Overview
You will go on a 7-day adventure beginning in Maun. You will discover the distinctive landscapes of Nxai Pan before continuing on to the massive Makgadikgadi Pans, which are noted for their strange salt flats. You’ll then go to the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), one of Africa’s largest protected regions, for great animal viewing opportunities. This journey provides an exceptional experience with Botswana’s unique habitats and wildlife.
Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and Exploration
- Day 2: Nxai Pan National Park
- Day 3: Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
- Day 4: Boteti River
- Day 5: Explore the Central Kalahari Game Reserve
- Day 6: Explore the Home of the Black-Maned Lions
- Day 7: Return to Maun
Itinerary
A meet and greet will take place the day before your safari, during which you will receive a thorough in-person briefing and any requests/questions you may have.
Your guide will pick you up from your lodging in the morning. You will travel 160 kilometers on tarmac to the Nxai Pans National Park gate. You'll stop along the road for a packed breakfast. Upon entering the reserve, you will take a leisurely game drive to your selected wilderness camping spot.
You will stop inside the park for a packed lunch. You will then drive to the camping spot and settle in. You'll take a short sunset drive.
The camp serves dinner.
Tent size 3*3.5m with stretcher bed, veranda, and attached bathroom with toilet, shower, and hand basin. Staff handle camp duties.
Main Destination: Nxai Pan National Park.
Accommodation: Budget camping
Get up early and take a morning drive to see the various wildlife species that call the Nxai pans home while also taking in the breathtaking scenery. You'll stop at Baines Baobab for a cup of coffee or tea and some Rusks. You'll return to camp and have a sumptuous breakfast.
After breakfast, you can read a book in the shade or take a nap in your tent.
Lunch will be served at camp. After that, you'll have enough time to unwind before heading out for an afternoon game drive.
You'll learn more during the afternoon game drive. You'll stop along the route for a sunset. The camp will provide you with a hearty dinner. After dinner, sit around the fire with our team to discuss nature, history, and culture.
Main Destination: Nxai Pan National Park.
Accommodation: mid-range camping.
You'll get up early for coffee, tea, juice, cereal, and fruit. After a quick breakfast, you will travel from Nxai Pans National Park to Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. The drive takes 4-5 hours, with the first two hours spent on a slow game drive out of Nxai. En route, we will enjoy a packed breakfast.
After a 30-minute drive from the Nxai Pans Gate to the Makgadikgadi Gate, you'll have a 2-hour game drive to the campsite. Along the route, you'll make a stop for a packed lunch.
When you arrive, you'll check in and freshen up before heading out for a sunset drive. You'll finish the day with a nice dinner at camp, then relax around the fire or head to bed.
Main Destination: Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
Accommodation: mid-range camping.
You will awaken early. You'll begin the day with a 3-4 hour morning game drive along the Boteti River, depending on animal sightings. You will return to the campsite for breakfast.
After that, you'll read a book, take a nap, or relax in the shade while listening to nature's noises. You will eat lunch at the camp and then freshen up before leaving for the afternoon wildlife drive.
You'll appreciate your afternoon game drive. After that, dinner will be given at camp. You'll finish the day by sharing your experiences and anecdotes with the staff and guide.
Main Destination: Boteti River.
Accommodation: mid-range camping.
Prepare to be astounded by the magnificent scenery and various creatures that thrive in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. As you go through the reserve, you may see uncommon bat-eared foxes racing across the open pans, ground squirrels going about their daily business, and herds of springboks or gemsboks grazing on the broad plains. These herbivores attract predators, so keep a watch out for lions, leopards, cheetahs, and smaller carnivores like black-backed jackals on the hunt for rodents and bird eggs.
You'll start the day with an early breakfast before driving for 4-5 hours to Matswere Gate (CKGR).
Upon entering the reserve, you will take a leisurely game drive to the wilderness camping spot. Before arriving at the campsite, you'll need to stop for a packed lunch.
After arriving at the camp, you will clean up and go for a brief game drive before supper.
Main Destination: Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Accommodation: mid-range camping.
On this day excursion, you will be able to discover the habitat of black-maned lions by visiting Deception Pan, Leopard Pan, and Sunday Water Hole.
You will begin with an early wake. You'll next take a morning drive around Deception Pan before continuing to Leopard Pan, where you'll stop for a packed brunch. You'll travel past Leopard Pan before heading to Sunday Water Hole.
After leaving Sunday Hole, you'll stop for a packed lunch and take a leisurely drive back towards Deception Pan.
You'll finish the day's activities with a drive around Deception before returning to camp for dinner. After supper, gather around the fire with our team and your guide to reflect on the tour and exchange stories about nature, history, and culture before retiring to sleep.
Main Destination: Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Accommodation: mid-range camping.
On the final day of the tour, you will wake up to a hearty breakfast.
You will take a 7-hour trip back to Maun.
You'll stop for a packed lunch somewhere along the way.
When you arrive in Maun, you will be transferred to your lodge/hotel or to the airport at the agreed-upon time and date. This concludes the tour.
Main Destination: Maun (City).
