Botswana

Eight nights: 5 - 13 October 2024

Flowing river crossings. Rickety bridges. The salt and mud of Botswana’s ancient lake bed Pans. The deep sands of the Kalahari. This overlanding odyssey offers almost every kind of 4X4 challenge possible. And combines them with some of Africa’s most incredible wildlife sightings, and most luxurious camps in between.

 

Day One – Saturday 5 October

Pafuri Camp

Arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Transfer by light charter plane to a private landing strip in northern Kruger National Park. Meet the expedition team and get introduced to your vehicle. Drive to nearby Pafuri Camp on the banks of the Luvuvhu River, and settle in to your luxury tented suite. In the afternoon, hop in your Grenadier to explore the concession, and head down to Crook’s Corner, where you might see crocs, hippos and even elephants.

Highlights

• Luxurious Pafuri Camp
• First Grenadier outing
• Crook’s Corner

 

Day Two – Sunday 6 October

Pafuri Camp to Tuli Safari Lodge

Ascend the Soutpansberg Mountains for a bush breakfast at Lanner Gorge. Then, leave the National Park, and drive 100km of proper roads until our first fuel stop. Back on corrugated dirt roads through farming country. Before harsher and more dramatic scenery as we reach the Limpopo River and the Pont Drift Border Post. Passports will be required to leave South Africa, in order to enter Botswana. Once through, we enter the Mashatu Nature Reserve, and see wildlife as we head for Tuli Safari Lodge.

Highlights

• Bush breakfast at Lanner Gorge
• River crossing
• Mashatu Game Reserve

 

Day Three - Monday 7 October

Tuli Safari Lodge to Ngangane Lodge

An early start to catch the animals as we leave the Mashatu Reserve. Then it’s intermittent tar until proper African roads after the dusty Africa settlement of Bobonong. Then on to the Dikgatlhong Dam on the border with Zimbabwe. Before following the controversial veterinary fence, hugging the western bank of the Shashe River. At the border town of Matsiloje, we head west to the quaint, privately owned and managed Victorian Lodge of Ngangane.

Highlights

• Real African roads
• Botswana’s largest dam
• The veterinary fence

 

Day Four & Five - Tuesday 8 And Wednesday 9 October

Ngangane Lodge to Kubu Island

Leaving the luxury of Ngangane, we head towards Francistown: the last bit of civilization for some time. Here, we’ll restock on fuel and supplies, then head for the vast Makgadikgadi Pans. We’ll drive on a well-used tar surface for at least a 100km, until we branch off into the great ‘unknown’, the size of Switzerland. Hugging the eastern edge of Sowa Pan, we’ll arrive at the mysterious Kubu Island, where we will spend two nights, to explore this fascinating area and wild camp under the stars.

Highlights

• One of the world’s largest salt pans
• Two nights wild camping under the stars
• A whole day to explore

 

Day Six – Thursday 10 October

Kubu Island to Nxai Pan Kwando Lodge

Today’s the day we’ll push our vehicles to the limit, tackling the mud and salt as we cross the Ntwetwe Pan. We will then enter the Makgadikgadi National park and visit some viewing waterholes on our way to Nxai Pan National Park.

Highlights

• The silent, surreal solitude
• Putting the Grenadier through its paces
• Waterhole wildlife

 

Day Seven – Friday 11,12 October

Nxai Pan Kwando Lodge to Machaba Gomoti Okavango

We’ll drive on deeper Kalahari sand on the track back to the main road, then follow the tar road into Botswana’s safari capital of Maun. We’ll grab much-needed fuel and supplies and then head into the water wonderland of the Okavango. There are a number of deep crossings, and the odd rickety bridge, as we reach our final two-night stay at Gomoti Plains Camp.

Highlights

• Botswana’s safari capital
• Into the Okavango
• Two nights

 

Sunday 13 October

Return to Maun for onward flights or extensions

Please do let us know if you’d like recommendations on where to go, or what to do next. We’d be happy to help.

 

What's included

• 8 nights’ accommodation
• Hire of an INEOS Grenadier Station Wagon (one for two people)
• All guides
• All meals and drinks
• All park fees
• All gratuities
• All activities

What's not included

• Flights
• Medications
• Trip insurance
• Personal expenses