9 Day Highlights of Botswana Safari

Once you have arrived in Johannesburg, an African Sky representative will be waiting in the arrivals hall to welcome you. After a short briefing and assistance with any immediate questions, you are escorted to the departure terminal for your regional flight to Kasane in northern Botswana. Here you enter the world-famous Chobe National Park, often called the Land of Giants for its vast elephant population along the Chobe River, supported by permanent water and rich floodplains.

From Kasane, a short overland transfer brings you to your riverfront lodge, where you can settle into your room, soak up the views and enjoy a refreshing drink before your first activity. In the late afternoon you head out on either an open 4x4 game drive or a relaxed boat cruise on the Chobe River. Both options offer remarkable photographic opportunities as elephants, buffalo, hippos and a variety of antelope gather at the water’s edge while the sky glows with another golden African sunset.

Your full days in Chobe follow a rewarding rhythm focused on both land and water-based safaris. Early each morning you set out in open 4x4 vehicles, following the riverfront where large herds of elephant, buffalo and plains game come to drink. Predators such as lion, leopard and spotted hyena often work these same routes, taking advantage of the concentration of wildlife along the riverbanks, while fish eagles, bee-eaters and kingfishers provide a vibrant backdrop for bird enthusiasts.

After a leisurely brunch and some time to relax at the lodge, you embark on afternoon boat cruises along the Chobe River, widely regarded as one of Southern Africa’s most memorable wildlife experiences. From the stability of the boat you can drift close to bathing elephants, wallowing hippos and basking crocodiles, watching the light change across the islands and floodplains. Sundowners on the water round off each day, before returning to camp for dinner beneath a sky thick with stars.

After a final early morning game drive and breakfast on the Chobe riverfront, you travel back to Kasane Airport for your charter flight to the remote Savute region of Chobe National Park. As the aircraft lifts off, you gain a bird’s-eye view of the river system before the landscape opens into woodlands, sand ridges and the wide Savute Channel, which has a fascinating history of drying up and flowing again over recent decades.

On landing, you transfer to your lodge and settle into this wilder, more remote corner of Botswana. Later in the afternoon you depart on your first game drive in Savute, exploring the open plains and waterholes that attract elephants, zebra, giraffe and other plains game. The area is renowned for powerful lion prides and intense predator interactions, so every drive carries a sense of anticipation as you search for big cats against the dramatic backdrops of koppies and the endless sky.

Today you enjoy morning and afternoon game drives that reveal why Savute is considered one of Africa’s most compelling safari destinations. Your guide explores a variety of habitats, from the Savute Marsh and surrounding mopane woodlands to rocky outcrops that offer sweeping views across this untamed landscape. Large elephant bulls, sizeable buffalo herds and mixed groups of antelope provide ample hunting opportunities for lion, leopard and spotted hyena, which are frequently encountered in this area.

During the dry months, permanent waterholes become a focal point for wildlife, sometimes drawing thousands of animals into a relatively small area and creating thrilling predator–prey encounters. Seasonal zebra movements between the Linyanti region and the Mababe Depression add additional drama, particularly after the first rains. Between drives you can relax at the lodge and simply absorb the sense of isolation that has made Savute legendary among wildlife filmmakers and photographers documenting lions that sometimes prey on young elephants.

After a final safari in Savute and breakfast at the lodge, you board a light aircraft for your flight into the Okavango Delta, one of the world’s great inland deltas and a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the air you’ll see a mosaic of winding channels, palm-dotted islands and seasonally flooded plains spreading out across the northern Kalahari, a striking contrast to the drier landscapes you have just left behind in Savute.

On arrival at your Delta camp, you have time to settle into your tented suite and enjoy the views over the surrounding lagoon or floodplain before heading out on your first activity. Depending on the water levels and camp location, this might be a game drive, motorboat excursion or traditional mokoro outing. Whatever the choice, it provides an ideal introduction to the Okavango’s slower, more water-focused rhythm and its remarkable diversity of wildlife and birdlife.

These days are devoted to exploring the Okavango Delta on a flexible combination of water and land-based activities. Motorboat outings or mokoro trips allow you to glide quietly along narrow, reed-lined channels where kingfishers, herons and jacanas are common, and where hippos and crocodiles are often seen from a safe distance. The gentle pace and low vantage point create a wonderfully immersive way to appreciate the wetland ecosystem and its intricate network of lagoons and islands.

Game drives in open 4x4 vehicles focus on the drier islands and floodplains, where you can search for lion, leopard, spotted hyena and, in season, packs of endangered African wild dog. Walking safaris provide the chance to examine tracks, plants and smaller creatures that are easily missed from a vehicle. Evenings are spent back at camp around the fire, listening to frogs calling from the water and reflecting on the diversity of encounters the Delta delivers.

Your final morning in the Okavango Delta begins with one last game drive, walk or boat excursion, offering a final opportunity to savor the sounds and scenery of this extraordinary wetland. After returning to camp for breakfast, you say farewell to your hosts and board a light aircraft to Maun, enjoying a last aerial perspective of shimmering channels, lagoons and palm-studded islands as the Delta gradually gives way to the sands of the Kalahari Basin.

In Maun you connect with your scheduled flight to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, where an African Sky representative meets you on arrival. After assistance with luggage and any onward arrangements, you are either transferred to your chosen hotel in Johannesburg or Pretoria or helped to check in for your international departure. As your journey concludes, you leave with lasting memories of three very different yet complementary regions: Chobe’s riverfront, the wild Savute and the tranquil Okavango Delta.