Classic Botswana & Zimbabwe
13 days, 12 nights
Price Range:
$13,936 – $48,969
(all-inclusive price per person, depending on dates & camps selected)
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A safari through these adjacent countries offers double the wildlife wonders that each provides on its own. Enjoy multi-night stays in four distinct national parks and game reserves, including two locations in the Okavango Delta to fully explore its diversity of habitats and plethora of wildlife. A remote wilderness experience is at the heart of this safari, while outstanding camps provide every luxury in the bush. A visit to Victoria Falls merely ices the cake!
Our Expert Says
This is a great trip for both game viewing and amazing scenery, but it's also packed with multiple activities, both land-based and water-based. My favorite part of the trip is Mana Pools on the Middle Zambezi River….fantastic for kayaking and walking among wild game!
– Dave Luck
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Days 1-2: Okavango Delta
Where the Okavango River meets the Kalahari Desert, a green oasis sprawls amid the sands and parched savanna. The maze of channels sustains a profusion of wildlife in permanently flooded lagoons and on land. Explore the marsh by poled mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe, and wildlife drives on higher ground. Islands and wetlands are home to prolific birdlife, hippo and red lechwe, while elephant, lion, leopard, zebra and more thrive beyond the water’s reach.
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Days 3-4: Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, a vast and varied wilderness mosaic that encompasses a range of habitats from papyrus-fringed waterways to mopane and acacia woodlands dotted with pans. The delta’s reach varies dramatically depending on seasonal rains and flooding, creating a constantly changing set of environments. Such diverse ecosystems nurture an enormous collection of animals, making a second stop in a different region of the delta essential on any comprehensive safari itinerary.
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Days 5-6: Linyanti / Savuti Reserves
The Linyanti and Savuti region of northern Botswana is noted for its shifting landscapes, from riverine to dry pans, woodlands to plains. Perennial water attracts great herds of animals that come to slake their thirst in the dry season. The once-flowing Savute Channel, which experiences long, unpredictable intervals of drought, cuts through the reserve. Large prides of lion and other predators steal behind, making for exciting wildlife viewing. Elephant, zebra and giraffe are also abundant.
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Days 7-8: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe side)
One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls is the largest sheet of falling water on earth: over a mile wide as it plunges 350 feet into the Zambezi Gorge. The thundering cataract straddles the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, churning up a deluge of spray. This is adventure country: see the falls from a helicopter or microlight, raft the rapids, canoe the placid current or enjoy a sunset cruise above the falls.
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Days 9-10: Hwange Nat'l Park
Bordering the Kalahari Desert on Zimbabwe’s western edge, Hwange is the country’s largest national park. Its 5,600 square miles of desert sand, sparse woodland, grasslands and granite outcrops shelter vast herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and a vital predator population, including lion, leopard and cheetah. You may even see one of Hwange's select few resident white rhinoceros. Other endangered residents include gemsbok, brown hyena and African wild dog.
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Days 11-12: Mana Pools Nat'l Park
Mana Pools lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River, bordering Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. Together the two parks protect a riverine environment that supports an intense concentration of wildlife, ideal for exploring by canoe safari. “Mana” means four in the Shona language, referring to the four large pools, remnants of ancient oxbow lakes, which sustain great numbers of hippo, crocodile, elephant, buffalo, waterbuck and aquatic birds on islands and sandbanks.
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Day 13: Harare/Home
Your safari adventure ends today in Harare, Zimbabwe.