Visit two of southern Africa’s most amazing countries, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and experience at close quarters massive concentrations of wildlife – prides of lions, leopards and cheetahs, rhinos, hippos and elephants and thousands of antelopes. See the mighty Victoria Falls, travel the expanse of the Okavango and enjoy a smiling and friendly welcome wherever you go.
After arrival at Victoria Falls airport, you will be transferred to Hwange Camp via Mbala gate. The camp is set on its own private concession within one of the most remote parts of Hwange National park in the Sinamatella area.
Bordering Botswana, Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe's largest game park with an area of 14,600km². Its sheer size means that its scenery, vegetation and game vary hugely, ranging from the semi desert scrub on the edge of the Kalahari in the south, to forests, granite hills and valleys of mopane woodlands in the north. The park is about two hours south of the mighty Victoria Falls by road.
Hwange is known for the sheer volume of elephants that are attracted to the park's waterholes during the dry season. Other animals that frequent the park are lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhino, buffalo, impala, kudu, sable, eland, waterbuck, zebra, giraffe, baboon and warthog.
After an early ground transfer, you will arrive at Ilala Lodge, Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe. Wild animals are often seen grazing the hotel lawns, as the national park borders the front of the property.
Above the falls on the upper Zambezi, boats cruise the serene waters at sunset while the distant spray catches the fading light downstream. Below the falls, the Batoka Gorge’s rocky walls funnel the lower Zambezi into a sequence of exhilarating rapids. Aside from being a UNESCO world heritage site and a natural world wonder, Victoria Falls also forms a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Victoria Falls keeps both the faint of heart and the adrenalin junkies busy for days, perhaps bungee jumping from a bridge, or a more sedate high tea. From Zimbabwe, you’ll get a frontal view of the falls’ wide curtain of water from viewpoints and footpaths meandering through a rainforest kept hot and humid by the spray of the falls.
Another early start for your transfer to Chobe and the Chobe Elephant Camp. The Chobe riverfront is an elephant haven; home to the largest density of African elephants in the world.
Chobe will not fail to impress you as giant elephant bulls stroll up next to your vehicle, as well as the hundreds of hippos and buffaloes on the floodplains and prides of lions. Chobe is a great introduction to Botswana and also makes a rewarding journey once you’ve ticked off the big game. It is a super location for rare sightings like sable antelope, or to spot that elusive bird on your bucket list.
After your air transfer you will arrive at Kanana Camp, Okavango Delta, where the wild things are! This is an immense oasis teeming with elephants and birdlife, adrift in the middle of Kalahari sands. During winter months, water fills the Okavango; converting the floodplains into a haven of African wildlife.
As the water breathes life into the delta, its local residents shape and create it. Termites slowly build mounds into islands, germinated with palm trees by passing elephants. Waterways open and close on the whim of wide-bottomed hippos, forming channels where they meander through reeds, and leaving room behind them for mokoro (traditional canoe) expeditions. Amazing walking safaris also on offer from Kanana Camp lead by expert guides.
The Okavango has many guises, which change throughout the year, prompted by that most unpredictable phenomenon of them all: the weather. Water levels rise and drop, expanding and shrinking islands, while animals flock to where life is easiest. In a few days, a sandy road driven by vehicle can become a waterway, prompting a safari by boat instead.
Sleep under the stars! For three nights stays plus, Kanana Camp offers a special tree house to sleep under the stars (maximum 2 persons) which can be arranged on request. This is a unique experiential opportunity and not to be missed.
Board another exhilarating flight and arrive at Shinde, a mystical hideaway in the wildlife rich Shinde private concession, built in a remote and exclusive setting on the edge of the waters of the northern Okavango Delta. It is surrounded by waterways alive with birdlife and game.
After departing on your next internal flight, you will find yourself at Pelo Camp. The camp is completely eco-friendly and is ideal for the adventurous traveller wanting a classic, traditional Okavango Delta experience.
As the camp is located on a small island surrounded by permanent water, activities focus on mokoro excursions, and boating. Pelo Camp is set in one of the best areas to see the rare sitatunga and red lechwe antelopes. Wildlife concentrations in this part of the Okavango Delta depend on the water flow and change from season to season. Birdlife is abundant; enthusiasts have a chance of spotting Pel's fishing-owl as well as African and lesser jacanas and a host of other Okavango specials such as slaty egret, African pygmy-goose and western banded snake-eagle.
Providing a true remote, genuine and wild Delta experience, Pelo Camp is set in one of the most beautiful ecosystems in the world - right in the heart of the Okavango Delta.
The camp has five intimate and cosy guest tents with en-suite bathrooms, comfortable beds, indoor and outdoor showers, and covered front verandas on which guests can relax and soak up the wonderful surroundings.
Pelo Camp is located on a distinct heart-shaped island in the heart of the Jao Concession and is a tranquil retreat from the pressures of everyday life.
The main camp area consists of a tented lounge and bar area with an inviting plunge pool around which guests can relax and enjoy a refreshing dip after a long day of game viewing. There is also a beautiful dining area and an outdoor boma with a raised lookout for sitting out under the crystal clear night skies. This is truly a camp where relaxation and being at one with nature are the call of the day.
Pelo Camp lies in a true wetland area of the Okavango Delta, an ideal habitat for the elusive sitatunga antelope and common red lechwe. Hippo and crocodile are also regularly sighted. In the dry season lechwe, impala, elephant are prevalent, with lion, leopard and buffalo sighted occasionally.
Nature walks, boating trips and Mokoro (traditional dug out canoes) excursions are fantastic ways to view the magnificent array of game in the area and fishing is also a very popular activity here.
Birding is also very popular as birdlife is exceptional here. Large concentrations of endangered wattled crane are found here as well as slaty egrets, rosy-throated longclaws, African skimmer and Pel's fishing-owl.
This elegant and comfortable hotel is located right on the edge of the Victoria Falls National Park and has excellent views of the perpetual mist from the Falls and stunning surroundings where animals, such as warthogs, graze on the lawns in view of the hotel terraces. The Falls are just a 20 minute walk away and the vibrant town of Victoria Falls is even closer making this a perfect base from which to explore one of the world's seven natural wonders.
Set in secluded surroundings on the Zimbabwean side of the mighty Zambezi River this beautiful lodge is the closest hotel to the falls and offers warm hospitality, luxurious accommodation, beautiful gardens, a fantastic restaurant, swimming pool, and above all, superb location.
This small hotel has 56 rooms with a mixture of twin/double standard, deluxe and suites. First floor rooms have balconies and ground floor rooms have French doors to a private patio. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with toiletries, air conditioning, fans, satellite TV and tea/coffee making facilities. The Palm Court restaurant offers indoor and outdoor dining options.
Activities bookable at the hotel include Zambezi river cruises, elephant rides and lion walks, scenic flights, bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls bridge, zip-lining and fishing and much more.
Camp Hwange is set on its own private concession within one of the most remote parts of Hwange National park in the Sinamatella area, which is known for its rocky, hilly county with thick teak woodland.
The small and intimate camp offers canvas and thatch bungalow accommodations of a unique style, all bungalows have en-suite bathroom facilities.
The camp offers you the rare opportunity to track Rhino within an Intensive Protection Zone and the terrain here is ideally suited to walking safaris with excellent birding opportunities.
Activities on offer are game drives and walking. Game likely to be encountered includes all of the cat family, wild dog, elephants and buffalo in huge numbers and the usual plain's game. Walks to the natural springs found in this area are a special highlight.
The lodge has been entirely constructed from sandbags, the thick sand-filled walls create a natural insulating barrier between the inhabitants and the harsh African climate and enhance the old farm-style feel of the camp. It houses ten rooms, one family room and can sleep 24 guests at a time.
With a variety of activities that include viewing the regions spectacular wildlife from open safari vehicles, by boat on the Chobe River or experiencing life in the village, a visit to Chobe Elephant Camp offers a wide range of experiences to our guests.
This property is located near the Ngoma Gate for entry to the Chobe Riverfront. Very few lodges are located on this end of the park and few people utilize this entry point, creating a more remote and exclusive experience than at the properties around Kasane. Although outside the park, this option is located in a bush setting where wildlife frequently passes through.
Kanana Camp is set in the south western delta amongst grass covered islands formed by fertile eroded termite hills dotted with fig, palm and jackal berry trees. The Kanana area encompasses a necklace of islands on the Xudum River, northeast of Pom Pom lagoon and is incredibly picturesque with winding waterways meandering through open lagoons.
This traditional camp has an intimate and personal atmosphere, built among spectacular shady trees of ebony, acacia and sausage tree.
It offers eight large safari style tents and a family unit equipped with tasteful furnishings and private en-suite bathrooms. The main lodge area is on raised decking encircling the trees and offers a dining and sitting area, a cocktail bar and a refreshing plunge pool.
Activities at Kanana include day and night game drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles, game viewing on mokoro excursions, guided walks, fishing, motor boating and sunset cruises. The waterways are lined with reeds and dotted with papyrus and tree islands in this picturesque and tranquil part of the delta. As water levels vary throughout the year so does the focus of activities. The camp managers will advise guests on the best options during their stay. A wide variety of game frequent the islands around Kanana Camp including impala, lechwe, leopard, lion and elephant and you may be lucky to see sitatunga whilst boating.
Birding all year round is exceptional with regular sightings of Pels Fishing Owl amongst many others. Kanana Camp is one of the few camps in the Delta to have access to a private heronry where many migratory water birds come to nest from July onwards. Birds you will encounter at the heronry include marabou, yellow-bill and open-bill storks. The sight of thousands of nesting birds is mesmerising and an experience you will not forget.
Shinde is a magical hideaway in the wildlife abundant Shinde private concession, nestled within the shade of ancient jackal berries, water figs and knob thorns and built in a remote and exclusive setting on the edge of the permanent waters of the northern Okavango Delta. It is surrounded by clear waterways teeming with birdlife and game, and offering a wide variety of activities all year round.
The camp consists of eight large safari style tents on timber decking furnished in elegant African style, featuring open gauze windows and en-suite bathrooms with a separate toilet. The main lodge is known as the ‘tree house’ and is a multi-tiered structure with the dining room adjoined by stairs and ramps (for wheelchair-friendly access) to several lounging areas each offering different aspects across the delta. The boma area at the foot of the lodge provides a meeting point for guests for afternoon tea and a venue for stargazing in the evenings while enjoying a drink around the campfire. Shinde also features a curio shop and a swimming pool. Within the camp is the Shinde Enclave, a perfect choice for a family or small group. The enclave is a camp within a camp, and offers guests their own private deck, dining facilities and an exclusive host/guide.
Activities at Shinde include game drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles which offer some of the finest dry land game viewing in Botswana with regular sightings of lion and leopard, exploring the water ways in mokoro (traditional dugout canoes), guided nature walks, night drives, motor boating and sunset cruises. It is also possible to enjoy a longer outing, by motorboat to the Gadikwe lagoons in the Moremi game reserve to view breeding colonies of herons, egrets, pelicans and storks (August to December). For the fishing enthusiasts, Shinde provides basic fishing equipment for guests to take on the challenge of the fighting tiger fish or bream, pike and catfish during the fishing season.