Compare Botswana & Zimbabwe Lodge Safari by Exodus Travels vs Botswana & Zimbabwe Safari by National Geographic Expeditions
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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3.5 | Average
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| Duration | 14 days | 10 days |
| Price From | $ 6,270 | $ 5,599 |
| Price Per Day | $ 448 | $ 560 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
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| Meals Included | This trip includes 13 breakfasts, five lunches and eight dinners. We stay in lodges most nights, but meals are prepared by our crew. Breakfast is generally cereal or toast with tea and coffee with the occasional fried breakfast/brunch Lunch is normally a simple picnic of cheese, cold meats, salads, bread or rolls Dinners are cooked meals such as potjies (stew), braais (barbecues), stir-fries etc The trip leaders do all the shopping and meal planning for the group. They always try to obtain fresh produce wherever possible. Each tour has one cool box for the meats and the fresh produce only and one cool box for cold drinks. We supply the following drinks: squash, tea or coffee served with meals. All other beverages will be at your own expense. We do not supply bottled drinking water although it is available at many shops on tour if you want to buy it yourself. On some days where early morning game drives are included, lunch may be substituted for a large brunch on return from the game drive – this is customary. We ensure the number of meals detailed in the Trip Notes are provided. Please note, we need at least two weeks’ notice to deal with special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian or allergies.) For this reason, if you did not indicate these on your booking form, please advise us as soon as possible. The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption. |
9 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches & 8 Dinners |
| Description |
From the crashing Victoria Falls to the meandering Okavango Delta, this safari visits the best destinations in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Encounter the huge elephant herds of Chobe, search for rhinos and leopards in Matopos and spot wild dogs in Hwange. Starry skies and burnished sunsets complete the adventure. And where better for a sundowner than the shimmering Makgadikgadi Pans? Join us to celebrate Exodus’ 50th anniversary! The departure starting in Victoria Falls on 21 July 2024 features extra inclusions to mark the occasion: a Zambezi cruise, a local birthday celebration and a special edition Exodus kitbag.Explore the best of Botswana and Zimbabwe on a two-week safari adventure |
Experience an unforgettable wildlife adventure through some of southern Africa’s most spectacular national parks. Keep your camera at the ready to capture lions and elephants in Hwange National Park; fly to the panhandle of the pristine Okavango Delta for bush walks with expert local guides; and cruise along the waters of the Chobe River to watch elephants drink and hippos bathe along the shore. |
Day 1 Start Victoria Falls; to Chobe National Park
Meet the group at the airport or at the Rainbow Hotel in Victoria Falls town (see the Joining Instructions for more information, as the airport can sometimes change). We then transfer 75mi (120km) to Kasane, Botswana. The drive takes a little over two hours but there can be delays crossing the border. Once we are settled into our chalets, we meet for a full-tour briefing. Accommodation: Kwalape Lodge (or similar)
Day 2 Game drive and river safari in Chobe National Park
Chobe National Park is best known for its huge populations of elephants and buffalos. With an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 elephants this is, undoubtedly, the best place to see them in the world. The park is also home to wild dogs, lions, leopards and various other wildlife. We start the day by going on a game drive in one of the lodge’s open game-drive vehicles. It will be an early start as we aim to get to the park gates as they open. We spend about three hours on safari before returning to the lodge in time for brunch. There is time to relax at the lodge during the hottest part of the day or explore Kasane town (where we can get local currency) before heading out again, this time on a boat on the Chobe River. After a short transfer to the jetty, we board the boat for a three-hour safari. This is a great opportunity to view the vast herds of elephants and other wildlife from the water. Accommodation: Kwalape Lodge (or similar)
Day 3 Transfer to Maun
Today is a long drive as we transfer the 375mi (600km) between Kasane and Maun, the town on the edge of the Okavango Delta. We’ll stop en route for lunch at the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pan before arriving in Maun mid-afternoon. We spend time in town getting supplies (this is a chance for you to get any extra drinks or snacks you may want while in the delta). From here, it’s only a short drive out of town to our lodge. Accommodation: Crocodile Camp (or similar)
Day 4 - 5 Explore the Okavango Delta by foot and dugout canoe
Day 6 Morning walking safari; return to Maun
This morning, we have our last mokoro ride as we return to the edge of the delta before returning to Maun. The afternoon is free to relax by the pool or take an optional flight over the delta. Accommodation: Crocodile Camp (or similar)
Day 7 To Nata; visit the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans at sunset
After a brief stop in Maun to resupply, we transfer 185mi (300km) to Nata arriving mid-afternoon. In the late afternoon, we head to the Nata Sanctuary to watch the sunset on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan. The Makgadikgadi Pan covers more than 6,175sqmi (16,000sqkm) and forms the bed of an ancient lake, now dried up, which once spread as far as the Okavango Delta. Sunsets on the pan are among the best in Africa. Accommodation: Nata Lodge (or similar)
Day 8 Enter Zimbabwe; to Matobo National Park
Today we continue our journey back to Zimbabwe. We go via Francistown and Bulawayo on our way to Matobo National Park. The journey is about 235mi (380km) and driving time shouldn’t be much more than about five hours; however, the border crossing can be busy and may take between two and three hours. We stay in chalets just outside the park and can enjoy sundowners from the granite ridge overlooking the park. Accommodation: Hermits Peak Lodge (or similar)
Day 9 Game drive and walking safari in Matobo National Park
Matobo National Park, also known as Matopos National Park, is an area known for wildlife and kopjes (giant boulders that seem to be stacked precariously). The park is one of the best places to see both black and white rhinos and has a very dense population of leopards (though these predators are still elusive). It is also home to a third of all eagle species. These hills were once populated by the indigenous San people, who have left their mark with rock paintings depicting giraffes, elands and kudu. It was also the colonialist Cecil Rhodes’ favourite place and where he asked to be buried. We enter Matobo National Park early in the morning and go on a game drive followed by a game walk where we hope to see rhino. We visit World’s End, where Cecil Rhodes is buried, and see some of the granite formations and rock paintings. We spend most of the day inside the park returning to the lodge in the afternoon. Accommodation: Hermits Peak Lodge (or similar)
Day 10 Drive to Hwange National Park
After a breakfast we make a quick stop in Bulawayo this morning to resupply before driving 210mi (335km) north to Hwange National Park. The largest national park in Zimbabwe, Hwange covers 5,640sqmi (14,600sqkm) of mopane and teak woodlands and grasslands. It is home to more than 100 mammal species and 400 bird species including all of the specially protected animals in the country. The most famous inhabitants are the elephants and wild dogs, and it is the only place where gemsbok and brown hyena live in reasonable numbers in Zimbabwe. We stay in a property within a game-management area that neighbours the park. Accommodation: Hwange Safari Lodge (or similar)
Day 11 Full-day safari in Hwange National Park
We spend all day on a 4x4 open game drive in search of Hwange wildlife. Accommodation: Hwange Safari Lodge (or similar)
Day 12 Visit Victoria Falls
After a slightly later start to the day, we take a short, final drive back to Victoria Falls, arriving at Victoria Falls town around lunchtime. In the afternoon, we head out towards the mighty falls themselves. Measuring 5,580ft (1,700m) wide and 330ft (100m) high, Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world. The volume of water changes with the seasons but, when full, the spray rises into the sky – a phenomenon that has given the falls their local name Mosi o Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders. They are a site to behold and one that impressed Dr David Livingstone so much that he said: 'Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.’ Accommodation: The Rainbow Hotel (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast
Day 13 Full day at Victoria Falls for optional activities
Today is a free day to enjoy the many activities on offer here, such as white-water rafting, taking a flight over the falls, going on a sunset cruise or crossing into neighbouring Zambia to see the falls from another perspective. Accommodation: The Rainbow Hotel (or similar)
Day 14 End Victoria Falls
The trip ends after breakfast. If you’d like more time to explore, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
Day 1: Victoria Falls
Accommodations: Cresta Sprayview Hotel (or similar)
Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included.
Day 2: Victoria Falls/Hwange National Park
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Optional Activities: Victoria Falls Guided Tour , Victoria Falls Helicopter Ride - 15min
Accommodations: Ivory Safari Lodge & Khulu Lodge (or similar)
Explore Victoria Falls at leisure this morning, and opt to take a guided tour of this thundering natural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage site. Later, transfer to the headquarters of Painted Dog Conservation. Learn about this non-profit organization’s work to protect and rehabilitate injured painted dogs (also known as African wild dogs), and hear from a conservationist about the threats to these endangered animals. Afterward, venture out on safari in Hwange National Park, one of Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife reserves and an important elephant sanctuary.
Day 3: Hwange National Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Ivory Safari Lodge & Khulu Lodge (or similar)
Set out on a full-day safari through the sweeping grasslands of Hwange National Park. Track the park’s resident elephant and buffalo herds, as well as giraffes, lions, zebras, and the rare African wild dog. This evening, relax on the deck of your lodge, keeping an eye out for the wild creatures that visit the lodge’s watering hole.
Day 4: Hwange/Chobe Np
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodations: Chobe Safari Lodge (or similar)
Depart Hwange and head north, crossing the border into Botswana and arriving in Kasane—the gateway to the stunning Chobe National Park. Settle into your lodge and embark on a boat safari on the Chobe River, the lifeline of the park. Look out for submerged hippos, basking crocodiles, bathing elephants, and an abundance of birdlife from the boat’s deck, and witness a spectacular fiery sunset over the river.
Day 5: Chobe Np
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Optional Activities: Chobe River Photo Safari
Accommodations: Chobe Safari Lodge (or similar)
This morning, continue your exploration of Chobe National Park, home to one of Africa’s largest elephant populations. On a safari along the banks of the Chobe River, keep an eye out for elephants, buffalo, lions, zebra, and rare semi-aquatic antelope, as well as an incredible variety of birds. In the afternoon, opt to take a photography river safari on a specialized photography boat.
Day 6: Kasane/Okavango Delta
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Mopiri Camp (or similar)
Catch a flight to the Okavango Panhandle in Botswana, the narrow arm of the Okavango River that feeds into the famed Okavango Delta. Check in to our remote lodge, and enjoy a boat cruise on the winding waterways. This evening, hear about National Geographic’s Okavango Wilderness Project, a multi-year collaboration between international and local experts to survey the Okavango watershed’s biodiversity and ensure its future protection. Watch the National Geographic documentary “Into the Okavango,” and learn about delta conservation projects in the area.
Day 7: Okavango Delta
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Mopiri Camp (or similar)
Explore the breathtaking Okavango Panhandle with expert local guides. Navigate the wildlife-rich channels of the Okavango River aboard a mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe, and spot all manner of bird life on bush walks. Settle into your tent in our remote bush camp this evening. Enjoy a three-course meal around a roaring campfire while listening to the night calls of the delta.
Day 8: Okavango Delta
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Mopiri Camp (or similar)
Continue exploring the Okavango Delta’s untamed habitat on foot and by mokoro, spotting herons, storks, egrets, and other wading birds. Return to the lodge later this afternoon and opt to relax by an open fire, or take a swim.
Day 9: Okavango Delta/Maun
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodations: Cresta Maun (or similar)
Fly to the frontier town of Maun for an evening of storytelling and traditional foods with celebrated local author Bonty Botumile. Born in Maun, Bonty’s work is dedicated to preserving Botswana’s literary heritage and providing youth with employment opportunities in the arts. Listen as she shares her in-depth knowledge of the region’s cultural history, and cap off the night with a delicious meal and colourful stories around a warm fire.
Day 10: Maun
Meals: Breakfast
Depart at any time.
