Chobe National Park | Okavango Delta
Care of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, its Wildlife and People
A celebration of our impact in Botswana
A LIMITED EDITION SET DEPARTURE; MAXIMUM 4 GUESTS; PRIVATE GUIDED
AN INTERPRETIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DELTA WITH BOTSWANA LEGEND MAP IVES
A HUMBLING VISIT TO SEXAXA SCHOOL COMMUNITY PROJECT OUTSIDE MAUN
JOIN WILD DOG RESEARCHERS AND LEARN ABOUT BAOBAB CONSERVATION MEASURES
RELISH LOCALLY-INSPIRED FOOD & DRINK EXPERIENCES IN THE HEART OF THE DELTA
Galebotse ‘Dux’ Mareja
Regional Guide Trainer - Botswana
Keiditsemang ‘KD’ Jeremiah Gabogolelwe
Regional Guide Trainer - Botswana
Your journey at a glance
Immerse yourself in our transformative journey, which celebrates how &BEYOND's care for Botswana's water wonderlands, its wildlife and people has evolved since opening Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge in 1998.
Immerse yourself in this exclusive 9-day itinerary for just four guests that reveals the sanctity of water and how significant it is for the sustainability of the wildlife, communities and landscapes in the Chobe National Park and the world-renowned Okavango Delta. Privately guided throughout by an &BEYOND Botswana Regional Guide Trainer raised in the Delta, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain insight into how this is the main water source for millions of people and learn from those that live on this land that they are proud to call home.
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Your incredible transformational journey will begin in Chobe National Park, famed for having Africa’s largest single concentration of elephant. Enjoy adventures such as game drives, photography boating safari and excellent birdwatching.
Continue to the Okavango Delta, a maze of sparkling lagoons, meandering channels and overgrown islands teeming with wildlife, the Delta lies like a sparkling jewel at the heart of the Kalahari Desert. Adapted for a life in and out of water, the elegant red lechwe and shy sitatunga are found in this watery wilderness. Lion, cheetah, leopard and African wild dog share the floodplains with large herds of elephant and buffalo. Witness life from a new perspective, following routes taken by the river Bushmen and BaYei people, and still used to this day by local tribes.
Join renowned wildlife guide and conservation consultant Map Ives soaring in the skies in a helicopter as he interprets the Delta from above. Continue the adventure on the waterways below on a boat cruise. Learn all about the ancient, traditional ways with an interactive bush cooking experience with your Bushman guide. Enjoy a humbling community experience at Sexaxa Primary School interacting with the children and sip tasty beers at the Okavango Craft Brewery in Maun. Meet up with the wild dog research team and spend the morning tracking and interacting with these endangered animals. Be captivated at sunset for a local gin tasting experience and then a sublime 7-course dinner hosted by local master gin distiller. The adventures are spectacular and the memories simply unforgettable.
2 nights Chobe National Park | 6 nights Okavango Delta
*A seat on this journey includes a donation contribution of USD 250 per person to the Africa Foundation
TAILORMAKE YOUR STAY
Talk to one of our travel specialists to tailormake your stay to any of our destinations
A taste of what to expect…
Chobe National Park
Day 1 – Chobe Under Canvas
- Botswana’s famous Chobe National Park is a must-see wildlife destination covering almost 11,000 km² (6,836 square miles). It was the country’s first national park and boasts the biggest concentration of wildlife in Africa.
- Famous for its large concentration of elephant and buffalo, which congregate along the Chobe River, Chobe National Park offers adventures such as game drives, river cruises, excellent birdwatching and exceptional photographic opportunities.
- Our exclusive, semi-permanent campsites are perfectly situated near the Chobe River at the northern end of the Chobe National Park.
- Hop into a safari vehicle and go searching for iconic wildlife on a game drive, all the while, discovering and learning about the spectacular landscape.
- Relish a delicious dinner with your guide who will set the scene and explain the events and activities for the exciting week ahead.
Chobe National Park
Day 2 – Chobe Under Canvas
- This morning take to the Chobe River on the super-stable Pangolin Voyager river safari boat. Eight individual chairs rotate 360º, and each can be fitted with a camera mount for longer telephoto lenses. This complimentary specialist-guided half-day adventure offers incredible opportunities for wildlife close-ups.
- What would you like to see? Enjoy an afternoon game drive with &BEYOND’s professionally trained guides, who will tailor your interpretive game drive around your preference as you explore the game-rich landscapes of Botswana’s Chobe National Park.
- Drop off the radar. With no Wi-Fi or electricity, you have the rare opportunity to disconnect from the everyday world and reconnect with yourself and each adventure-filled moment. Priceless, uninterrupted time with those people special to you, new friendships, and memories to last a lifetime.
- Stargaze to your heart’s content as you dine beneath a blanket of stars; all meals are freshly prepared over an open fire. Meal times turn into story time as you swap details of your day’s adventures and wildlife sightings. Tune in to the vibrant day-night soundscape of Chobe National Park.
Okavango Delta
Day 3 – Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp
- After a morning game drive and a delicious breakfast, you will be transferred to Kasane Airpot for your fixed wing flight to &BEYOND Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp nestled deep in the heart of Botswana’s game-rich Okavango Delta.
- With sweeping views opening up onto a seasonal lagoon, this light and airy camp enjoys luxurious solitude on its own Delta Island, within an exclusive 90,500-hectare (223,630-acre) wildlife concession.
- Hit your sweet spot with a delicious High Tea and then head off on an exciting game drive.
- Your fully interpretive game drives are wonderfully remote and secluded. Afternoon drives in the Delta continue after sunset, with the chance of seeing those elusive species like leopard and serval that are active after dark.
- Enjoy a delicious dinner on the deck with your guide, being entertained by a wonderful array of stories.
A Botswana legend
Renowned wildlife guide and conservation consultant, Map Ives began his career in 1976 as a guide in Zimbabwe before moving to Londolozi in South Africa in 1979. He returned to Botswana in 1982 where he led walking safaris based out of mekoro in the most remote parts of the Okavango Delta. With a deep, profound love and knowledge for the Delta he is captivated by the pristine and biodiverse environment and is eager to share this exquisite part of the African continent with you.
Okavango Delta
Day 4 – Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp
- Meet Map Ives and together take a helicopter flight to the panhandle and the area where waters flow into Botswana from Namibia as the start of the delta and hear the amazing story of the Okavango Delta.
- With many of the Delta’s very remote areas generally inaccessible, an aerial perspective is one of the best ways to get a true feeling for the Delta’s vast open spaces. Enthusiastic photographers can choose to have the doors removed for unrestricted views of the spectacular panorama below.
- Land in a spectacular spot and savour a picnic lunch on an island in the heart of the Delta before flying back to the lodge.
- In the afternoon, Map will join on a boat cruise along the waterways near the lodge. There is nobody better placed to share an interpretive understanding of the Okavango water system.
- Reflect on the day with Map while you dine in traditional African style in the boma
Jewel of the Kalahari
A local interpretation of the Okavango Delta by Dux Mareja
Okavango Delta
Day 5 – Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp
- Enjoy a short game drive after which you will meet a traditional Bushman who will guide you on a walk bringing alive the delta through his eyes and experience.
- Learn the ancient, traditional ways with an interactive bush cooking experience with your Bushman guide.
- After lunch enjoy a siesta under the beautiful trees of the Okavango Delta followed by a quiet and peaceful mokoro experience back to the lodge as the afternoon cools.
- Relish a scrumptious feast with the rest of your group and simply appreciate the wonders of the wild.
Okavango Delta
Day 6 – Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge
- This morning you have a choice of a game drive or water experience before departing the lodge.
- Take to the skies on a chopper flight to Sexaxa Primary School on the outskirts of Maun to meet and interact with the children and enjoy a full briefing on the work that &BEYOND and the Africa Foundation are doing in the region.
- Visit the Okavango Craft Brewery in Maun and enjoy a fun beer tasting in the brewery. Looking at innovation and diversifying the wildlife economy in northern Botswana, the Okavango Craft Brewery is a wonderful entrepreneurial venture for small-scale farmers.
- Take a short drive through Maun gaining insight into the town’s history and culture followed by a chopper flight to Sandibe.
- Once you have checked in enjoy a delectable High Tea and then set out in search of the Delta rich wildlife on a game drive
- Enjoy dinner on the deck under the starry skies with the Lodge Manager.
CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITIES IN BOTSWANA
Skipper Mareja, Regional Human Resources Manager for &BEYOND Botswana, talks about his experiences in tourism, from managing lodges in the Okavango Delta to making a difference in the lives of local communities.
Okavango Delta
Day 7 – Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge
- Meet up with the wild dog research team and spend the morning tracking and interacting with the dogs and finding out all about the packs and the project. With 9% of the Okavango Delta in our care, we support the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust with their African Wild Dog Dispersal Study. By assisting with tracking the locations of wild dogs, the project provides an understanding of how and where wild dogs disperse, and assesses connectivity between sub-populations which is fundamental for the management and conservation of the species.
- Join our chefs in the interactive kitchen and play with fresh ingredients: create delicious meals and learn about local cuisine and flavours. Food and fun combine as you create your own pizza and watch it cook to perfection in the traditional pizza oven, or make-your-own gourmet burgers.
- Treat yourself to High Tea followed by a game drive stopping at sunset for a local gin tasting experience with Okavango Gin produced in one of the local communities. This gin was crafted as a celebration of the raw, wild beauty around us and is made in an off-grid distillery overlooking the Okavango Delta.
- Dinner is an unforgettable affair with a 7-course tasting menu hosted by a local master gin distiller from Okavango Gin. Their gin stands out amongst some of the best in the world and this is due to the unique flavour of the star botanical, the mopane seed that closely resembles the juniper berry – absolutely delicious!
Okavango Delta
Day 8 – Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge
- Enjoy a morning drive with a focus on elephant population and impact, both in communities and the bush. Stop to assist our teams in treating and wrapping a baobab with wire and chili to assist it in surviving the hungry herds.
- Feast on a tasty bush lunch on the banks of the Gomoti River.
- Enjoy an afternoon High Tea and go on a walking safari for a thrilling view-from-the-ground, this is your chance to discover a multitude of natural wonders in the company of your experienced guide. Tread in the tracks of the Delta wildlife, breathe in the scent of crushed wild grasses, and feel your senses come alive.
- Take in the starry skies and beauty in the bush as you dine in the African boma with your guide and listen to the vibrant lodge choir performing in perfect harmony – incredibly moving.
Okavango Delta
Day 9 – Departure
- On your last morning, choose to enjoy a game drive, morning walk or simply relax before your departure from the lodge on a fixed wing charter flight with your guide back to Maun.
- Wave a fond farewell as your transformational journey comes to an end.
Per person sharing for 8 days | Max 4 guests
What's included
- Meet and Greet at Kasane Airport
- Accommodation
- Meals on a full board basis at each lodge
- Soft drinks, house wine, local brand spirits, local beer, teas and coffees (premium brands to own account)
- Activities as offered by the camps / lodges including scenic helicopter flights, game drives, walking safaris, mekoro adventures and motorised boating trips.
- A photographic safari on the Chobe River with Pangolin Photo Safaris: This incredible half-day adventure will allow guests to capture the magnificent fauna and flora of the Chobe River, aboard a custom-built Pangolin photographic boat. Guests will be accompanied by professional photographers who will offer expert tips and recommendations on how to capture the most breath-taking images. Every seat on the boat is fitted with a top-of-the-range camera, which is fixed to a customised mount, so guests needn’t bring their own equipment.
- Refreshments on game drives
- Laundry (excluding Chobe Under Canvas)
- Seat on charter flights as per the specific itinerary above
- Visit to Sexaxa School community project
- Okavango Craft Brewery visit
- National Parks entrance fees
- Transfers to/from lodge airstrips
- Domestic airport tax within Botswana
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance
- Administration fee
What's not included
- Gratuities and all items of a personal nature
- Champagne, cognacs, cellar wines, cigars and cigarettes
- Visas (please thoroughly check the requirements for the countries being visited prior to travel
- Travel Insurance is not included. However, should you be interested, we can introduce you to our recommended partner, Global Rescue.
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Global Rescue has been operating across the globe for a number of years, and is an independent service provider to &Beyond, with no legal affiliation to our company. Should you wish to procure travel insurance products through Global Rescue, such services or products will be governed by terms and conditions solely determined by Global Rescue. It is wholly your responsibility to be fully acquainted with Global Rescue’s terms and conditions contained on its website regarding the use of its services or its products prior, to, and after, your purchase.
Conditions
- Departures on request basis
- Minimum 4 guests per departure
- Rate valid for 09 September 2022 - set departure
- Children under the age of 16 cannot go on boating activities within the Okavango Delta, therefore this transformational journey is for guests 17 years and older
- Should you wish to travel on different dates with your own party, please contact one of our dedicated Travel Specialists to plan your adventure
- Single traveller supplement will be quoted on request
- The rates quoted are subject to change without warning if there are any increases in bed levies, park fees, fuel, sales tax or VAT, third-party services or any other circumstances beyond our control in the countries featured in this quote
- Rates are subject to currency fluctuations and ROE
- Should a booking fall over two rate periods the rate will change and we reserve the right to re-quote.
- andBeyond trading terms apply
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