Course of events
Departs are on Tuesdays and Fridays (in the event of groups of over 6 people these set days are flexible)
Day one
8:30am: You'll be met at Kazungula by your guide and then escorted through Immigration formalities. There is an opportunity to do any last minute shopping in Kasane, as there are no shops within the Park. A short briefing will follow on some pertinent facts such as safety, and some regional information.
9:30am: You'll board the boat and commence a 3 hour boat cruise into the Chobe National park. The river cruise is considered one of the highlights of the trip, as you'll the opportunity to get up close and personal with fantastic birdlife, hippos, crocodiles, and of course scores of elephant and Cape Buffalo that make their way down to the river to quench their thirst.
12:30pm: The boat cruise ends back in Kasane, where your safari guide will be waiting for you to do a game drive to your “wilderness” campsite. A packed lunch will be provided for you after a morning on the boat. After settling in to your tents, you have tea, and depart on an afternoon game drive. This is the best time to see Chobe’s large herbivores making their way down to the river to drink. You'll return to camp shortly after sunset for drinks around the camp fire and dinner.
Day two
You'll be woken at dawn with warm water being poured into your basins and a friendly Botswana “Dumela” (good day). After a quick cup of tea or coffee and a light breakfast, you'll head off on an early morning game drive. This time of day is best for finding the big cats, as they're still active at this time and chances of seeing them are good. Around mid to late morning you'll return to camp for a delicious “bush brunch” and an opportunity to take a refreshing shower.
When the day starts to cool off, you'll have another afternoon game drive and good sightings are revisited or areas yet unexplored are visited. Chobe National Park has a wide variety of game, the cats and large herbivores such as elephants and buffaloes being a highlight, but rarer game such as pukus and roan antelopes along with many more common antelope can be viewed here. You'll return to camp after sunset for a reflective fireside chat, which will be followed by dinner, as always accompanied by the unforgettable sounds of the African night.
Day three
You'll be woken at dawn with warm water being poured into your basins and a friendly Botswana “Dumela” (good day). After a quick cup of tea or coffee and some cereal, you'll head off on an early morning game drive. This time of day is best to find big cats as they are still active at this time and chances of seeing them are good. Around mid to late morning you'll return to camp for a delicious “bush brunch” and an opportunity to take a refreshing shower. After packing up, you'll leave the camp on your last activity, to be dropped off in Kasane/Kazungula 4:30pm.
Special terms
All trips will have a backup team, including a cook and minimal participation is required. Ablutions consist of rustic open air bucket showers and long drop style toilets.
Don't forget to bring:
- Casual and comfortable clothing is suitable throughout the year, dull neutral colours are most suitable.
The most practical items for safari are:
- T shirts
- Jeans or safari trousers for the cool evenings and mornings
- Fleece or warm sweater for those early morning game drives - Good pair of sunglasses
- Sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent are essential!
- Binoculars and a camera with lots of film! For digital ensure batteries are charged - there is no electricity in the bush
- A headlamp or torch is vital
- If you enjoy a whisky or the like, you are welcome to bring a bottle along.
- Towel, and your own toiletries (ladies please remember there are no shops for emergencies)
- Any medication if necessary, there is a medical aid box with the basics
- There will be times when you are exposed to the sun so a thin long sleeve shirt may come in handy
- The early morning drives will be very cold in the winter months - so layers are best to keep out the chill in the back of the game drive vehicle
- Please attempt to travel as light as possible - space for is always an issue on the safaris
Last but not least, a sense of humour... This is Africa!