Falls & Floodplains

DAY 1 | CHUNDUKWA RIVER LODGE | 3 NIGHTS

Greeted at Livingstone Airport, you will be transported to Chundukwa, on the banks of the Zambezi River. Classically styled, Chundukwa combines vintage elegance with African-inspired décor and architecture, part iconic colonial lodge and part home away from home. Settling into your room after an afternoon arrival, you will likely wish to simply relax by the pool with a drink or enjoy a delicious meal at the hotel’s excellent restaurant.

DAY 2 | CHUNDUKWA RIVER LODGE

Begin your first full day with a tour of the colonial town of Livingstone. Explore the town’s markets and museums and view Victoria Falls from the Zambian aspect. This is best combined with additional activities, such as a guided walk around the falls or a thrilling dip in Devil’s Pool.

Returning to the lodge for lunch, you will then embark on a leisurely bushwalk around the property, your guide informing you about the local flora and fauna, with the chance of spotting a wide array of wildlife.

Take to the water for an evening cruise, the setting sun bathing the Zambezi in golden light as you sip champagne and enjoy light snacks, before returning for a full dinner at the lodge.

DAY 3 | CHUNDUKWA RIVER LODGE

Your final full day in Zambia is at our disposal, but there is no end to the choice of adventures that await you. For the equine enthusiast, Chundukwa’s stable of horses await, offering guided riding excursions across the property. A more sedate game drive or walking safari may be in order, and the nearby Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park provides the fairly reliable opportunity to see the resident southern white rhino.

Thrill seekers may brave the rapids of Batoka Gorge on a whitewater rafting excursion, or for a more sedate view of the cascading falls, a scenic helicopter or microlight flight might be more desirable. Lunch at the Elephant Café may begin with an optional jetboat ride to the venue, before enjoying a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the resident gentle giants. The rescued elephants have been lovingly raised and are habituated, giving you the chance for a very special interaction.

This evening, board the Royal Livingstone Express for a scenic train journey as the sun sets over the falls and you enjoy a gourmet five-course dinner.

*Chundukwa Lodge offers a selection of activities included with your stay, eith one free activity per day. Further activities, such as the helicopter flight, whitewater rafting and Royal Livingstone Express dinner, will incur additional costs.

DAY 4 | TRANSFER TO KARANGOMA CAMP | 2 NIGHTS

Begin your day with a leisurely breakfast before being collected at approximately 9 a.m. Transfer to Kasane Airport, driving through Zambezi National Park on surfaced roads, but with the chance of an impromptu game drive.

Board your flight at Kasane, bound for Karangoma, landing at Vumbura airstrip before a helicopter transfer takes you into camp. Depending on your time of arrival, you may enjoy a snack before heading out on an afternoon game drive, or simply settle into your wonderful, tented room.

DAY 5 | KARANGOMA CAMP

Rise early and join your guides around the boma fire pit for a spot of breakfast as the sun rises, before setting out on your game drive. Informative guides will provide a wealth of wisdom about not only the region’s flora and fauna, but also medicinal plants, animal tracks and the strong local bushman culture. You will return to camp for lunch and a siesta, before an afternoon snack and a second game drive. Depending on the season, you may be driving through dry grasslands with sporadic waterholes, new-growth mopane forests or lush vegetation and shallow waterways. Whatever the time of year, expect to see plenty of life, including elephant, buffalo, impala, lechwe, lion, and with a little luck, wild dogs and leopard. Sundowners will be followed by a drive back to camp as darkness falls.

Alternatively, the private concession also allows for longer nocturnal expeditions, and you may wish to extend your afternoon in camp before departing on a full night drive, roughly from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

*all activities are seasonably dependent, and offerings will vary according to water levels.

DAY 6 | TRANSFER TO BEAGLE EXPEDITIONS | 2 NIGHTS

Wake early for a final game drive at Karangoma, hoping to catch glimpses of the previous night’s predator activities. Return to camp for lunch before packing and taking a short drive to the helicopter landing zone for your transfer across the heart of the delta. Though not a scenic flight as such, your pilot may still alert you to elephant or antelope herds below, as well as informative facts regarding the delta landscape.

You will be delivered to your doorstep at the remote Kweene Trails camp. Kweene Trails is very much a bush camp. Off-grid and under canvas, it provides wonderful cuisine, comfortable private tents and warm hospitality, with compositing toilets and bucket showers. While the essentials are provided, Kweene Trails dispenses with the unnecessary trimmings of a luxury camp in favour of a pure wilderness immersion that no amount of money can provide.

After a short evening game drive, spend your first night around the campfire, listening to tales from your hosts, and fall asleep to the sounds of lion roaring and hyena chattering in the distance.

DAY 7 | BEAGLE EXPEDITIONS

Your morning wake-up call will fill your bucket shower with warm water before you make your way to breakfast.

You will have the option to begin your day with a spectacular scenic helicopter flight (at additional cost). With doors removed, you will gain a spectacular aerial view of the delta’s river systems and wildlife. Your pilot will bank and weave to give you stunning sightings of wildlife from the sky, while you are securely fastened and gasping in awe of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

On landing, your luggage will be transported to Kweene Trails’ sister camp, and you will pack the bare essentials into a provided backpack, ready for a day of walking. Depending on the season, you may take the whole day to walk the 12 kilometres between camps at a leisurely pace, with regular stops and a lunchtime siesta along the way; or in higher-water months, you may walk part way before boarding a mokoro to be punted along reed-filled channels to the second camp.

Depending on your arrival time, you may then go for a late-afternoon game drive, take an ice bath or simply relax in camp before enjoying a hearty campfire dinner.

DAY 8 | TRANSFER TO MOELA | 2 NIGHTS

An early-morning game drive will conclude your activities in the Okavango, before returning to camp for a full breakfast and your helicopter transfer to Maun Airport.

Here, you will be met by a representative of Moela to either take the 2.5-hour road transfer or optional 20-minute helicopter flight* to this quirky and stunning camp, on the borders of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.

Dependent on arrival time and your enthusiasm, you may choose to venture out on a game drive, lounge by the pool or indulge in a massage. Dinner is served either in the main communal dining area, on the viewing platform or at your private suite.

Hand-built by workers from the local community during the Covid years, Moela combines artistic craftsmanship, indulgent contemporary comfort and traditional architecture for a truly unique and wonderful impression.

*Helicopter transfer incurs additional charge

DAY 9 | MOELA

The activities of today are at your discretion and vary according to the season. In cooler months, you may choose to spend the day on several game drives, returning to camp for lunch, but spending the majority of your time in the bush. At warmer times, an early or late drive will avoid the hottest periods, and activities or relaxation closer to camp will occupy the rest of your day.

The optional bushman walk is highly recommended. Traditional San bushmen are employed from the northern Makgadikgadi to take you on an authentic walk around camp, teaching you the ways of the bushman, from identifying tracks to selecting medicinal plants and explaining how the San have hunted and subsisted in this somewhat inhospitable landscape for millennia. The walk may finish with a fire-lighting demonstration or traditional dance. While many tribal experiences can feel a little contrived, Moela has retained absolute authenticity, allowing the San – who take great pride in sharing their culture with guests – complete autonomy in defining the content and schedule of this wonderfully informative walk.

This region is home to one of the largest animal migrations in Africa and, in the dry season, tens of thousands of zebra and wildebeest can be seen on game drives, with the predators never far behind. As the rains begin, the animals retreat, but healthy elephant herds, numerous antelope species and rare lion sightings still make any game drive highly rewarding.

Returning to camp at nightfall, dinner will be prepared as you enjoy sundowners overlooking the riverbed, with elephant, zebra, impala and other creatures drinking from the pools.

Fall asleep on last time to the sounds of Africa, melting into the comfortable king-sized bed as a gently breeze lulls you into dreamland.

DAY 10 | DEPARTURE

Sadly, it is time to pack your bags. Depending on your departure time, there may be an opportunity to take a short game drive, though this is unlikely. However, you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and coffee on the ridgeline where the camp is situated, taking in the elevated view of the waterholes and game below.

The 2.5-hour return airport transfer will take you back to the airport for your onward transfer to begin your journey home.

PLEASE NOTE

MOELA: For stays of three nights or more, Moela can arrange a sleepout on the Makgadikgadi Pans. The pans can be reached by a four-hour drive or 20-minute helicopter transfer at additional cost.