The Great North Road: Small Group

Dumela / Hello! Welcome to Botswana!”

We will be there to give you a warm Botswana welcome when you land at Maun Airport. You will meet your pilot for your stunning light aircraft scenic flight over the Okavango Delta and Chief’s Island. This flight gives you a fish eagle’s eye view of this amazing ecosystem. When you land at your remote bush airstrip within the Moremi Game Reserve, your guide will provide you with a snack pack on arrival and will be waiting to transfer you to your mobile camp with a game drive en route. The friendly, attentive staff will help you feel immediately at home and brief you on what to look forward to on your safari. The magic of a mobile camp becomes apparent as the sun sets and you enjoy drinks around the fire before a starlit dinner and a great night’s rest after falling asleep to the sounds of the African bush.

Spending our first two nights camping in the Xakanaxa / Third Bridge area, we explore the surrounding wilderness on game drives during the day. The Moremi Game Reserve protects around a third of the entire Okavango Delta ecosystem – some 5 000km2 (1 930 square miles).

A Typical Day on Safari

Your day begins with the rising sun and a gentle “koko”—a Setswana-style knock at your tent door between 5:00 and 6:00 am. A camp assistant will bring steaming hot water for your washbasin, and freshly brewed tea and coffee will be served around the morning campfire.

Before setting off on your early game drive, enjoy a light breakfast of tea, plunger coffee, juice, rusks, fruit, cereal, toast, and jam—just enough to energize you for the morning's adventure. Early mornings and late afternoons are prime times for wildlife viewing, as animals tend to rest in the shade during the midday heat.

After a morning exploring Botswana’s wild landscapes and tracking its elusive inhabitants, you’ll return to camp for lunch—often enjoyed beneath the shady canopy of a Marula tree (elephants permitting!). Lunch typically features fresh campfire-baked bread, a variety of salads, cold meats, and pickles. Like the animals, you’ll take time to retreat from the heat. Whether you prefer reading, journaling, napping, or simply relaxing, this is your time to unwind.

As the afternoon cools, head out once more into the bush as wildlife stirs and gathers around watering holes. With a sundowner in hand, you’ll witness the golden beauty of an African sunset—an unforgettable moment of stillness and awe.

Back at camp, take a hot bucket shower under the stars before joining fellow travellers around the fire to share stories from the day. A hearty three-course dinner follows, accompanied by South African wine and the sounds of the African night. Expect dishes like Botswana beef or a traditional lamb potjie, followed by treats such as banana mekoros with chocolate sauce or malva pudding with custard.

After a nightcap by the fire, retreat to your tent and fall asleep to the haunting chorus of the wild. Goodnight.

Moving Days

On travel days, the safari team will break down camp and move ahead to set up at the next location. The journey between camps often takes you through game-rich reserves, turning the transfer into an extended game drive. A picnic lunch will be served en route, ensuring the adventure never pauses.

Following an early breakfast, we pack up the camp and continue our journey to Khwai, stopping for a bush picnic lunch en route. The Khwai River forms the boundary between the reserve and the local Khwai Community Area. We spend the next three nights camping at a campsite in Khwai area of Moremi Game Reserve. You will also experience a 2½-hour mokoro trip, discovering channels and lagoons at a relaxed pace in a traditional dug-out canoe.

We head further north en route to Chobe National Park, were we spend the following three nights camping at a pristine bush campsite in the Savute region and exploring the dry landscape on game drives. Savute is an area that can change dramatically, with the character of the place changing completely depending on the flowing or drying up of the Savute Channel. In 2010, water from the Savute Channel reached the Marsh for the first time in three decades (after a long dry period during which resident lions learned to prey on elephants coming to drink at isolated waterholes). The presence of water can transform these dynamics and the only way to find out what will happen next, is to visit Savute with us and see for yourself!

Leaving this parched landscape, we continue our journey north to the contrasting Chobe region of the park. We spend the last two nights camping in a wilderness campsite near the Chobe River, exploring the riverbanks and surrounding flood plains on game drives. On Day 9 you will enjoy an afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River which departs from Kasane.

Following breakfast and a short game drive your safari will end in Kasane at around 09h00.


DISCLAIMER: Although we make every effort to adhere to the details of this itinerary and the listed activities, these are subject to change due to changing local conditions and factors outside of our control such as the weather and the condition of the roads, as well as availability. We reserve the right to substitute a motor boat cruise for the mokoro excursion where necessary. In the event of any necessary changes, we will always keep you informed.