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16 Day Okavango Delta & Victoria
Falls & Kruger
Departure: Wednesday
Departs from: Johannesburg, Pretoria Any Backpackers
hostel, hotel, guest house
Ends in: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit Any
Backpackers hostel, guest house, hotel or airport
Bedded accommodation:
The only included bedded accommodation on our tours, is while visiting
Kruger National Park, where clients who booked bedded accommodation will
stay in a private lodge. All tours visiting Botswana & Zimbabwe are
camping tours. Clients have the option of upgrading to bedded
accommodation when they arrive at a campsite. W will pay the camping
rate, and the clients will have to pay the balance between camping and
the accommodation that they want to upgrade to. These accommodation
upgrades (if available) must be arranged with the guides while on tour.
Day 1: Nata (Botswana) The
tour departs early morning from Johannesburg and Pretoria from where we pick
clients up from any backpackers hostel, guest house or hotel. Your guide will
stop en-route for breakfast (own cost), banks and last minute shopping while
still on the South African side of the border. The guide will assist you with
changing money after you have crossed the border into Botswana. From where we
head further north to Nata, where we camp the night. Accommodation: Camping
with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Dinner
Day 2: Maun (Botswana) The
day starts with an early morning breakfast, before heading west along the
northern border of the Kalahari Desert to Maun, a small town on the edge of the
Okavango Delta. This is a fairly short drive, which means that we arrive early
enough to do all the shopping for things needed in the Okavango Delta. We stay
the night at Sitatunga campsite, which is a few kilometers outside Maun. This
afternoon you can relax by the pool & pool bar or visit the crocodile farm where
you will see hundreds of Nile crocodiles, ranging from small to 16 foot monster
crocodiles. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded
accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 3, 4, 5: Okavango Delta
(Botswana) The Okavango Delta must be one of the greatest experiences on
offer in southern Africa. The Okavango Delta is a series of flood plains,
waterways & rivers, that gets water 6 months after the rain season.
The Okavango Delta is not only
extremely beautiful and peaceful, but also home to a large variety of animal and
bird species. The best time to visit the Okavango Delta for game viewing is in
the winter months, when the water levels are at its highest. The summer months
attract a large variety of bird species and is a wonderful experience with less
mammals, as they migrate north to larger quantities of water. We start the day
with a breakfast, before heading into the Okavango Delta with 4x4 open-sided
game viewing vehicles which will take us all the way into the park to the edge
of the water channels. Here we meet the local guides (polers), and we transfer
all the equipment and our personal belongings into mokoros (traditional dug out
canoes), which we use to glide down the water channels deeper into the Delta.
Camping in the Okavango Delta is an amazing experience in its own. There are no
campsites in the concession that we visit, which means that we do free or bush
camping. There will be no fences, no running water, no showers, no buildings and
no electricity. We camp in the wild with only what we take with us. We enjoy a
light lunch after setting up camp. It is normally very warm by this time of the
day (especially in the summer), which means that we will have to cool off. The
Okavango Delta offers fantastic natural swim pools in the smaller rivers, with
white sand and crystal clear water. Every day we will do early morning and late
afternoon game walks, searching for as many different animal species as
possible. The guides will explain more about all the animals, their tracks, the
vegetation and the Delta during these walks. You may have the opportunity to get
close (safety first) to the wildlife of the Delta. After dinners you can relax
around a campfire, while listening to the nocturnal animals calling out in the
night. We often hear elephants rumbling, lions roaring and jackals and hyenas
crying out in the night. You start your last morning in the Okavango delta with
a cup of coffee before doing your final game walk. After the walk you will enjoy
a quick breakfast, break down camp, and then return with the mokoros to the
place where the 4x4 vehicles will meet you. Your guide will prepare a light
lunch on return to camp in Maun. This afternoon you have the opportunity to do
an optional one hour game flight over the Okavango Delta. This is another
fantastic experience. It is amazing how much distance the small planes cover in
an hour, and how much wildlife you see from the skies during the flight.
Remember to take your camera, as you can take good photos during a flight.
Accommodation - Days 3 & 4: Free bush camping Accommodation - Day 5: Camping
with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast,
Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Nata (Botswana)
After breakfast we head to Nata or Elephant Sands (depending on availability and
the guide). The afternoon is spent at own leisure. Accommodation: Camping
with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast,
Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Chobe National Park
(Botswana) An early morning start gets us off heading further north through
the Kasane forest where we always see herds of elephants and often see a variety
of antelopes and sometimes lion, hyena and wild dog. We arrive mid-day in Kasane
where we will be staying at a campsite on the shores of the Chobe River, that is
close to the gate of Chobe National Park. You will have the opportunity to
change money or / and relax at the swimming pool. This afternoon we do a game
drive in an open vehicle inside Chobe national park, which is well known for its
large variety and numbers of wildlife. These game drives are always very
successful with spotting large numbers of wildlife. Dinner will be served on
return to camp. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded
accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8: Victoria Falls
(Zimbabwe) We depart early morning (at sunrise) on another game drive into
Chobe national park, searching for the animals that we have not seen on the
previous game drive. Livingstone Trails is the only budget overland tour
operator to include two game drives into Chobe national park on a scheduled tour
departure. After breakfast we take a short drive to the border where we cross
into Zimbabwe. From here we drive another hour to Victoria Falls where we will
be staying the next three nights. The camp is situated in the middle of town,
within 10 minutes walking distance of just about everything. Your guide will
assist you with the bookings of optional activities and changing money. During
one of these three days we visit the magnificent Victoria Falls waterfall
(included in the tour price), which is one of the seven natural wonders of the
world and 1700 meters (1,1 mile) wide, making it the largest sheet of falling
water in the world.
Later this afternoon we depart for
a sunset cruise on Zambezi river. The river forms the border between Zimbabwe
and Zambia, with national parks on either side of the river. This creates a
great opportunity to see animals coming down to the river for a drink, as well
as a reasonable variety of bird life. We often see elephants, zebra, blue
wildebeest, rhino, buffalo and a variety of antelope species. Obviously hippo
and crocodile are plenty-full in this region. All soft drinks, wine and beer is
included while on the boat. Most days you will have fantastic photo
opportunities of the sunset, depending on the weather. Accommodation: Camping
with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast,
Dinner
Days 9 & 10: Victoria Falls
(Zimbabwe) Victoria Falls and the surrounding areas offer a great variety of
things to see and do. You will have plenty of free time to explore the town,
meet the locals, visit the African markets with its wide variety of very
affordable arts and crafts made from wood, stone and beads, or to relax by the
pool in the heat of the day. The Victoria Falls region is nicknamed the
adventure capital of Africa for a reason. It is well known for the large variety
of fantastic activities (optional excursions) such as the best one day white
water rafting in the word, the 111 meters bungi jump off the bridge between
Zimbabwe and Zambia, elephant back and horse safaris, flights over the
waterfall, canoe safaris, day trips to national parks, fishing safaris, game
walks and much more. Day 10 is dinner out at a local restaurant (own cost).
Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded accommodation.
Included meals - Day 9: Breakfast, Dinner Included meals - Day 10: Breakfast
Day 11: Palapye (Botswana)
We leave Victoria Falls after a light breakfast, crossing back into Botswana and
driving south to Palapye, where we stay the night. You will stop for lunch (own
cost) on the way. Accommodation: Camping with the option to upgrade to bedded
accommodation. Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12: Hartbeespoort (South
Africa) We depart early morning driving further south crossing the border
into South Africa where we stay the night at a backpackers lodge in the valley
below the Magaliesberg mountains, just outside Hartbeespoort town. Your guide
will stop en-route for breakfast and lunch (own cost). Included meals: No
meals included
Day 13: Panoramic route - Blyde
river canyon (South Africa) The tour departs early morning from
Hartbeespoort. We will stop en-route for breakfast (own cost), after which we
continue to Nelspruit (if there are clients to pick up) or alternatively through
Dullstroom and Lydenburg to Graskop where we stop for lunch (own cost). After
lunch we drive through the panoramic route in the northern Drakensberg
mountains, where we stop at God's Window, Bourke Luck Potholes and the third
largest canyon in the world - the Blyde River Canyon, where we stop at the Three
Rondawels view point. Accommodation (Camping): Camping at a private lodge
Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge Included meals: Dinner
Day 14: Kruger National Park
(South Africa) A very short drive takes us to Orpen gate which is the most
central gate to Kruger national park, where we arrive as the gates open. Kruger
is home to 147 mammal (including the Big 5), 114 reptile and 502 bird species.
You will be transferred to open sided 4 x 4 game viewing vehicles (on arrival at
the park) in which we will do game drives. Kruger national park is the same size
as Israel, Wales or Netherlands and contains different vegetation types, that
attracts different animals to different areas of the park. Therefore we spend as
much time on game drives as possible, so that we give ourselves a better chance
of seeing different animal and bird species. We concentrate the game drives
around the central region of the park, where we have a better chance of seeing
the big cats and a large variety of animals. Breakfast and lunch will be
prepared by your guide and enjoyed at one of the many picnic sites inside Kruger
national park. The guides will also stop at various view points and hides inside
the park. At sunset you will start with a 3 hour night drive, done in a Kruger
national park open sided game viewing vehicle with a Kruger guide.
Accommodation (Camping): Camping inside Kruger national park Accommodation
(Bedded): Private lodge Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 15: Kruger National Park
(South Africa) We start the day with a cup of coffee or tea, before heading
out on a game drive in an open game viewing vehicle shortly after the gates
open. You will be on a game drive for the majority of the day, searching for as
many animal species as possible. Breakfast and lunch will be enjoyed at picnic
sites inside Kruger national park. Accommodation (Camping): Camping inside
Kruger national park Accommodation (Bedded): Private lodge Included meals:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 16: Return to Nelspruit,
Johannesburg & Pretoria (South Africa) This is our final morning in Kruger
national park. This morning you have the opportunity of doing an optional game
walk inside Kruger national park with two Kruger park armed guides. Game walks
is not about seeing the animals, as you are guaranteed to see much more animals
and much closer on a game drive than on a game walk. Game walks are about the
smaller things normally not seen from the vehicles. The clients who are not
doing a game walk, will head out on a final short game drive (done in a closed
vehicle), searching for the animals not yet seen or photographed. We then head
for a private lodge just outside Kruger national park, where we will enjoy a
home cooked breakfast. From here we drive to Johannesburg, Pretoria and
Nelspruit where the guide / driver will drop you at any backpackers hostel,
hotel, guest house or the airport in Johannesburg. Included meals: Breakfast
Included:
All transport
All accommodation
Qualified and registered guide
All camping and other equipment
Meals as specified below
Entrance & conservation fees to Okavango Delta
Open vehicle transfers into & out of Okavango Delta
Dug out canoes (mokoros) in the Okavango Delta
Local guides in the Okavango Delta
Game walks inside the Okavango Delta
Entrance & conservation fees to Chobe national park
2 x Chobe national park game drives (open vehicles)
Entrance fees to Victoria Falls waterfall
Sunset cruise on Zambezi river (drinks & snacks incl)
Blyde River Canyon (Three Rondawels view point)
Bourke Luck Potholes
God's Window
Entrance & conservation fees to Kruger national park
Game drives in Kruger national park (open vehicles)
Night drive inside Kruger National Park
Excluded:
All drinks (except coffee & tea with meals)
Meals not specified below
Optional 1 hour game flight over the Okavango Delta
Optional activities in Victoria Falls (Book on tour)
Optional game walk inside Kruger national park
Visas if required
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Accommodation
in Nata, Maun and Palapye
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The Chobe national park & Victoria Falls
leg of the tour
The
included accommodation on this tour is
camping.
However, every camp that we stay at on this
tour offers a variety of chalets, private
rooms etc. Therefore clients do have to
option to upgrade from camping accommodation
to bedded accommodation. Livingstone Trails
will pay the camping rate and clients who
upgrade their accommodation must pay the
balance. You can not book an upgrade in
advance. Upgrades must be done on tour when
you arrive at a camp and seen the bedded
accommodation. Depends on availability. We
provide all camping equipment, except
sleeping bags. |
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While inside the Okavango Delta
This means that you will not be staying in a lodge or camp
site - we will be doing free camping. What is free camping?
Well, any one of our guides will tell you that it is the
best way of camping. We find an ideal patch of trees along
the waterways that is suitable for us to camp. This means
that there are no fences, electricity, buildings or
bathrooms. The only mad made objects that we will have with
us, is what we take into the Okavango Delta.
The local guides will dig
a hole and build a toilet.
Unfortunately we do not have a shower for these days, but we
do have many natural swim holes in the rivers. These swim
holes has crystal clear water and are extremely welcome when
the temperatures reaches afternoon maximums.
Please note: No upgrades
available while we are inside the Okavango Delta. |
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Staying at a backpackers lodge at Hartbeespoort:
Moonlight Backpackers
Lodge is not in a town or city. It is a 8 hectares (18
football fields) property in a farming area, situated in the
valley below the Magaliesberg mountains.
Accommodation for single
people will be in small dormitories, single room, or twin
room (2 single beds) that share a bathroom, depending on
availability. Couples will be in a twin room or double room
with or without bathroom, depending on availability.
Dinner is excluded on
this day. The guide / driver will stop at a supermarket
where you can get fresh food or take-aways. The backpackers
lodge offers all the facilities to do cooking. The other
option (depending on you) that we will drop you off at one
of the many restaurants in the area, and pick you up when
you have finished your meal. |
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Clients have a choice of accommodation on the Kruger
national park leg of the tour, between camping and bedded
accommodation. |
Kruger national park (Camping):
The first night we camp at the same private lodge where the
"bedded accommodation' clients are staying, where we have
permanent erected tents. The tents are 3.0 x 3.0 (meters)
in size with built in mosquito netting over the door and
windows. Each tent has 2 proper single bed mattresses. A
three course dinner will be served by the lodge. You will
still require a sleeping bag.
The next morning we
depart for Kruger national park, where we have a permanent
camp inside Kruger national park. These tents are also
permanently erected on platforms with two proper single bed
mattresses. We further have a kitchen tent with gas stoves
and a fridge to keep food fresh and drinks cold. The camp
has separate male and female bathrooms with permanent hot
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Kruger national park (Bedded):
Bedded accommodation clients will stay at the private lodge
every night while on the Kruger park leg of the package. You
will leave the lodge early mornings to arrive at the gates
of Kruger national park as they open. You will be inside the
park the full day and return to the lodge in the evenings.
Three course dinners will be served by the lodge. |
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Camping (first night) and bedded accommodation (every
night):
There are a number of
local villages in the rural community close to the lodge.
The children from these villages started their own dance and
song routine and asked the lodge if they can dance for the
guests staying at the lodge. The lodge assisted the kids by
making traditional dancing outfits for them and allowing
them to dance and sing for the guests staying at the lodge.
The children work for themselves and do not work for the
lodge. Therefore they do not get payment from the lodge, but
earn an income from tips that they get from the guests.
Please note that sometimes (not often) the kids do not come
to do the dancing.
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Vehicles used on this tours |
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In-between
destinations
Toyota Quantums
12 clients plus 1 guide / driver |
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Game drives
inside Kruger national park, transfers in and out of
Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park.
Open sided game
viewing vehicles
10 clients plus 1 guide / driver |
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Night drive
inside Kruger national park
Nissan Cabstar
25 clients plus 1 guide / driver
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Transport
inside the Okavango Delta
Mokoro 2 clients plus
1 poler |
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Important tour / safari information
Participation tours: All tours
are participation tours. This means that the clients are responsible for
pitching their own tents (except inside Kruger Park), and washing up
after every meal, which is social event where people chat and get to
know each other. Some guides may ask the clients to assist with the
chopping and cleaning of vegetables, while the guide prepares the meals.
Group sizes: We operate a
variety of different vehicles. Our largest vehicles seats a maximum of
14 clients. Therefore , except for our open vehicles inside Kruger
National Park which are not allowed to seat more than 10 clients. It
occasionally happen that we will have two vehicles on the same tour.
What to take on tour: Clothing
and personal effects Comfortable shoes for walking Warm clothing for the
evenings Basic first aid kit Insect repellent Anti-Malaria medicine
Sunblock and cap or hat Comfortable shoes for walking Slip slops or
trainers Camera with extra film & batteries Torch with extra batteries
Tent, sleeping bag and roll matt:
We provides all the camping equipment including a roll matt with
cover that is washed after every tour, and a 2.2 x 2.2 (meters) or 2.4 x
2.4 (meters) tent with built in mosquito netting over the door and
windows, as well as a built in floor. You must have a sleeping bag on
all of the camping tours, which you can rent from us at R50 per person
per tour, if you do not have one of your own. Inside Kruger National
Park we have a permanent camp. We do not use roll matts on these tours,
but have single bed mattresses with fitted sheets that are washed after
tour.
Malaria areas: Many of the
areas and destinations in southern and east Africa are malaria areas. It
is the responsibility of the client to ensure that you have insect
repellent and a course of anti-malaria tablets. Consult your local
doctor or pharmacist.
Water: All drinks (except
coffee & tea with meals) are excluded from the tour price. All tap water
in areas where we do tours to, are 100% safe to drink, and tastes very
good. Bottled water is freely available (every day), for those who
prefer bottled water.
Laws and clients: We expect our
clients to uphold the laws of each country that we visit while on tour.
We do not accept any responsibility for any client on our tours, who
breaks the laws of any country visited during a tour.
Be considered: Sometimes our
guides are asked to stop at local villages along the road, so that
clients can take photos. Nothing wrong with that, but then we often see
the people just walking into a village taking photos, instead of doing
it from the road. Keep in mind that a village will normally be a family
living together. How would you feel if a stranger just walks into your
yard or home and start taking photos?
Our clients: All our
clients are international travellers from different countries. The ages
of our clients range from 18 to 60, with the majority being between 20
and 40. All that we require from our clients is that they must enjoy
travelling and be fun-loving people. You do not need to be super fit to
participate in any of our included activities or adventures.
Our crew (guides & drivers):
All our guides and drivers are registered with the authorities as per
government regulations.
Our vehicles: All game
drives inside Kruger National Park will be done in open sided game
viewing vehicles.
Kruger optional game walks: The
maximum group size on a game walk is 8, and our groups are most of the
time more people than eight. Kruger national park often do not have
enough guides to do all the game walks. The game walks are cancelled
if it is raining.
The game walks inside Kruger
national park is three hours in duration. These bush walks are operated
by Kruger national park with two armed Kruger park guides conducting the
walks. The walks are 3 hours in duration, and starts at sunrise.
Our tours: We offer a variety
of tours and safaris to a variety of destinations, from 3 days to 16
days. You have the option of camping or lodge (bedded) accommodation,
while on any of our tours / safaris.
Important:
Before you travel please check your Tour Voucher and Arrival
Information for the latest joining instructions. This will be sent
to you upon receipt of final payment.
All itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.
Prices
for - Botswana Safaris
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