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Home:
Destinations: Botswana |
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| Okavango
Delta |
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The Okavango Delta
is the largest inland delta in the world where game abounds year
round including lion, elephant, hyena, wild dog, buffalo, hippo and
crocodile that congregate with a teeming variety of antelope and
other smaller animals. Here the camps are classified as; land camps
— safaris are undertaken in open 4x4 vehicles; water camps —
activities are centered on boating and mekoro trips; or combination
camps — where you can experience the best of both safari styles.
The
Okavango rests between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great
African Rift Valley. Deserts are low on annual rainfall and the
Okavango Delta is no exception. However, each year floodwater flows
into the Okavango from its source in the moist African highlands.
These floodwaters flow from their catchment southwards and into the
Kalahari Desert to create a unique wetland that supports and
sustains a huge diversity of wildlife. Apart from the beauty of the
wetland habitat, game viewing is excellent all year round.
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| Moremi
Wildlife Reserve |
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In the
heart of the Okavango Delta is the Moremi Game Reserve. All the
major habitats and ecotones of the Okavango are preserved here.
Proclaimed a wildlife reserve by the Tswana people in 1963, Moremi
is undoubtedly one of the world's most beautiful wilderness areas.
The foresight of the local community has ensured that nature's web
has flourished undisturbed, a veritable Garden of Eden offering a
glimpse of the divine. Moremi is a place of lily-covered wetlands,
grass plains and forests, where even at the busiest time of year
you're likely to be the only spectators at even the most dramatic
animal sighting.
As
Moremi is a fenced reserve game viewing is impressive throughout the
year. The cool, dry winter months from to March to September are an
ideal time to visit, as you are practically guaranteed sightings of
lion, elephant, leopard, hyena, eland, kudu, roan antelope, giraffe,
zebra, impala and buffalo. On the sandy riverbanks and wetlands,
sightings of hippos and crocodiles are commonplace.
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| Chobe
National Park |
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The vast area of
the Greater Chobe National Park in the far north is revered
for its huge and thundering herds of elephants. The diversity of
seasonal floodplains and grasslands means being able to enjoy a game
drive in the morning and a river cruise in the afternoon. In the
heart of Botswana's Chobe National Park lies a dynamic wilderness, a
sweeping expanse of savannah brooded over by several rocky outcrops
which guard a relic marsh and the dry channel that was once its
lifeline.
The
most remarkable feature of the Chobe National Park is its huge
concentration of elephants. But it's not just the elephants that
make this special park worth visiting, also its great natural
beauty. The park has an amazing variety of habitats, which range
from floodplains, through woodlands of baobab, mopane and acacia
trees, to verdant grasslands and thickets bordering the Chobe River.
Flowing along the park's northern boundaries are the Linyanti and
Chobe Rivers, while in the south the Savuti Channel brings life to
the Mababe Depression. |
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| Linyanti
Region |
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The
Linyanti Wildlife Reserve is a private reserve on Chobe's Western
boundary. The reserve is highly populated with animals, particularly
in the dry winter months when elephants concentrate in enormous
numbers at the rivers and waterholes. General wildlife viewing is
excellent – the reserve has large concentrations of lion, sable,
roan, hippos, and wild dog. Birdlife is also abundant. There are
three main features of the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve: the Linyanti
River, Savuti Channel and the woodlands of the interior. Two thirds
of the famous Savuti Channel is in this private reserve and guests
are able to view abundant wildlife privately and exclusively. The
last stretches of Africa's Great Rift Valley divide the forests of
the interior with the rivers and floodplains of the Linyanti and it
is along this ridge (and along the Savuti Channel) that wildlife can
be viewed in large numbers. |
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| On Safari
in Botswana |
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A day on safari in
Botswana typically starts with an early morning wake up call. You
meet in the central area for a snack and juice in the darkness
before departing on an activity, with a stop for a snack and coffee
en route. Upon return to camp at about 10:30am you enjoy a sizeable
brunch.
Free time is then
ample during the heat of the day to enjoy a siesta or a dip in the
pool. At about 3:30pm, enjoy
afternoon tea with cakes and savories. Then it is time to depart for
your afternoon activity, with a stop for cocktails at sunset. Return
to camp and enjoy a sumptuous dinner. |
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