Spectacular Botswana and South Africa in 11 Days

Poised in the South African province of Mpumalanga and sharing a border with the Kruger National Park, the first destination of your lavish safari getaway, MalaMala Game Reserve, shares access to some of the country’s most remarkable wilderness surrounds. You will touch down and transfer to the reserve, spotting curious creatures peering out from the bush as you make your way to a gorgeous campsite hidden beneath the towering branches of acacia trees often snacked on by hungry giraffes. There will not be a house or human-made construct in sight, just you and the untamed wilderness.

As one of the largest Big Five game reserves in South Africa, safaris across MalaMala provide plenty of opportunities to spot these mighty mammals. You will climb into a 4x4 vehicle before sunrise and be guided through the green in search of lions and leopards hunting under the veil of the dark sky. Hopefully spotting them in action, you will continue to watering holes where herds of gazelle, buffalo, zebra, and rhinos safely sip and swim in numbers to prevent prowling big cats. You may spot a herd of elephants stumbling through the bushveld in search of water too.

While day safaris provide opportunities to witness animals bathing in the sunshine and soaking up the pleasures of the cool watering holes, night safaris are an opportunity to discover what lurks across the plains and in the forest canopy while we sleep. Night safaris showcase nature at its purest, sharing encounters with nocturnal hunters and fascinating creatures who come to life while the others sleep. This evening, you will be chaperoned through MalaMala by a knowledgeable ranger with a powerful floodlight helping illuminate the animals wandering the reserve by night.

MalaMala Game Reserve is as much a bird sanctuary as it is a four-legged animal haven, making your final day in the park the perfect moment to experience the birdlife like never before. You will join your experienced tracker and spotter this morning and set off on a birding tour through the emerald forests and across the light-flooded plains. From soaring falcons scanning the horizon for their next meal to dazzling kingfishers perching atop tall trees for panoramic views of their surroundings, you will spot all sorts of winged beings during your meander through MalaMala.

In the southeastern corner of Botswana lies a spellbinding game reserve dubbed the Land of Giants for its momentous elephant herds, the largest on private land in the African continent. You will be introduced to the grandeur of Botswana from the moment you drive through the reserve’s gates and catch glimpses of warthogs scuttling across the road, jackals racing through the plains, and lions lounging under shady trees across the savannas. These are the kinds of scenes you will experience just beyond your glamorous campsite getaway stationed within the middle of the wilderness.

Mashatu’s untouched slice of heaven on earth will be yours to explore today, with day and afternoon safaris revealing the many wonders of Botswana’s wilderness with the help of your knowledgeable ranger. With an uncanny ability to spot creatures hiding between the shrubbery and beyond the grassy meadows, your ranger will whisk you to viewing points offering unparalleled panoramas of animals going about their day. Whether it be cheetah pacing beyond the small shrubs speckling the savanna or rhino gently grazing the lush grasslands carpeting Mashatu, you will come closer to the wildlife than ever before.

Your world-class rangers will be proud to present Mashatu’s iconic photography experience to you during your final day in the reserve. Accompanied by a professional photographer, equipped with the latest in photography technology, you will venture across the parks to underground hides pinned on the banks of watering holes. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, such as tall-necked giraffes, spotted cheetahs, and vibrant birds, will descend onto the watering holes for a refreshing break under the blazing African sun. On this journey, you will capture images worth a thousand words and make lifelong memories.

Today, your adventures will continue in Botswana’s northwestern extreme as you transfer from Mashatu Game Reserve to the remarkably diverse Okavango Delta region. Listed as a World Heritage Site and representing the largest inland delta in the world, Okavango is a bewitching destination boasting marshy swamps, flowing floodplains, and reeded islands. Today, you will check into your charming campsite and spend the afternoon exploring the untouched wilderness flanking your pristine grounds. The Okavango will welcome you to paradise from the moment you arrive.

Game drives in the Okavango share incredible wildlife sightings, such as deserts teeming with slithering reptiles and shaggy wild dogs and fertile floodplains swarming with herds of buck and gazelle. There are numerous ecosystems operating in unison with one another across the vast stretches of the delta, and you will be thrilled to explore them all alongside an insightful ranger. In the afternoon, you will glide across the sprawling waterways winding through the delta within a traditional Mokoro, dugout canoe. This unique experience will bring you closer to the wildlife and birdlife inhabiting the delta’s many rivers and tributaries.

In the morning and afternoon of your final full day in Botswana, you will be whisked away across the delta in search of animals ruffling behind the shrubs peppering the plains and birds nestling in trees dotting the islands’ banks. From leopards lounging on branches to buffalo herds trudging along the landscape, the animal sightings are boundless during these safaris through the delta. In the evening, you will enjoy the pleasures of stargazing without the distraction of city lights as you lounge on blankets around the campfire under the cosmos.

As the sun rises on the last morning of your African safari, its golden light will glimmer off the Okavango rivers’ sapphire streams and dance off the stretching savanna plains. Scenes of elephant herds trekking across the landscape and pictures of zebras grazing peacefully on the pastures will make for marvelous final memories of your adventures in South Africa and Botswana. You will meet your private transfer after breakfast and leave for the airport, appreciating the unspoiled wilderness as you pass by and exit the Okavango Delta.