South Africa and Botswana Safari

On arrival at Skukuza airstrip, you’ll be met by your expert guide and immediately head out on a game drive to the lodge. The Sabi Sands Reserve shares an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park. This is the oldest private reserve in South Africa and the origin of sustainable wildlife tourism in southern Africa. You will marvel at the high densities of wildlife like lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino as well as cheetah, impala, and a large assortment of birds. Notten’s Bush Camp is a family-run safari lodge in the southern Sabi Sand Reserve. Situated in a 6,000 hectare private concession, it is shaded by surrounding trees and commands extensive views over the plains and waterhole.

Spend the next two days exploring this wild area in an open-top 4×4 safari vehicle. It is common to see the “Big Five” in a single game drive. Leopard sightings are plentiful. Walking safaris are possible, as are night drives when nocturnal species come alive. Punctuate the day by sipping sundowner cocktails while toasting an epic sunset over this wild place.

After a final game drive, take to the skies for your flight(s) to Cape Town. You’ll be met on arrival by your driver and transferred to your accommodation, perfectly situated between Table Mountain and city center. Depending on your arrival time, the afternoon and evening are yours to explore nearby the hotel.

This morning, head for the Table Mountain cable car that whisks you to the summit and panoramic views of the city just as the morning fog is breaking. You’ll have a chance to explore the top of the table before heading out on a city tour including Company’s Garden, Green Market Square, St George’s Cathedral, and the best coffee shop in the world. This afternoon, you’ll visit Uthando, which is focused on a variety of social development projects in Cape Town. This unscripted tour allows you to encounter an authentic side of Cape Town unknown to most visitors.

This morning begins at Kalk Bay, known for its fishing docks. With several arts and crafts stalls nearby you can do a bit of shopping in the boutiques and enjoy the antiques and collectibles along the main street here. With an expert guide leading the way, you’ll meet your own splinter penguin colony away from the crowded main breeding site on a quieter beach known only by locals. After wondering at these remarkable birds, you’ll head out to the Cape Peninsula and hike along the Atlantic shore. It’s a fascinating place of remote beaches, shipwrecks, and unique wildlife. After a picnic lunch, a drive along the stunningly scenic and dramatic Chapman’s Peak Drive leads you back to town.

Depart Cape Town this morning on a flight to Maun, Botswana where you’ll connect with your light aircraft. Fly deep into the heart of Botswana’s Okavango Delta to the Shinde Concession away from the main tourist routes. Walking in the Okavango Delta’s wilderness is the highlight of a ‘true safari’ experience, allowing guests to get up close and personal with the African bush. With your expert, naturalist guide, you’ll spend the next three nights learning how to track wildlife and understand animal movement, patterns, and behavior.

Fly south today to the Khwai Concession sitting astride the Khwai River. Keep a watchful eye out for the hippo and crocodiles lurking in the Khwai Channel while buffalo and red lechwe graze along the banks. Large herds of giraffe are often seen, as are elephants, lions, wild dogs, and spotted hyenas. Raptors are a unique highlight here, with nearly twelve species of eagle! Drives, walks, and even mokoro dugout canoe trips are all possible ways you can explore. Be sure to inquire about a sleepout in the skybeds!

Bid farewell to the bush as you make a final game drive to the airstrip for your flight to Maun. Arrive in time to meet your departing international flight.