Giraffe at Sunset Nxai Pan
You fly into Maun on the 8th September 2022, and we meet you and drive to Nxai Pan NP – Part of the great Makgadikgadi complex, Nxai Pan National Park covers an area of 2,100 km2, and comprises several larger pans which were once ancient salt lakes. These larger pans are now grassed, and are scattered with islands of acacia trees, and smaller pans that fill with water during the rainy season – thus providing rich resources for wildlife.
Seven huge, gnarled baobab trees, named after the 19th century explorer Thomas Baines, are situated on an island overlooking and surrounded by the white, crusty Kudiakam Pan. Baines stood here over a hundred years ago and painted this otherworldly scene. It has essentially remained unchanged.
Nxai Pan is at its best for game viewing if you want masses of animals, between December and April when many antelope have their young. The area attracts large numbers of Springbok and Gemsbok drawn to the short sweet grasses that grow on the pan.
During the dry season there is often the opportunity to witness a kill as the lions often set up at the only pumped public waterhole in this small National Park.
The extremely rare Brown Hyaena lives here but you must be up early to spot one and Cheetah are frequently spotted here. During the dry season Sunsets at the Waterhole can provide a Photographers dream shots, of Giraffes or Elephant (and sometimes even Lions) silhouetted with the sun setting behind them.
8th, 9th and 10th (Full Moon) September 2022 Nxai Pan HATAB site 3
Cheetah are common at Nxai Pan
Baines’ Baobabs make a great excursion at Nxai Pan National Park
11th, 12th, 13th September 2022 Camp Kalahari here we experience The San people in depth as well as Meercats
In True Kalahari Luxury. We will enjoy this beautifully thought out Lodge, our San trackers will be interacting with the Camp Kalahari San and their talented well educated Guides, with often hilarious results, we will have to wait and see what surprises await us courtesy of Natural Selections.
14th September 2022 we have a last early morning Nxai Pan game drive before driving, via Baines Baobabs,into Makgadikgadi Pans National Park with (at this time of the year) it’s vast numbers of thirsty Zebra – Makgadikgadi Pans National Park – with an area of 3 900 km2 – incorporates the western end of Ntwetwe Pan, extensive grasslands and acacia woodland. At its northern boundary, it meets the Nxai Pan National Park, separated only by the Nata-Maun Road. The Boteti River last flowed in 1992 and started flowing again past Khumaga in early 2009. It stopped flowing again in 2018. During the dry season, the Boteti River in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park thrives with activity as literally thousands of Zebra and Wildebeest vie for water, when the deep pools in the river have dried DWNP use 3 solar power Boreholes so the animals have water to drink and the Hippo’s a place to submerge.
We use one of the 3 BOGA Operator sites here, away from other people at night. Be warned do to the proximity of Khumaga Village and the state of the Electric Fence that the Elephants had no respect for, you will also see some cattle inside the park. We have 3 nights here.
On the 17th September after a last early game drive along the Boteti River, we drive via Khumaga and Rakops Villages, to the CKGR – The Central Kalahari Game Reserve
. One of the remotest and most unspoiled parts of Africa, the Northern part of this park is one of the prime game viewing areas in Botswana. This is the largest Game Reserve in Botswana covering 52,800 km2. Nothing prepares you for the immensity of this reserve, nor its wild, mysterious beauty. There is the immediate impression of unending space, and having the entire reserve to yourself. Waist-high golden grasses seem to stretch interminably, punctuated by dwarfed trees and scrub bushes. Wide and empty pans appear as vast white stretches of saucer-flat earth, meeting a soft, blue-white sky. At night the stars utterly dominate the land; their brilliance and immediacy are totally arresting.
The dry season amazes with seeing what these desert adapted animals can endure- most survive for months with no surface water to drink, getting moisture from vegetation such as tsamma melons, tubers that are dug up and dew. Potable water is non-existent in the park, all water used by us must be bought in by us, as the only water is available is at the entrance gates and is salty, and often they have none.
17th, 18th and 19th September 2022 CKGR Letiahau a very isolated site may not be anyone for 20km away at the least at all!! One of THE most isolated places to stay in sub Saharan Africa!!
Guided by our San trackers we will in addition to early and late game drives, do interesting things like trying to lure a Baboon Spider out of its hole.
Honey Badgers are a lot of fun to watch in the CKGR
20th September 2022 After an early morning game drive we take a picnic lunch with us and end up at The Waterfront Maun. Their swimming pool and free Wifi will be welcoming as are your hosts here Heather and Patrick Penstone. Optional extra is a sunset flight over the Okavango Delta with Helicopter Horizons, for either 30 or 45 minutes an amazing experience.
21st September 2022 we leave Maun after a hearty Continental Breakfast at The Waterfront, and drive to Moremi Game Reserve – Contained within an area of approximately 3900 km2, here Kalahari sands and and Delta meet to create an exceedingly picturesque preserve of floodplains – either seasonally or perennially wet, waterways, lagoons, pools, pans, grasslands and riparian, riverine and mophane forests.
This makes for spectacular game viewing and bird watching, including all major naturally occurring herbivore and carnivore species in the region, and over 400 species of birds, many migratory and some endangered. Both Black and White Rhino have recently been re-introduced, now making the reserve a ‘Big Five’ destination, if you are very Lucky!!
It is the only Game Reserve inside the 1000th World Heritage Site The Okavango Delta. Some of the exclusive campsites we use could be the in the Garden of Eden the scenery is so lovely!
We have 3 nights in our first camp site here, before driving to a site I booked last year to secure, on the 24th September 2022
24th, 25th and 26th September 2022 – Moremi Game Reserve Bodumatau one of my absolute favourite places in all of Moremi Game Reserve we should have the immediate area to ourselves from 4pm to 8am at least a big chance for us to watch Elephants and Hippo’s
Fish Eagle taking flight.
27th September Maun The Waterfront, our last dinner at the Lodge and our last chance to sit around the campfire and swap stories and knowledge gained during this safari
28th September 2022 Fly out of Maun after shopping for curio’s in and around the town
8 places left cost pp sharing US$11,250 in luxury Sahara Tents or more affordable option in comfortable 3 metres dome tents with toilet en suite US $9,550
This is inclusive of all meals and drinks at The Waterfront x 2 nights, Camp Kalahari, enjoy the Continuity of having your own familiar guides and vehicles throughout this safari.