The Great Wilderness Journey
10 nights/11 days
This is a nostalgic, turn-of-the-century camping and lodge safari. The journey recreates the sense of a game-viewing adventure reminiscent of the times of the great
African explorers. You will see Botswana's famous Okavango Delta and the wildlife-rich Linyanti and Chobe River systems. As a wonderful finale, you visit Victoria Falls, the largest curtain of water in the world.
Brief Itinerary:
Days 1-3 Fly to Jacana Camp, Okavango Delta
Days 4-6 Fly Khwai Concession private camp, northeast Okavango Delta
Days 7-9 Fly to Linyanti/Chobe, private camp
Day 10 Fly to Kasane for Chobe River cruise; "Flight of Angels" transfer over Victoria Falls
Day 11 Guided walk around Victoria Falls, transfer to airport
The Great Wilderness Journey - Price
2010 Departures: $7,600 per person sharing
Single Supplement: $1,095
If a guest is willing to share and we can match with another guest of the same gender, the single supplement will not be charged. However, if there is no suitable match, the single supplement surcharge will apply. No triple rooms are accepted.
Prices include all transportation as specified in the itinerary, driver/guide services, park fees, accommodation on a shared basis, all meals and drinks (except premium brands), laundry.
Prices exclude airfare (other than what is specified in the safari itinerary), gratuities, travel insurance, visa fees, entry and departure taxes, any personal purchases, phone calls, optional activities, and any pre- or post-safari plans.
The Great Wilderness Journey - Departure Dates
2010:
These departures originate in Maun, Botswana and end in Livingstone, Zambia:
January 4, 7, February 1, 8, March 9, April 1, 26, 29, May 24, 27, June 21, July 13, August 5, October 3, 27, November 24, December 5, 8
These departures originate in Livingstone, Zambia and end in Maun, Botswana:
April 9, May 10, 13, June 4, July 1, 10, 29, August 18, September 11, 14, 17, October 14, 17, November 14, December 16
The Great Wilderness Journey - Detailed Itinerary
Days 1, 2, 3: Jacana Camp, Okavango Delta
After arrival in Maun, you will be met by your guide before boarding a light aircraft which will fly you over the shimmering water world of the Okavango Delta. The Delta encompasses life at its most fertile: abundant water, sunlight and nutrients fuse to produce a wetland paradise teeming with life.
Lush Jacana Camp is situated in a permanently flooded region of the private Jao Concession of the Okavango Delta. A true water camp, it represents the essence of the Delta, with year-round mokoro safaris as well as island bush walks and, water level permitting, motorboat cruises. In fact, when the flood levels are at their peak you are able to motorboat from the airstrip to the lodge, a truly surreal camp arrival! On one of the full days, you will also enjoy game drives around the productive Jao flats region to the north of camp.
Jacana Camp is set in one of the wetland areas most densely populated with sitatunga and red lechwe. Wildlife concentrations depend on the water flow and volume, thus changing from season to season, but all the large animals can be found in the area including elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo. Pel's Fishing-Owl is a favorite amongst birders as well as African and Lesser Jacana.
Jacana Camp has five Meru-style tents. Each tent is on a wooden deck overlooking the floodplains and has an en-suite bathroom with flush toilet and shower. The bathroom is enclosed but roofless, allowing for showers by starlight. The camp has a plunge pool for cooling off from the midday sun. The main dining area is on an elevated wooden deck between two magnificent sycamore fig trees and surrounded by dense wild date palms. Downstairs, there is a cozy pub and lounge with an area perfect for an open fire under the stars.
Days 4, 5, 6: Khwai Discoverer Camp, Okavango Delta
This morning after breakfast you will drive to the airstrip for a light aircraft transfer to Khwai Adventurer Camp. This camp is located in a private concession just north of the Khwai River above the Moremi Game Reserve. This is one of the most diverse areas in northern Botswana and there are extraordinary wildlife experiences awaiting you.
The Khwai Channel provides vital sustenance to a wide variety of wildlife including hippo, elephant, crocodile, buffalo, leopard, lion, spotted hyena, and red lechwe Game drives (by day and night) often reveal sightings of the rare roan and stately sable antelopes. Guided nature walks and seasonal mokoro excursions through the channels are also available.
Your camp features en-suite dome tents with the bathroom at the rear of the tent separated by a zip door. Hot water is available anytime for the bucket shower. You’ll sleep comfortably on GI stretchers with pure cotton linens and a duvet. There is a bedside table with light and mini luggage benches. Evening campfires are the norm and hurricane lanterns add to the atmosphere.
Days 7, 8, 9:
Linyanti Discoverer Camp, Linyanti
After a light breakfast, you fly north-eastwards to the private Linyanti Concession. After a short game drive you arrive at your private Discoverer camp, which is elegantly set up under African ebony and knobthorn acacia trees overlooking panoramic vistas of the Linyanti Swamps.
The landscape of the Linyanti varies from floodplains to open dry land savannah and forest with sweeping views, creating a paradise for a high diversity of wildlife and bird species. Activities include game drives in the private northern sector of the concession, exploring a range of habitats from riverbanks to scrub and forest, with a myriad of wildlife en route to slake their thirst from the river. The seldom-seen sitatunga can also be spotted in the waterways, as well as rare plains game such as roan and sable antelope and of course their predators, the lion and leopard - with the endangered wild dog as an incredible bonus.
There's also a game drive to a private area for lunch, then a siesta in hammocks and the possibility of an afternoon canoe trip, before returning to camp at dusk. (This activity is not always possible, as it is dependent on whether there are hippo pods moving in and out of the areas in which you canoe.) Another possible activity is an all-day game drive to the Savute Channel, with lunch en route. This game drive is specifically designed to gain an introduction to the "Stolen River" as well as enjoying a part of the Selinda Spillway with its rich floodplains.
To complete the experience, in the rainy season and on the third day it is possible to enjoy a full-day activity to the Savute Channel, with lunch at a scenic setting under a shade tree. The spectacular but seasonal (rain dependant) zebra migration moves between Linyanti and the Savute Marsh between the end of November and March. The area also boasts an impressive diversity of mammals, including large elephant herds.
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Day 10:
Chobe River boat cruise, Chobe National Park
& Toka Leya Camp, Zambia
After a short morning drive and breakfast, you will depart by light aircraft to the northern Chobe region of Chobe National Park. This area is famous for its vast herds of elephants in the dry season and other unique species such as the elusive puku and Chobe bushbuck that move to the river in the hottest hours of the day. Enjoy a light lunch on the boat cruise in a catamaran-style shaded boat.
You will leave Botswana and fly over the Kazangula border, a point where the four countries of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia meet. After landing at Livingstone International Airport, you will arrive at Toka Leya in the late afternoon.
Toka Leya Camp is situated on the banks of the Zambezi River in the western sector of the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, some 12km up from the Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Accommodation consists of 12 safari-style tents, each en-suite with a view of the magnificent Zambezi River. The camp’s dining and bar area are under a canopy of trees overlooking the River and a sparkling swimming pool.
Day 11: Victoria Falls
The grand finale is a guided tour of the Victoria Falls, one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World. You will transfer to Livingstone Airport immediately after the tour for your onward journey.
Contact Duffle & Compass to begin planning your Africa adventure.
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