18 DAYS BOTSWANA: ZIMBABWE'S VICTORIA FALLS AND BOTSWANA'S SAFARI WONDERS BY PLANE

Upon landing at Victoria Falls International Airport, you are just a few minutes from one of Africa’s most iconic natural wonders - Victoria Falls. Even before you settle in, the distant roar of the falls often carries through the air, offering a first hint of what lies ahead. This marks the beginning of your adventure, where untamed landscapes, abundant wildlife, and unforgettable experiences await.

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The Victoria Falls tour lasts 2 to 2.5 hours and takes you through the rainforest created by the falls’ constant spray. You follow paths to several viewpoints, watching water drop 100 metres into the gorge while feeling mist spread across the forest. Your guide explains the history of the falls, points out local plants, birds, and wildlife, and helps with photographs. On the way, you stop at landmarks like the Big Tree and learn how the waterfall shaped the surrounding landscape. The tour covers the rainforest and viewpoints, unlike the historical bridge tour, which focuses on the bridge’s history.

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You board a 1-hour flight from Victoria Falls International Airport in Zimbabwe to Kasane Airport in Botswana, leaving behind the roar of the falls for the wide-open landscapes ahead.

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Accommodaties:

• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas
• Diamond Luxury Ngoma Safari Lodge

The Chobe Riverfront stretches along the northern boundary of Chobe National Park, where the Chobe River separates Botswana from Namibia. The whole park is home to over 120,000 elephants - the largest remaining population in the world. Still, during the dry season, the herds gather along the riverfront in extraordinary numbers, alongside buffalo and plains game. Game drives along the riverfront put you in the middle of this, while a boat cruise on the Chobe River brings you eye to eye with hippos, crocodiles and elephants swimming, drinking or just bathing in the sun at the water's edge.

Accommodaties:

• Gold Muchenje Safari Lodge
• Platinum andBeyond Chobe Under Canvas
• Diamond Luxury Ngoma Safari Lodge

The drive from Chobe Riverfront to Kasane is a short and scenic one, taking 30 minutes. The route is well-traveled by safari vehicles, making it easy to navigate from the wilderness back to town. You might still spot some wildlife along the way, particularly elephants along the riverbank, before exiting the park via Sedudu Gate and driving straight into Kasane. The airport lies just 4 kilometres south of the town cente.

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Accommodaties:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Savute Elephant Lodge

Accommodaties:

• Gold Ghoha Hills Savuti Lodge
• Platinum Savute Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Savute Elephant Lodge

The short flight from Savuti to the Khwai Community Concession takes 15 to 30 minutes, whisking you from Chobe National Park into one of Botswana's most biodiverse and community-managed wild spaces. The Khwai airstrip drops you right at the edge of this expansive concession, where the Khwai River draws an extraordinary concentration of wildlife year-round. After landing, make the most of the afternoon with a game drive along the riverine forests and floodplains.

Accommodaties:

• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley
• Diamond Luxury Camp Tuludi

De Khwai Community Concession, ingeklemd tussen Chobe National Park en Moremi Game Reserve, is de plek waar ongerepte wildernis en gemeenschapszin samenkomen. Denk aan rondzwervende olifanten, sluipende roofdieren, kuddes buffels en glinsterende lagunes -  alles verpakt in één spectaculair safaripark. Voeg daar nog een mokoro-safari in een uitgeholde kano en een bijzondere ontmoeting met de BaBukakhwe-gemeenschap aan toe, en je krijgt een ervaring die even verrijkend als opwindend is.

Accommodaties:

• Gold Hideaways Mogotlho Safari Lodge
• Platinum Sable Alley
• Diamond Luxury Camp Tuludi

This 30 to 45-minute flight from the Khwai Community Concession carries you deeper into the Okavango Delta, one of Africa's most iconic wilderness areas. Moremi’s airstrip places you at the doorstep of a reserve with habitats ranging from dense woodland to open lagoons teeming with wildlife. On arrival, take a gentle walk around camp before heading out on your first game drive through the waterways and woodlands.

Accommodaties:

• Gold Camp Xakanaxa
• Platinum Camp Okuti
• Diamond Luxury Xigera Safari Lodge

Accommodaties:

• Gold Camp Xakanaxa
• Diamond Luxury Xigera Safari Lodge

Flights from Moremi Game Reserve into the Okavango Delta are short, just 15 to 30 minutes, depending on your camp. In true safari style, you’ll land on one of the delta’s many small, sandy airstrips, discreetly tucked between palm islands and floodplains and serving a handful of exclusive lodges. These light aircraft transfers are as much part of the experience as the stay itself. There are a few practicalities to keep in mind: luggage is usually limited to around 20 kilograms per person, and soft-sided bags are essential. From above, the Delta unfolds like a living mosaic - islands, channels and wildlife scattered below - and before you know it, you’re touching down and being welcomed by your driver for the final transfer to camp.

Accommodaties:

• Diamond Luxury andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

De Okavango Delta is een van de zeven natuurlijke wonderen van Afrika en staat op de Werelderfgoedlijst van UNESCO. Het is een immense, waanzinnig mooie binnendelta die is ontstaan doordat een rivier in de Kalahariwoestijn verdwijnt. Seizoensgebonden overstromingen veranderen droog zand in een groene oase voor wilde dieren, waar olifanten, grote katachtigen, zeldzame antilopen, de bedreigde Afrikaanse wilde hond en meer dan 500 vogelsoorten naartoe worden getrokken. Wild spotten vanuit een kano? Absoluut! De Okavango biedt unieke safari-belevenissen met water en wilde dieren in overvloed, en dat in het midden van de woestijn.

Accommodaties:

• Diamond Luxury andBeyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge

Travelling between camps by helicopter offers a front-row seat to the extraordinary beauty of the Okavango Delta; arguably the most stylish way to say goodbye to this waterlogged wonderland. A helicopter transfer to Maun takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your departure point within the delta. Along the way, your pilot doubles as a storyteller, sharing insights into this fascinating ecosystem. From above, the delta reveals its intricate patterns: winding channels, palm-dotted islands and floodplains teeming with life. Keep an eye out for elephants wading through the shallows and red lechwe darting across the water’s edge. It’s just like a safari, but with a superior vantage point - both literally and figuratively speaking :-)

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Accommodaties:

• Gold Thamalakane River Lodge
• Platinum Grays Eden Sanctuary
• Diamond Luxury Grays Eden Sanctuary

Your journey begins with a scenic flight from Maun to the Boteti River area in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. During this one-hour flight, the landscape changes quickly. From above, you see dry pans, open savannah, and winding river channels. After you arrive, there is still time to head into the park for some amazing wildlife encounters along the Boteti River!

Accommodaties:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

Accommodaties:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

Accommodaties:

• Gold Meno-A-Kwena Camp
• Platinum Moela Safari Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Leroo La Tau Lodge

The drive from the Boteti River to Nata takes 2 to 3 hours, covering 150 to 200 kilometres, depending on the lodge you chose. The route takes you up north from the river (via the ferry if you depart from the southern bank) to join the A3 near Motopi, then heading east through the village of Gweta. It's a well-maintained, mostly tarred road, but look out for potholes and free-roaming wildlife, especially elephants. 

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Accommodaties:

• Gold Elephant Sands Lodge
• Platinum Elephant Sands Lodge
• Diamond Luxury Elephant Sands Lodge

The drive from Nata to Kasane covers just over 300 kilometres and takes 3.5 to 4 hours, most of it on a smooth tarred highway. This route has earned itself a reputation as an 'accidental game drive', and not without reason: wildlife sightings (especially elephants!) are an essential part of the experience. Leaving Nata behind, the landscape shifts from the vast, shimmering salt pans into stretches of mopane woodland and dry savannah, occasionally interrupted by small villages and animals crossing. Arriving in Kasane marks the final chapter of your Botswana adventure. From here, a short flight whisks you to Victoria Falls, where the journey ends on a suitably dramatic note before your onward flight home from Zimbabwe. Get ready for the grand finale!

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