Today, you fly to Victoria Falls or Livingstone where our local guide, Mortimer, greets and transfers you into the town of Victoria Falls. Your accommodation is located in a quiet and leafy area, still within earshot of the constant roar coming from Mosi oa Tunya, the “smoke that thunders”.

The town of Victoria Falls – just minutes from the falls and on the fringes of the Zambezi National Park – is a bustling hive of activity, with the village rightly claiming the title of “Adrenaline Capital of Africa”. Although home to a seemingly endless variety of adventure sports, “Vic Falls”, as the town is called, still has a pioneering and colonial atmosphere, and has remained relatively unaffected by Zimbabwe’s economic and political troubles.

Dining options include African-style feasts with accompanying tribal entertainment at The Boma or Jungle Junction restaurants, as well as an afternoon high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel.

We are pleased to offer you a complimentary guided visit to Victoria Falls during your stay (Zimbabwean and Zambian sides, including entrance fees). We have not included any other activities in your safari, allowing you the freedom to choose what you’d like to do and when you’d like to do it. The plethora of activities on offer include Zambezi river cruises and white-water rafting or canoeing, rhino and elephant walking safaris, helicopter and microlight scenic flights, African township and village tours, adrenaline-packed activities like bungee jumping and zip sliding, and much more. We especially recommend “Tour the Township” with our local guide, Mortimer, who introduces you to his home turf. We will send you our separate “Victoria Falls activities” booklet, and we can pre-book any of these for you or they can be organised by Mortimer upon your arrival.

Today, you travel to the Chobe National Park. The 2-hour private road transfer from Victoria Falls passes through bushveld that is home to wildlife such as elephant and giraffe, sightings of which often occur during the drive. You are again accompanied by Mortimer who will assist with the cross-border formalities. In the afternoon, you embark on a private boat safari along the Chobe River. The accompanying sunset on the river often provides a truly memorable moment of your African safari. From your riverside accommodation, you are usually ‘serenaded’ to sleep tonight by the grunts coming from nearby pods of hippos as they venture out of the water to graze on the lodge’s lush lawn.

Your day revolves around morning and afternoon private game drives within the Chobe National Park. You’ll also enjoy delicious home-style meals and have time for some quality lazing by the pool and perhaps even a midday siesta.

Note: The western section of the park can sometimes be busy with game driving traffic. You have the option today of a half- or full-day private game drive that ventures further into the park (Additional expense). To make your safari extra special, Compass Odyssey travellers are provided with a private vehicle and boat during your stay in Chobe. Other companies typically offer game drives with up to 10 passengers and boat safaris with 10-50+ travelers onboard.

During your game drives, be on the lookout for predators such as lion and hyena, and iconic herbivores such as buffalo, zebra, giraffe, warthog and wildebeest. On your boat safaris along the Chobe River, you will encounter all manner of wildlife, including Nile crocodile and Chobe’s great herds of elephant as they come to the river’s edge to drink and frolic in the fresh water.

This morning’s private boat safari on the Chobe River offers a tranquil beginning to another day on safari. After brunch, you are transferred the short distance to Kasane Airport for your flight into the wild expanse of the Okavango Delta. The flight travels in a light aircraft deep into the delta floodplains. It is part of a daily route that often stops at a number of bush airstrips to deliver/collect other travelers. Upon arrival, you are greeted by your camp guide who provides a game drive on the way to camp. After lunch and a short rest, you embark on an afternoon/evening game drive.

You stay here for three nights immersed in the absolute serenity of one of the world’s last true wildernesses. After evenings backed by a chorus of nighttime sounds in the African bush, your days include morning and afternoon/evening game drives as well as bush walks. Depending on your choice of camp, you can also enjoy water-based wildlife viewing in a the local dugut canoe (called a “mokoro”) and cruise along the waterways in a small customised safari boat. You may also wish to visit a local village or simply relax by the pool and enjoy the expansive views from your tented suite.

All of our camps are located in private game reserves, called “concessions” and leased to the camp by the local tribal authority. Being located in a concession means not being bound by the regulations imposed on camps located within the adjoining national park, called Moremi Game Reserve. This enables our camps to provide bush walks and night drives, which are generally prohibited within the national park. It also empowers our camps to put their guides’ excellent skills to use by ethically tracking animals and driving off-road to find them. This results in a much higher rate (and quality) of sightings. Some of our camps are located within the permanent section of the Delta system, which also enables us to offer you water-based wildlife viewing by mokoro and motorised boat. The concessions are not open to regular park visitors, ensuring an exclusive and intimate safari experience. 

After an early morning game drive and a hearty brunch, we say “tsamaya sentle” (goodbye and go well in the local Setswana language) as you fly over the southern floodplains to the safari hub of Maun and your onward travel arrangements. There are daily flights from Maun to South Africa (Cape Town and Johannesburg), as well as thrice-weekly flights to Namibia (Windhoek).

During your stay in Southern Africa, you will experience our natural beauty, diverse cultures and renowned African hospitality, as well as the iconic wildlife of Africa. Thank you for choosing to visit us on this Compass Odyssey safari.

“Sizobonana msinya” (see you soon).