Botswana Family Safari

Trip Itinerary

Days 1-2: Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe)

Day 1 – Arrival to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

On arrival at the Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in Zimbabwe, you’ll be met by a representative and make the 20-minute vehicle transfer to Ilala Lodge Hotel, your accommodation for the next two nights.

Located just a ten-minute walk from the mighty Victoria Falls, Ilala Lodge Hotel is one of the closest hotels to this spectacular natural wonder. This afternoon, settle into your comfortable room, featuring stunning teak furnishings, luxurious linens, and private balconies overlooking the manicured gardens. Animals frequently visit the lush hotel lawns, and you may be lucky to have a visit from a grazing warthog.

Take a dip in the pool and enjoy a meal at the award-winning The Palm Restaurant, where exceptional food is served under the starry skies, as you listen to the roar of Victoria Falls in the distance.

Day 2 - Exploring Victoria Falls

You’ll stay at Ilala Lodge Hotel on a Bed-and-Breakfast basis, so you can fuel up before heading out on a thrilling day of adventure.

As the world’s largest curtain of falling water, the Victoria Falls is an unparalleled natural wonder. As a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, it’s an unmissable sight for any holiday to the region.

What you decide to do at this incredible site depends on when you travel to Victoria Falls, as river levels dictate which activities are safe. However, with such a wide variety of activities at Victoria Falls, there’s always something to see or do. Soak up the falls with a spray-filled scenic walk or boat ride, or see the falls from a bird's-eye view with a breathtaking helicopter ride.

Day 3 - 6: Kwando-Linyanti Region

Day 3 - Transfer to the Kwando-Linyanti Region

Enjoy breakfast before checking out of Ilala Lodge Hotel. You’ll take a roughly 1.5-hour vehicle transfer to Kasane Airport, then board a light aircraft flight to the Kwando-Linyanti Region in northern Botswana. You’ll be met by a representative on arrival at the airstrip, and make the short 4WD transfer to Lebala Camp, your safari camp for the next two nights.

Lebala means ‘wide open spaces’ and it definitely lives up to its name. Located within the 232,000 hectares of the private unfenced wilderness of the Kwando Reserve, Lebala Camp is set on the floodplains of the Kwando River, surrounded by a rich ecosystem filled with diverse wildlife.

There are just eight custom tents and a Family Tent, featuring mosquito net walls, a bathroom, double outside showers, and an additional twin bedroom ensuring that parents and children can sleep in the same tent. The tent also has a private viewing deck with unobstructed views over the beautiful floodplains.

Day 4 - Exploring the Kwando-Linyanti Region

After breakfast, head out with your expert guide on a game drive or walking safari (minimum age 12 years), in search of the region’s high concentrations of predators and elephants. You’ll have the chance to spot lions, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, buffalos, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, impalas and tsessebes. The region is also known for its population of endangered African wild dogs, which often den in the concession. You can head out on morning, evening or night game drives, to spot wildlife at all times of the day.

After an exciting day of adventure, return to Lebala Camp for a dip in the swimming pool, or relax in the lounge area and library. You’ll stay at Lebala on a full-board basis, and you’ll enjoy delicious meals around the communal fireplace and dining room. The camp can also arrange private outdoor dinners by the poolside or fireplace.

Day 5 - Exploring the Kwando-Linyanti Region

After breakfast, you’ll take a game drive transfer across the concession to Lagoon Camp, your safari camp for the next two nights. Although it is the sister property to Lebala Camp, Lagoon Camp offers a very different experience.

Set on the banks of the beautiful Kwando River, the camp is shaded by towering ebony and marula trees, and surrounded by wild bushland. You’ll feel immersed in nature, as many animals wander close by the camp in this tranquil area.

There are eight spacious ensuite tents, including a twin-room family tent with inside and outside showers, a bathtub, a living room, and a private deck where you can relax and watch the wildlife roaming along the river.

Escape the afternoon heat with a dip in the swimming pool, or get cozy in the library overlooking the river. You’ll stay at Lagoon Camp on a full-board basis, with fantastic meals served around your activities and enjoyed in the communal open-air dining area.

Day 6 - Exploring the Kwando-Linyanti Region

Today you can enjoy a day on safari in the Kwando-Linyanti Region, accompanied by an expert guide and tracker team. The Kwando River attracts an incredible variety of wildlife, and you can usually spot elephants, hippos and sometimes even spotted-necked otters from the camp.

Venture further out, and you’ll spot large herds of elephant and buffalo, along with lions, leopards, cheetahs, sables and even the endangered African wild dogs. The Lagoon wild dog packs regularly move close to the camp, giving the camp the reputation as one of the best places to see wild dogs in the country.

You can also go on bush walks or take a special river cruise on the camp’s double-deck boat. You’ll have gorgeous views along the river, with opportunities to spot big game and birds as you sip a freshly prepared sundowner.

Days 7 - 9: Okavango Delta

Day 7 - Transfer to the Okavango Delta

Enjoy a final morning game drive at Lagoon Camp, before boarding your light aircraft flight to the Kwara Reserve in the Okavango Delta. You’ll be met by a representative on arrival at the airstrip, then take a vehicle transfer to Splash Camp, your safari camp for the next three nights.

Newly opened in 2018, Splash Camp is located in the heart of the Okavango Delta, in the spectacular Private Kwara Reserve. There are 10 large tented rooms, all elevated on decking to offer stunning views over the pan where wildlife gathers all year round. There are also two spacious family suites, featuring an ensuite with flush toilets, double vanities, and indoor and outdoor showers, and comfortable lounge chairs to soak up the view.

Day 8 - Exploring the Okavango Delta

Splash Camp is located in an area historically known for its high waters and challenging water crossings, inspiring the nickname ‘Splash’. The area has both permanent and seasonal floodplains, sprawling across the bushland, and the private Kwara Reserve shares an aquatic boundary with the Moremi Game Reserve.

It’s one of the best places to navigate the waterways of the Delta in a traditional mokoro (dugout cane). Explore the maze of water channels and islands, keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife drinking at the water’s edge. If you visit between August and December, you’ll see heron breeding sites located in the surrounding lagoons, a fascinating experience for birdwatchers.

Day 9 - Exploring the Okavango Delta

There’s plenty of wildlife to see on dry land, and you can head out with an expert guide and tracker team on game drives through the plains. You’ll have the chance to spot lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebra, warthogs, wildebeest, and strong packs of endangered African wild dogs.

Guided nature walks and fishing trips are also available, or you can unwind in the relaxed atmosphere of the camp. Take a dip in the plunge pool overlooking the pan, or swap safari stories in the communal bar, lounge and fire pit where meals are served (you'll stay at Splash Camp on a full-board basis).

You also have the option of pre-booking the Splash Enclave as an exclusive oasis for your family. The Enclave is a second satellite main area with room for six to 10 guests, featuring its own plunge pool, a dining area, a bar and a lounge.

Days 10 - 12: The Great Salt Pans

Day 10 - Transfer to The Great Salt Pans

This morning, you’ll board a light aircraft flight Nxai Pan National Park in northeastern Botswana. You’ll be met on arrival at the airstrip, then take a roughly 15-minute game drive to Nxai Pan Camp, your safari camp for the next two nights.

Nxai Pan Camp is the only permanent camp in the Nxai Pan National Park, and it overlooks the vast plains of the Nxai Pan, a grassy fossil lake-bed that once formed part of a great lake covering central Botswana.

There are nine environmentally adapted ensuite rooms, including a spacious family room facing the game-rich waterhole. The family unit features a main bedroom, ensuite bathroom with a flush toilet, twin basins, indoor and outdoor showers, and a second, twin-bedded room off the main bedroom.

In the afternoon, relax in the plunge pool with a view of the action at the waterhole, or unwind on the main viewing deck. You’ll stay at Nxai Pan Camp on a full-board basis, with excellent meals and drinks served around the open firepit area, or in the communal dining area and bar.

Day 11 - Exploring The Great Salt Pans

There is plenty to do at Nxai Pan Camp all year round. You can spot the game right from the main area of the camp, with frequent visitors to the waterhole, including elephants and zebra. Venture out on a game drive during the ‘green season’ (between late December and early April), and you’ll spot massive migratory herds of zebra and wildebeest, in the second-largest land animal migration in southern Africa.

Another classic activity at Nxai Pan is a day trip to the magnificent Baines’ Baobabs, the ancient trees painted by the adventurous artist Thomas Baines in 1862. After 150 years, the trees are still almost identical to these paintings.

You can also have a special encounter with the San bushmen trackers of the region. You’ll walk with the San, learning about their nomadic lifestyle, how they used to hunt, gather water and use plants for medicinal purposes. You’ll marvel at their deep wisdom of the bush, and it’s always one of the favorite experiences at Nxai Pan Camp.

Day 12 - Departure from Botswana

After saying farewell and checking out of Nxai Pan Camp, you’ll transfer to the airstrip and board a light aircraft flight to Maun. From Maun Airport (MUB), you’ll continue your international flight arrangements.

Although you’re incredible Botswana Family Safari Vacation has come to an end, you’ll leave with many special memories and more than a handful of photos and stories to share when you return home.

After 12 incredible days of family adventure in Botswana’s wilderness and luxury lodges, we’re sure you’ll be hooked on Botswana and the African continent. Where will your family explore next?

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