Southern Africa Under Canvas (16 Days)

Day One
Arrive in Johannesburg. Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, located in a plush residential suburb of the city. Relax in the environs of the hotel, and perhaps get some gift shopping out of the way at the nearby mall.

Johannesburg was founded in 1886 when a prospector stumbled onto the richest gold-bearing reef in the world. Today, the city has a population of some 3 million people, and is a city of astonishing contrasts, a metropolis where opulent wealth and desperate poverty live side by side. Wildspace has selected two lovely properties in beautiful suburban settings, close to superb restaurants and good shopping areas. Johannesburg is the intriguing, dynamic heart of the new South Africa, and is the perfect base from which to explore the region's wildlife areas.

Days Two and Three
Today, you will catch a taxi to the airport (easily arranged through your hotel) in time for your flight to Maun. Upon arrival in Maun, you will transfer by light aircraft to your campsite, perfectly located in the heart of the Okavango Delta.

You will spend the next two nights here, exploring the crystal-clear channels, islands and waterways by makoro (dug-out canoe), and enjoying game-viewing walks on the islands. The comfortable campsite is in a private concession area with a complement of camp staff to cater for you

The Okavango Delta The Okavango River rises in the highlands of Angola & flows southeast into the Kalahari. Here it spreads out into a delta formation covering over 15,000 square kilometers with a lush water wilderness of papyrus swamps, shallow reed-beds and floodplains, dotted with islands & laced with a network of channels. This is a completely unique environment, and it is one of the world's finest locations in which to view wildlife.

A unique experience in the Okavango Delta is to take a ride in a dugout canoe, or makoro, in search of wildlife. Enjoy the stillness of this spectacular wilderness as you silently glide through the papyrus-fringed channels that separate the islands on which the wildlife lives. The insight and knowledge of your guide will add immeasurably to your enjoyment and understanding of this unique wilderness area, rich in flora and fauna, and world renowned as a paradise for birdwatchers.

Days Four and Five
Continue by light aircraft to the Khwai/North Gate region of Moremi Wildlife Reserve. Set-aside in 1963 by the Batawana tribe, the Reserve is rated as Africa's most beautiful wildlife sanctuary. Spend your days on extensive and interpretive game-drives, and two nights camping in the Reserve.

Moremi Wildlife Reserve, hunted by the Bushman as long as 10 000 years ago, is situated on Tribal Land and covers some 4871 square kilometres. The area was officially designated as a game reserve in April 1965 and in 1976 was extended to include Chiefs Island. A further extension was added in 1992 and now the reserve contains within its boundaries approximately twenty percent of the Okavango Delta, rich in a diversity of wildlife.

Days Six and Seven
Travel overland to Savute, a park noted for its excellent lion and other predator viewing. Here you will spend two nights, camping next to the dry Savute Channel. Depending on the time of the year, huge animal concentrations are attracted to this area.

Savute Game Reserve is often described as one of the best wildlife-viewing areas in Africa, and it boasts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife left on the African continent. Animals are present during all seasons, and at certain times of the year their numbers can be staggering. A few days n the region almost guarantees you sightings of all the major species, including giraffe, elephant, zebra, impala, tsessebe, roan, sable, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, and eland. However the park is particularly well-known for its predators including lion, leopard, hyena, jackal, cheetah and wild dog.

Days Eight and Nine
From Savute, drive up to the northern Chobe, where you will camp for two nights in the Serondela area of the National Park. This is the heart of elephant country and you may spend many hours watching the huge herds in and around the waters of the Chobe River. Northern Chobe is renowned for its large variety of bird and animal life, beautiful scenery and magnificent sunsets.

Chobe National Park is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers 10,566 square kilometres. A major feature of Chobe National Park is its elephant population, of which there are an estimated 35,000 animals. The elephants in this area have the distinction of being the largest in body size of all living elephants, however their ivory is brittle and you will not see many large tuskers.

Day Ten
It is a short drive from Chobe National Park to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where you will welcome the chance to wash off Botswana's dust, relax over a cold beer, and enjoy the varied entertainment and facilities at Victoria Falls. Overnight accommodation is at The Kingdom Hotel in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities on a bed and breakfast basis.

The Victoria Falls, known locally as "Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means "the smoke that thunders", form a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and are one of Africa's best-known natural wonders. The cascade is formed as the Zambezi River plunges into the gorge below. At their highest, the Victoria Falls drop 108m (345 feet), almost twice as far as the Niagara Falls.

Day Eleven
After breakfast at the hotel, Transfer in a taxi to the Victoria Falls airport, some twenty minutes drive from the hotel. Catch your onward flight to Johannesburg. Upon arrival in Johannesburg, transfer via taxi to your hotel.

Days Twelve to Fifteen
You will be picked up from your hotel and driven directly to the Klaserie Private Game Reserve, approximately a 6-hour drive. You will spend the next two full days experiencing the African bush, either on foot, or from an open vehicle. Click here for more detailed information on this walking safari.

A Typical Day On Trail The typical day on a walking safari consists of an early morning start with a light breakfast, after which the group heads out into the bush for a few hours. The idea is not to see how far the group can walk and the walks are designed for enjoyment, observing and learning. A number of hours on foot may result in only a few kilometres being covered. The group will return to camp in the late morning and after a hearty brunch, spend time relaxing or bird watching in the camp during the heat of the day. In the mid-afternoon, the group will embark on the second of the day's walks, perhaps followed by a short evening game drive in search of the nocturnal residents of the park. Afterwards, return to camp, and spend the evening relaxing around the campfire. A walking safari is by far the most authentic experience one can have of the African bush.

Day Sixteen
Today you will return to Johannesburg.

Inclusions

• In Botswana, eight nights fully serviced wilderness camping (meals, local wine, beer, soft drinks and mineral water included).
• Short flights from Maun to Okavango Delta campsite, and from there to the Khwai region.
• Ground transport in Botswana in a specially modified 4x4 safari vehicle, on which you are guaranteed a window seat with a maximum of seven passengers - accompanied by an expert safari guide throughout.
• Hotel at Victoria Falls (meals only included).
• One entrance fee to Victoria Falls park.
• Transfer from hotel to Victoria Falls airport.
• Accommodation, meals, and all game activities while on walking safari in Klaserie Private Game Reserve.
• Return transfers from Johannesburg to Klaserie Private Game Reserve.
• Three nights accommodation at hotel in Johannesburg (B&B basis).
• Two transfers (on Days 1 & 11) from Johannesburg airport directly to the hotel.
• Access to a 24-hours-a-day helpline and the full logistical support of Wildspace.

Exclusions

• Meals not mentioned in the "Inclusions" section above.
• International and Internal airfares (internal flights can very easily be incorporated into the routing of your international ticket according to your final itinerary).
• Tours and entrance fees (in order to provide you with maximum flexibility and independence).
• Tips, laundry, alcohol, mineral water, soft drinks and any items of a personal nature.
• Anything not expressly included in the "Inclusions" section above.