San tribesmen on the hunt, Kalahari

In the Kalahari of Botswana, we stay at a special camp among the San tribes, walking with them as they gather their daily food and hunt. Our journey also includes a classic gameviewing safari in the Okavango Delta and Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

Photo by Jon Warburton-Lee / Delimont, Herbig & Assoc.

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Trip Details at-a-Glance

Cost From: TBA  
Length: 17 days
Arrive: Maun, Botswana
Depart: Maun, Botswana
Lodging: 16 nights in beautifully located game lodges and private tented camps describe
Meals: All meals included
Activity: Wildlife & Natural History, Cultural Adventures, Safaris
Trip Level: Cultural adventure with optional hikes, game walks and game tracking by open 4WD vehicle and mokoro (dugout canoe)
2 explain

Highlights

  • Encounter the San people in one of the last remote areas of the Kalahari
  • Incredible gameviewing in Moremi Game Reserve and Okavango Delta
  • Visit the remote Central Kalahari Game Reserve


It was a wonderful and very interesting trip, a nice mix of camping and lodges.Joanne S.—Philadelphia, PA

Choosing the Right Trip

We work hard to help you choose the right trip for you, paying attention to your individual interests, abilities, and needs. If you have questions about the level of comfort or any of the activities described in this itinerary, please contact us.
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References

We are proud to have an exceptionally high rate of repeat travelers. For more information, we would be happy to put you in touch with a client who has traveled with us.

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Departure Notes

Once you have signed up on the trip, we send a complete packing list, relevant health information, and required travel documents.

Resources

Join Trip Leaders Adam Hedges and Mike Main for this unique expedition which brings us deep into the fabled Kalahari to meet the San people, the skilled hunter-gatherers whose African heritage dates back 30,000 years. To sit around the fire in the evening and listen to their songs, and perhaps witness a trance dance, is to travel back in time to the dawn of humankind. In our three days with the San, we stay in full-service tented camps. After our cultural expedition, we head out for a superb gameviewing safari on the jewel-green waterways of the Okavango Delta in Moremi Game Reserve, with its high game densities, in ethereal Xugana Lagoon, the quintessential Delta setting, and in the great Central Kalahari Game Reserve of Cry of the Kalahari fame. On safari we track game by open vehicle and by dugout canoe in a spectacular array of Botswana’s richest gamelands.

Itinerary at a Glance

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Days 1-4
San Tribes / Xai Xai Camp

In very remote Xai Xai village in the Kalahari, our extended stay with the San people of the Ju/’hoansi and Babanderu tribes offers an exclusive chance for a glimpse into the life of hunter-gatherers in the beautiful setting of the Aha Hills. We enjoy dinners around our campfire under the starry sky.

Days 5-7
Nxamaseri / Tsodilo Hills

We travel to the Okavango River and overnight at the intimate Nxamaseri Lodge, then head out to experience the mystery and wonder of Tsodilo, a World Heritage Site. Here thousands of exquisite San rock paintings adorn the stone faces of the hills, chronicling a human presence tens of thousands of years old. The San consider Tsodilo a place of worship and home of their ancestral spirits.

Days 8-9
Okavango Delta / Xugana Lagoon

A spectacular charter flight over a green patchwork of islands brings us to delightful Xugana Lodge, with its comfortable en-suite chalets, open-air dining overlooking the lagoon, and setting sun. It has a perfect locale deep in the Okavango for our game walks and mokoro explorations as we savor the rich Delta ecosystem.

Days 10-12
Moremi Game Reserve / Xakanaxa Camp

We journey by boat to our remote private camp in Moremi, an ornithologist's delight. Moremi hosts almost every species of central and southern Africa’s famous birds, along with game including tsessebe and Burchell's zebra and predators such as lion, wild dog, and spotted hyena.

Days 13
Makgadikgadi National Park

From Laroo Le Tau Bush Lodge, we explore the spectacular desert environment of Makgadikgadi National Park.

Days 14-17
Central Kalahari Game Reserve

We head to this remote and spectacular reserve for splendid gameviewing over dunes and fossil pans, and a chance to see some rare desert species. Depart via Maun on Day 17.

For a more complete description, Download Full Trip Brochure

Optional Extensions

If you would like to continue your adventure, we offer the following extension:

What the Trip is Like

This trip is rated Level 2, easy to moderate. It is a vehicle-based safari with mobile tented camps interspersed with accommodations in permanent tented camps. This journey will enjoyed by anyone in reasonably good health. Please note that there are long driving days over rough roads and dusty, sandy game tracks, all in a desert environment. Our mobile camps provide a true bush experience without sacrificing comfort. We travel by 4WD “go-anywhere” safari vehicles equipped with a refrigerator for cold drinks and a reference library on flora, fauna, and avifauna. The vehicles carry five trip members per vehicle, with guaranteed window seating.

Explanation of Trip Levels

 

Departures

Mar 17-Apr 2, 2011

Tour Costs

Prices will be announced closer to departure. Contact us to receive them at that time.

Tour Cost Includes:

  • expert leadership of a Wilderness Travel Trip Leader and local guides
  • all accommodations, based on double occupancy
  • meals as noted in the Full Trip Brochure
  • services os safari staff
  • all land transportation, airport transfers as noted in the Full Trip Brochure

Tour Cost Does Not Include:

International airfare to and from Africa, round trip flight from Johannesburg to Maun, meals not specified above after each itinerary day in the Full Trip Brochure, airport departure taxes, optional tipping or gratuities to leaders or staff, additional hotel nights that may be necessary due to airline schedule changes or other factors. pre-trip expenses of medical immunizations (if any), travel insurance, or passports and visas, and other expenses of a personal nature (alcoholic beverages, laundry, etc.).

Trip Payment Schedule

At time of reservation: $500
120 days prior to departure: 20% of tour cost
60 days prior to departure: Balance

Cancellation Fee Schedule*

Minimum fee: $250
46-90 days prior to departure: 25% of tour cost
45 days or less: 100% of tour cost

*Please note that this differs from our regular catalog departures.

Motsentsela Tree Lodge

Day 1 (1 night), Maun, Botswana

Set on a game farm outside Maun, Motsentsela offers a wonderful welcome to Botswana. The lodge has seven spacious, tastefully furnished tents on ...
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Kalahari San Tribes—Mobile Safari Camping

Days 2 to 4 (3 nights), Kalahari Desert (Xai Xai),
Days 6 to 7 (2 nights), Tsodilo Hills,
Days 10 to 12 (3 nights), Moremi Game Reserve,
Days 14 to 16 (3 nights), Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana

Our safari is a true Hemingway-style mobile safari where we are accompanied by the same camp crew and camping equipment throughout. Our private ...
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Nxamaseri Island Lodge

Day 5 (1 night), Okavango Delta, Botswana

Set on a small secluded wooded island in the Okavango Panhandle, Nxamaseri Island Lodge is a prime destination for seeing hippo, crocodile, and the ...
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Xugana Island Lodge

Days 8 to 9 (2 nights), Okavango Delta, Botswana

Set deep in the heart of the Okavango Delta on the edge of a lovely lagoon, Xugana is the perfect base for exploring Okavango’s ...
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Leroo Le Tau Bush Camp

Day 13 (1 night), Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana

Set on a cliff above a waterhole on the Boteti River, this beautifully appointed, recently renovated lodge is located on the edge of the ...
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Extension Accommodations

If you would like to view the accommodations offered with our extensions option:

Note: Listed above are our signature accommodations for this trip. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.

Client Comments

It was a wonderful and very interesting trip, a nice mix of camping and lodges. Joanne S., Philadelphia, PA Wonderful trip and a nice blend of San experience and wildlife viewing. Robert R., Syracuse, NY Probably the best trip I’ve ever taken and a true wilderness experience! Peggy B., Carmel, IN
It was a beautifully organized trip and had the perfect balance of culture and game viewing. Barbara R., Syracuse, NY