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Botswana and Zambia Wildlife Safari
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| Hippopotamus |
Companion Safaris: Extend your stay in Africa by continuing to Tanzania and then to Kenya with Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris.
Cost: $7400 including all meals from lunch on June 22 through breakfast on July 7 and lodging from June 22 to July 6. This safari includes staying in mobile camps.
Airfare: Approximately $2500 from the USA West Coast and $2200 from the East Coast, plus inland flights from Johannesburg to Maun, Botswana, return from Livingstone, Zambia.
Leader: Grant Reed, resident naturalist-guide and owner of Letaka Safaris in Botswana.
Size: 7, not including leaders.
Deposit: $500 ($150 non-refundable).
Conditions: A non-smoking safari.
Itinerary updated: November 2007
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June 21, Sunday International flights to Maun, Botswana
June 21 and possibly June 20 are travel days from your home airport to arrive in Maun, Botswana by the morning of June 22. We are happy to assist you with booking your flights and with any extra overnight lodging, such as in Johannesburg or in Maun that you might want to arrange. We will begin the safari in Maun by late morning on June 22.
Lodging: On your own if needed
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| Wild Dog |
June 22, Monday: Maun to Xakanaxa in Moremi Game Reserve, part of the Okavango Delta
The Air Botswana flight to Maun on Air Botswana arrives from Johannesburg in the late morning and Grant Reed will be there to meet you and drive the 140 km from Maun to Moremi Game Reserve. Throughout the safari we will be searching for wildlife, including Wild Dogs hunting their favorite prey and the big cats, Leopards and Lions. The dominant tree in the wooded areas, Mopane (pronounced Mo-pa-ni), grows in dense stands and provides a safe refuge for large, rare and timid antelopes, especially Greater Kudu. Every type of "mopane" habitat (compact woods or bush, not open grassland) is encountered on this drive, from the towering cathedral woodlands "Xakanaxa" to the classic climax mopane woodland and in the drier and harsher habitats, extensive stretches of scrub mopane. The San-ta-Wani region has scattered ephemeral water pans with large floodplains and camel-thorn woodlands.
The last 40 km to our campsite is in the Moremi Game Reserve, where we can expect to see big ruminants. Some of the less common ruminants, such as Tsesebe (also known as Topi in East Africa), Blue Wildebeest, Greater Kudu, Common Duiker and Botswana's smallest antelope, the Steenbuck, do very well in Moremi. Of course, we'll be looking for Lion and Wild Dog (Painted Wolves) today. It will be a good day for raptors with African Hawk-Eagle, Gabar Goshawk, Shikra, Little Sparrowhawk, Dark Chanting Goshawk and Tawny Eagle all inhabiting the mopane and adjacent woodlands. Most of Botswana's hornbills including Red-billed, Southern Yellow-billed, African Grey, Bradfield's and Southern Ground Hornbill are all possible in one day at Moremi, as well as a large number of brood-parasites, including cuckoos, Shaft-tailed, Pin-tailed & Eastern Paradise whydah, and Greater and Lesser honeyguide.
About Camping: The tents in our "semi-luxury" camp are large with en-suite toilets. The food is excellent with 3 course dinners prepared by a professional safari chef. We'll be camping in HATAB (Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana) sites. There are no fixed buildings or facilities at these sites and the entire camp is erected and removed by our supply team. Everything is brought in and when we leave a site, there is no trace that we were ever there, once the wind has dusted our tracks. The tents are 9x15 feet (3x5 m) with high roof and a 9 foot covered area in front of the tent. Camp beds are made up with mattresses, sheets, duvets and pillows. The rear door of the tent opens to a private en-suite loo. There's a tall wash basin and a mirror outside each tent. This is filled with fresh warm water first thing in the morning and again on every arrival in camp. There is a dining tent, but with the normally excellent weather and skies at this season, often the table is set beneath the stars. Showers are separate to the tents and are in the form of bucket showers hung from a tree with a canvas screen around the shower. Hot showers can be requested and the water is heated in a bucket on the fire. There is no electricity in the tents. Each tent is outfitted with an oil lantern. You should bring a good flashlight and headlamp, with spare batteries to use at night. Camera and other gear can be charged in the vehicles when they are running. The vehicles have sockets on each row of seats that are connected to the vehicle battery through an inverter that provides 220 volts. You will need an Old British 3-pin plug adapter, M Plug, 15 A/250 V earthed (this is also called the "Type M" large 15 Amp South African plug), to plug into these outlets.
In Botswana on safari you're out early for the best morning action and beautiful light, then a delicious lunch followed by a break and possible walk in the camp vicinity. Botswana is built on sand and its soil is the result of thousands of years of termites at work turning wood into soil. On walks it is very interesting to see all the tracks left in the sand by many species. We'll have both an afternoon game drive to be in the field for the best afternoon light, as well as the magic hour of dusk to dark when the nocturnal animals become active.
Camping: Xakanaxa site in the Moremi Game Reserve for three nights
June 23 - 24, Tuesday - Wednesday: Xakanaxa in the Okavango Delta at Moremi
Set-aside in 1963 by the Batawana tribe, Moremi is one of Africa's most beautiful wildlife sanctuaries. Moremi lies on the eastern extremity of the Okavango Delta. Habitats here range from wide-open floodplains, marshes, ox-bow lakes, riverine forest, lagoons, papyrus fringed channels, vast reed-beds of Miscanthus and Phragmites, woodland and lots of savannah. The variety of habitats of the Okavango makes it a truly wonderful area and all the major habitats and ecotones of the Okavango are preserved here. As a result of the extremely variable habitat, the diversity of both mammals and birds is excellent. Moremi is among the best game reserves in Africa for viewing the endangered African Wild Dog, especially around Xakanaxa, which is also home to a resident herd of several hundred Cape Buffalo. Their range covers the territories of at least 4 prides of Lion, which may often be seen flanking the ever moving herd. Breeding herds of African Elephant move between their browsing areas in the mopane forests and the fresh water of the Okavango. Red Lechwe is one of the more unusual antelope species and commonly found here, while the rare Sitatunga, an amazing aquatic antelope, may be spotted from a motor boat along the water-ways, where we plan to travel one morning at dawn.
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| Saddle-billed Stork |
The birding is tops for aquatic birds and raptors along the waterways. The swampy areas of Xakanaxa are home to African Rail, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Red-chested Flufftail, African Crake, Black Crake, Chirping and Luapula cisticolas, Purple Swamphen, and Allen's Gallinule to name a few of the rare ones. The open waters attract African Skimmer, Saddle-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Stork, Intermediate Egret, Goliath Heron, African Fish Eagle, as well as the globally threatened Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane. While we are in the Delta, Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret, and other rare birds will be challenges to find. Both Kurrichane Thrush and Heuglin's Robin will keep us entertained with their beautiful songs.
Botswana is a land of sand, which would be desert here, except that the water from the highlands of Angola flowing into the Delta turns it into a wetland paradise located within the arid Kalahari sands. It rests between shallow fault lines at the end of the Great African Rift Valley. Deserts are low on rainfall, as is Botswana. However, each year floodwater flows into the Okavango from its source in the moist central African highlands over 1000 km away. These floodwaters flow from their cachement southwards and into the Kalahari Desert to create a unique wetland that supports and sustains a huge diversity of wildlife. The Okavango is spread throughout an area of some 16000 square km. At full flood the Delta is an area of lily covered lagoons and narrow channels hemmed in by papyrus reeds. The best time to visit this beautiful area is anytime from May to October when the Okavango River floods the Delta. The edges of the Delta are the best for game viewing, where mammals congregate on the patches of high ground. Since roads in Botswana are built on sand, some can be very dusty, but on game drives we'll go very slowly.
Camping: Xakanaxa site in the Moremi Game Reserve
June 25, Thursday: Xakanaxa to Khwai
The Khwai area is the North Gate region of Moremi into the heart of the Okavango. The well water in Moremi is extremely pure coming from plentiful springs of the Delta. We'll travel the 60 km to the Manuchira Channel, also known as the Khwai River at its eastern most extremity. The day's journey follows this water course with the track weaving from the riverside and floodplains into the mopane veld and the woodlands that make Khwai one of the most scenic areas of the Okavango. We pass the magnificent Dombo Hippo Pools in the morning, stopping to enjoy the scenery and the antics of the resident Hippo. The western mopane veld is home to mostly breeding herds of elephant, while the eastern reaches of Khwai is home to some impressive old bulls. The mature bulls revel in the cool waters of the Khwai and are far more approachable while drinking and bathing than the breeding herds. The river has an unusually high density of hippo, as well as some huge crocodiles. We hope to encounter all four species of cats, Leopard, Cheetah, Serval and Lion, along this route. Both Xakanaxa and Khwai are included in the home ranges of two different packs of Wild Dog. Outstanding ruminants include a beautiful race of giraffe, the Southern Giraffe, also Burchell's Zebra, Tessebe and Red Lechwe with Roan and Sable antelope being less common residents. In the mopane woodlands African Hawk-Eagle, Gabar Goshawk, Little Sparrowhawk, African Harrier Hawk and Shikra are common raptors. Mixed bird parties move through the canopy and include Red-headed Weaver, Stierling's Wren-Warbler, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Neddicky, Yellow-breasted Apalis, and Chin-spot Batis to name but a few. The green edges of the swamp form breeding grounds for the Rosy-throated Longclaw and Long-legged Bustard.
Camping: Khwai site in the Moremi Game Reserve for two nights
June 26, Friday: Khwai
Wild Dogs are becoming very rare and both Moremi and Chobe are reserves where we have a reasonable chance of observing this highly social predator with two packs residing near the Khwai River area and Xakanaxa. Khwai boasts excellent populations of both bull elephant and breeding herds (matriarch groups). Lion, Leopard, Serval and African Wildcat are well-known predators of the region with Cheetah being much less common. The swampy areas in the west are home to Red Lechwe. Other ungulates include Tsesebe, Blue Wildebeest, Greater Kudu, Sable, Roan and Impala. Spotted Hyena, Chacma Baboon and Vervet Monkeys should also be spotted in Moremi. We'll take early morning game drives, which should bring us close to the semi-aquatic Red Lechwe grazing on the floodplains.
We'll be in a great eco-tone area between contrasting habitats, the dry-land leadwood and camel thorn woodlands and savannahs and the riverside and marshy back-waters of the Khwai River. It's truly one of Botswana birding meccas. Marula trees, a species of fig which produces the delicious liquor, and giant wild ebony trees shelter outstanding birdlife in the Delta. The entire length of the river is hunting domain for the Bat-Hawk. Other interesting raptors here are Cuckoo Hawk (rare), Long-crested Eagle and Black Sparrowhawk, more commonly Tawny Eagle, Martial Eagle, Bateleur and African Hawk-Eagle. The waterways host Africa Rail, Greater Painted Snipe, Lesser Jacana and Lesser Moorhen. Away from the waterways we will encounter new species of birds, such as a number of hornbills, bee-eaters, rollers, starlings and others.
Camping: Khwai site in the Moremi Game Reserve
June 27, Saturday: Khwai to Savuti
The drive from Khwai in Moremi Wildlife Reserve in the eastern sector of the Okavango Delta to Savuti will take all day, as it is excellent game driving the whole way and we will make a lot of stops for viewing and photography and for a great picnic lunch. It is 100 km, a fascinating day's drive looking at some of the evidence of Paleo-Lake Makgadi-kgadi that dried up some ten thousand years ago. The most challenging part of the trip is crossing the Magwikwe Sandridge that formed the shoreline for this massive inland sea. The winding track through this deep sand makes for interesting travel. The old lake bed is now the Mababe Depression. The dense clay floor of the depression results in high protein feed for wildlife after the rains. During the rainy season the depression is impassable due to the "cotton soil" and alternative routes must be used. It's a day when anything could happen. The range of habitat that is covered encompasses most of the habitat types of northern Botswana. We pass through excellent Lion country and some of the best Cheetah country that our safari will cover. Elephant occur throughout the drive, but are more common at the start and end of the drive, where surface water can be found.
The Mababe Depression is a birder's paradise. The nutritious grasses that grow on the rich soils provide excellent seed for an impressive array of estrillids and viduids. Among these are the magnificently colored Violet-eared Waxbill, Black-cheeked Waxbill, Village Indigobird, Shaft-tailed Wydah and Paradise Wydah. These in turn provide a good food source for small raptors such as the Little Sparrowhawk, Shikra, Gabar Goshawk, Red-necked Falcon and Lanner Falcon. Not only the small birds feed on the grass seeds, but rodents too. There are annual outbreaks of huge numbers of rats and mice. As a result, huge numbers of Secretary Bird, Tawny Eagle, Black-shouldered Kite, and Wahlberg's Eagle can be found.
Camping: Savuti for two nights
June 28, Sunday: Savuti in the southern reaches of Chobe National Park
Unlike the vast majority of Botswana, the Savuti area is not a flat landscape. Large outcrops of volcanic rock reach up out of the Kalahari sands, towering over the endless savannah. These hills provide habitat for a completely different array of small wildlife, birds and plants. The Savuti Marsh has been the stage for many of the most dramatic wildlife documentaries in Africa. The wide open country, good ungulate populations and particularly strong prides of Lion and Spotted Hyaena clans make for dramatic wildlife interaction. The now dry Savuti Channel runs through this landscape linking the dry sandveld, the waterholes, the hills and the grassland that was the marsh. The lion/elephant interactions are a very interesting aspect of Savuti. A huge pride of Lions (around 25) has learned over the years how to hunt these massive pachyderms that are supposedly above predation. Launching their attack under darkness and using their numbers, they manage to kill adolescent and even young adults. The marsh is prime Cheetah country.
The surface water that is pumped up by the government here provides a major attraction for birdlife. In the dry season thousands of dove and sandgrouse come down to drink in the mornings and are under constant surveillance by Tawny Eagle and African Hawk-Eagle. Red-crested Korhaan are common in the Kalahari Apple-leaf Phylenoptera nelsii veld type that occurs here. The marsh is the home for good numbers of both Chestnut-backed and Grey-backed sparrowlarks, Northern Black Korhaan, Rufous-naped Lark, African Pipit and Desert Cisticola. Dickenson's Kestrel and Red-necked Falcon are found along the perimeter of the marsh.
Camping: Savuti
June 29, Monday: Savuti to the Chobe River
This is a long travel day of 170 km, over five hours of driving through the stunted mopane scrub of the Goha clay basin, across the sand-ridge and through the wonderful Zambezi teak woodlands of the Chobe Forest Reserve and along the Chobe River itself and the Chobe floodplain, which is tens of kilometers wide. While there are community areas that we pass through that are settled by local tribes, most of the day's drive passes through wild country, where wildlife moves uninhibited by fences or man. Roan and Sable thrive in the teak woodlands. The low density of predators and lack of competition for food by other ungulates make this prime habitat for these large antelopes. Leopards occur in low numbers, but are highly secretive and seldom seen. The Goha region has natural waterholes that hold water well into the dry season and herds of Cape Buffalo, Burchell's Zebra, Greater Kudu and African Elephant come down to drink.
The most unusual species of birds on this drive are to be found in the teak Baikea plurijuga woodlands. This broad-leafed woodland, or miombo, as it is locally known, provides good pickings for insectivorous birds that favor canopy habitat. Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Ashy Flycatcher, Paradise Flycatcher, Pallid Flycatcher, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Yellow-throated Petronia, Red-headed Weaver and Violet-backed Starling are only some of the species that move around in the "bird parties" in the canopy. Dickenson's Kestrel, Red-necked Falcon and Lizard Buzzard are some of the raptors to keep an eye out for, while the diminutive White-faced Owl can often be seen roosting in the roadside vegetation. Flappet Lark, Fawn-coloured Lark and Neddicky are some of the little brown birds that we might encounter around camp.
Camping: Chobe for two nights
June 30, Tuesday: Chobe National Park to the north
The wildlife along the Chobe River at the northern end of the park has more riverine forest to provide different wildlife habitats. It is a good contrast to the other end of the national park. The beautiful Chobe River gives the park its name and flows in an easterly direction to join the Zambezi en route to the Indian Ocean. Chobe is the heart of elephant country and everyday in this season by late afternoon there are huge herds in and around the Chobe River. Chobe has beautiful scenery and magnificent sunsets, as well as lots of mammals and birds. African Buffalo are often in breeding herds here with young. All of the larger mammals are present here, as well as the Chobe race of the Bushbuck and the very rare Puku. This antelope, active around sunrise and sunset, has a very limited range and can be seen grazing on the floodplains. Sable and Greater Kudu are resident in the mopane woodlands, but well camouflaged, a contrast to the open savannas of East Africa. Lion and Leopard are also good possibilities.
The Chobe River is presided over by an impressive sand-ridge. Along this sand-ridge broad-leafed woodland (miombo) is the dominant vegetation. As you move into the valley, the impact of the high elephant population is felt with the paucity of large trees that typically line the rivers of sub-tropical Africa. Instead there are the dense tangled masses of knobbly combretum, Combretum mosambicesne and wooly caper bush, Caparis, that appear impervious to the constant onslaught of browsers. The river itself is broad and meandering. Much of Chobe's wildlife come to drink in the latter half of the morning and early afternoon when the heat excites their thirst. This is one of the best places to see Roan and Sable antelope. Breeding herds of elephant appear around every corner and the massive herds of buffalo are constantly flanked by the ever-hungry Lions. This is one of the highest Lion densities of any national park or reserve in southern Africa.
Approximately 300 species of birds have been recorded, including Black, Coppery-tailed, Senegal and White-browed coucals and several kingfishers. The striking Crimson-breasted Shrike often gives itself away by its metallic call. Bat-Hawk, Cuckoo Hawk and Ovambo Sparrowhawk are some of the more interesting raptors. African Rail, Luapula Cisticola, Quail Finch and Rosy-throated Longclaw are found on the edges of the floodplain. Large flocks of Great White Pelican investigate the drying pools, and large flocks of the nomadic Red-winged and Black-winged pratincoles, numbering in the thousands, can be found on the drying floodplains. The woodlands support Racket-tailed Roller, Stierling's Wren-Warbler and Miombo Rock-Thrush.
Camping: Chobe
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| Victoria Falls at Sunset |
July 1, Wednesday: Chobe National Park to Livingstone in Zambia
After our final bush breakfast with our mobile camp staff, we drive 140 km to Livingstone to take in one of nature's most awesome spectacles, the legendary Victoria Falls. There is a lot of great birding around this area, as we enter a true riverine habitat for the first time. We'll bid our wonderful camp staff farewell as they head back to Maun. Our journey along the southern border of Zambia is a beautiful one. Miombo woodland on high, rolling dunes makes up the scenery for the majority of the drive. The woodlands are comprised of Zambezi teak, Baikea and Brachystegia. The Zambezi comes into view as we cross the crests of the higher dunes. The crossing of the Zambezi at the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers by ferry is one of the highlights of the day, despite the frequent delays one can expect while waiting for the ferry. We may see crocodile or hippo and along the Kazangula/ Livingstone road there is always the chance of more elephant sightings.
Most of the areas we pass through are settled to some extent by rural people and as a result much of the wildlife is shy or has been eradicated. Our chances for wildlife viewing are much better at the Mosi-a-Tunya Park in Livingstone or in the Chobe National Park of Botswana. The best birding habitat that we pass today requires a slight detour to the fabulous riverine forest bordering the Zambezi. Here we have a good chance of seeing species, such as Narina Trogon, Schalow's Turaco, Western Banded Snake-Eagle, African Goshawk, Red-faced Crombec, Tropical Boubou and on the river itself, the African Finfoot, Thick-billed Weaver and Rock Pratincole. Along the road-side there is always the chance of spotting Racket-tailed Roller, Lizard Buzzard and Cuckoo-Hawk. The miombo woodland holds a few specials from a southern Africa perspective, such as the Miombo Pied Barbet that has never been seen on the south side of the Zambezi. Our accommodation at Taita Falcon Lodge for two nights is in reed chalets in a most dramatic setting, perched 300 feet above the Batoka Gorge.
Lodging: Taita Falcon Lodge for two nights
July 2, Thursday: The Livingstone Area
Here the landscape is dominated by broad-leafed (miombo) woodland, dry savannah, riparian forest, massive gorges and cliff faces and both broad meandering river (above the Victoria Falls), as well as a raging torrent with massive grade 5 and 6 rapids (below the Falls). Around Victoria Falls itself is a more tropical rain forest, maintained by the mist-spray generated from the mighty Victoria Falls. This is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and deservedly so. Over a mile across, it is the widest curtain of water anywhere and with a spectacular drop of 110 meters, the sight of the falls is something to behold. We'll take a boat cruise by the Mosi-O-Tunya National Park, the last refuge for White Rhinoceros in Zambia, also elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and the more common antelope, all of which may be seen from the boat with a little luck.
On the upper Zambezi we hope to find the Rock Pratincole, African Finfoot, Half-Collared Kingfisher, White-crowned Lapwing, African Skimmer and African Fish Eagle. Around the Victoria Falls we will be looking for the Schalow's Turaco, Trumpeter Hornbill, Collared Sunbird, Yellow-bellied Greenbul among others. The riparian habitat upstream from the falls is where we are likely to encounter the Narina Trogon, Western-banded Snake Eagle, African Goshawk, Miombo Pied Barbet, Black Cuckooshrike, Orange-breasted Bush Shrike and a host of other great riparian forest species. From Taita Falcon Lodge it is a short trip to the Songwe Village. This is a typical rural African village and offers an insight into the life of the Zambian people. An excursion to the village can be arranged for those interested. The village also runs a small curio market where gifts can be purchased.
Lodging: Taita Falcon Lodge
July 3, Friday:Livingstone to the Nanzilah Plains in the South Kafue, Zambia
The 260 km drive is a scenic one with a combination of broad-leafed (miombo) woodland, mopane forest/woodland, savannah and the open plains for which Nanzhila Plains were named. The condition of the track depends greatly on the time of year and the intensity of the rains in the previous wet season. Today we should encounter some of the plains game, perhaps some Cape Buffalo in the mopane areas and if we are lucky a few elephant. The bird to look for today is the Black-cheeked Lovebird, a near endemic to Zambia, with a tiny distribution that includes the southern regions of South Kafue. Nanzhila Plains Tented Camp is wonderful, small and intimate and we will reserve the entire camp. It is the best camp in the southern end of Kafue, a great place for being out in the field, including excellent night drives.
Camping: Nanzhila Plains Tented Camp for three nights
July 4 - 5, Saturday - Sunday: Nanzhila
It is the variety of habitat that makes Kafue one of the most diverse parks in Africa from a large mammal aspect. The riparian habitat along the river is lush and dense, while the floodplains are seemingly endless stretches of open grassland. The fringes of these plains are more typical savannah and large woodlands are present in a patchy mosaic amongst the other habitats. The Nanzhila Plains is a hot-spot for antelope with the highlight species being Roan and Sable antelope, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest and the massive Eland. The Defassa's Waterbuck occurs here and lacks the characteristic white ring on the rump of the Common Waterbuck. The rare and seldom seen Yellow-backed Duiker occurs in the Ngoma forests. Such diversity of game species naturally attracts an array of predators and this area is the best place in Kafue to see Wild Dog and also has good populations of Cheetah, Lion and Leopard. The Pel's Fishing Owl, one of Africa's most sought after birds, roosts in the large jackal-berry trees (Diospyros mespiliformis) along the river. In the fig-tree forests we will keep a keen eye and ear out for Zambia's only endemic bird, the Chaplain's Barbet. Other species of interest are the Denham's Bustard, Madagascar Bee-eater and Bohm Bee-eater.
Camping: Nanzhila Plains Tented Camp
July 6 - 8, Monday - Wednesday: Nanzhila to Livingstone, then home or continue on safari
Today drive back through Dumdumwese Gate and return to the riverside town of Livingstone for overnight near the Livingstone Airport at the Zambezi Sun Lodge and transfer to the airport on Tuesday, July 7 for a flight to Johannesburg and connecting flights homeward for arrival on Wednesday, July 8. Or, extend your stay in Africa! Fly to Tanzania to join our Tanzania Safari that begins in Arusha, Tanzania on July 8, and then afterwards continue on our Kenya Safari on July 21.
Lodging: Zambezi Sun Lodge on July 6
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| Waterbuck |
Guide and driver: Grant Reed, Director of Letaka Safaris, is the author of "Okavango - Spirit of Life" and narrator of "From Dust to Dust - the Story of Lake Ngami". In addition to his 15 years of guiding experience in five African countries, he also holds a post-graduate degree in Nature Conservation and is currently working on his PhD. Grant holds the highest level of guiding qualification in southern Africa (Field Guide Association of Southern Africa SKS (DA)). Grant is the owner of Letaka Safaris in Botswana and the Okavango Guiding School and does extensive guide training for all members of the tourism industry. Grant lectures both in Botswana as well as abroad, primarily on Birds and Ecology of Botswana.
Reservations: Please contact us to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, fill out our reservation form, and mail it to us with your deposit:
Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070
Toll Free: (800) 527-5330
Local: (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
Email: info@cheesemans.com
Payments and Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide with trip essentials, reading list, species lists, and maps. Deposits are refundable before the final payment date, except for $150. The $150 may go toward another tour if a reservation is made within six months of the departure date of this trip. There are no refunds given after the final payment date. Trip cancellation insurance applications are available. Trip options, if any, and singles are extra.
| Cost | |
| Trip cost | $7400 |
| Payment Schedule | |
| Deposit - to reserve your space | $500 |
| August 1, 2008 - second payment | $1000 |
| March 15, 2009 - final payment | remaining balance |
Included: Meals from lunch on June 22 through breakfast on July 7 and accomodations from June 22 to July 6. All specified activities, leader, transport, park entry fees, drinks while in our private mobile camps, and airport transfers on June 22 and July 7.
Not Included: Travel Insurance, all flights, items of personal nature, toiletries, staff gratuities, any drinks at accommodations other than at our mobile tented camps.
Travel Insurance: Unless you specifically decline travel insurance, Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris requires, at a minimum, insurance to cover emergency medical care and evacuation for the duration of the tour. We have had good experience with Access America. Visit their website for complete details and we will also send you their brochure with your trip materials. You can purchase a policy via their website, phone or by mail. Whatever insurance you purchase, be sure to review the terms of all available policies carefully in order to buy the policy that you need.
Climate: Temperatures vary at this season from cold to very comfortable. It will be very cool in the early morning and in the evening. It's the "dry" season, but rain could be encountered, although very unlikely. Bring a warm jacket that is rain and wind resistant. Insects are not normally a problem at this season.
Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online request form or send us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!
Reading and Field Guides: Some favorites are Craig Packer's Into Africa, describing his lion research in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and Cynthia Moss' Elephant Memories and Portraits in the Wild. We recommend that you consider buying a book on mammals of East Africa and a field guide to the birds. Jonathan Kingdon’s Field Guide to the Mammals is the most complete and up to date guide, and now is published in a pocket sized edition. Excellent East Africa bird books, one by Terry Stevenson and the other by Zimmerman and Turner, are available. With receipt of your reservation and deposit we will send a reading list, travel guide, and much more info.
Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs, exchange rates and fuel prices and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.
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