Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Botswana – Maun – Nxai Pan National Park – Okavango Delta
100% customisable for you
Your adventure begins with a 15-hour overnight flight to Maun, including a short stopover en route. Settle into your seat, enjoy dinner onboard and watch the lights fade below as you head south across continents. You’ll arrive the following morning, rested and ready for your first taste of safari life.
You’ll touch down in Maun this morning and be privately transferred to your intimate riverside lodge, set within a private reserve on the banks of the Thamalakane River.
Your tented suite will offer a front-row seat to daily wildlife comings and goings. Watch as zebras, ostriches and kudu regularly wander past, and vibrant birds flit between river reeds and acacia trees.
After check-in, take in your new surroundings and enjoy a delicious lunch before heading out on a guided walk to meet the resident giraffe population. Accompanied by naturalist guides, you’ll learn to read tracks, spot subtle movements in the bush and observe these gentle giants up close.
Today, you’re leaving Maun behind and heading east towards the wide-open landscapes of Nxai Pan National Park.
By late morning, you’ll arrive at your camp, an intimate collection of tents tucked into the edge of this ancient salt desert. Each tent sits on a raised wooden platform and will likely have a private terrace – perfect for soaking up the silence between activities.
After a tasty lunch and a short rest, it’s time for your first safari in Nxai Pan. Accompanied by expert rangers, you’ll head out in a 4x4 to explore the open plains, where zebras, wildebeest, giraffes and springboks roam freely.
Your next two days are all about exploring Nxai Pan National Park. This vast salt pan, formed from an ancient lakebed, is one of Botswana’s most striking landscapes. During green season, the plains soften with lush grasses and wildflowers, drawing in large herds of zebras and wildebeest, along with giraffes, springboks and plenty of birdlife. Keep an eye out for the famous Baines’ Baobabs, scattered across the chalky expanse. These towering trees are named after 19th-century explorer Thomas Baines, who painted them in 1862.
Settle into the gentle rhythm of safari life, shaped around the cooler hours and your own pace. Rise early for 4x4 game drives or guided walks, when animals are most active and the light is golden. Back at camp, relax and tuck into brunch, or simply soak up the quiet of the plains.
In the afternoons, pause for a light snack or tea, before heading back out on a safari that stretches into the sunset. As darkness falls, return to camp for dinner and fireside storytelling.
Leave the open horizons of Nxai Pan behind this morning and head north towards water, palms and floodplains. After transferring back to Maun, board a small plane-taxi for one of the great African journeys: a low-altitude flight over the Okavango Delta. Skimming above winding channels and dazzling lagoons, you may even spot elephants, giraffes or hippos from the air (fingers crossed).
Touch down on a sandy airstrip in the heart of a private reserve and make yourself at home for the next three nights. From your tent, enjoy views overlooking flooded plains where animals come to drink. Between activities, cool off in the pool with a front-row view of the bush.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Okavango Delta is a living labyrinth of waterways, lagoons and palm-fringed islands. Over the next two days, you’ll explore the delta in a variety of ways, each offering a fresh perspective.
Embark on a classic 4x4 game drive to track elephants, lions and leopards. If you prefer a slower pace, glide silently through narrow channels in a traditional mokoro canoe or enjoy a boat trip along the wider waterways, keeping an eye out for hippos and crocodiles. For a ground-level view of the bush, you could even set off on a guided walking safari.
Between adventures, there’s time to relax back at camp – enjoy a slow lunch overlooking the plains, cool off in the pool, or simply sit quietly and watch wildlife wander past.
For those who want to take it one step further, there’s the option of a helicopter flight over the delta – a breathtaking way to appreciate the scale and beauty of this extraordinary ecosystem.
Your final morning begins with one last bush flight, lifting gently out of the delta towards Maun. From here, you’ll connect with your 16-hour international return flight, travelling overnight and arriving home the following day with a camera full of memories.
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
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We work with you to build an ultra-personalised holiday itinerary with your choice of accommodation, experiences and activities
All of our holidays include little extras designed to make a big difference to your trip, from fast-tracking you through airport check-in and security to our network of local Concierges
