This Botswana safari offer takes advantage of the Green Season’s low rates and the clever collaboration of a range of Botswana safari camps and lodge owners. Going on safari in Botswana is becoming more and more expensive and so the 5 Rivers Special has become more popular amongst our travel consultants and returning clients.
The Green Season is from November to March when Botswana gets its summer rains and the bush turns a brilliant green. It is the best time of the year for photographers and birders, although game viewing is not as easy as during the dry season due to the lush long grass and thicker foliage… It also means the animals have easy access to water from puddles as opposed to the dry season when they need to come to river banks and waterholes to drink.
But ask anyone who has been to Botswana at this time of the year – besides their amazing photos – they’ll rave about the value and overall experience. Read on for all the detailed ins and outs about the 5 Rivers Special.
The Camps
Nxai Pan
Location: Nxai Pan is located on the western edge of of the Makgadigadi Salt Pan in Nxai Pan National Park in Botswana
Activities:
- Game drives with your guide and tracker team
- San bushmen nature walks
- Picnic beneath the breathtaking Baines’ Baobabs
- Exceptional star-gazing
Camp highlights:
- 100% solar-powered
- Permanent waterhole
- 9 environmentally-adapted en-suite luxury rooms, including 1 family room, which all face the waterhole.
- Frequent visitors to the waterhole include elephants, cheetah and the migratory herds of zebra during the Green Season
Tau Pan
Location:
Situated in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the camp takes its name from the Setswana word for ‘lion’, paying homage to the area’s pride of iconic black-maned Kalahari lions.
Activities:
- Game drives where you’ll see oryx, the desert-adapted springbok, jackals, the rare brown hyena, red-crested Korhaan and herds of wildebeest – and more
- Day trips to the well-known Deception Valley, Sunday, Piper and Passarge Pans
- Stargazing
- Nature walks with Bushman trackers
Camp highlights:
- 100% solar-powered
- The 9 luxury rooms and 1 family room are raised on decks to make the most of the spectacular views
- The camp’s main area centers around the fireplace, making for incredible viewing of the waterhole visitors, and – with a dedicated telescope, perfect for stargazing
- Pre-book a night out on the romantic sleep-out deck to fall asleep beneath a night sky that is simply magical!
Kwando Splash Camp
Location: Kwara Private Reserve in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Activities:
- Game drives: off-road and night drives
- Boat cruises
- Mokoro trips
- Walking safaris
- Seasonal catch-and-release fishing
- Near the waterhole is the fire pit where a light breakfast is served each day before heading off on activities, and stories are told after supper in the evenings
Camp highlights:
- 12 spacious, luxury rooms (2 family rooms)
- Rooms are situated on a deck overlooking the pan which attracts game year-round
- ‘Splash Enclave’ is a second satellite main area (within the camp layout itself) with plunge pool, dining area, lounge and bar. It can be booked on request for exclusive use by groups of 6-10 looking for a more intimate experience on safari – and perfect for larger family bookings.
Pom Pom Camp
Location: Situated on Pom Pom Island in a private concession in the heart of the Okavango Delta and on the head-waters of the Xudum river system
Activities:
- Game drives: morning and evening
- Mokoro activities and boat cruises (seasonal/water-level dependent)
- Catch-and-release fishing where the guides will take you to their secret spots to try for African pike and a variety of bream species
Camp highlights:
- 9 luxury en-suite Meru style tents. Family tent available.
- Tents are set in the tree line overlooking Pom Pom lagoon providing stunning, private views
- Elephants roam outside the lodgings
Kwando Kwara Camp
Location: Overlooking a secluded lagoon in the northern Okavango Delta
Activities:
- Game drives, both day and night
- Bush walks – accompanied by your guide and tracker
- Mokoro trips
- Fishing: spinning equipment is provided but fly fishermen need to bring their own equipment. (Fishing is only offered in the open season from March to December)
- Boat trips are on a double-decker boat: visit the Godikwe Lagoon in the waters of the Moremi Game Reserve known for the abundant variety of birdlife
Camp highlights:
- 9 luxury canvas tents
- Kwara is known for its consistent sightings of predators, including lion, cheetah, leopard and on rare occasion – white rhino! Elephant herds, giraffe, zebra, sitatunga, lechwe, impala, and hippos are frequently seen too
Kwando Lebala
Location: Lebala, meaning ‘wide open spaces’, is located in the Kwando Reserve’s 232,000 hectares of private unfenced wilderness
Read more about why Lebala remains a firm Botswana favorite in this blog post here.
Activities:
- Game drives with your guide and tracker
- Expert-guided bush walks
Camp highlights:
- 8 custom-designed luxury tents (1 family tent) with unique mosquito net walls allowing for the unobstructed flow of cooling breezes and stunning views
- Each spacious tent has its own viewing deck, bathroom, and luxurious double outside showers
- Outdoor private dinners can be organized by the poolside or fireplace for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and honeymoons
- Wildlife: The floodplains of the Kwando River provides a special ecosystem which is home to a wide variety of Africa’s plains game such as zebra, wildebeest, impala, giraffe, and tsessebe. Other wildlife includes elephant, hippo, buffalo and the ever-present lion, cheetah, and hyena.
Kwando Lagoon Camp
Location: Set on the banks of a river channel of the Kwando River, in the Kwando Private Reserve in Botswana
Activities:
- Game drives (day and night drives)
- Guided bush walks
- Seasonal catch-and-release fishing
- Double-decker boat cruises to experience the wildlife from an entirely different perspective
Camp highlights:
- 8 luxury thatched chalets and 1 family chalet elevated on wooden decks to make the most of the stunning floodplain views
- Wildlife: Home to the Big 5 (who are often seen from the camp’s viewing decks!) and an incredible abundance of birds, abundant big game, large herds of elephant and is especially known for its packs of wild dogs who have denned at the reserve since 1997. Definitely the ultimate place to see wild dogs in Botswana!
- You can expect to share the riverbanks with lumbering elephants who come to quench their thirst and splash in the shallows.
The Elephant Camp
Location: Nestled on a ridge between the Masuwe River and the Zambezi gorges, in a private concession of the Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe
Activities:
- Guided tour of Victoria Falls
- Canopy tour: a network of slides, trails, and rope-bridge walkways within the canopy of the hardwood forest
- White water rafting on the Zambezi
- Wildlife: Elephant, buffalo, leopards, cheetah and more are often seen from the suites themselves!
- Village tour: Immerse yourself in the heritage and lifestyle of the local community
- Birding and nature walks
- Cocktails canapés at the Batoka Gorge
- Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary & Orphanage: “Meet the Elephant” allows eco-conscious travelers to experience an earth kind and positive elephant encounter for unobtrusive interaction with these special creatures
- Walk on the wild side with rescued cheetah, Sylvester
- Sunset cruises on the Zambezi
- Game drives in Chobe National Park
- Helicopter flights over the Falls and surrounding rainforest
- Visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust who The Elephant Camp collaborates with to preserve and protect elephants in the wild
Camp highlights:
- 12 luxury canvas tented suites, each with their own private plunge-pool and viewing deck
- Uninterrupted views of the breath-taking spray that swells above the Victoria Falls rainforest
