Namibia Etosha & Zambezi

Departing Windhoek we travel north through extensive cattle farming areas and bushland to the Etosha National Park, famous for its vast amount of wildlife and unique landscape. In the late afternoon, once we have reached our camp located on the outside of the National Park, we have the rest of the day at leisure.

The day is devoted purely to the abundant wildlife found in the Etosha National Park, which surrounds a parched salt desert known as the Etosha Pan. The park is home to four of the Big Five - elephant, lion, leopard and rhino. Etosha was proclaimed as Namibia’s first conservation area in 1907 by the then Governor, von Lindequist.   Despite the size of the Etosha National Park, only the southern edge of the pan is accessible to visitors. Game viewing in the park is largely focussed around the waterholes, some of which are spring fed and some supplied from a borehole, ideal places to sit and watch over 114 different game species, or for an avid birder, in excess of 340 bird species. Popular game species such as giraffe, blue wildebeest, plains and mountain zebra, hyena, lion, leopard, antelopes such as kudu, oryx, eland, as well as some of the endangered species such as Black rhino, cheetah and the black-faced impala are all found here. An extensive network of roads link the over 30 water holes allowing visitors the opportunity of an extensive game viewing safari over the stretch of the park as each different area will provide different encounters.

• Breakfast

After breakfast, we travel north-east towards Namibia’s lush Kavango region. En route we stop at Hoba Meteorite, the world’s largest known meteorite. We continue to Rundu, known for its rich selection of handmade wooden crafts. With its magnificent woodlands and perennial rivers, the Kavango region contrasts sharply with the rest of Namibia. Large swathes of tall woodland, riverine forests, floodplains and reed-lined channels dominate the area. This is also the area where you will see many of the traditional huts and homesteads still in widespread use today. At our lodge, we can enjoy an optional sundowner boat cruise on the Okavango River.

• Breakfast

After breakfast we follow the route of the Okavango River into the Zambezi Region. Lush, green, riverine – that is what the Zambezi region looks like. This juxtaposition is what makes Namibia the “Land of Contrasts”. The area is typified by perennial rivers and large forests of trees. Whereas most of Namibia is arid, this area is lush, the soil rich and the wildlife plentiful. It is a lively hotbed where one can see subsistence and cattle farming and the well-known traditional wood carvings. We visit the Popa Falls, a series of small rapids in paradisiacal environment before arriving at our lodge on the banks of the Okavango river and close to the Mahango National Park where the following two nights are spent along the lush vegetation. Our rooms award us with uninhibited view onto the Buffalo Park across the river. Optionally we can enjoy a late afternoon boat cruise on the Okavango river.

• Breakfast

After an early breakfast we travel into the Mahango National Park. Being Namibia’s smallest but most densely populated National Park, the visit will be rewarding in terms of wildlife and bird watching. The Mahango Game Park has a high number of elephants, as well as fair numbers of antelopes which are scarce or not seen in other parts of Namibia. These include the roan and sable antelope, tsessebe and the red lechwe. The park is also home to a number of sitatunga. The Mahango National Park is an excellent destination for bird watching with over 400 species to be spotted.

• Breakfast

We depart the Mahango National park and travel across the Zambezi Region, (prev. Caprivi) to the lush woodlands of the Kwando River. Our journey takes us across the Bwabwata National Park to our lodge on the banks of the Kwando River and located within the park. Hundreds of elephants, large Buffalo herds and numerous antelopes roam these succulent riverine woods. With over 400 species of birds this area counts as one of the best birding hotspots in the whole of southern Africa. At the lodge you can participate in optional nature drives or boat cruises.

• Breakfast

After breakfast we travel across the border to Kasane in Botswana, a small village that is located directly on the banks of the majestic Chobe River. Bordering the world renowned Chobe National Park, this area is known for its unparalleled diversity and concentration of wildlife. The vast numbers of antelope attract predators such as lions, leopards, wild dogs and Hyena. With its dense population of elephants sightings are guaranteed. In the afternoon we take part in a boot cruise on the Chobe River and here have the opportunity to not only spot elephants but also hippo’s and wide range of game quenching their thirst on the banks of the Chobe River.

• Breakfast

Today we have the option of taking part in a game drive through the Chobe National Park. Your guide will assist you in booking this, should you opt for this activity. With a cup of coffee or tea enjoy the sunrise and natures awakening before departing on an optional open game drive with lodge rangers exploring the national park and see the forage of wildlife along the Chobe river such as elephants, antilopes such as Lechwe, Roan or Waterbuck. Returning to the lodge breakfast is served on the terrace overlooking the river. The remainder of the day is at leisure. For guests departing to Victoria Falls, a transfer takes you across the border. Guests extending with the Botswana Highligths take part in an excursion to Victoria Falls to discover why the Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders on Earth as we explore it on a guided excursion on foot. This dramatically beautiful event is accompanied by a deafening roar and fine spray that arcs up into the sky, giving the falls its local name: Mosi-oa-Tunya - the "Smoke that Thunders”. Afterwards visit a craft market where we can purchase or look at handmade crafts of the local inhabitants (optional). We return to Kasane, where the remainder of the day is at leisure.