A Desert and Delta Honeymoon Safari

A safari specifically designed for honeymooners looking for those extra special and romantic experiences – and excellent value too. A classic northern Botswana safari forms the basis of this itinerary – exploring Botswana’s most famous and game rich areas of Chobe, Moremi, the Okavango and the Makgadikgadi. The experience is enhanced with special touches along the way- helicopter tours, honeymoon suites, private champagne cruises along the Chobe River, romantic private dinners and even an optional traditional Setswana blessing!

This comprehensive itinerary offers superb value, and a great safari experience at any time of year. Every day of this itinerary new and exciting as you explore Botswana’s most famous safari destinations. The spectacular elephant herds of Chobe National Park, the explosive game viewing of the Moremi, the pristine and peaceful Okavango and the wild frontiers of the Makgadikgadi National Park.

This wonderful tour of the richest game areas of northern Botswana is packed with variety – a range of aerial, water and land activities along with a strong of romantic experiences. Game drives, boating, mokoro, walking, bushman walks and even a complimentary helicopter flight all come together to deliver a brilliant Botswana experience. Importantly, the Moremi and Okavango camps are located in prime locations, with permanent water channels which guarantee water activities year round.

Safari means ‘journey’ and this is a true safari. Visiting 5 strikingly different areas and lodges. Travel days do not mean a wasted day, camps are connected by light aircraft flights which are an experience in themselves, offering wonderful views the parks. These are short flights between bush airstrips, between 10-50 minutes at a time and drives to the airstrips are game drives. The safari experience is never broken.

The safaris begins on the Chobe riverfront, home to the largest population of African elephants on the continent. Staggering numbers of elephants decent on the river in the dry season, an especially incredible sight from the river. Chobe Game Lodge has an unrivalled position being the only lodge situated within the national park, it is the perfect spot to ease in to the safari. Game drives and boating safaris are offered here. While here you will stay in the honeymoon suite, which has a large private balcony and plunge pool overlooking the Chobe River. You will also enjoy a private sunrise cruise along the river, a truly magical experience, celebrated with a champagne breakfast.

Continue to the beating heart of the Okavango delta, to the Moremi Game reserve, where you stay in the beautiful Xakanaxa region. Camp Moremi offering a superb all-round game viewing experience. This is big game country, predators, plains game, elephants and buffalo abound. Enjoy 4×4 game drives and boating here. You will enjoy a private dinner in a beautiful secluded spot here.

Then flying into the deeper waters of the Delta, to an idyllic little island surrounded by permanent water, Camp Okavango offers a quintessential water safari. Set on a private concession in the east of the Okavango you enjoy boating, mokoro rides and walking. Here you enjoy a 60 minute scenic helicopter flight, with a champagne stop on a palm island to celebrate this amazing experience.

Finally ending this safari in the drier landscapes which dominate Botswana, at Leroo la Tau Lodge on the banks of the Boteti Rover bordering the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. These harsh landscapes attract different species and offer a more complete safari experience. In the summer months the areas is transformed by the arrival of the second biggest zebra migration in Africa while the dry winter months sees amazing numbers around the river. Game drives, boating, and bushman walks are offered here. Nxai Pan is one of the most striking salt pans, and the extraordinary Baines Baobabs a highlight, this is a full day trip to reach but certainly worth it to experience and photograph these otherworldly landscapes.

The itinerary combines a selection of Desert and Delta lodges, one of the oldest and most respected operators in Botswana, for a unbeatable value safari. Each lodge is unique in style, setting and experience. An exceptional safari option, easily adapted to your preferences. This safari can be run in reverse order.

Please speak to us for extensions to Victoria Falls which is easily combined with Chobe.

Day 1 - Chobe Game Lodge

On arrival at Kasane International Airport, Botswana, you will be met and transferred to the lodge. A drive of about 1 hour, depending on game sightings along the way. Your safari starts immediately! Keep your eyes peeled!

Chobe Game Lodge has an unrivalled position being the only lodge within the famous Chobe National Park- renowned for phenomenal game and record elephant numbers. It’s location makes it a haven of peace and tranquillity away from the crowds. The Honeymoon suite features a private patio and pool – it is an idyllic spot for a private dinner.

Arriving to a warm welcome and some refreshments you will have an introduction to the lodge and settle into your room. Chobe Game Lodge is larger than most lodges, meaning it has a superb range of facilities including a swimming pool, gym and spa and a number of eating areas. The boardwalk along the river features a number of places to dine or relax. Keep an eye out for the mongeese who are often seen scurrying about here. This is a perfect spot to ease into your safari and recover from your long journey.

Your guide will discuss your activity options with you and together you will discuss your preferences. Chobe Game Lodge offers 4x4 game drives (in silent electric vehicles) and boat cruises along the Chobe River, a quintessential Chobe experience.

Later that afternoon you will set off on your first safari activity. Perhaps a gentle boat ride to soak up the African sunset?

Day 2 - Chobe Game Lodge

This morning you wake early, enjoy a light breakfast and then set off on your first morning game drive. This is generally the best time to see predators before they settle down to rest in the shade for the day. Begin by tracking the movements of the night before, your guide will interpret the ‘news’ from the tracks as you explore the river roads and deeper into the park. The electric vehicles here allow you to approach game in a less intrusive manner and are wonderfully quiet.

Morning game drives usually last around 4 hours, depending on sightings, with a coffee break along the way. Returning around mid-morning for a heart brunch you will then have a few hours to yourself to relax in your room or in the communal areas of the lodge. Most animals rest in midday heat and so will you! Chobe Game Lodge offers plenty of secluded nooks to relax with lovely views of the river, as well of course as your suite. Perhaps spoil yourself to a pampering spa treatment between activities?

Meeting your guide for high tea mid-afternoon you will then set off on your boat safari upstream. This is really a quintessential Chobe safari experience and not to be missed. Animals come to the riverbank to drink before sunset, most notably elephant in huge numbers, and the boats offer a unique perspective. The sunsets on the water are wonderful and you will stop in a scenic spot and toast the setting sun, perhaps watching a herd of elephant drinking from the waters edge.

Return to the lodge for your private three course dinner on your patio

Day 3 - Chobe Game Lodge

An early morning wake-up call starts the day. Wrap up warm, the air on the water can be cool early in the morning. A quick hot drink and then you are off on your private sunrise cruise along the Chobe river – a truly special time to enjoy this mighty river, it is blissfully quiet and still – only the ripples of hippo heads popping up to investigate the latest visitor. Crocs position themselves to catch the first rays of light and predators often come down to drink after hunting over the night. Mist often gathers on the water as the sun comes up offering superb photo opportunities. A champagne breakfast is served by your captain as you glide gently along the river.

Returning to camp around 11am you will have some hours to yourself to relax in your beautiful suite, dip in the pool or enjoy a spa treatment. Meeting around 3.30pm for high tea you will then set off on your game drive returning to the lodge as it gets dark for dinner. Meals are enjoyed in a number of locations. On the terrace, in various locations along the raised boardwalk and the boma.

Day 4 - Camp Okavango

Depending on the time of your flight you may have the chance to enjoy an early morning game drive before being transferred to Kasane Airport for your flight to the Okavango, a flight of about 50 minutes. Your guide will be waiting to meet you and will then escort you to the camp, a short walk.

A warm welcome awaits from the team. You will settle into your new Okavango home, with its open- air design and elevated views over the Okavango, this camp has an almost tree-house feel. A private expansive viewing deck offers lovely views of the Delta and space to relax between activities.

Over refreshments you will discuss your interests with your guide as he describes the activities available and together you plan your next few days. Camp Okavango offers a slower safari experience, a chance to pause and enjoy this beautiful wilderness. Because of the aquatic environment there are no game drives offered here, and less big game viewing. Activities focus on water and walking. Meandering along the water channels of the Okavango Delta the old-fashioned way in a traditional mokoro on a motorised boat into the deeper channels. Fishing expeditions can be arranged with bream and tiger fish being the prolific species here.

You will set off on your first activity later that afternoon after – your first introduction to the watery wonderment of the Okavango. Returning to camp for pre-dinner drinks around the open-air fire pits, a delicious dinner is served on the lower deck level. Your first night in the Okavango will likely feature the wonderful sounds of the Okavango, the honking hippos and the chorus of frogs.

Day 5 - Camp Okavango

The next morning you awake to the sound of the African dawn and after a light breakfast you set out to explore the permanent Delta.

In the late afternoon you will take to the skies for your 60 minute scenic helicopter flight, this is a truly once in a lift time experience – whizzing low over the glistening waters of the Okavango as antelope jump over the reeds and elephant wade through the lagoons below – memories which stay with you for life, especially if you take your camera. Don’t forget to have this fully charged, you will really want to capture this moment! Stopping for romantic champagne sundowner on a remote palm island concludes a truly special experience.

On walks and water activities look out for the usual suspects which live near the water – hippo and crocodiles. Older elephant prefer to stay around the waters where the softer vegetation is found, more forgiving on their sensitive teeth. Aquatic antelope such as the red lechwe, reedbuck and sitatunga are also found here. On the larger islands plains game such as zebra, wildebeest, kudu and more are seen on walks. Birding is wonderful in these areas too, the bush is alive with birdsong and flashes of colour.

The flight time for your transfer to Camp Moremi will be advised by your guide this evening, and together you will discuss your morning activity plan accordingly. You may take the opportunity to enjoy a lie-in for a change!

Day 6 - Camp Moremi

An early wake- up call brings with it a new adventure. At a time to be confirmed the night before, you return to the airstrip for your flight to the Moremi, a short but beautiful flight of about 15 minutes. On arrival your new guide will be waiting to transfer you to camp with a 25 minute game drive.

One of the original Okavango camps, set along the Khwai River in the Xakanaxa region of the reserve, Camp Moremi has long held an enviable position for game viewing. The camp was completely rebuilt in 2018 and now stands are a perfect blend of traditional lodge with modern comforts. Large comfortable rooms await and inviting common areas built into the trees. A secluded swimming pool and lagoon side viewing deck provide excellent spaces in which to relax when not on safari.

Having met the team and settled into your new home your guide will discuss your particular interests for this section of the safari. Perhaps there are certain elusive species you wish to see which have so far evaded you? Activities here include both morning and afternoon game drives. These explore the many different habitats of the Moremi Game Reserve. Motorboat excursions explore the Xakanaxa Lagoon and surrounding channels.

Rejuvenated with tea and cake you will set off on your first afternoon activity into the Moremi. Having focusses on the water for the last few days you are perhaps ready to return to the vehicles for some big game viewing. You set off on your game drive, stopping as the sun begins to set for sundowners, returning to camp before dark for dinner.

Day 7 - Camp Moremi

This morning you wake early, eager to experience the big game viewing of Moremi. You will enjoy a full day exploring the Moremi with morning and afternoon drives, relaxing in the middle of the day in camp.

The Xakanaka region boasts some of the richest concentrations of wildlife in Moremi Game Reserve.Springing up from the juncture formed where the invigorating waters of the Delta meet the plains of the Kalahari Desert, the Moremi is home to prolific wildlife species and spectacular landscapes. The Moremi Game Reserve is the beating heart of the Okavango, a sanctuary of Mopane forests, open grasslands, seasonal floodplains and riverine habitats. Huge herds of browsing Elephant, magnificent prides of lions and their competitors the hyaena, cheetah, and a vast number of antelope, including Impala, Kudu and Waterbuck that are supported by the reserve’s amazing wetlands. African Wild Dog sightings occur frequently too.

Day 8 - Camp Moremi

Another full day in the Moremi. Every day brings new sightings. By now you will be familiar with the rough routine on safari, with early morning and afternoon activities, with siesta hours in between. A chance to relax in camp, recharge from the early mornings or to simple soak up the peace and quiet of the bush.

This evening you will enjoy a private dinner in a beautiful and secluded area of the camp.

Your guide will once again advise you what time your flight will be the next day, and you will plan your morning activity according.

Day 9 - Leroo La Tau

This morning you bid farewell to the Okavango as you fly south to the drier fringes of the Kalahari to your final stop, Leroo La Tau. This is a flight of about 30 minutes.

Leroo La Tau (meaning “Lion’s Paw”) is set on the cliffs overlooking the Boteti River, on the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. This is an interesting area, the Boteti is the main outflow of the Okavango Delta this area marks the frontier between the Okavango and Makgadikgadi. The lodge offers wonderful views across the park and good game viewing can be enjoyed from the comfort of the lodge itself as animals come and go from the river.

Later than afternoon you set off on your first activity. Leroo La Tau offers morning and afternoon game drives into the park twice daily to find game along the river system and in the bushland just beyond the river’s edge. Boat cruises are offered water levels permitting.

For those interested in experiencing some local culture, guided village tours of nearby Khumaga Village offer a wonderful opportunity to meet local community.

Perhaps you prefer to take it a little easy. A visit to the riverside Hide is a great way to take time to spot animals and birds in the most unobtrusive manner, there photo opportunities are excellent.

Day 10 - Leroo La Tau

Today you set off on a full day into the lunar like salt pans of Nxai Pan and the surrounding area, including a visit to the famous Banes Baobabs, immortalised by the explorer Thomas Baines. These ancient trees stand in a cluster overlooking the salt flats and once seen are not forgotten. This is a fascinating drive, to see animals walk across the shimmer pans, the dust in their wake thee first sign of life, offers very different perspective of a Botswana safari. The waterholes here are always busy and interesting to stop and enjoy for a while as the desert adapted species like springbok, gemsbok and others come and go.

As a final farewell gift, the lodge invites honeymooners to enjoy a traditional Setswana blessing with the staff at Leroo La Tau and members of the khumaga community. This is an optional experience for those who do not wish to do the blessing this please let us know.

Day 11 - End of Safari

Today marks the end of your safari. There may be time for one last morning activity, or you may choose to conserve your energy for the flight home. Your flight to Maun Airport will take about 25 minutes, and you will be met on arrival and assisted onto your onward flight to Johannesburg or Cape Town.

Map View

Chobe Game Lodge

Chobe Game Lodge

Chobe Game Lodge

Camp Okavango

Camp Okavango

Camp Moremi

Camp Moremi

Camp Moremi

Leroo La Tau

Leroo La Tau

Leroo La Tau

Water Level

Book This Safari

At Okavango Delta Explorations we specialise in crafting safaris to this unique ecosystem.

Get in touch to begin your Okavango Delta Exploration

Enquire Now

Extensions to this safari

From USD 636 per person

Old Drift Lodge

Old world charm meets modern day safari sanctuary at Old Drift Lodge - fourteen elegant tents adorn the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, just 7 km from Victoria Falls. An idyllic bush paradise awaits at Old Drift Lodge. An 1898 settlement, “Old Drift” was the platform for the building of this luxury lodge offering a tranquil space and safari experiences away from the hustle and bustle of Vic Falls town. The best of both worlds.

Learn More
From USD 150 per person

Cape View Clifton

On the slopes of Lion’s Head with breathtaking mountain and ocean views, lies the exquisite Cape View Clifton Beach Hotel. Stylish, sophisticated and service of a top notch standard from one of the most exclusive addresses in Cape Town, this is a fantastic hotel. Full concierge service, fine dining restaurants and splendid beaches are within easy reach - a combination of true luxury and convenience. Great for couple and families alike.

Learn More

Experience the Okavango Delta

Contact us for more information and to start planning your Okavango safari

Contact
© 2024 Okavango Delta Explorations