12 Day Botswana Buzz Private Overland Safari

You are met and welcomed at O.R. Tambo International Airport by a private African Sky guide. After taking care of a few formalities, your tour departs the city and travels north along South Africa's national N1 route. Our first stop today is at “Adventures with Elephants” adjacent to Mabula Private Game Reserve. Adventures with Elephants offers an educational experience focused on elephant behavior, communication and conservation. During the visit, guests learn more about these intelligent animals and the challenges facing elephant populations in Southern Africa.

After your elephant interaction, you'll retire to nearby Mabula Game Reserve, where on arrival you'll be assisted with check-in. After some time for rest, you'll enjoy a late-afternoon and early-evening open 4x4 game drive. Mabula's varied ecosystem means the area is home to a great variety of animal and bird species, including Africa's iconic Big Five. Possible sightings include hyena and jackal, and a variety of antelope, including red hartebeest, eland, gemsbok, and blesbok – species not often seen in many reserves in South Africa.

After an early wake-up, you set out on a morning open 4x4 game drive in the Mabula Private Game Reserve, when the bush is at its most active. This is often the best time to encounter predators returning from the hunt, while antelope and birdlife take advantage of the cooler hours. Your experienced ranger will interpret the tracks, behavior, and ecology of the reserve, offering insight into the intricate balance of this Big Five wilderness.

Returning to the lodge, breakfast is followed by time to relax and enjoy the lodge’s facilities. Guests may unwind beside the pool, enjoy the tranquil bushveld surroundings, or simply take in the sights and sounds of the African wilderness at their own pace.

In the afternoon, you head out once again on a guided game drive as the light softens and wildlife becomes more active. This later drive offers the chance to witness the transition from day to night and to encounter both diurnal and nocturnal species. As the sun sets, you return to the lodge for dinner and another evening under the African sky.

After a final early morning game drive in the Mabula Game Lodge, you return to the lodge for breakfast before departing northward. The journey takes you through Limpopo’s ever-changing landscapes, gradually transitioning from bushveld into more remote and rugged terrain as you travel toward South Africa’s far northern frontier.

Along the way, you may catch sight of the striking Blouberg Mountains rising in the distance, a dramatic and lesser-visited part of the province that hints at the wild frontier ahead. By the late afternoon, you arrive in the Mapungubwe region and check in at Mopane Bush Lodge, where the remainder of the day is at leisure to relax and settle into your surroundings.

The following day, you head out on a guided excursion into the Mapungubwe National Park area. This experience offers both natural beauty and cultural depth, as you explore the landscapes of one of southern Africa’s earliest kingdoms. A highlight is the viewpoint overlooking the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, a unique geographical meeting point of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. As the day unfolds, there may also be opportunities to encounter wildlife adapted to this semi-arid environment before returning to the lodge.

After breakfast, you depart the Mapungubwe region and travel north toward the Botswana border. Crossing into Botswana at Pont Drift Border Post, the landscape opens into wide, semi-arid plains dotted with small rural settlements. Continuing through this remote region, you gain insight into local farming communities where dams and irrigation systems support agriculture in an otherwise dry environment, including structures such as Thune Dam along the route. Pont Drift is a crossing through the bed of the Limpopo, open from 08:00 to 16:00. When the river is in flood, vehicles cannot cross there, and another border post is used instead.

The journey continues northeast toward Francistown, one of Botswana’s oldest towns and an important regional hub. You arrive in the afternoon, with time to relax after the day’s journey.

After a relaxing morning and a late breakfast, your tour departs bustling Francistown and takes the leisurely drive north-west to the rural village of Nata, close to Sowa Pan on the eastern side of the great Makgadikgadi Pans. Nata Lodge is a welcome retreat in an otherwise harsh environment. Set amongst Mokolwane palms, facilities at the lodge include a full-course restaurant, bar and lounge, swimming pool, and a gift shop selling, among other items, traditional Tswana basketry. Lesser galagos are frequent nightly visitors to the restaurant area, and Nata Lodge also offers a complimentary Wi-Fi service for guests wanting to connect between game activities.

Your second day at Nata is spent exploring the nearby Makgadikgadi Pans. These huge salt pans are remnants of ancient Lake Makgadikgadi, created around two million years ago when the Ovamboland–Kalahari–Zimbabwe axis cut off drainage to the Limpopo, and today they form one of Southern Africa’s key breeding areas for flamingos. As rainfall patterns shift, surplus water from the Okavango Delta may push eastwards along the Boteti River and fill portions of the pan, attracting a seasonal influx of wildlife and large flocks of waterbirds. During the day, we also travel westward to the Gweta district to visit Green’s Baobab and the historic site of Chapman’s Baobab. These well-known landmarks were once used as route markers and informal “post offices” by explorers, missionaries and traders crossing this remote landscape.

Departing Nata, our tour continues northwards, tackling the dead-straight 300-kilometer stretch of road to Kazungula on the Chobe River in the far northeast of the country. After passing through the “buffalo fence” about 50 km north of Nata, the possibility of wildlife sightings, particularly elephant, becomes very real as we move into prime game country. Early departures are often rewarded with spectacular sunrises over the open bush. Once in Kazungula, we'll travel the short distance to Kasane and your overnight accommodations, where we assist with check-in, and you settle into your room.

After assisting with check-in, you'll say goodbye to your African Sky guide as he or she returns by road to South Africa. Chobe National Park lies within the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, an extensive cross-border conservation region linking protected and communal lands across five countries. The area supports an important elephant population and seeks to protect wildlife while also considering the needs of communities living alongside large animals such as elephant and lion.

The Chobe Riverfront, where your lodge is located, is a hive of wildlife activity, one of a handful of “must-see” hotspots on the African continent. The riverfront is an “ecosystem within an ecosystem,” with large daily migrations as animals move into the surrounding woodland during the day to feed and then return in the late afternoon to quench their thirsts. The floodplain, close to the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, is an oasis in an often harsh and unforgiving environment. Hundreds of hippos, large Nile crocodiles and an incredible variety of birdlife are just some of the animals encountered here, and the floodplain is home to Botswana's only population of puku antelope.

Large elephant herds are often seen during the late afternoon, sometimes swimming across one of the river’s many channels. Sightings vary, but the Chobe Riverfront regularly provides excellent opportunities to observe elephant at close range. Buffalo often wade across to the perennially green islands in search of better grazing. Lion, spotted hyena, wild dog and leopard are sometimes sighted along the riverbank, while many antelope species, including the impressive sable, are present. Giraffe, zebra, impala and wildebeest are frequently seen on game drives, and a lucky few may witness a kill. With the golden light of late afternoon coming from just the right direction, a game-viewing cruise on the Chobe River is about as perfect a location as any wildlife photographer could hope for, and today your activities alternate between land-based drives and unforgettable water-based safaris.

After breakfast, you'll be met and transferred to Victoria Falls (group transfer) in neighboring Zimbabwe, en route to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. The accommodation is ideally located on elevated ground and faces westwards, overlooking the Zambezi National Park. From the lodge, both wildlife sightings – especially elephants at the waterhole – and magnificent sunsets are almost daily occurrences. The lodge also boasts the popular Boma and Makuwa-Kuwa restaurants, offering traditional Zimbabwean fare, drumming and dancing displays that give you a taste of local culture.

After check-in and some time spent relaxing, guests will enjoy a guided tour of the mighty Victoria Falls, locally known as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” or “the smoke that thunders.” The Falls span roughly 1,700 meters in width and plunge over 100 meters into the turbulent gorge below, creating an impressive display of mist, rainbows and roaring water. Walk along the rainforest trails for multiple viewpoints, each offering a different angle on one of the world’s largest sheets of falling water. The Falls are a worthy member of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a spectacular highlight of your journey.

First thing this morning, you'll be met and transferred to Masuwe Estate, not too far from Victoria Falls, where you'll enjoy their “Walking with Lions” activity. The activity introduces guests to young lion in a natural bush setting under the supervision of experienced handlers. During the walk, the guides explain the animals’ behavior, development and the wider conservation issues affecting lion populations in Africa. The experience also provides opportunities to observe and photograph the lion as they explore their surroundings.

The rest of the day is free for optional activities, from a helicopter flight over the falls to browsing the craft markets in town. In the late afternoon you are collected for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River above the falls. Drinks and snacks are served on board while you look out for hippo, crocodile and birdlife along the banks.

Today your morning is at leisure, although many guests choose to book an additional last minute activity if time permits. Activities such as helicopter flips or microlight flights over the Falls start early and last just fifteen minutes, offering a dramatic aerial perspective of the Zambezi River and the curtain of water below. Alternatively, you may prefer a slower start, making the most of your lodge, browsing the craft markets or simply savoring a final view over the bush from the deck.

Later, at a time to be announced, your transfer will arrive and take you to the local airport for your flight to Johannesburg in South Africa. After check-in and border formalities, you can browse the shops or enjoy a final drink before boarding, reflecting on the journey behind you. Your return flight brings to an end a memorable Botswana and Victoria Falls tour, filled with varied landscapes, rich cultural encounters and outstanding wildlife experiences across three remarkable countries.