7-day Best of Okavango Delta luxury Safari
The itinerary is summarized for you
7-day Best of Okavango Delta Luxury Safari: In this week-long itinerary, first-time visitors to Africa or Botswana will experience two of the country’s most stunning wildlife areas. With a night under the stars in an unforgettable star bed, you’ll have ample time to seek out leopards, lions, elephants, buffalo, and a variety of bird species. Flying between destinations and lodges will maximize your time on the ground. You’ll spend three nights in a 220,000-acre section of the northern Delta and then move to a 200,000-hectare section of a private reserve for your final three nights, all providing excellent value for money.
- Day 1: Arrival at Mapula Lodge, Okavango Delta
- Days 2–3: Discovering the Delta
- Days 4–6: Air Transfer to Sable Alley, Khwai Private Reserve
- Day 7: Returning to Maun
Detailed Itinerary: 7-day Best of Okavango Delta luxury Safari
Day 1: Arrival at Mapula Lodge, Okavango Delta
Your safari adventure begins with a promising start at Mapula Lodge, where disappointment is far from the agenda. Dive into the excitement with a game drive or relax in the camp with a refreshing gin and tonic as dusk envelops the delta.
Mapula Lodge boasts a chic safari style and exclusive charm. As one of the few camps within the concession, it offers thrilling wildlife encounters in a serene, unspoiled setting. The lodge’s main structure features expansive decks that provide a vantage point over a permanent lagoon, home to a family of hippos. Here, guests can unwind in a cozy lounge, dine with an impressive backdrop of the Okavango Delta, or enjoy a drink at the bar. The central area is rounded off with a quaint library and a swimming pool.
Days 2–3: Discovering the Delta
Over the next two days, immerse yourself in the Delta with full-day game drives or by parking beside a waterhole to observe the wildlife. Take a day to gently cruise through the aquatic paradise on a boat safari, observing hippos vying for space and crocodiles soaking up the sun. You might even enjoy watching the wildlife from the refreshing swimming pool or the lagoon’s edge at the camp. After an eventful day, unwind in the ‘chill pit’ with a view of the lagoon and savour the memorable sunset before retiring for the night.
Days 4–6: Air Transfer to Sable Alley, Khwai Private Reserve
A brief flight transports you to the Khwai Private Reserve, where you’ll nestle into your airy and luminous tent at Sable Alley.
Sable Alley epitomizes luxury that is both light-filled and elegant, set amidst the wildlife-abundant floodplains of Khwai. It’s as eco-friendly as it is chic. The Khwai Private Reserve offers a gateway to varied ecosystems at the northern boundary of the Okavango Delta. These ecosystems encompass aquatic environments, floodplains, riparian forests, and mopane woodlands, sustaining robust populations of savanna species and predators such as lions, leopards, and wild dogs. Elephants are plentiful, and sightings of the eponymous sable antelope are common.
The camp boasts stunning panoramas, perched above a lagoon with expansive views of the floodplains, and features a central area with a lounge, bar, and fire pit. Unique amenities include a swimming pool and sun deck, perfect vantage points for observing the hippo pods in the lagoon or for leisurely downtime during the warm afternoons. The ten twin and two family tents are elevated to afford unparalleled vistas of the floodplains. Each is en-suite, complete with private verandas and both indoor and outdoor showers.
Enhance your experience at Sable Alley with a game drive by the Khwai River, observing the wildlife’s movements, mokoro trips (dependent on water levels), or by donning your hiking boots for a trek across the reserve. The wildlife viewing near Sable Alley is exceptional, with lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo all nearby, along with a vibrant spectrum of birdlife.
To unwind after a day’s adventures, observe the lagoon’s activity from the bar with a G&T in hand, beside the outdoor fire pit, or from a comfortable sofa in the lounge. In the evening, enjoy your meal indoors or under the stars on the deck, serenaded by the nocturnal sounds of the wilderness.
Day 7: Returning to Maun
Crowning this week’s array of special treats is the pièce de résistance: a night at the Hyena Pan Skybeds. A brief journey from Sable Alley, the Skybeds offer an animal-proof elevated platform, lifting you above the floodplain into a cozy, open-air bedroom suite.
A night in the wilderness is unparalleled. As darkness falls and your eyes adapt, you might observe silent anteaters, porcupines, and aardvarks venturing from their burrows. Spring hares will appear, nightjars will commence their serenade, and with a stroke of luck, you might catch the distant huffing of a prowling leopard, the purposeful contact calls of lions on the hunt, or the distinctive whooping of hyenas guarding their prize. The celestial bodies will cast their cosmic brilliance, allowing you to discern the major constellations.
Soon, the dawn’s sunbeams cresting the horizon and your guide’s arrival with steaming coffee and stories from the nocturnal escapades will rouse you. Before long, you’ll find yourself on a plane, departing Maun and heading towards new adventures.
Safari Inclusions
- Specified Meals
- Bottled Water
- Accommodation (6-nights)
- Safari 4×4 Vehicle
- Park fees
- English-speaking guide
Safari Exclusions
- Visas and International flights
- Tips
