Today is departure day, and you will be flying to Botswana with connecting flight(s) on the way.

On your arrival in Maun, you will be picked up from the airport and driven to your hotel. You will spend one night in Maun before your delta experiences begin. The rest of the day is your own to relax after the journey.

You set off from the hotel in the morning and head to the eastern section of the Okavango Delta – a trip of around 100 km. En route, you can enjoy the sight of local villages, mopane trees and perhaps even the first wild animals. Neither national parks nor game reserves in Botswana are fenced in, so in the dry season the elephants can easily find their way into the villages in their hunt for water.

The landscapes in this part of the delta are very varied. From tall mopane trees and dense bush to flat areas that are sometimes flooded with water and at other times dry plains with ghostly, dead trees, and to rivers which are home to hundreds of hippos.

Tonight you will stay at a tent camp in the midst of the wilderness. You arrive at the camp, which is ready and waiting for you with tents, mess tent and a camp fire – and a crew that is busy making dinner for you. Lanterns make the camp really cosy, but they don’t pollute the sky with artificial light, so sit yourself down by the fire, grab a cold drink and tilt your head back. The starry sky is phenomenal!

You will be woken early – often before the sun rises. You have no doubt have been awake a few times in the night due to the animal sounds around you. The sounds are most likely impalas grunting at each other. The sound of elephants trumpeting is not unusual, and if you listen carefully, you might be hear a lion’s deep call. You are completely safe in your tent and, knowing that, the feeling of lying in the African wilderness and knowing that you are sleeping where the animals live is quite indescribable.

In the chilly morning air, hot water is poured into a small basin outside your tent, so you can wash your face before breakfast. Tea, coffee, juice, muesli, toast – and maybe a muffin – await you, so you can fill up for the morning’s game drive. As soon as the sun rises, you head off on the first game drive of the day. What this morning has in store for you is impossible to say! We’re guessing elephants, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, lions, impalas, waterbucks – and if you’re lucky – perhaps a leopard, a wild dog or a herd of sable antelopes. Along the way, there’ll be time for a cup of morning coffee and a sweet snack.

At around lunchtime, you head back to the camp, where the crew has lunch ready for you. Going on safari makes you tired and hungry. The excitement, the fresh air and the early start will probably make you feel like taking a nap. Fortunately, there’s time for that, and when you’re ready, just ask the staff to prepare a shower for you. They’ll heat up a large bucket of water and get your “bucket shower” ready, so you can rinse the dust off you.

After a shower and a cup of coffee, it’s time for the day’s second game drive. Perhaps the guide has heard tell of a leopard somewhere, perhaps you’ll be checking if the lions are still where they were this morning – or perhaps you’ll be heading out to see the elephants that are standing in the river and drinking some of the 200 litres of water they drink a day.

The sunsets of the Okavango Delta are quite indescribable. Half-dead trees reflected in the water, silhouetted elephants and a sky that turns completely purple and pink and takes most people’s breath away.

When the sun goes down and the temperature drops, the nocturnal animals come out. Shining a special lamp out into the night sky, the guide looks for eyes glowing in the darkness. Again, no one knows what to expect. Perhaps lions and hyenas hunting, perhaps a chameleon, and probably quite a few hares. You just have to keep looking.

Back at the camp, another lovely dinner awaits before you can retire to your tent.

Today it’s time to say goodbye to the Okavango Delta. You’ll be driven to the small airstrip from which you will fly to Kasane. The plane serves almost as a shuttle bus, and you may find that there are stops at other airstrips before you arrive at Kasane. Enjoy seeing the delta from the air!

On your arrival in Kasane, you will be picked up from the airport and driven to the hotel where you will be staying for the next three nights. Kasane is a small town, so the drive only takes 10 minutes – unless there’s an elephant blocking the road! It’s not uncommon in Kasane… A stone’s throw from the town, you will find the entrance to Chobe National Park, which is a veritable mecca for elephants. More than 120,000 elephants are believed to live in Chobe, so it’s little wonder that they sometimes stray into the town! The rest of the day is yours to do whatever you please – we’re guessing you’ll spend a fair bit of time just looking out at the river and the abundant wildlife found here.

Today, you will experience the national park. The day features a relaxing boat ride on the river, offering every opportunity to get up close to hippos, in addition to a completely traditional game drive on land.

Sustainable tourism is a focus area of the Botswanan government, so you will experience unspoiled, exciting nature with fantastic and abundant wildlife. In Chobe National Park, you are in with a chance of seeing buffaloes, elephants, lions, cheetahs and leopards. Keep an eye out for the incredible bird life on this tour as well – including Botswana’s gorgeous national bird, the lilac-breasted roller.

In the evening, you are back at the lodge, where dinner awaits you.

Exciting experiences await you in the national park again today. The order is reversed compared to yesterday, allowing you to get the most out of your stay here. You will therefore be starting with a game drive in the park in the morning, with sailing on the river in afternoon. Naturally, there will also be time for you to enjoy the pool and perhaps have a massage.

You will be picked up from the hotel and set off on the drive to Zambia, a drive of around 4–5 hours, depending on the waiting time at the border crossing in Kazungula. Kazungula is a small village located right on the banks of the Zambezi River where no fewer than four different countries meet: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. Zambia and Botswana are linked by a bridge. A fun fact: The bridge arches in the way it does, so as not to clash with the boundaries of Namibia and Zimbabwe.

You will be driven all the way to your hotel in Livingstone in Zambia, where you will spend three nights on the banks of the Zambezi.

The days at Victoria Falls are spent at your leisure. However, we recommend that you book a couple of excursions from home as they are extremely popular, and in some places there are limits to the number of participants on the tours.

It goes without saying that a walk around the waterfalls is a must. We particularly recommend the walk on Knife Edge Bridge from which you get a unique view of the waterfalls. During the rainy season (around November–April), you should be prepared to get pretty much soaked through on the walk. But the air temperature is warm, so it’s actually fun to feel the forces of nature at such close quarters!

There is a lot to see and do. The area is a veritable activity mecca offering a wealth of experiences.

The time has come to say goodbye to Africa – unless, that is, you have chosen to extend the tour to include a city break in Cape Town or perhaps a beach holiday in Mauritius?

On your departure, you will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport, from which the journey home – or the ongoing journey – continues.

You arrive in the UK after a wonderful holiday.