Start and end this Botswana self drive in Johannesburg and enjoy this amazing adventure through the various game parks in Botswana. It is an adventurous route with multiple nights on basic camp sites in themiddles of unfenced game parks. Some 4×4 driving experience is required.
This trip is taylor-made. Extra night, upgrades and possible alternative routes are available on request.
Johannesburg, Marakele National Park (or Pilanesberg), Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Nata, Victoria Falls (optioneel) Chobe National Park, Savuti, Moremi Game Reserve, Khwai Community Area, Okavango Delta, Maun, Xhumaga, Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Johannesburg – Johannesburg
To be confirmed
20 nights in accommodations and camp sites as described in the itinerary.
African Travels use small scale locations and establishments with great views and close to the local attractions and excursions. The accommodations add to the entire experience. As Africa specialists we would like to hear your accommodation preferences; do you prefer an onsite restaurant, pool, spa, gym? Do you like peace and quiet or do you prefer som more activity around you? Upgrades and additional nights are also an option.
Welcome to Africa! On arrival in Johannesburg in the evening you will be picked up at the airport and taken to your hotel for the first night in Africa and to recover from the long flight.
At 08:00 a.m. you will be picked up and taken to the 4×4 depot. Here you will receive the rental car. Take your time here. Then you can do your shopping for the next few days, ask the depot for the best location in the area. You can also do this in a smaller village near the first campsite.
Then you drive to Marakele NP and enjoy the first game drives!
Travel on to Botswana and cross the border. From now on, pay attention to potholes in the road! You can also do your shopping in Serowe here. Just across the border is a gas station with ATM where you can pin Pula.
Khama Rhino is a rhino sanctuary that provides national information about this threatened species.
Continue to Kubu Island. At Orapa you can enter the park. There are no facilities here, so make sure you bring enough water, fuel and food.
Enjoy the sunset!
Continue to Elephant Sands. You can make a stop at Nata Bird Sanctuary along the way. This lodge has a water spot that attracts a lot of elephants. There is also a swimming pool for cooling off. A great place to relax for an afternoon and enjoy nature.
Here you will spend the night in a bed.
Continue to Kasane where you will spend the night just outside the village. Make sure you arrive at the campsite before 2 pm, then you can still join a sunset cruise on the river.
We will book a day transfer to Victoria Falls for you. Do not forget to bring your passport and a waterproof bag/bag for your camera and other valuables that should not get wet.
There is no restaurant here, make sure you bring enough food. There is a bar though.
Fill up your car (take an extra jerry can with you on the roof) and drive into the wilderness! Travel to Third Bridge via Savuti and the Chobe National park. You will have time here to explore Moremi extensively.
In the morning you can explore Moremi and in the afternoon you travel further to Khwai.
Start the day with the mokoro excursion to the Okavango delta.
In the afternoon you travel further to the camping Maghoto (Khwai Community Campsite). The next few days you will sleep in the park again and you can enjoy the beautiful wildlife of Botswana. Again, there are no facilities here.
From this place you can explore Moremi as well as Khwai during day time
Enjoy a final morning game drive before continuing to Maun in the afternoon. Here you could take a flight over the Delta in the afternoon. Maun is the tourist heart of Botswana.
By your supplies in the morning for the next few days.
Travel on to Khumaga and spend the next few days exploring Makgadikgadi NP. At Tiaans Camp (Boteti river camp) there may be a restaurant available.
Continue the journey to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. You can still refuel at Rakops.
Make sure you have enough food and drink with you, there are no facilities.
The next few days you can enjoy untouched wilderness again.
Leave the park and continue to Makumutu lodge.
Continue the journey to the border with South Africa and spend the night on the river that separates the two countries.
It’s the last night in Africa.
It’s an early start today for the last stretch of your self drive! Martin’s drift border opens at 06:00.
Then drive to Johannesburg and try to be there before 4:00 PM. After a final inspection you will be dropped off at the airport for the flight home.
We would like to thank you very much for this fantastic trip, we really enjoyed every day and definitely want to return to Africa again in the future. We really enjoyed the countries, partly because everything was really well and clearly arranged, so we no longer had to worry about it. This was truly a trip we will never forget.
We will definitely recommend you to friends / family / acquaintances if we have made them enthusiastic enough with our stories.
Thank you again very much and perhaps we will be in touch again in a few years when we want to return to Africa.
Helpful, reliable, contactable, I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again, Highly recommended.
5/5
You drove a self hire camping Toyota from Johannesburg to Botswana. We mainly camped in National game parks or community camps. We saw great sites and lots of animals as we were generally staying in unfenced sites.
It was an unforgettable experience. Botswana is one of the last places of true wilderness. I have been on Safari elsewhere but there is no experience like self drive unfenced camping amongst the wildlife
We had an fantastic trip trough Africa…
We had an fantastic trip trough Africa and visited three countrys SA, Botswana and Zimbabwe. African Travels helped perfectly to create the best possible holliday. The service was always posstive, professional and with an enormous local knowledge and contacts that made the trip extra special.
Marijnke thanx for everything.
