Reference:

Botswana offers an experience of Africa as it used to be. Far away from tourist crowds and the hustle bustle of modern living. A commitment to eco-travel is sustaining vast animal populations in Botswana and this you will witness first hand on this safari in the beautiful Okavango Delta. Wilderness Safaris strive to work with local communities that will benefit the environment, the community, guests and ecotourism.

Region:

Okavango Delta

Package Type:

Eco Safaris

Day:

1 & 2

Itinerary:

Upon your arrival into Maun Airport you will be met and welcomed by a representative from The Booking Company, who will assist you with your connection onto light aircraft to Duba Plains Camp. A remote camp in the Okavango Delta, Duba Plains is situated on private 30 000-hectare concession. This area is well known for its lion prides and buffalo herds. An award-winning National Geographic documentary, Relentless Enemies, was filmed here. Duba Plains has six tents with en-suite bathroom, an outside shower and a veranda. The thatch-roofed lounge, dining room and bar areas are raised on platforms. Activities include day and night game drives, often tracking the buffalo herd and nature walks. Mokoro trips are also possible when the flood waters are in - usually between May and September. You will see herds of elephant feed on the islands and hippo in deeper channels. Tsessebe and blue wildebeest are seen on the plains, while red lechwe are found on the floodplains. Birdlife is abundant and you will see the Rosy-throated Longclaw, Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane amongst others.

Day:

3 & 4

Itinerary:

After an early morning activity and breakfast, you will connect with light aircraft for your flight to Vumbura Plains Camp. Vumbura Plains lies in the north of the Delta in a 60 000-hectare private concession. Vumbura Plains comprises of two separate seven-roomed satellite camps. Each camp has its own raised dining, lounge and bar area with amazing views across the floodplains. There is a star-gazing deck which protrudes into the floodplain, a unique place to watch the stars in the milky way. The luxurious rooms are raised off the ground on wooden decks and consist of a bedroom, lounge, shower and bathroom - with indoor and outdoor shower. A plunge pool and 'sala' completes the room set-up. Vumbura Plains offers both land and water activities. Nature viewing in open 4x4 vehicles, nature walks, mokoro trips and boat excursions. You will enjoy close-up viewing of lion, leopard, elephant, cheetah and buffalo along with all the plains game. You will see red lechwe (an animal that prefers the waterways) and sable antelope (an animal that prefers the dry countryside) on the same game drive. Other animals are the hippo, crocodile, lechwe antelope, and sitatunga antelope. Birdlife is great with some endangered species, such as the stately Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret, White-backed Night Heron and the Pel's Fishing-Owl. Occasionally, small packs of wild dog also hunt through the Vumbura area and they have also denned on the concession.

Day:

5

Itinerary:

After an early morning activity and breakfast, if time permits; you will connect with light aircraft back to Maun in time for your onward connection.

Notes/Other:

Duba Plains, Vumbura Plains are Wilderness Safaris Camps that fall into two concessions totalling over 89 000 hectares that have been ceded by the Botswana Government to five villages just outside of the Okavango Delta. These villages comprise of approximately 5000 people, and are represented by the Okavango Community Trust (OCT), a trust that administers the Duba and Vumbura concessions, oversees the project and directs the flow of funds. Since its inception, the communities have benefited from substantial cash and auxiliary returns, jobs, skills transfer and training in nurturing this area, and in turn are doing a great job of managing the concessions. Wilderness Safaris and the Okavango Community Trust have formed a partnership that involves the employment and training of the local community members in all aspects of lodge employment. Wilderness is also in the process of assisting and advising the community on administration matters and business planning decisions. Help is given to other small business projects such as vegetable gardens, shops and basket making, which will further enhance the self-employment prospects of the members of this community. Wilderness has also employed the services of a qualified paramedic and HIV/AIDS counsellor to assist with the health and safety issues that face these communities. The wildlife in this area has benefited substantially from this partnership as neighbouring communities are gaining hard cash, training and employment, so poaching has dropped, with the result that animal populations have increased. These areas are zoned as hunting concessions , but Wilderness Safaris have chosen not to hunt and in doing so, lose about US$300 000 a year in hunting quotas that are not made up from the photographic safaris. There are many reasons that Wilderness have decided not to hunt, but one of the most important reasons is that hunting and photographic tourism do not mix in the same area for many reasons. As a result of this "no-hunting" policy this region has some of the best wildlife viewing in all of Botswana. Wilderness Safaris continue to find solutions that will benefit the environment, the community, guests and ecotourism in the long term. It is a complex arrangement but for any wildlife area to succeed, it is essential that the communities that live adjacent to these areas are not only educated about the environment that they oversee, and about the importance of sustainable business in these areas, but also participate and are included in the decision-making and business intricacies required to make it a success.

Additional Info:

Please Note: This itinerary is an example only, and can be tailor-made to suit your personal requirements. We can combine this proposed itinerary with other camps in Botswana. Accordingly, no price is indicated, as this will depend upon a number of factors, such as your routing and duration of stay.