Okavango Delta -
typical Non Rider itinerary !
Activities include: Walking, Boating, Fishing, Game/Night Drives &
Mokoros
Day One: On arrival in Maun you will be met at the airport by a member of our team and then transferred from Maun to Macatoo camp by small plane (either a Cessna 206 or 208), giving you a birds eye view of the Okavango Delta. Macatoo camp, that overlooks a seasonal flood plain lagoon, is a short game drive or (depending on the time of year) an exciting boat ride from the airstrip. After a quick look around camp and lunch under the trees, there is usually time for a siesta before tea, and the evening game drive. You return to camp for a hot shower and candle-lit safari supper.
Day Two: Wake up with a cup of tea or coffee in bed, followed by a light breakfast with homemade toast and muesli, then set off to explore your surroundings. Depending on the season this may be either by boat or game drive vehicle. Travel through narrow channels flanked by tall grasses where the kingfishers and African Fish Eagles find perches to fish from. You might encounter giraffe or shyer antelope such as reedbuck while moving through these areas. The deep, lily-studded lagoons, offer excellent fishing so use the opportunity to cast your lines for bream and catfish. Back to camp for another brilliant open air lunch with the guides, if you're lucky it might be our famous chicken pie, and there's usually some wine to encourage a little nap before tea. Afternoon activities are leisurely and include mokoro trips (the dug out canoes used by the local fishermen of the Delta) that enables you to travel over the flooded seas of grass. This is the ideal opportunity to ask questions and take photographs. Crocodile sightings are not infrequent, the bird-life is some of the best in the world and towards sunset there is often hippo interaction to enjoy. A sundowner gin and tonic can be enjoyed out in the bush before heading back to camp to freshen up. There's no guarantee that dinner is always eaten in the same place...
Day Three: Wake up as normal with freshly-brewed coffee or tea before setting off on foot to investigate the island - perhaps to find lion on a kill or a pack of wild dog returning from a night’s hunting. While using the seas of tall grass or cathedral-like termite mounds for cover follow giraffe, zebra, antelope, elephant, buffalo or whatever's out there. The riders and non-riders can meet up for a delicious champagne breakfast under one of the large baobab trees. After lunch take the opportunity to relax and either swim in the pool or sort out your digital photos. Homemade tea and cake is followed by an evening drive to our bridge and cast for bream and catfish while elephants often gather on the edges of the riverbanks. As dusk closes in we return to camp to have drinks around the fire and catch up on everyone’s adventures of the day.
Day Four: Why not take the boat in a south-easterly direction taking you through different country, following the major channels which meander around palm and fig tree islands. Quietly moor the boat, with the hope of finding breeding herds of elephant with their intricate social structures between the boisterous youngsters who are always overlooked by the protective matriarch. If you’re lucky you might find them taking a dust-bath, rolling and spraying the dust, until they become almost ghostly with their white sand dusting. In the shade of the Big Baobabs unpack your refreshments while troops of baboons entertain you with their antics as they gather seeds and play in the trees. Return to the camp for an afternoon spent at leisure, or the possibility of hiring a helicopter for an hour to gain access to remote and otherwise totally inaccessible parts of the delta with spectacular photographic results. Finish off the day with a night drive by spotlight, where the resident clan of hyena are often spotted. Bushbabies leap from branch to branch through the terminalia and acacia trees – only seen by the brights of their eyes. If lucky, the spotlight will pick up the glint of a leopard’s sultry stare…
Day Five: This morning we venture deeper into the heart of the delta, without returning to Macatoo. On reaching the Kwene river system we find our fly camp looking out over a waterhole favoured by elephant. Here we stay for the night. The afternoon may be spent swimming or walking. Fires are lit at night, creating a strong human presence to keep animals at bay. Night watches are fun and guests usually join in. To camp out so freely in the Okavango bush like this is a wonderful experience and one that few people experience. Fly camp is basic but very beautiful as you can see from the photos and, of course, we do our best to provide excellent food, a comfy bed and hot water for the bucket showers!
Day Six: Having kept watch under the stars the next morning we drive back to camp – stopping en-route to capture antelope, zebra, giraffe and elephant on film as we see them splash through the water crossings we will ford by vehicle. Moving along the tracks, which skirt the open floodplains, offers the opportunity to view the semi-aquatic red lechwe as they thunder through the water meadows. Then head back to Macatoo for a hearty lunch with the option of a night drive, mokoro or boating trip for all.
Day Seven: For our last full day we take the boat to one of the deeper pools to see what we can catch for our final dinner. The journey takes us to a favourite haunt of elephant, buffalo and hippo, which wallow and thrash in the mud on the periphery of the pool – a spectacular display as you enjoy your picnic lunch. The evening offers a last opportunity to take a drive with memorable smells of wild sage and the warm African dust as the sun goes down on your chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Your farewell dinner will be a memorable one with another surprise location in store.
Day Eight: For your final drive, we will go along some of the high palm islands which offer great sweeping views of the Delta plains dotted with the now familiar outlines of the wildlife. We return to camp for lunch and perhaps a few tears as you say goodbye and we send you off on your next adventure.
Please note all scenarios are dependent on the season and levels of the Okavango
flood. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary in any way and leave this to
the discretion of the guides who aim to ensure that you enjoy the best possible
safari with us. Local weather conditions may also affect game movements.
-- Boating, fishing and Mokoros dependent on water levels