Planning a Bostwana Trip

Old Dec 25th, 2012, 01:51 PM
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Planning a Bostwana Trip

My husband and I and another couple visited Kenya/Tanzana in 2011. Now we're thinking of a Bostwana Trip. W e've come up with a tentative itinerary that is below. We would like to do a luxury camp, but then offset with more inexpensive loding. No children with us (and prefer sites that really don't cater to families if possible - yes I know we're horrible). Anyone have any experience with the below lodgings? If we were to extend the trip by a couple of days, any other suggestions? Anyone do a "layover" in Europe or South America for the flight? Any comments are appreciated:

Day 1: Arrive Johannesburg from Phoenix (Lodging: ??)
Day 2: Johannesburg; Tour/Soweto/Apartheid Museum (Lodging: ??)
Day 3: Johannesburg to Victoria Falls; Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi (Lodging: Ilala Lodge)
Day 4: Victoria Falls; Tour of Falls and Mpisi Village (Lodging: Ilala Lodge)
Day 5: Victoria Falls to Kwando River (Lodging: Kwando Lagoon Camp)
Day 6: Kwando River (Lodging: Kwando Lagoon Camp)
Day 7: Kwando River (Lodging: Kwando Lagoon Camp)
Day 8: Kwando River to Okavango Delta (Lodging: Kwando Little Kwara Camp)
Day 9: Okavango Delta - Moremi Game Reserve (Lodging: Kwando Little Kwara Camp)
Day 10: Okavango Delta - Moremi Game Reserve (Lodging: Kwando Little Kwara Camp)
Day 11: Okavango Delta - Moremi Game Reserve (Lodging: Kwando Little Kwara Camp)
Day 12: Okavango Delta to Central Kalahari ; Drive through Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans* (Lodging: Kwando Tau Pan Camp)
Day 13: Central Kalahari; Bushman (San) tribes (Lodging: Kwando Tau Pan Camp)
Day 14: Central Kalahari to Johannesburg for flight to Phoenix
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Old Dec 25th, 2012, 01:52 PM
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Time frame is June - probably 2014 - yes we're early planners!
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Old Dec 26th, 2012, 07:10 AM
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thankyou
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Old Dec 26th, 2012, 09:16 AM
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I'd consider all the Kwando camps to be luxury camps. There are less expensive camps in Botswana if you need to cut down on the costs. Who are you using as a safari planner? I've had good luck with The Wild Source in Colorado (Bill Given). He's familiar with the less expensive options, although he can book anything you need. If you're interested in adding 2 or 3 days, I'd suggest checking out the Ichobezi safariboats. You'll most likely be going to Kasane in Botswana anyway when you leave Vic Falls and head to the Bots camps. The safariboats are a great way to see the Chobe River area. You catch them at Kasane, although you cross over to an island in the river that's part of Namibia and check in there. The boats are Namibian-registered, which is why you can stay on the river overnight. This would also ease you into your safari.

If you want to do a layover in Europe, that's possible. The location would depend on which airline you're flying. If you're thinking of doing a layover in Sao Paulo, Brazil, however, be aware of the expensive visas needed for that country. No visas are needed in Europe. Or, you could just go directly to S.A. and shake off the jet lag there and at Vic Falls, which are fairly easy days.
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Old Dec 26th, 2012, 03:57 PM
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Thanks ShayTay for the comments.

We've heard Kwando offers a discount for multiple nights. We haven't firmly decided on a safari planner as yet. A couple of feelers out there so I appreciate your comments on the planner you used.

I'll Google the Ichobezi safariboats. We wondered if doing the Delta and Chobe both would be overkill and too much alike. What's your thoughts?
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Old Dec 27th, 2012, 12:22 PM
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Most of the Bots camp operators won't let you book directly... not sure about Kwando, though. A safari planner like Bill can get the multiple night discounts and he often prices below the rack rate you'd pay. For Bots, you also need to book flights between camps, so there are a lot of logistical issues best handled by a safari planner unless you find an in-country operator willing to do that for you.

I was in Botswana in 2010. We were in the Delta and Savuti areas, then finished up on the Ichobezi safariboats. The experiences are quite different and each is special. The safariboat has smaller speedboats that they use for "game drives" along the river. We got quite close to a lot of wildlife that had come to the river to drink, including herds of elephants. It's really the best way to see Chobe, I think.
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