16 Day Botswana, Victoria Falls & Madagascar Experience

Arrive at Maun International Airport and board a light-aircraft flight into the Moremi area, on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. Flight time depends on your camp and any intermediate stops, with some direct sectors taking about 20 minutes. Permanent lagoons meet dry woodland here, and lion, leopard, wild dog and buffalo use the floodplain edges. Settle into camp before an afternoon game drive, subject to your arrival time. Xakanaxa is inside Moremi; Machaba is in the neighbouring Khwai area.

Morning and afternoon game drives explore the mix of floodplains, lagoons and woodland around your camp. Drives are timed around the cooler hours, with lunch and a rest in camp in between. Late afternoon at the floodplain edges can be especially rewarding as herds come to drink and predators begin to move. Your guide chooses the route for current wildlife activity and the areas accessible from your selected camp.

An early game drive, or a guided walk where offered and permitted, is followed by brunch and a short light-aircraft flight deeper into the Delta. At Delta Camp the safari moves from vehicles to water and foot. Meet your guide at the airstrip and reach camp by mokoro or on foot, depending on water levels. In the afternoon, explore the papyrus and lily channels in a mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe. Your guide chooses suitable channels for the day's conditions.

Spend a full day exploring the Delta at a slower pace. Travel by mokoro to an island for a guided walk, reading tracks, learning about plants and watching plains game from the ground. Walks follow your guide's safety advice and the conditions on the day. The afternoon brings another mokoro outing or time to rest in camp. After dinner, gather around the campfire beneath the night sky. Delta Camp's activities are motor-free; game drives are not part of this stay.

Enjoy a final morning activity if your flight time allows, then fly north to Kasane on the Chobe River. Transfer to your lodge before an afternoon game drive along the riverfront. Elephant herds come down to drink, particularly during the dry months, and buffalo, puku and lion may be seen nearby. Chobe Game Lodge is inside the national park on the riverfront; Chobe Chilwero is outside the park near Kasane.

Head out for a sunrise game drive, looking for lion and other wildlife along the floodplains, then return for breakfast. In the late afternoon, explore the Chobe River by boat. Watch for elephant herds on the banks, hippos in the channels, crocodiles and waterbirds. You may see elephants swimming between the banks and islands, though every outing is different. The low evening light makes this a lovely way to end your Botswana safari.

Drive to Victoria Falls, crossing into Zimbabwe at the Kazungula border. Allow about 90 minutes of driving plus time for border formalities. In the afternoon, a guide takes you along the rainforest paths facing the falls, part of the Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Zimbabwe side has a long series of viewpoints, with views and spray changing through the year. An evening sundowner cruise on the upper Zambezi completes the day.

A free day lets you choose how to explore. Optional activities include a helicopter flight over the gorges, white-water rafting in the Batoka Gorge, a visit to Victoria Falls Bridge, a canoe trip on the upper Zambezi or a cultural village visit. Rafting and canoe outings depend on water levels and operator safety decisions. Finish with dinner at the historic Victoria Falls Hotel, with arrangements confirmed as part of your booking.

Transfer to Victoria Falls Airport for your flight to Johannesburg. Overnight at a hotel at or near O.R. Tambo International Airport. This planned stop gives you a buffer before the onward flight to Madagascar tomorrow. Exact flight times and any airport-to-hotel transfer are confirmed for your travel dates.

Fly to Antananarivo, often called Tana, the capital of Madagascar. A direct flight takes around three hours, with the day's departure and arrival times confirmed before booking. Transfer to your hotel and meet your local team for a briefing on the next part of the journey. Madagascar's long isolation has produced remarkable wildlife, including lemurs found naturally nowhere else.

Drive east to the rainforest around Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Allow roughly four to five hours, with traffic, road conditions and stops sometimes extending the journey. Follow a guided trail in search of the indri, one of the largest living lemurs, and listen for its calls through the canopy. Look for chameleons and forest birds along the way. An evening walk in a permitted local reserve offers a chance to look for mouse lemurs and leaf-tailed geckos, subject to access and guide arrangements.

An early forest walk gives you another chance to hear the indri call, if the day's flight schedule allows. After breakfast, drive back to Antananarivo for your domestic flight to Nosy Be, off Madagascar's northwest coast. Transfer to your beach resort. We check the road journey and flight connection before confirming this day. If the schedules do not connect safely, an extra night in Tana is needed, with any change to the trip length or beach nights agreed in advance.

Spend the day on the beach or choose an optional marine excursion. Nosy Tanikely marine reserve is a popular snorkelling option, while longer trips to the Mitsio Archipelago depend on boat arrangements and sea conditions. Whale shark outings are usually offered around October to December, with humpback whales generally seen around July to September. Sightings depend on the animals and conditions. Your local team can recommend an outing for the season or help you keep the day entirely free.

Take an optional boat trip to Nosy Komba, known for its black lemurs, explore Nosy Be's ylang-ylang and vanilla plantations, or simply enjoy time on the beach. Your guide can help you choose a responsible wildlife visit without feeding or handling lemurs. End the day with a sundowner as you look back on Botswana, Victoria Falls and Madagascar.

Enjoy time at leisure before your domestic flight back to Antananarivo. The amount of beach time depends on the confirmed flight schedule. Transfer to your hotel for a final overnight before your international departure. If you prefer a hotel close to Ivato airport, we can quote that in place of a city-centre stay.

Transfer to Ivato International Airport for your departure flight. End of Saringi services.