Is This Trip for Me?
This epic bush safari follows the magnificent Chobe River as it snakes its way through Botswana where you will detour to observe the incredible Okavango Delta and end at the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi National Park.
Your adventure begins at the Chobe River, the jewel that flows through Botswana, Nambia and eventually greets the Zambezi in the east. Home to the greatest concentration of wildlife in the world, it’s easy to see why. The crisp, flowing waters are teeming with fish that feed crocodiles, birds of prey and draw game from miles around. This congregation in turn attracts the attention of Africa’s top predators, among them the lion, leopard and cheetah and the massive African elephant, there to assert her dominance as the largest land mammal of them all. The Chobe draws a whole ecosystem to it’s banks and you will be the spectator.
Mid-safari you will meet the mighty Okavango Delta, one of the most surprising natural phenomena in Africa. Once an ancient lake, the earth’s gradual tectonic shift has transformed the Okavango Delta into a depressed trough in the northern part of Botswana that collects almost 12 cubic kilometers of rain water each season, a blessing to the numerous wildilfe that rely on these annual waters as they migrate in search of new grazing lands and a fresh water supply. No where else in the world will you see such a large body of water with no source. The marshy Okavango homes hippopotamus, elephant, the crocodile and more birdlife than you could ever hope to photograph.
The surrounding landscape of the Okavango is brush savannah, sneaky waterways and green forest. This is where you will be introduced to the pristine Moremi Game Reserve, where variety means plenty. At Moremi you will have the chance to see the rare Sitatunga and Lechwe antelope. Buffalo, zebra and wildebeest glide nervously through the reserve, always on the look out for the top predator lurking in the shade. Such a diverse part of the world wouldn’t be complete without the Wild Dog; one of Africa’s most threatened species. The Moremi has made it their mission to preserve this precious pack animal.
Continue south east and you will come to a surreal landscape of dusty, white-baked salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Remember the Okavango Delta’s former glory as part of an ancient lake? The Makgadikgadi salt pans are also relics of a landscape that has been transformed by the earth’s relentless passage through time. The Makgadigadi also fill with water during the wet season, drawing migratory birds such as the Great White pelican to this temporary oasis. While the salt pans might seem stark or even brittle during the peak of the dry season, wildlife can still be found steaking their place in this wonderfully abundant country.