BOTSWANA AND ZAMBIA PHOTO SAFARI

Jun 23 Johannesburg/Central Kalahari Game Reserve
This morning we all meet at Johannesburg International Airport at around 8 am and a few hours later fly to Maun on Air Botswana together. At Maun airport, after going through customs, we change to the small aircraft and jump on a 45 minutes bush flight, which will take us to our first exciting bush camp, Tau Pan. This camp is located in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the second largest protected area in the entire world! And what a world it is! Entirely filled with wildlife, including the extremely rare Brown Hyena. After being greeted at the airstrip by our local guides and transported to the camp, we will take our tents, and listen to the welcome speech and orientation of the camp managers. After a short siesta, we will have lunch at 4pm, and then leave for our first game drive! Sunset cocktails and snacks will be served for us in the bush, before we drive back to our wonderful accommodation. Late dinner at the camp, and we fall asleep to the lovely sounds of the African savannah. Don't be surprised to wake up to what sounds like an earthquake though, those could just be the resident elephants rummaging around camp for a midnight snack!
Accommodation: Tau Pan Camp

Jun 24 Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Our days on safari begin before the sun rises. After our wake up call, we gather around the campfire for a quick tea, coffee and biscuits, and leave for a morning game drive shortly thereafter. If needed, snacks and further tea and coffee are always served in the bush. We shall be back at the camp at around 11 am and have a large cooked breakfast. After breakfast, we retire to our luxurious tents for a fantastic siesta to escape the midday heat. But nevertheless, as soon as the sun drops down a little bit on the horizon, we have a light lunch and depart for the mysterious African bush right afterwards. Return back to the camp at sunset, for a delicious warm dinner that will rival any of our favorite restaurants back home, and then an early bed after the campfire, so that we have enough energy to be up and around before the sun rises the following day.
Accommodation: Tau Pan Camp

Jun 25 Central Kalahari Game Reserve/Okavango Delta
After our wake up call, we gather for our well known and anticipated "pre-breakfast" around the campfire, and leave for a morning game drive shortly thereafter. It is, no doubt, the most fascinating time in the African bushes! The nocturnal predators are still on the move, slowly returning to their favorite siesta sites, the diurnal species are fully active, greeting the rising sun, and the entire area around you is full of signs and stories of what happened last night in the bush. Unfortunately we can’t stay out too long this morning though, because we have to return to camp latest by 11 in order to get full breakfast and catch our flight to the Okavango Delta. After a 70 minutes flight directly northbound, we will be greeted at the airstrip by our local guides and transported to Kwara Camp, where we take our tents, and listen to the welcome speech and orientation of the camp managers. After a short siesta, we will have lunch at 4pm, and then we leave for our first game drive in this world famous game area! Sunset cocktails and snacks will be served for us in the bush, before our drive continues into the night. Late dinner at the camp, and as we are getting more and more used to the camp lifestyle, we will enjoy more and more of the late evening campfire drinks and safari stories.
Accommodation: Kwara Camp

Jun 26 Okavango Delta
As always, our day on safari begins before the sun rises. After our wake up call, we gather around the campfire for a quick tea, coffee and biscuits, and leave for a morning game drive shortly thereafter. If needed, snacks and further tea and coffee will always be served in the bush. We shall be back at the camp at around 11 am and have a large cooked breakfast. After breakfast, those who are interested, can participate in a fishing trip to the Okavango Delta with a double-decker boat, with a great possibility of seeing additional species of birds. Those staying at the camp will have the opportunity to take a great siesta through the hottest part of the day, or if you prefer, sit under the open air bar or pool and gaze out to the watering hole just a couple hundred yards away and stocked with a cornucopia of wildlife. The fishing trip will be back at camp at 3pm and after a quick shower and refreshment, lunch will be served. By now we should have adjusted to the swing of things, and should be ready to take off on an evening game drive right after lunch, returning to the camp after dark, for a delicious warm dinner and a fantastic campfire session with drinks.
Accommodation: Kwara Camp

Jun 27 Okavango Delta
After our wake up call, we gather around the campfire for a quick tea, coffee and biscuits, and leave for a morning game drive shortly thereafter. Our game drive this morning will be interrupted by a 30 minutes ride in the traditional dugout canoes of the region, called "mokoro"s. Back to the camp at around 11 am for a large cooked breakfast. After a nice siesta till 2pm, we will attend a short wildlife photography lecture by our tour leader in the lounge. Lunch at 4pm, followed by the evening boat trip into the Moremi Game Reserve, visiting large waterbird colonies and photographing interesting scenes and wildlife. Nothing compares to enjoying your favorite cocktail, while watching a giant African sun set into the horizon, set to the music of the African savannah. We'll continue the boat trip as a night drive back to camp, and enjoy a fantastic dinner around 10pm.
Accommodation: Kwara Camp

Jun 28 Okavango Delta/Kwando River
The camp life is a comfortable routine for us by now. Up with the rising sun or just beforehand, fantastic morning coffee and hot porridge on the campfire, and setting of into the African bushes with our open safari vehicles. This morning our game drive will be "interrupted" by an hour experimental walking safari. Our guides help us learn how to distinguish tracks and other signs of bush life. Back to the camp at around 11 am for a large cooked breakfast. After breakfast, we pack up and leave for the airstrip, from where we take off on a short (30 min) flight to Lagoon Camp. After being greeted at the airstrip by our local guides and transported to the camp, we take our tents and listen to the welcome speech and orientation of the camp managers. Lunch at 4pm, after which we leave for our first game drive in the area – in search for the rare and fascinating African Wild Dogs! We stop for the usual sunset cocktails and snacks in the bush, then continue our drive into the night, searching for nocturnal animals - large and small. Late dinner in camp.
Accommodation: Lagoon Camp

Jun 29 Kwando River
As with each morning before, pre-breakfast is served heartily and cheerfully, then it’s off for a morning drive. Although our movements will be determined by the wildlife's, Lagoon holds perhaps the most exciting experience of all – an African Wild Dogs den! These sweet intriguing creatures are the second most endangered canine, and we have them all to ourselves. Their pack behavior is absolutely fascinating as they return home to the Alpha female, and the pups soon emerge to greet their elders. Although its never enough, we shall return to the camp at around 11 am for a large cooked breakfast and a siesta till about 2 pm, followed by a short wildlife photography lecture by our tour leader in the lounge. Lunch at 4pm and take off for the evening game drive immediately thereafter. If we are lucky, we can follow the dogs tonight on a hunt, then sundowners and snacks abound at sunset. Afterwards we'll cruise in the dark in search of shy cats, and hunting lions, although we can return back to camp at any time. Dinner and campfire time will certainly not be missed tonight either.
Accommodation: Lagoon Camp

Jun 30 Kwando River
Today we will spend one last full day on safari. As usual, our movement and exact program will be determined by the wildlife - if we had fantastic Wild Dog sightings the past two days, we will head for some other areas or other experiences, or will carry our walking safaris and boat trips on the Kwando River. Otherwise, we continue our search for Africa's most endangered, most unique hunter, as well as other species. During midday siesta, Lagoon's fantastic, new facilities and spacious, great safari rooms will provide us with great comfort. This way or another, we will gather tonight at the campfire for one last night under the open African sky.
Accommodation: Lagoon Camp

Jul 1 Kwando River/Victoria Falls
For one last time in Botswana and on this trip, we receive our wake up call just before sunrise then gather for a quick tea, coffee and biscuits around a campfire. Once back from our morning drive, we have our great cooked breakfast at camp. After breakfast, we pack up and leave for the airstrip. Our small bush plane will take us to Kasane in about an hour, from where we drive to the Zambian border. After checking out of Botswana, we travel to the Zambezi River for a crossing on our private boat, then check into Zambia on the other side, followed by a 45 minutes drive to Victoria Falls. We quickly check in, take our rooms and have a quick lunch, then leave for our first visit to Victoria Falls. The evening lights will set off the spray from the falls with an incredible glow. Then, once the sun sets and we have to leave the falls area, we return to our accommodation for a well-deserved shower to wash off the dirt of this long day on the road. Dinner will take on an indulgent tone full of recanted tales and adventures of our last 9 days in the bush.
Accommodation: Zambezi Sun

Jul 2 Victoria Falls
Those interested in a second visit of Victoria Falls, will be up at six in the morning and will walk down to the falls again. At 7:30, we will all gather for our breakfast and organize our morning activities. There are optional activities we can choose from this morning - for an extra fee, we can either fly over the falls by helicopters or microlights, bungee jump from an unbelievable height over the Zambezi Gorge, or consider many of the other several additional activities offered in the area. We will all be back to the resort for a light lunch, and then take off for a drive to nearby Nsongwe Village in the afternoon. We take an interesting village tour, check out their basic craft shop, and then drive to the extremely scenic lower Zambezi Gorge for an evening photograph. We return to the resort just as the sun disappears, and after a great shower, gather in the dining room for our farewell dinner and live entertainment.
Accommodation: Zambezi Sun

Jul 3 Victoria Falls/Johannesburg/Homebound
Those of us interested in taking further images of the gorgeous falls, we will be able to visit one more time this morning. Once back at the resort, we gather for an early breakfast, then prepare our luggage and take off towards Livingstone town. We stop for about half an hour at a local craft market, before we continue our way to the airport. We check in for our flights to Johannesburg, or any alternative destinations you may have booked for yourself. This is the official end of our unforgettable Botswana and Zambia Photo Safari, have a safe trip home!