7 day safari

Prices from

£4700

Excluding international flights

Tour Highlights

  • One of the best places to see Cheetahs
  • View rare desert adapted wildlife like Oryx
  • Few visitors at wildlife sightings
  • Spectacular night skies and unique bushman culture

Safari on the Edge of the Kalahari Desert

If you enjoy the path less travelled and seeing a greater diversity of wildlife, then a camping safari to the edge of the Kalahari in Botswana could be for you. This 7 day bespoke Botswana wildlife holiday spends 3 nights each in Nxai and Madadakagdi Pans. There is plentiful resident wildlife in the Nxai Pan National Park which is mainly desert adapted species such as springbok, gemsbok, ostrich and brown hyena. During the summer months this population is swelled by elephant, zebra, eland, giraffe and wildebeest. The pans are one of the best places to see wild cheetahs in Botswana and prides of lions also follow the seasonal migrations.

When to Go:
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

Best time to visit -

JUN

Safari Style -

Wildlife Adventurer

DAY 1

ARRIVE IN MAUN AND OVERNIGHT AT A RIVERSIDE LODGE

You will be met and transferred to an idyllic lodge located just 15-20 minutes away and on the banks of the Thamalakane River. It offers a lovely setting with beautiful views of the river and the vast array of water birds that inhabit this area.

Accommodation : Thamalakane Lodge

DAY 2

PRIVATE TRANSFER FROM MAUN TO GWETA LODGE

After an early breakfast you will be picked up by your driver naturalist and transferred 3 hours south to Gweta Lodge, located close to Nxai Pan. After a refreshing swim and some lunch you will be ready for your first afternoon game drive. Nxai Pan National Park lies just north of the Maun-Nata main road and adjoins Makgadikgadi Pans National Park on its northern border. The pan itself is a fossil lakebed about 40 square km in size and is known for the annual migration of Zebra and Wildebeest, which occurs in the rainy season between December and April.

Accommodation : Gweta Lodge

DAYS 3&4

TWO FULL DAYS OF SAFARIS AT NXAI PAN

To maximise our time on safari, each day we will take a packed lunch with us and drive early morning to Nxai Pan. The time of year that you decide to travel will dictate our wildlife viewing strategy. Nxai Pan is home to elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lion, leopard, cheetah, kudu, springbok, impala, ostrich, Cape wild dog, jackal, hyena, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, and honey badger; as well as many beautiful resident and migratory birds

Accommodation : Gweta Lodge

DAY 5

DRIVE FROM NXAI TO MAKGADIKGADI PAN

After an early breakfast we will drive from Nxai to Makgadikgadi and check into the lovely Boteti river camp. There will be time to refresh and have lunch before we take our first afternoon private game drive into one of the largest salt pans in the world. The Makgadikgadi Pans game reserve is the scene of large migrations of zebra and wildebeest from the Boteti River across to Nwetwe Pan.

Accommodation : Boteti River Camp

DAYS 6&7

TWO FULL DAYS OF SAFARIS AT MAKGADIKGADI PAN

Large predators like Lions, Cheetah and Brown Hyena follow the migration of the Zebra and Wildebeest, so by locating the herds we place ourselves in the ideal position to witness predator/prey interaction. The landscape is harsh during the summer and only a few desert adapted birds are able to survive here; such as ostriches and the chestnut-banded plover.

DAY 8

DRIVE BACK TO MAUN TO CONNECT WITH YOUR ONWARD FLIGHT

Sadly, your bespoke Botswana safaris visiting Nxai and Makgadikgadi Pans has come to an end, but we hope you will return soon to explore more of this beautiful country.

Pricing Info & Dates

Costs £4700 based on two people sharing and not including flights. Valid for travel from January to April 2025

Includes:

  • £100 donation to Gorilla Doctors
  • Breakfast in Maun
  • All meals in Nxai and Makgadikgadi
  • Services of expert naturalists throughout
  • All transfers and activities as stated.

Excludes:

  • International and domestic flights
  • The cost of applying for entry Visas
  • Drinks at the lodges
  • Gratuities and tips for hotel staff and your naturalist

Tour Route Map

What

Our Clients Say About Us

★★★★★
Wild Botswana Experience

This was a wonderful mobile camping trip visiting several areas of Botswana. It was my first time mobile camping and I absolutely loved it - even the 'long drop toilets'! To sit outside er the stars with no light pollution was incredible. We had some brilliant sightings, especially the elephants who we watched playing in the water for ages. Trips in between camps could be long but it was more like an extended game drive and didn't bother me in the least. The trip started off at Thamalakane River Lodge where we had a beautiful sunset over the river. It finished at Chobe River Lodge where we went on a boat trip - once again with wonderful sightings - and watched the sun go down. I could honestly have gone immediately back and done it all again! Kirsty and Allan of Wildlife Trails arranged this brilliant photographic tour for us and I will hopefully return again in the not too distant future. I thought the quality of both lodges and the mobile camp was excellent. We would go for a game drive on the morning of our departure to another camp and by the time we got to our new site the old camp had been dismantled and was re-assembled, ready for us to use, as soon as we got there - with food and drink awaiting! The staff were absolutely amazing and our chef created excellent food with seemingly no effort. This was extremely well arranged by Wildlife Trails with nothing being too much trouble for Allan or Kirsty.

ByChris
★★★★★
A great wildlife trip where I saw everything I hoped for

On a safari trip I go with hopes and expectations, in this case they were exceeded which was a first. The vehicles used were modern and most importantly not crowded. The trip was a photographic ari and our hosts turned out to be expert wildlife photographers and I learnt a lot from them. The other part was fulfilled by our two local guides who had exemplary, knowledge and had the happy knack of putting us in the right place at the right time. This was a wild camping trip and the facilities again exceeded my expectations. The itinerary worked very well and enabled us to make the most of our time in Botswana. Wildlife trails created the environment that made the trip so good, I learned a lot about photography and the wildlife I went to see. For me the highest praise is that I was a returning customer and have already booked my next trip and that they are good value for money.

ByDavid
★★★★★
Amazing experience

Everything went like clockwork . Superb organisation, transfers, border crossings, our guide and driver were excellent making sure we got everywhere on time and with little fuss, but lots of husiasm. They were very knowledgeable, friendly, good cooks and always happy to help. Our accommodation was excellent ranging from luxury to basic camping. Elephant Eye was luxury on stilts with fantastic views over the watering hole, watching the elephants, etc, especially when you were having a shower! The Bedouin camp will remain close to my heart. Camping in the bush giving you that real sense of being at one with nature! The countries we visited, the wonderful friendly people and cultures we experienced was just amazing. This holiday was a little gem, although Vic Falls is highly commercialised,( but still dramatically beautiful) The rest of the trip is off the tourist trail! Would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to spend there time watching wildlife. Great company, always happy to help, listen to what your needs are and deliver an itinerary that is perfect. Would highly recommend Wildlife Trails to anyone wanting a holiday full of wildlife and adventure!

ByLesley