of the mighty Zambezi River plunging over the Victoria Falls, welcomes you to your Zimbabwe and Botswana adventure. We check into our lodge before we explore the falls and tropical rain forest surrounds on foot in the afternoon before heading out to a local restaurant for dinner (own expense).

Day 1: Breakfast not included
Day 1: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 1: Dinner will be an own expense meal at a local restaurant

Includes: Entrance fees to see the Victoria Falls
Distance/time: N/A
Optional Activities: Scenic flights & many more
Overnight: PheZulu Guest Lodge, twin rooms with en-suite facilities. Swimming pool, restaurant, bar and telephone. Free WiFi available

Hwange National Park is a wildlife jewel, famous for its big game and large herds of elephant. Hwange is home to a wide variety of habitats, from its western regions on the edge of the Kalahari through large grass plains to the forested woodland in east Hwange. Our comfortable lodge for two nights is situated on the private concession on the eastern boundary of the park, our time is spent on a full day game drive, in open 4WD vehicles, in the park in search of big game.

Day 2: Breakfast provided by the hotel
Day 2: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 2: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the lodge
Day 3: Breakfast provided by the lodge
Day 3: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 3: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the lodge

Includes: Entrance fees, full day game drive in open 4WD game viewing vehicle.
Distance/time: ±200km, 3h00 actual driving time, we leave Vic Falls mid-morning, ±2h00 for a visit to the Painted Dogs Conservation Centre and lunch stop en-route. So ±6h00 total travel time.
Overnight: Miombo Lodge – for 2 nights at Hwange National Park, we stay in deluxe tented chalets with en-suite facilities, swimming pool and central boma area. WiFi not available.

The rounded granite boulders and undulating valleys of the Matobos National Park are home to some of the last of the rhino in Zimbabwe. We spend our day on an excursion into the park that includes a game walk to see the rhino, discovering the ancient Bushmen paintings that adorn the rocks, and admiring the landscapes from Worlds View, the site of Cecil John Rhodes’ grave.

Day 4: Breakfast provided by the lodge
Day 4: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 4: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the lodge
Day 5: Breakfast provided by the lodge
Day 5: Lunch provided by the lodge
Day 5: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the lodge

Includes: Entrance to Matobo National Park and game walk.
Distance/time: ±360km, 4h30 actual driving time, rolling tarmac road via Bulawayo should be ±6h00 travel time.
Overnight: Big Cave Camp – chalets – twin rooms with en-suite facilities (hot showers), swimming pool, restaurant, bar & telephone. WiFi not available.

This morning we leave Matobos and head west towards the Botswana border, we cross at Plumtree and we make our way to the Nata area for our overnight stop. In the late afternoon we will head out onto the Makgadikgadi Pans, vast saltpans that seem to stretch on to infinity. We will explore the area and have some fun taking photographs before the sunsets golden over the horizon.

Day 6: Breakfast provided by the lodge
Day 6: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 6: Dinner will be an own expense lodge meal

Includes: Entrance fees to Nata Bird Sanctuary.
Distance/time: ±325km, 4h30 actual driving time, + time at the border crossing and visit to Nata Sanctuary a full day of travel ±8h00 total.
Overnight: Nata Lodge – twin share chalet with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. WiFi not available.

Maun’s name is derived from a San word meaning “place of the short reeds” is nestled at the southern end of the Okavango Delta where our lodge overlooks the beautiful Thamalakane River. Here we prepare for our trip into Moremi Game Reserve and our afternoon is free to bird watch along the river, relax around the pool or take an optional scenic flight over the Okavango Delta (own expense).

Day 7: Breakfast provided the lodge
Day 7: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 7: Dinner will be an own expense meal at a local restaurant

Includes: –
Distance/time: ±320km, 4h00 actual driving time. It’s a relatively flat, straight road so with stops and lunch the total travel for the day is ±4h30.
Optional Activities Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta (+/-USD95-120) pp depending on the number of people in each aircraft).
Overnight: Sedia Hotel – standard twin rooms with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. Wifi available in public areas only

Startling and unexpected contrasts are created as the waters of the Okavango flood into the drier Kalahari creating the magnificently rich wilderness area with amazing wildlife of the Moremi Game Reserve. Rivers, lagoons, savannah, woodland, Moremi offers some excellent game viewing. With over 400 species of birds, Moremi is also a great place to sight leopard, lion, wild dog, elephant, giraffe and a variety of antelope. We spend our time on game drives in Moremi GR and the surrounding concession along the Mababe River where the lagoons attract the thirsty animals to drink in the late afternoon.
Our tented bush camp is on a private concession east of Moremi, where we enjoy our meals while watching the animals drinking and enjoy the wilderness far from civilization.
On the morning of day 10 we have a game drive on the concession before heading back to our hotel in Maun.

Day 8, 9: Breakfast provided the lodge
Day 8, 9: Lunch provided by the tented bush camp
Day 8, 9: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the tented bush camp

Day 10: Breakfast will be provided by the tented bush camp
Day 10: Picnic lunch provided by the tented bush camp
Day 10: Dinner will be an own expense meal at a local restaurant

Includes: Entrance fees to Moremi Game Reserve, morning & afternoon game drive in an open 4WD vehicle.
Distance/time: ±200km, 4h00 actual driving time but it’s a game drive on sandy 4WD tracks so a full day of ±8h00 in the open 4WD.
Overnight: 2x nights remote & private tented bush camp – exclusive tented bush camp in a private concession area, bordering Moremi Game Reserve. Twin-share permanent tented camp with en-suite facilities. WiFi not available.
Sedia Hotel – standard twin rooms with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. Wifi available in public areas only

We drive around the Okavango Delta, and north to our lodge on the banks of the Okavango Pan handle. From the lodge we’ll explore the Okavango by mokoro and motor boat. Tranquil reed lined rivers, crystal clear water and abundant bird life. Time to rest, relax and enjoy the views of the Okavango Delta.

Day 11-12: Breakfast will be provided by the hotel/lodge
Day 11-12: Lunch will be own expense at the lodge
Day 11-12: Dinner will be own expense at the lodge

Includes: Okavango mokoro and motorboat excursions.
Distance/time: ±320km, 5h00 actual driving time, the tarmac road has a few potholes and going can be slow around the Delta and expect a total travel time of ±6h00 total.
Overnight: Guma Lagoon – twin en-suite canvas chalets. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant. WiFi available in the lounge.

Crossing out of Botswana into Namibia and the Mahango Game Reserve. We game drive through the reserve to our lodge on the Kavango River. We spend our afternoon exploring on a river cruise.

Day 13: Breakfast provided by the lodge
Day 13: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 13: Dinner will be a set menu provided by the lodge

Includes: Mahangu NP entrance fee & game drive in the tour vehicle.
Distance/time: ±380km, 5h30 actual driving time, to at camp total travel time of ±6h00 total.
Overnight: Camp Kwando – twin share permanent tents with en-suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. WiFi not available.

The Caprivi Strip, Zambezi Region, is a thin wedge of Namibia, which separates Botswana in the south and Angola in the north. We cross the Caprivi, back into Botswana at Ngoma and head to our lodge in the town of Kasane. The Chobe River attracts large herds of elephant as it flows lazily along the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park. Our final afternoon is spent on arguably the best wildlife activity in Southern Africa, the game-viewing cruise. See herds of elephants, large crocodiles,
pods of hippo and other wildlife as they quench their thirst at the end of the day. The magnificent river sunset is a photographer’s dream.

Day 14: Breakfast will be provided by the lodge
Day 14: Lunch will be an own expense meal
Day 14: Dinner will be an own expense meal

Includes: Chobe N.P entrance fees & sunset cruise on Chobe River.
Distance/time: ±260km, 3h30 actual driving time, we look out for game as we head for a border crossing and a lunch stop total travel time ±6h00 total.
Overnight: Chobe Safari Lodge – twin chalets with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. Alternative Chobe Bush Lodge. WiFi available.

Enjoy an optional early morning game drive (own expense) before our last breakfast together. We bid a sad farewell before we embark on a road shuttle transfer to either Kasane airport in Botswana, or Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe, in time for midday flight departures. Our tour ends at 11:00am.

Day 15: Breakfast will be provided by the lodge
Day 15: Lunch own expense
Day 15: Dinner not included

Includes: Transfer to either Kasane airport BBK (Botswana), or Victoria Falls airport VFA (Zimbabwe) or the town of Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).
Distance/time: ±85km, 1h30 actual driving time. It’s not a long way, but the border can be busy and slow so we anticipate a total travel day of ±3h00.
Optional Activities: Chobe National Park morning game drive.
Overnight: N/A

Please Note:
The distance and travel times quoted above are an estimate only, and subject to local road conditions and animal sightings!

Please note:
That the accommodation specified above and in the itinerary, is a guide only and is subject to availability. Alternatives will be of a similar standard, and accommodation changes will be made without notice.

Sustainable Tourism:
Botswanan conservation lands surrounding the national parks are leased by the government to tourism businesses for the benefit of the local communities. The lodge we use outside Moremi not only employs staff from the local village but also contributes financially towards the community trust. The village board use that income for the betterment of the local people. The lease environmental management plan is for the benefit of conservation of the region.