Rhino Trail Gaborone

DAY 1 GABORONE

Hotel accommodation [Breakfast x 1]

Arrive in Gaborone Sir Seretse Khama International Airport Off Air Botswana from Johannesburg where you will be met at the Airport by Mosu safari tours Guides. Look out for a sign board that reads; “MOSU SAFARI TOURS” The guides will take you shopping for your safari drinks then transfer you to your Hotel. You will stay for 1 night on bed and breakfast basis. Lunch & Dinner (own expense). Relax in your room, read a book or a walk in the beautiful hotel surroundings, catch some beautiful birds, and before dinner is served at 7:30pm. There are numerous activities within the hotel; you could choose any of the activities provided you do not tire yourself up for the next day.

DAY 2 KHAMA RHINO SANCTUARY

Chalets [Breakfast x 1]

Departing Gaborone after breakfast we head north of the country. The drive will be relaxed with a stopover in Palapye and stretch your legs. We pass Serowe, one of the largest traditional villages in Africa. It is the birthplace of Botswana’s first President, the late Sir Seretse Khama, on our way to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Paje and Mabeleapodi are two small picturesque villages within fifteen kilometers of the Sanctuary. This 4300hectarereserve situated on the Kalahari sandveld, has several natural waterholes sand.

Arrive in Khama rhino sanctuary around lunch and have lunch own expense. You will be ushered into your chalets by friendly staff of the sanctuary upon arrival. Freshen up and take a small siesta. Depart for your afternoon activity  which is a game drive. There is also Rhino tracking but it is an optional activity which means (its own expense). Game drives will be conducted on an open 4x4 game viewing vehicle. On game drive, you will see a variety of animals. The Sanctuary is home to other wildlife which have settled naturally or been translocated in. It is also prime habitat for white rhino, zebra, blue wildebeest, giraffe, eland, springbok, impala, gemsbok, kudu, steenbok, duiker, red hartebeest, waterbuck, warthog, leopard, ostrich, African wildcat, caracal, small spotted genet, black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, and brown hyena.  We take our first game drive around the open grassland of Malema and Serwe Pans. Return to the camp after sunset refresh and enjoy a cold drink at the bar (own expense) before dinner at 7:30. We stay 1 night here. The last guest determines time of going to bed.

DAY 3-4 CENTRAL KALAHARI GAME RESERVE

Camping [Lunch x 2, Breakfast x 2, Dinner x 2]

After breakfast we depart to central Kalahari game reserve (CKGR).Central Kalahari Game Reserve is second largest game reserve in the world it covers an area of 52 800 square kilometers. The region of vast open plains, salt pans and ancient riverbeds is home to large herds of springbok, gemsbok. Blue wildebeest, redhartbeest and the largest of all antelopes the eland. Made famous by Mark and Delia Owen in the book Cry of the Kalahari, we will camp wild here for 2 nights, during our stay here we will track the black manned lion of the Kalahari. African wild dogs, cheetahs, brown hyenas can also be found following their prey in this untamed wilderness. The black maned lion of the Kalahari has a dominant colour its adaptation is very high and therefore it can survive in harsh conditions.

The reserve has a variety of geological formations formed by changing climate over thousands of years. The Okwa River, now dry once fed the lake Makgadikgadi.

Today this ancient fossil river forms a huge and beautiful valley in the southern part of the reserve, the open grasslands that spring to life with the coming of the rains support abundant game.

DAY 5 – MAUN

Lodge Accommodation [Breakfast x 1]

Wake up and have breakfast before heading to Maun.  Maun is the gateway to one of the best wildlife experiences you will ever have - a safari in the unforgettable Okavango Delta.

Maun has grown rapidly from its early days as a small, rural frontier good shopping centers town and has now spread along the wide, Thamalakane River. It now boasts, hotels and lodges as well as car and 4-wheel drive vehicle hire. However, it retains a rural atmosphere and, as befitting its role as the hub of the Delta's safari industry travelers pass through here on their way to the Okavango Delta. It is the southernmost part of the Delta and boasts a river tributary of the Okavango called the Thamalakane River. It is our home and this frontier “village” certainly puts things into perspective before travelling to the wilderness, we will be staying in a lodge for 1 night on bed & breakfast basis. Lunch & dinner at (own expense), after checking into the lodge that afternoon you can take a scenic flight over the Okavango delta from Maun Airport over the Okavango Delta (Own expense). Keep a look out for Hippos in the waterways and Elephant and Buffalo in the shade of the trees. Observe how the water channels meander their way through the Delta in ever changing paths as this Dynamic water system evolves. The vastness of this pristine wilderness is breathtaking.

DAY 6 OKAVANGO DELTA

Camping [Lunch x 1, Breakfast x 1, Dinner x 1]

Wake up and prepare your small luggage for the mokoro overnight. Your big bags will be left in Mosu Office for safe keeping to be collected once you come from the delta. After breakfast we depart to the Okavango delta, here you will meet your local mokoro poler who will serve also as your guide. Local mokoro community guides conduct this activity but our chef comes along. When we arrive the camp assistant will put up camp under a canopy of trees, have brunch. After that is time for siesta, you can also take a swim at the delta clear waters. Tea /coffee will be served before you take a walk on the island. Travelling by mokoro is undeniably the best way to experience the Okavango delta. You explore the waterways, and take nature walks where you have the opportunity to track game and get a close-up feel of this unique environment. Here bird life is spectacular; on foot, you are able to have a much more intense experience of the bush, particularly the flora and fauna that might go unnoticed. Guides are experienced in tracking animals and are able to point out interesting sightings of various types of wildlife we camp wild in a remote campsite for 1 night.

DAY 7- 8 MOREMI XAKANAXA

Camping [Lunch x 2, Breakfast x 2, Dinner x 2]

After breakfast we return to mokoro station where we will find our vehicle waiting for us to transfer you to Moremi gami Reserve .

Moremi game reserve is widely considered as one of the finest wildlife reserve in Africa. It has a diversity of habitats combining acacia forests and mophane woodlands with floodplains’ and lagoons. Here we will be camping at an exclusive campsite. Our drives will take us to the park’s most beautiful areas such as third bridge, bodumatau and dead tree island game is plentiful. Sightings include elephant, buffalo, giraffe ,lion, hyena,jackal and many different antelopes including red lechwe and shy sitatunga a web-footed antelope perfectly adapted to life in the swamps .Wild dog, whose numbers are so rapidly dwindling elsewhere, are regularly sighted in the Moremi game reserve, we will camp wild for 2 nights.

DAY 9: MOREMI KHWAI (North Gate)

Camping [Lunch x 1, Breakfast x 1, Dinner x 1]

We depart to Moremi Khwai, situated in the eastern part of the Okavango Delta, bordering the Chobe National Park on the south-western part of the Park. The Okavango Delta is the largest inland river delta in the world and consists of pans, floodplains, lily covered lagoons, grasslands, forests of acacia trees, savannahs and dense Mopane Woodlands. With such a wide variety of vegetation comes diverse spectrum of wild life. Huge herds of impala and tsessebe are found in the area, while in the dry season large herds of buffalo, wildebeest, elephant and zebra flock into the reserve from the Kalahari in search of food and water. The rare sitatunga and lechwe antelope live in the papyrus banks of the waterways. Lions, cheetahs and packs of wild dogs hunt in the open grassland. The reserve is home to over 400 species of birds, including the African Fish Eagle, the Crested Crane and the Sacred Ibis.

Moremi Game Reserve is a wilderness paradise with great game viewing throughout the year. We will camp wild for 1 night at an exclusive campsite at Khwai north (Moremi Game Reserve) enjoying activities on day to day basis. The magnificent Khwai river is the hub for some of the most outstanding wildlife viewing both on the Moremi and in the Khwai community area.

DAY 10 – 11SAVUTI

Camping [Breakfast x 2, Lunch x 2, Dinner x 2]

We depart to Savuti which is part of Chobe national park. It is called Savuti because a certain chief called sauté used to live there with his tribe Tawny eagles can be seen soaring in the sky as we go. The drive is a bit longer from Moremi to Savuti, however, the drive is much enjoyable as you will see lots of birds and animals on the way. The scenery is amazing and very African looking, with lots of umbrella thorn, acacia tortilis (Mosu in Setswana which means the name of our company) with giraffe feeding and many more including the most photographed bird, lilac breasted roller a national bird of Botswana. You will not resist from taking a picture of it, it’s the most beautiful bird in Africa. We arrive in time for lunch; our exclusive camp will be put up, we wild camp for 2 nights depart for game drive at 1600hrs, to the beautiful Savuti marsh where we see vast herds of zebras and wildebeest and also have an opportunity to see pairs of koori bastards which are the heaviest flying birds. We get back to camp after sunset for a lovely dinner around the camp fire.  The last guest determines time of going to bed.

An early morning tea/coffee, rusks then depart for game drive along the Savuti channel. The area looks very beautiful there are lots of tall trees along the river animals like to hang around for shade. We also drive to Savuti marsh where we have an opportunity to track the cheetah because of the vast open grassland, their mostly preferred habitat. Get back for brunch after a long drive, have a shower, launder your clothes and have a siesta. Depending on individuals, sometimes some people update their diaries. 3:30 tea/coffee depart for game drive, which will be our last game drive in Savuti. We will be back from game drive after sun set which will have been enjoyed under the baobab tree (adonsonia digitata), an indigenous tree found in Africa. It is nick named the upside down tree, because the branches look like roots when it is dry or doesn’t have leafs. Get back to the camp after a lovely game drive dinner at 20.00pm. Time of going to bed is determined by the last guest.

DAY  12 CHOBE NATIONAL PARK

Lodging [Breakfast x 1]

Wake up early to take a beautiful trip to the famous Chobe national park. You will notice when we drive the vegetation changes from time to time. Along the way you get mophane woodland, acacia tortilis (Mosu). Chobe National Park is mostly dominated by the Zimbabwe teak, very good for making furniture. On the way we see lots of animals until we get to Chobe enclave which incorporates five villages. Then we enter the park, we arrive in Kasane a town just outside Chobe national park around lunch. You will be staying in a lodge for 1 nights on bed and breakfast basis (lunches and dinners at own expense).

 After that siesta you may take a swim or take a rest in your room before we leave for an afternoon game drive along the Chobe River where we will see big herds of buffalos, elephants, pods of hippos, and prides of lions. Chobe is a unique park because; during dry season big herds of animals congregate along the river. You will see elephants swimming from one bank to the other, buffalos crossing to the island, get back from a beautiful game drive freshen up and have dinner- own expense. Time of going to bed is determined by the last guest.

DAY 13: VICTORIA FALLS-ZIMBABWE

Lodging [Breakfast x 1]

After breakfast we depart to Zimbabwe, Victoria falls our guides will transfer you to a luxury lodge accommodation in Victoria Falls, you will be staying here for 1 night, on a bed and breakfast basis dinner at (own expense). Victoria Falls is the largest single curtain of falling water on the planet. More than twice the size of Niagara Falls, this Natural Wonder and World Heritage Site has become one of Southern Africa's top tourist destinations. This spot on the Zambezi River, the natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, has been described as one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world.
The National park has rich biodiversity of fauna like elephant, hippos, giraffes, zebra antelopes and a variety of birds like klipspringers, herons, falcon and waterfowls. The stunning beauty of islands in the river upstream draws the tourists through a boat cruise The Devil’s pool, another prominent tourist attraction, is a fresh water pond where swimming is accessed to the tourists.

The bridge, which was constructed across the second gorge, gives the splendid view of the falling waters. The two islands of Cataract Island and Livingstone Island divide the massive water into number of smaller streams in the upstream of the river. The Victoria Falls can be reached through Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe as well as Livingstone town in Zambia. These two towns are well accessible through air and roads

Our adventure begins in Victoria Falls besides the fantastic viewing of the falls, the Victoria Falls Bridge and David Livingstone’s Statue, the destination offers a wide range of activities:

Mosu Safari Tours does not pay for any activities in Victoria Falls and park entry fees. They are not included in the quote.

DAY 14

Wake up and have breakfast; you will then be transferred to Victoria Falls airport for your flight to Johannesburg.

TOUR ENDS