If elephants are your passion, this is the South Africa & Botswana safari for you! It’s focus is intimate encounters with these gentle giants allowing you to ride, walk, play and learn with them in ways few people ever do, all while staying in luxurious accommodations surrounded by the African wilds. This Botswana Safari is not to be missed!
Day 1 Travel Day – To Africa
Day 2 Kapama Game Reserve
Day 3 Kapama Game Reserve
Day 4 Kapama Game Reserve
Day 5 Johannesburg
Day 6 Okavango Delta
Day 7 Okavango Delta
Day 8 Okavango Delta
Day 9 Your Journey Ends
- Elephant Encounters
- Elephant Back Safaris
- Big Five Game Viewing
- Okavango Delta
DAY 1 TRAVEL DAY – TO AFRICA
Your Botswana safari begins today as you board your international flight to Africa.
DAYS 2, 3, 4 KAPAMA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
Welcome to Africa! On arrival in Johannesburg International Airport, your Botswana safari continues as you connect with your scheduled flight to Hoedspruit airport and Kruger National Park. On arrival in Hoedspruit you will be met and transferred to Camp Jabulani for your three night stay.
About Camp Jabulani: Camp Jabulani is a family-owned luxury Botswana safari lodge set in a private game reserve just west of Kruger National Park. Shaded by gigantic leadwood trees along the banks of a seasonal stream, the open plan dining area and lounge merge with wooden decks, grass-pressed mud walls, stone floors and thatched roofs to echo the surrounding bush. A suspension bridge connects these areas with the 6 guest suites which lie scattered along the stream bank. The lodge offers WI-FI, a spa, gym and gift shop.
Accommodation Type & Location: Botswana Safari Lodge within the Kapama Private Game Reserve.
Guest Accommodations: Six luxury suites, each with its own butler, are decorated in the same elegant, open air style as the common areas. Pure cotton sheets, massive stone tubs, outdoor glass-enclosed shower, fireplace, private lounge and plunge pool complement each suite along daily laundry service, mini-bar, safe, hairdryer and electric blankets. The exclusive Zindoga Villa combines two suites via a joint lounge and dining area. Each has a massive bedroom with private bath, expansive wooden deck and private heated plunge pool. It is perfect for guests wanting a more private experience or for families and groups of friends.
Activities: Jabulani’s signature Elephant Back Safari program lets you interact with a herd of African elephants saved by the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, an organization dedicated to preserving Africa’s endangered wildlife. Activities include day and night elephant back rides and exclusive one-on-one encounters during walks, their swim-time around a waterhole and in their stables. This program has set the benchmark for elephant operations in South Africa and they treat their elephants with loving care and profound respect. Activities are arranged around the needs of the elephants and always allow them lots of time to browse and wander on their own in the camp’s surrounding wild bush.
Other activities on this Botswana safari include morning and evening game drives, guided bush walks, visits to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and clay pigeon shooting. Massages and beauty treatments are available at extra cost.
Wildlife: The reserve supports elephant, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, kudu and many other species of antelope. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and many smaller species. Bird watching is most rewarding and more than 350 species have been recorded.
About the Private Kapama Game Reserve
Kapama Private Game Reserve is one of South Africa’s largest privately owned game reserves. It is located in the Greater Kruger wilderness area in Limpopo Province and is home to all of Africa’s big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.
Overnight: Camp Jabulani (B, L, D, Local Beverages & Laundry)
DAY 5 JOHANNESBURG
After breakfast and a morning activity, you will be transferred to Hoedspruit Airport for your flight to Johannesburg. On arrival in Johannesburg you will make your own way to the Peermont Mondior Hotel shuttle for your one night stay.
About the Peermont Mondior Hotel: Aluxurious4-star hotel conveniently located next to O.R. Tambo International Airport with free shuttle service to and from the airport. Guests have access to the facilities of the Emperors Palace Hotel Casino & Convention Resort.
Guest Accommodations: 150 en-suite guest rooms are spacious and furnished in contemporary African style.
Overnight: The Peermont Mondior Hotel (B)
DAYS 6, 7, 8 OKAVANGO DELTA
This morning your Botswana safari continues as you transfer back to the airport via the Peermont Mondior’s free shuttle for your scheduled flight to Maun, Botswana. On arrival in Maun, you will be met and transferred by light aircraft to Abu Camp for your final three nights in Africa.
About Abu Camp: Set in the vast 450,000 acre private Abu Concession in the pristine wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Abu is nestled in the shade of a magnificent hardwood trees on the edge of a large lagoon. Flowing on tiered decking, an imaginative use of canvas and poles forms the camp’s lounge, dining room and library. Borrowing from the local African cultures, hand-woven linen fabrics, woven grass chairs and hand-hewn wooden art pieces give the elegant flair of the African wilds and a secluded swimming pool completes the camps’ amenities. Internationally trained chefs provide creative cuisine of the highest standard, and meals – most served al fresco – are superbly complemented by wine and a wide choice of international spirits and single malt whiskies.
Accommodation Type & Location: Permanent Tented Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Guest Accommodations: The camp offers just 6 en-suite luxury tented guest rooms shaded by lofty fig and jackal berry trees, each with panoramic views of the surrounding bush. Decorated in the same airy canvas style as the camp, the rooms have a separate seating area, generous decks and indoor and outdoor showers.
Activities: Activities on this Botswana safari include day and night game drives, motorboat and mokoro excursions (seasonal), fishing and participation in Abu’s renowned Elephant Experience program*. Abu’s Elephant Experience lets you become part of a real elephant family. You will get to know the personalities of each member from playful babies to the sage matriarch Cathy and have the chance to participate in the following activities.
• Guided walks with the elephants
• Elephant-back rides
• Watching mud baths, training and veterinary care
• Discussions with researchers on elephant conservation, anatomy and behavior
* Elephant experience activities not available on Fridays.
Wildlife: On this Botswana safari, you can expect excellent sightings of lion, wild dog and spotted hyena along with herds of buffalo, elephant, hippo, roan, tsessebe, reedbuck, waterbuck and red lechwe. Spectacular birding with some 450 species recorded.
About the Okavango Delta
The Okavango is the largest inland delta in the world, its labyrinth of lagoons, lakes and channels covering an area of almost 7000 square miles. Its spectacular annual flood peaks in July and the Delta’s wooded islands and open grasslands surrounded by the parched Kalahari are a magnet for wildlife and it one of the great game destinations in Africa. The Okavango Delta is a highlight on any Botswana safari.
Overnight: Abu Camp (B, L, D, Beverages & Laundry)
DAY 9 YOUR JOURNEY ENDS
After a morning game viewing activity, your Botswana safari comes to an end as you fly back to Maun Airport for your scheduled flight to Johannesburg and connecting flights home.
