Self Drive Tours
11-Day Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls Excursion
Details:
The most complete safari that any traveller can undertake, which seeks to provide our guests with an opportunity to discover a few of Southern Africa’s most sort after highlights, while also exploring some of the hidden treasures. The traveller will experience two of Africa’s natural wonders, the Okavango Delta and the Victoria Falls at their own comfort and pace as this tour like all our itineraries can be tailored to our travellers’ budget, time and special interests.
Departures:
Any day of the week.
Price:
Starting from as low as N$ 47, 260 pp sharing.
Includes:
- Accommodation as specified in this itinerary and subject to availability at the time of reservation
- Meals as indicated on this itinerary
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All vehicle insurance – tyres and glass
- Passenger Liability Insurance
- Full-Day Mokoro Trip in the Okavango Delta
- Makgadikgadi Salt Pans Drive
- Boat Cruise in Chobe National Park
- Game Drive in Chobe National Park
- Hoba Meteorite Excursion
- Waterberg Plateau Park entrance & park fees
- Professional English speaking Guide and Driver
- Roadbooks & Maps
- Administration fees
Excludes:
- International flights
- Visas for Zimbabwe and/or Zambia
- Entrance to the Victoria Falls National Park
- Insurance for lost luggage, cancellation, medical repatriation, visas…
- Extra activities not displaying in this quotation or marked by the symbol “Not Incl.”
- Drinks, tips, curios etc…
Itinerary Details
Day 1: Windhoek, Namibia to Ghanzi, Kalahari, Botswana - 500 km (311miles) - ±5H20min
This morning requires an early start, and we thus recommend leaving by 07:15 from your accommodation.
Part of the reason for this morning’s early departure from Windhoek, Namibia is to make provision for border control as you’ll cross into Botswana today. Once you clear border control and make your way into the beautiful country of Botswana, you can enjoy a relaxing drive to the outskirts of Ghanzi.
You are welcome to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the heart of the Kalahari. The San women and men will teach us about many edible plants, where to look for them and how they are used, e.g. contraceptives and healing.
Enjoy a lovely dinner and the tranquility of an evening in a remote Kalahari wilderness.
Day 2: Ghanzi to Maun/Okavango Delta - 285 km (177miles) - ±3H45min
You’ll can start the day with an optional morning bush walk where you will learn more about the San hunting techniques such as tracking and stalking. This excursion will be on foot through the veld with a small clan of San local guides and families as they show you how they gather food, start fire with sticks, check wind direction and get water from underground roots.
Thereafter, a short drive takes you to the small town of Ghanzi to stock up on some food supplies. You can stop along the way to prepare and enjoy a delicious lunch, before continuing your drive to the town of Maun. Your journey north-east to Maun will take you pass a few villages along the way. The homes in a traditional village in Botswana are simple, but beautiful. The simple round construction with the peaked, thatched, roof keeps the home cool on hot summer days. The mud, grass, and clay construction is a great insulator, keeping the interior warm in the winter and cool in summer.
Set up your camp this afternoon and acquaint yourselves with your beautiful riverside accommodation.
Day 3: Maun/Okavango Delta
You are in the territory of the River People, so this morning you can leave your vehicle behind and travel in a more appropriate fashion, by the traditional Mokoro (dugout canoe), deeper into the Okavango Delta. These amazing traditional canoes are perfectly designed for the narrow waterways of the Okavango Delta and will allow you to travel further into the Delta and thus providing you with a better opportunity to see more of the rich wildlife in this area. Mokoros carry three people, two seated passengers and one driver. The driver stands in the rear of the canoe, (a real feat of balance), and uses a long wooden pole to propel and steer the Mokoro through the twisting channels.
A hundred years after explorer David Livingstone called this land ‘country full of rivers’, the environment and wildlife in the Moremi area were under threat. It is because of the bold, local Batawana people that this area was proclaimed Moremi Game Reserve in 1963, making Moremi the oldest and first protected reserve of the Okavango Delta. You can opt for a guided or unguided game drive into the Moremi Game Reserve on this day.
In the summer, the swimming pool at your accommodation provides a scenic and fun filled experience, as you enjoy your last sunset here before making your way to Nata the following day.
Day 4: Maun/Okavango Delta to Nata, Botswana - 310 km (193miles) - ±3H15min
This morning, you’re heading to Nata on the bounds of the Magkadikgadi Salt Pans just to the east of Maun.
The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and the Nxai Pan National Park are situated on the western border of the large Makgadikgadi salt pans, southeast of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The Makgadikgadi Pans are one of the biggest salt pans worldwide. They are formed by two large and thousands of small pans with an area of more than 8400 km². The complete area of pan systems covers an area of more than 16000 km². The Makgadikgadi Pans National Park is situated south of the Nxai Pan National Park, and forms with its huge salt pans an impressive surreal landscape.
The name Makgadikgadi means ‘vast, lifeless land’. For those who prefer solitude and silence this is paradise, as even during the high season people are scarce here. The Makgadikgadi National Park is not visited so much because of its fauna, but rather its solitude, remoteness and its harsh beauty. Nonetheless, depending on the season, impressive animal populations can be viewed.
You are booked for a Makgadikgadi Pan Drive and sundowner drink this afternoon, followed by dinner.
Day 5: Nata to Kasane, Botswana - 316km (196miles) - ±3H20min
It’ a leisurely drive to Kasane this morning, the gateway to the Chobe National Park. Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Botswana, on the banks of the famous Chobe River, the quaint little town of Kasane rests on the doorstep of the majestic Chobe National Park. There are no boundary fences separating the village from the park and game such as elephant and warthog are often spotted roaming around the town and hippos at times come onto land to help themselves to the lush grass of manicured lawns. Wildlife such as the elusive wild dog have been seen along the tar roads on the outskirts of town.
Spread out along the banks of the Chobe River, Kasane presents a huge collection of hotels, guest houses and campsites that accommodate all the visitors to the national park. Some are superbly located, with the breathtaking views of the river and its wildlife.
Day 6: Kasane, Chobe National Park, Botswana
After breakfast, we’ve taken the liberty to book you on a game drive to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Chobe National Park, famous for its vast Elephant and Hippo populations. Chobe National Park has the world’s largest population of African Elephants and the chances of seeing other big game are very good as you transit through the park.
Crocodiles and hippos abound in the forbidding Chobe River and on the land side there is often a display of different antelope and species such as elephant, buffalo and even the Big Cats come to the riverbanks for their sundowner drink. The Chobe River provides a very broad habitat for bird life and it is possible to see many beautiful species of our feathered friends.
You’ve been booked for a lovely and relaxing sunset boat cruise this afternoon to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Chobe River, famous for its vast Elephant and Hippo populations.
Day 7: Kasane, Botswana (Victoria falls town, Zimbabwe)
We’ve booked a full day trip for you to discover one of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders on this full-day trip from Kasane to Victoria Falls. You’ll be guided through border control and will explore and learn more about the waterfall on this guided excursion.
The Victoria Falls presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, forming a natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was described by the Kololo tribe living in the area as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’ for the immense spray and incredible noise caused by the rushing water.
‘No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.’ David Livingstone upon his discovery of Victoria Falls in 1855.
Day 8: Kasane to Popa Falls, Divundu, Namibia - 500 km (311miles) - ±5H35
Your return to Namibia will require an early start (07:30) as you’ll have a lengthy drive today. You are in transit only and will have little time to stop for pictures or to take in the sights along the Zambezi region of Namibia.
You will be traversing the Caprivi Strip and will spend the night near the small village of Divundu in northern Namibia. The lodge is situated on an island in the swampy northern reaches of the Okavango River in Namibia’s Zambezi Region (formerly called the Caprivi Strip). Your lodge is at the foot of the Popa waterfalls and borders on the Caprivi National Park and the Mahango National Park is nearby. Therefore, you may see Sable antelope, hippos, lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and Roan antelope during your stay.
Day 9: Popa Falls, Divundu to Grootfontein - 397 km (247miles) - ±4H15min
You can depart for your next destination in the later hours of the morning, as you will enjoy a relaxed drive through the villages and rural parts of northeastern Namibia.
You will be near the site of the Hoba Meteorite (not far from the main road), outside the town of Grootfontein.
The Hoba meteorite is thought to be the world’s largest single meteorite, estimated to mass over 60 tons. It was discovered in 1920 on the Hoba West farm, not far from the city of Gootfontein in Namibia. Too large to move, a stone amphitheater was built around it.
Day 10: Grootfontein to Waterberg - 238 km (148miles) - ±3H25min
You’ll make your way to the Waterberg Plateau Park via Otjiwarongo today, which is situated in the central-northern part of Namibia on the TransNamib railway. It is the biggest business centre for Otjozondjupa Region. Otjiwarongo is located on the B1 road and its links between Windhoek, the Golden Triangle of Otavi, Tsumeb and Grootfontein, and Etosha National Park.
Otjiwarongo is best known for the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), and as Namibia is home to the largest population of Cheetahs in the world, it’s very important. You can stop here for a cheetah experience.
Waterberg Plateau National Park, the plateau being its namesake, is a 41,000 ha (101,300 acres) sanctuary that encompasses the plateau and its medley of habitats, including shaded wooded areas, grasslands, and cool ravines fed by several springs. The rock-studded ridge of the plateau, juxtaposed with vibrant greenery, extends for more than 300km (186miles) and reaches 250m (820ft) high, atop which there are uninterrupted views of the surrounding wilderness. There are several activities for travellers to sink their teeth into, including game drives, birdwatching, Herero cultural tours as well as historical and archaeological site seeing.
Day 11: Waterberg to Windhoek - 307 km (191miles) - ±3H15min
Today you’ll be heading back to the capital city of Windhoek via Okahandja, as you’ve also come to the end of your safari and heading south on the B1 road to the capital city of Windhoek, but transiting via Okahandja, and here you can take time to stop as this town is home to Namibia’s largest wood carving and craft market.
There are approximately 153 stalls in which vendors sell woodcarvings and other crafts in the two woodcarvers’ markets in Okahandja. The primary audience for these products is the tourists who must pass through the centrally located town on their way to the popular northern and coastal destinations of Namibia.
Programme Overview
| Day | Location | Accommodation | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ghanzi, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | D | Day 2 | Okavango Delta, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB | Day 3 | Okavango Delta, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 4 | Nata, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 5 | Chobe National Park, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 6 | Chobe National Park, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 7 | Chobe National Park, Botswana | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 8 | Zambezi Region, Namibia | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 9 | Grootfontein, Namibia | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 10 | Waterberg Plateau Park, Namibia | Lodge★★★ | HB+ | Day 11 | Windhoek | – | B |
B – Breakfast
L – Lunch
D – Dinner
SC – Self Catering
FB – Full Board (All meals)
FB+ – Full Board Plus (All meals & Activities)
HB – Half Board (Breakfast & Dinner)
HB+ – Half Board Plus (Dinner, Breakfast & Activities)
Price Per Person
Per person sharing from: N$ 26,290
Single Supplement : N$ 6,570
Solo travellers and groups welcomed
Prices Effective From:
Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2026
