Expansive Luxury African Safari for Seniors: Botswana, Kenya, and More

After landing in Maun this morning, you will board a light aircraft for a flight into the Okavango. This is Africa’s ultimate oasis; it is a lush expanse in the heart of the barren Kalahari Desert. Rainwater arrives from the Angolan Highlands, creating a haven for resident and migratory wildlife species. You will be staying at a luxurious camp on the water, where you will be surrounded by the sights and sounds of a land where people can only ever be visitors.

Traditional mokoro canoes are a perfect vessel for an intimate safari experience for seniors. Slow and silent, they navigate waterways where animals lurk and hide. Elephants trumpet at the riverside, zebras splash in the shallows, and occasionally, you can spot a big cat. A mokoro can provide you with a brilliant safari introduction as you can travel serenely and have a chance to explore the details. By staying silent, you can get remarkably close to Africa’s wildlife.

This morning, you will follow the waterways in a motorboat to reach Chief’s Island, which is an isolated paradise that is home to an intense concentration of big cats and mammals. Paradise brings challenges, and there is never a dull moment here. After two days of slow safari, today’s boat ride and game drives will be action-packed journeys full of surprises. Very few animals are seen in isolation, and it is the interaction between species that makes Moremi and Chief’s Island such an extravagant place to explore.

Botswana is vast, and much of its wilderness is inaccessible by road. By soaring over the Kalahari in a light aircraft, you can appreciate how this country is dominated by wild landscapes and moving herds. Soon, you will land in Linyanti, which is a massive private concession. Here, the experience is initially dominated by elephants. Tens of thousands of them live here, and their antics fill the land with drama and charm. You can watch them roar past your balcony and hear them through the night.

Linyanti is neatly situated between Chobe and Okavango. Unlike national parks, this private concession restricts visitor access. Therefore, there are only a few visitors in an enormous animal-filled landscape at any given time. You will have a private safari guide, and your three days will be completely customizable. Game drives typically search for Linyanti’s famous collection of big cats and wild dogs, and short walks offer a unique perspective of the ungulates. You can also get incredibly close to antelope, zebra, and others. Then nighttime game drives will immerse you in a different world of drama and endless incredulity.

Diverse and private activities are one highlight of Linyanti. The main reason to visit Linyanti is the animal population. Such an inaccessible wilderness is a haven for wildlife of all varieties, including two of Africa’s most elusive species. Today’s safari can track leopards and wild dogs. Leopards like to lounge in trees, and wild dogs usually move through the brush in small packs. Linyanti is an excellent place to see the predators hunting, and on today’s game drives, you may experience this thrill.

From Linyanti, you will travel overland through Chobe National Park and its endless elephant herds. Today will provide you with a beautiful half-day journey to Zambia and Victoria Falls, where you will stay at an island lodge on the Zambezi River. This afternoon, you will come face to face with a mile-wide sheet of falling water. Its visual wonder is typically accompanied by a resonant growl. In some places, the mist consumes the view, and it is spectacular. Your visit here will prove to be an intimate insight into the workings of the world’s greatest waterfall.

Most days when you are on safari, you will start early to make the best use of the dawn hours, which is when animals are most active. You can sleep in this morning.  Zambia’s only rhinos reside in a national park nearby, and you can meet them on foot, but only when they slumber during the middle of the day. Stepping alongside them is a fabulous insight into their size and beauty. This will be a personal experience with an animal that is slowly disappearing from the world.

Livingstone is also a useful stop because it offers a direct flight connection between Southern and East Africa. It is a late-afternoon flight, so you will have the whole day to relax in lush surroundings. There is an option to return to Victoria Falls, and it is possible to walk across the bridge into Zimbabwe, where more of the falls are situated. Later, you will fly to Nairobi and spend the night at a charming lodge next to the airport.

When you land on the grasslands, you will not be able to escape the herds. Wildebeest gather in the thousands, chomping and marching on the plains. Zebra are equally numerous, and Thomson’s gazelles may appear to skip around everywhere. Even outside the great wildebeest migration months of July to September, the Masai Mara herds are phenomenal. On today’s private game drive, you will be surrounded by these ungulates. Where there is prey, there are predators, so you can expect a continual roll of lion and leopard sightings throughout the day.

Masai Mara National Reserve is surprisingly small, and it is usually crowded with other vehicles. Mara North is a private conservancy, meaning that you can enjoy a more exclusive safari experience with the same Masai Mara animals. Leopards and cheetahs move here to raise their cubs because it is away from the noise of vehicles. With Masai guides, you will spend the day searching for these charming youngsters on game drives that will continue your immersion in this exuberant land. You can expect close-ups that appear like something from National Geographic.

After two days among the herds, this morning’s hot air balloon safari will provide you with an entirely unique perspective. Soaring over the plains in a hot air balloon, you can admire how the herds move, especially the wildebeests’ grazing patterns. Elephants and giraffes can be spotted easily, and eventually, you will touch down to a Champagne brunch on the grasslands. This afternoon, you can customize a safari to your interests. You can visit the Mara River, walk with Masai warriors, or indulge in another nighttime game drive in one of Africa’s ultimate safari destinations.

Even this morning, the wildlife encounters will continue. From the camp, you can watch herds roam. After a relaxed morning, you will fly back to Nairobi and transfer to the international airport for your flight home.