7 Day Miracle Rivers Safari

Day 1: Maun to Xakanaxa, 30minute charter flight
Arrival is based on the scheduled Air Botswana flight into Mau, where you arrive just before 12.00. Here you will be met by a representative of Mack Air and be flown by charter plane to the Xakanaxa airstrip in Moremi Game Reserve where you will be met by your guide.

You spend your first three nights camping in the Xakanaxa area, where you get to explore the surrounding wilderness on game drives during the day. There is a good variety of wildlife here, from the elephants living on the mopane scrub, to buffalo and antelope on the open plains, and hippo in the waterways.

Days 2&3: Xakanaxa, Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi lies on the eastern extremity of the Okavango Delta. Habitats here range from wide-open floodplains, marshes, lagoons, papyrus fringed channels, vast reed-beds of Miscanthus and Phragmites, woodland and savannah. As a result of the extremely variable habitat the diversity of both wildlife and birdlife is excellent.

Moremi is amongst the best game reserves in Africa for viewing the endangered African wild dog. Xakanaxa is home to a resident herd of several hundred buffalo whose range covers the territories of at least 4 prides of lion which may often be seen flanking the ever moving herd. Breeding herds of elephant move between their browsing areas in the mopane forests and the fresh water of the Okavango. Red lechwe are one of the more unusual antelope species and commonly found here, while the rare sitatunga antelope may be spotted from motor boat along the water-ways.

Day 4: Xakanaxa to Khwai, 60km. 3-4 hours
Following and early morning breakfast you take a slow drive through Moremi Game Reserve North-East towards the Khwai Community Area. The route follows the Khwai channel, with tracks going off onto the floodplain. Pass the magnificent Dombo Hippo Pools in the morning stopping to enjoy the scenery and the antics of the resident hippo.

The river has an unusually high density of hippo as well as some huge crocodile. Leopard, cheetah, serval and lion are common predators along this route and both Xakanaxa as well as Khwai are included in the home ranges of 2 different packs of wild dog. General game includes southern giraffe, plains zebra, tsessebe and red lechwe with roan and sable antelope being less common residents.

Day 5&6: Khwai Exploration Day
The Khwai River forms a boundary between the reserve and the community area. Spend the following two nights camping at an exclusive campsite in the community area, exploring the Khwai floodplains on game drives both during the day and at night. Exploring after dark with spotlights offers you an opportunity to experience some of the nocturnal animals that are rarely encountered during the day. There is also the opportunity to explore the surrounding wilderness on foot and enjoy an up close and personal encounter with Botswana’s flora and fauna. It is important to note that night drives and guided walks are not permitted within the national parks and reserves. These activities are conducted outside the boundaries of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Khwai community area.

The Khwai region boasts excellent populations of both bull elephant as well as breeding herds. Lion, leopard, serval and African wildcat are common predators of the region with wild dog and cheetah being less common. Buffalo use this area seasonally with large herds moving in during the summer rains. The swampy areas in the west are home to red lechwe. Other ungulates include tsessebe, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu, sable antelope, roan antelope and impala.

Day 7: Khwai to Maun, 30 minute Charter Flight
After breakfast enjoy game drive to the airstrip where you will be met by your charter flight back to Maun. This marks the end of your Safari.

Travel Days
On your travel days there is an early start, pack your bags and leave camp to have breakfast somewhere scenic. Following breakfast game drive towards your next camp stopping for tea/coffee and cookies and later for a relaxing lunch under a shady grove of trees. Invariably lunch finds you within a short distance of your camp and you arrive in camp to find the crew has once again erected the camp at our new destination. There is time for a shower before afternoon tea and then it is time to begin your exploration of the area.

Please note that this is a rough outline of a travel day and events change from safari to safari depending on the distribution of game, distance between camps, conditions of the roads and the decision of your guide etc.

Travel times are a rough indication of the driving time from one camp to another and do not include time taken for breaks and wildlife viewing.

Exploration Days

The best game viewing is the early morning and so each day begins at the first hint of dawn with a coffee and light breakfast around the fire. From here you go straight into game drive, walking safari or boat trip. After several hours of wildlife viewing we stop for a comfort break and have tea, coffee and cookies. Between 10 and 11 am return to camp where there is time to freshen up with warm water in your standing basins before enjoying a sumptuous brunch consisting of fresh-baked camp bread, baked dishes and cold salads. After brunch there is time to relax, siesta, read a book, shower etc. before heading out in the late afternoon for your game-drive or boat trip. In areas outside of the National Parks you may also return to camp after dark with the use of a spotlight to look for nocturnal game.

This is a guideline as to what happens on most exploration days. The course of each day’s events will be determined by local conditions, distribution of wildlife and birds, safety and the decision of your guide.

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Code: LS01