Southern Africa lodge safari

country:	Botswana, Namibia, Zambia
departures:	2008: 15 Oct
price:	From US $4535 (22 days) excluding flights. Local payment US $240

Botswana holidays

Namibia holidays

Lodge safaris

the amazing things you'll be doing

Our lodge style safari starts and ends in Livingstone, Zambia running through Namibia and Botswana.

You will experience the diverse cultural, wildlife and scenery of Southern Africa, while staying in comfortable lodges. Experience the splendour of untouched Africa by joining an unforgettable safari.

This diverse safari has every aspect an adventurous world traveler would be looking for; wildlife, culture, bush, pictorial cities, local markets, amazing coast and beach scenery. These African memories will last you a lifetime!

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Livingstone to Camp Kwando, Botswana. Our tour starts in Livingstone at the Zambezi Waterfront. In the early afternoon we will arrive at our Camp on the Kwando River. Before we have dinner at our Lodge we'll go out on an afternoon game drive Mudumo National Park. Mudumo is home to herds of red lechwe and the occasional sitatunga, while spotted-necked otter, hippo and crocodile are also found in these fertile waterways.
Day 2:	Rundu and N'kwazi Lodge, Nambia. Today we are driving west along the Caprivi Strip to the town of Rundu. We make our way to N'Kwazi Lodge and spend a relaxing afternoon in our Lodge on the banks of the Kavango River overlooking Angola. You can do optional activities like a sunset cruise, horse riding or just relax in the pool with a sundowner and listen to calls of Mother Nature. Optional traditional dancing in the evening.
Day 3:	Cultural Experience in Rundu, Namibia. On this day you'll have the opportunity for a real Namibian cultural experience. After breakfast we head out to visit a church and a school in Rundu, the closest town to our Lodge, to experience the lifestyle and traditions of the Namibian people. In the afternoon you will have more time for optional activities you missed the day before or have another relaxing afternoon by the pool.
Day 4-5:	Etosha National Park, Namibia. After breakfast we leave our Lodge and make our way further west into Namibia and onto Etosha National Park. We spend two nights here, listening to the wild animals at night and going for game drives during to day hoping to spot the 'Big 5'. At night you'll have the opportunity to see the nocturnal animals of Etosha at the floodlit waterholes of the camps and during the day you'll visit the Etosha Pan to view animals like, Lions, cheetah, Elephants, Giraffes and the numerous different types of antelope the park has to offer.
Day 6:	Damaraland to Opuwo, Kaokoland, Namibia. We leave Etosha National Park through the North Gate, Nehale lya Mpingana Gate or King Nehale Gate and drive through to Opuwo in the Kaokoland, which is one of the last remaining wilderness areas in Southern Africa. It is a world of incredible mountain scenery, a refuge for the rare desert elephant, black rhino and giraffe and the home of the Himba people. In the later afternoon we will arrive at our Lodge and enjoy dinner around the lodge pool.
Day 7:	Himba Tribes. Namibia. Traveling with a local guide we visit the Himba tribal villages. Many of the Himba people still live a traditional lifestyle and have little contact with the modern world. Known for their ochre body painting they are friendly but shy people. With a little patience we can learn a great deal about their traditional lifestyles and culture.
Day 8:	Palmwag, Namibia. Continuing through Damaraland we pass through spectacular scenery with some of the country's most unusual natural features. This afternoon is at leisure at our Lodge, nestled amongst the savannah brush of the area, to go for a hike, swim in the pool or sip cocktails by the bar.
Day 9:	Twyfelfontein and Brandberg White Lady, Namibia. Today we drive to the Brandberg; on the way we stop at Twyfelfontein and walk to see the bushman paintings and etchings in the area. Later on in the afternoon we arrived at our Lodge and head off to hike to the famous White Lady rock painting guided by a local guide, who will inform us about the area and the White Lady paintings. If there's time in the afternoon we can go on a walk trying to find the desert elephants with the help of a local guide.
Day 10-11:	Swakopmund, Namibia. Heading west out of the dry interior of Namibia we make our way to the coastal German town of Swakopmund on the Atlantic Ocean. The next day is spent at your leisure where you can explore this quaint town or participate in some of many optional activities like sand boarding, quad biking or scenic flights, fishing etc.
Day 12:	Waterberg Plateau, Namibia. Today we leave the cold Atlantic coast behind us and drive North East to the Waterberg Plateau close to Otjiwarongo. Once we arrive we go for short hike in the reserve to view the wildlife on the plateau.
Day 13-14:	Bushmanland - walking with the bushman, Namibia. Departing from the Waterberg we drive deep into Bushman land and to our lodge for the next two days, Tsumkwe Lodge. The following day we take an 8 hour guided visit to the Ju'/hoan bushmen community and are shown the activities in the village, such as the food being cooked, the beadwork, bows and arrows being made, poison being prepared, etc. Then we take a walk in the vicinity of the village to search for honey or springhare and bush food. Traditional games will be played in the afternoon, ending in traditional dancing.
Day 15-16:	Okavango Delta, Botswana. We leave our Lodge in bushman land for Etsha 13, a small village on the western border of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. From here we go in our 4x4 vehicles and take a motorboat transfer us to Guma Lodge, where we spend the night. The next day is spent exploring the network of waterways through thick vegetation in mokoros (traditional dugout canoes) and speedboat viewing the wildlife in the delta.
Day 17-18:	Khwai River, Botswana. Heading out of the Okavango Delta we drive onto Maun from where we'll head to our tented Camp in the Khwai Region. Our camp is between Chobe National Park and Moremi National Park. On arrival at the lodge there'll be some time to relax on the pool before we head out on a night drive hoping to spot some of the numerous nocturnal animals in the area like lions, leopards, wild cats etc. The following day is spent on game drives in the Khwai River area viewing the wildlife. This is the premier game viewing area in Southern Africa with huge herds of Elephant, prides of lions, pods of hippos in the river and much more.
Day 19:	Planet Baobab, Botswana. We leave the bush behind and travel east towards the Magkadigkadi Pans. If the conditions allow we'll take a drive onto the Pans. After appreciating the wide-open, uninhabited spaces under the endless canopy of blue sky, we head off for our final stop of the day, Planet Baobab. The rest of the afternoon we spend with a hike to the elephant hole and relaxing at Planet Baobab's facilities.
Day 20:	Toro Lodge, Botswana. Today we drive up north to Chobe National Park viewing game en route to Kasane and the Chobe area. In the afternoon we go on a sunset cruise on the Chobe River and will have the opportunity to get close up to all that the Chobe Park has to offer from lions, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, birds and much more.
Day 21:	Victoria Falls, Zambia. Continuing our trip we leave Botswana via ferry across the Zambezi and drive back to Livingstone in Zambia, the home of Victoria Falls. Your guide will take you through to Victoria Falls (entrance fee on own expense) and you will have the opportunity to take part in several optional activities like White Water rafting, Bungee jumping or Elephant back safaris, etc.
Day 22:	Victoria Falls, Zambia. Safari ends after breakfast at the Zambezi Waterfront.

how this holiday makes a difference

On this incredible safari, we pay special attention to the types of lodges used, as well as ensuring an in-depth view of Africa’s unique wildlife, eco-systems and history, by visiting incredible National Parks, World Heritage Sites and cultural villages.

In Nambia for example, the lodges all contribute to responsible tourism in their own way: At Camp Kwando, we visit two local schools bordering the lodge, with the main impetus being the quality of teaching, and that it be maintained at an adequate level. Thus our concern that all the money you pay for these visits is re-injected in schooling material. This project is monitored by Camp Kwando, who track all donations.

At Nkwazi Lodge, they provide ecologically sensitive facilities and operations by utilising solar power as well as contributing to sustainable community development by encouraging guests to visit one of the local villages and attending a church meeting.

At Palmwag, they provide ecologically sensitive soaps and shampoos, which clients are encouraged to use. To decrease water usage, there is no daily exchange of towels & linen if clients stay longer than a night to reduce water wastage; use of eco friendly pool maintenance solutions with water recycling and constant upgrade of drain systems. There is also no collection of firewood from the concession area; all firewood is supplied from local, commercial firewood suppliers. They control all access onto the concession, thereby reducing environmental impact and assist government ministries in annual conservation work & censuses. Palmwag also recruits staff from neighbouring communities only, empowering local communities and uplifting the local economy.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.