Okavango and Chobe Wildlife Adventure – By Tented Camp
Tour Introduction
This trip starts the same as our Okavango budget tour and offers the same great value for money. You will travel to the same three Okavango tented camps but you would then continue to Botswana’s vast Central Chobe region – famous for its large herds of elephants, elephant-hunting lions plus stunning sunsets.
Throughout the tour, you will travel by Land Cruiser with your naturalist guide, arriving at campsites that are set up prior to your arrival at each carefully selected location. Each day will include excursions in both the morning and afternoon, via game drives during both the day and night, guided walks and mokoro excursions. The camp crew follow your route with all supplies required, creating a comfortable accommodation experience with incredibly warm hospitality. This is a truly immersive safari experience.
Spot herds of elephant and buffalo amongst the open plains and pockets of mopane scrub from the air, on a small plane charter flight to begin your tour. Land in the Xakanaxa region of the Moremi Game Reserve, on the eastern fringes of the Okavango Delta, one of the best areas on the continent for viewing the endangered African wild dog. Navigate calm and secluded channels of the Khwai River, observing hippopotamus and crocodile, whilst elephants come to cool off. Enjoy superb birding opportunities, including the possibility of witnessing an African fish eagle hunting on the wing.
You’ll experience the thrill of bushwalks and night drives through habitats of the Mababe concession, including Kalahari scrub and cathedral mopane forest, before heading north to the desert-like Central Chobe region for your final camp. The Central Chobe is home to the powerful lion prides of Savuti Marsh. These prides, strong in number, have learned how to hunt elephants, aided by the cover of darkness. Conclude your holiday with a scenic boat trip along the Chobe River to reach your final destination, the riverside town of Kasane.
Please note that your exact program of activities will be determined by your guide depending on seasonal water levels, grass height, weather and recent animal sightings.
Tours are based on a minimum of 2 people with a maximum group size of 7. Transport will be in specially designed safari 4×4 with fridge and retractable canvas roof. Guaranteed window seat for each passenger.
No single supplement for the first three singles on each departure. Minimum age for children is 12 years.
Full Itinerary
Arrive at Maun International Airport, then take a charter flight to the Xakanaxa airstrip in Moremi Game Reserve. Greeted on arrival by your guide. Enjoy your first game drive late that afternoon, then settle into you first camp where you will be for the first three nights.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Xakanaxa. Includes Dinner.
Morning and afternoon game drive excursions in the Xakanaxa region of Moremi Game Reserve.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Xakanaxa. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon game drive excursions with your guide.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Xakanaxa. Includes All Meals.
After an early breakfast, depart with your guide for a leisurely drive through the Moremi Game Reserve, heading north-east towards the Khwai and Mababe areas, looking for iconic species as you go. You will also get to explore the calm back waters of the Khwai and Mbudi channels by traditional Mokoro canoe. Camp on the banks of the Khwai River.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Khwai River. Includes All Meals.
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Mababe concession, whilst walking safaris are a possibility also. At night, head out on a game drive using spotlights to detect nocturnal mammals.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Mababe. Includes All Meals.
Game drives within the reserve, in addition to exciting walking and night excursions.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Mababe. Includes All Meals.
Continue north towards the Central Chobe region, crossing the Magwikwe Sand-ridge on this exciting off road drive. This natural feature once formed the shoreline of Makgadikgadi Lake, which dried up around ten thousand years ago. The landscape you will drive through today is some of the best cheetah country you will encounter on the tour.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Central Chobe. Includes All Meals.
Explore the Central Chobe via game drives and also take a short hike to see ancient bushman paintings. Volcanic rock outcrops, hills and the Savuti Marsh characterise the landscape on this part of your tour, providing diverse habitats to support an array of species. The large and strong prides of lion here often come into conflict with powerful clans of hyena.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Central Chobe. Includes All Meals.
Game drives and bushwalks in both the morning and afternoon. The landscape in this area of the Central Chobe is very good cheetah territory, whilst wild dogs frequent the area to hunt during the wet season.
Staying at Letaka Tented Camp Central Chobe. Includes All Meals.
Drive up through the Zambezi teak woodlands of the Chobe Forest Reserve. Roan and Sable Antelope favour this dense habitat, as do leopards that quietly skulk through the vegetation. End your tour with a trip by boat along the Chobe River to reach Kasane. Either stay a night or two in Kasane or connect with your onward transfer.
Includes Breakfast and Lunch.
Tour Accommodation
Letaka Mobile Tented Camps
Overview
A mobile safari tour is an intrepid and unique way of experiencing Africa’s remaining wilderness regions. Venturing further off the increasingly beaten bush trails of Southern Africa is likely to reward you with extraordinary wildlife viewing. Within Botswana, Letaka Safaris are experts in this type of tour. Their access to private reserves and remote campsites, exceptional staff, and superb regional knowledge, provides them with a cutting edge.
A team of guides and crew will join you and your travel companions, setting up the mobile camp at each location along your itinerary route. The safari chef and camp assistants will ensure you are well supplied with excellent meals, which are eaten in a communal setting with your companions. Drinking water, soft drinks and a selection of alcoholic beverages are all included in your stay. Mobile showers are even available within your private ensuite area, adjacent to your tent.
Their modern fleet of open-sided, four-wheel drive vehicles ensure excellent wildlife viewing potential in comfort, whilst the guides are highly professional and experienced.
Swimming Pool
Air Conditioning
Rooms
Facilities
The tents are a 4 x 3m Sahara style with a high roof, 2 x 3m ensuite bathroom and a 2 x 3m covered (open-sided) private porch area.
Solid base camp beds made up with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. Ensuite areas consist of a long drop toilet and a bucket shower. Showers can be ordered as hot, cold or warm. *The guide withholds the right to limit water use and showering depending upon the availability of water. Towels and basic toiletries provided.
Tents have an oil/paraffin lamp on the veranda and in the bathroom and within the tent itself, a LED rechargeable camp light is supplied.
Local Wildlife
Depending on the region and campsite location, certain species may be more prevalent and easier to spot than others. In the Kalahari, Okavango and Chobe regions however, you could possibly see: Lion (including black-maned), cheetah, leopard, brown hyena, spotted hyena, wild dog, aardwolf, caracal, honey badger, elephant, giraffe, zebra, greater kudu, impala, gemsbok, steenbok, springbok, oryx and eland. Hundreds of bird species including good numbers of raptors and ostrich are present.
Optional Activities
Game drives, bushmen guided walks, mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) excursions.
Route Map
Departure Dates
Tour Dates
Adult Price
Single Supp
Travel Information
Are International Flights Included?
No. Please contact us for a quote if required.
Flight Info:
Price includes domestic charter flight from Maun to Xakanaxa.
Best Visited:
January to December
Are you ATOL Registered?
Yes. This means we are legally able to book your international flights in conjunction with your ground arrangements so you can book with us with complete confidence. Read more about our ATOL license here.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
This trip ends in Kasane in northern Botswana. The mighty Victoria Falls are just over an hour’s drive across the border in Zimbabwe. With two international airports, you can add this natural wonder to the end your trip and fly home from there.
If you have any questions regarding this Tour, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to thank all at Reef and Rainforest for arranging so superbly yet another exceptional wildlife experience. As you are aware our ‘expeditions’ tend to be species led and this year’s brief was to observe and photograph the ‘Three Big Cats of Africa’ in a truly wild setting (i.e. no fences). Your recommended destination, Botswana, did not let us down, in fact the whole trip proved an outstanding success in all aspects.
We stayed in three camps (three nights in each) across the Okavango Delta and surrounding area, each provided a different environment which ensured our aims were met. Each camp was run to a very high standard, was extremely comfortable and provided excellent meals. The quality of guiding and tracking in all our camps was of the highest standard. As Botswana manages its natural resources so well all the camps were small (no more than 18 guests) ensuring a very intimate safari experience in pristine wild African habitat.
I am delighted to report our big cat objectives were realised. All observations were lengthy and offered excellent photographic opportunities. However, unexpectedly, the highlight of our spectacular trip turned out to be sightings of two separate packs of African Painted Dogs. We visited two dens, the first had a very healthy number of adult dogs, approximately fifteen and eighteen pups. The second had seven adult dogs and sixteen pups. At Lebala we had the privilege of spending a prolonged period of time following the pack of dogs as they hunted, an experience we will never forget.
When one also considers the significant mammal and bird species we observed, Botswana is truly a must visit destination for the wildlife enthusiast. Incidentally we also observed three serval and two African wild cats. We also thoroughly enjoyed our few days at Victoria Falls, possibly the most spectacular waterfall in the world, the hotel in Zimbabwe was excellent. Viewing the falls from the Zambian side and also the helicopter flight are both well worth doing.
This was our third consecutive trip with Reef and Rainforest, and I would be very surprised if there is not a fourth being planned very soon. Thank you all once again.
