Safari Botswana Holiday Travel Plan

The Serondela area (or Chobe riverfront) in the north east has lush plains and dense forests which attract huge numbers of elephants and buffalo.

The Savute Marsh is in the west of the park, and has rich grasslands, savannah woodland and a large variety of trees and vegetation.

Chobe is probably most well known for its impressive herds of African Elephants. The Chobe River supports the largest concentration of elephant found anywhere in Africa. There are currently estimated to be 120 000 elephants, and it is not uncommon to encounter herds in excess of a hundred. Along with the elephants, prides of lion, leopard, huge groups of buffalo, waterbuck, roan, eland, sable, giraffe, and, if you are lucky, one of the rare puku, can also be seen.

The Okavango Delta provides a true big five safari experience, with vast herds of elephant, buffalo and hippo making this fertile region their home, as well as numerous antelope, giraffe and zebra, followed by lion, leopard, cheetah and the stealthy crocodile.

The delta environment has large numbers of animal populations that are otherwise rare, such as red lechwe, sitatunga, wild dogs and wattled crane.

This area is a popular destination for bird watchers with over 450 species recorded, including many Okavango specials and lots of migrants during the summer months.

The Makgadikgadi park contains four main vegetation types; riverine woodland, scrubland, pure grassland and salt pans. The Pans are the world's largest salt pans and are the remnants of a 30 metre deep super lake covering over 80,000 squared km, which was formed more than five million years ago. As recently as 10,000 years ago, climatic shifts started to dry up the lake and evaporation turned the lake into large salt pans.

Today Makgadikgadi provides one of the most dramatic African safari travel experiences. From April to November game such as springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest and zebra move slowly from the pans area in the south east of the park, to the Boteti River on the western side. During this migration animals accumulate in their thousands. The heavily wooded areas beside the river also contain shy antelopes like duiker and bushbuck. If the rains flood the rivers and salt pans, tiny crustaceans and algae provide food for the largest breeding flocks of greater and lesser flamingos in Africa.

As animals and birds are most prevalent during the rainy season in areas often inaccessible by vehicle, the prime objective in visiting this reserve is not to view game, but to experience true remoteness and absolute isolation.

The Savute Channel has a fascinating history of flooding and drying up totally making the channel's flow unpredictable. When David Livingstone visited in 1851 it was flowing, but by 1879 the channel had stopped and the Savute Marsh had started to dry out. It began again in the late 1950s, continuing until 1980 when it again dried up. In 2008, the Savute Channel once more became a deep, clear waterway harbouring hippo and aquatic life with myriad varieties of water birds.

Much game passes through Savute on annual migrations between Botswana's dry interior and the rivers of the north and west. Zebra visit in large herds, accompanied by impala, wildebeest giraffe, tsessebe, buffalo and elephant, and of course large concentrations of lion. Good sightings of cheetah and leopard are possible and the endangered wild dog is also here.

Savute is famous for its large concentrations of elephants that congregate around the waterholes. This makes game-viewing exceptional and hides at waterholes is a special feature of this area. Birdlife is also amazing with large secretary birds and kori bustards often seen around the Savute Marsh.

The river's annual flood season is February to May with a peak in April. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 metres, and is visible from up to 50 km away. During the flood season, however, it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist. The minimum flow, which occurs in November, is around a tenth of the April figure.

There are a wide range of activities that can be undertaken at Victoria Falls such as bungee jumping, white water rafting, horse back safaris, elephant back safaris, helicopter flights over Victoria Falls, Sunrise & Sunset boat trips on the Zambezi river, Boat trip to the Zambian side of Victoria Fall, Fishing and even guided canoeing on the Zambezi.