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Botswana's Timeless Wilderness

Destination
South Africa: Johannesburg.
Botswana: Okavango Delta, Gomoti Plains, Moremi Zambia: Victoria Falls
Duration
12 Days
Door-to-door
Price
Starting from
$19,700

​Big Game, Splendid Isolation

If we had to pick the most miraculous African place of all, it might well be the Okavango Delta, where the 1,000-milelong Okavango River gives up on its search for an outlet to the sea and seeps lifegivingly into the sands of one of the world’s most uncompromising deserts, creating a vast and mesmerizing oasis. As Frans Lanting wrote in his elegiac book Okavango: Africa’s Last Eden, “The [Delta’s] very existence in the middle of the Kalahari Desert is nothing short of miraculous . . . like a dream.”

Botswana’s wilderness is expansive and—to our scurrying senses—timeless, and the Okavango isn’t its only dreamy place. Our under-two-week safari takes us to three others, right up near the top of African marvels: the lush and pacific Gomoti Plains Camp, the exemplary Moremi Game Reserve, quite close to another phenomenon of miraculous rarity, Victoria Falls.

Botswana Timeless Map

The word wonderful does not fit into science, for from one point of view every natural occurrence is as wonderful as another. But we are justified in using the term when we meet a phenomenon which is such an exception to the ordinary rules of nature that it appears to be a miracle.Eugene N. MariasThe Soul of the Ape

Highlights

  • Wending the animal-rich waterways and plains of the world-unique Okavango Delta by motorcraft, comfy dugout canoes, and well-provisioned 4-Wheel drive vehicles.
  • Private, festive welcoming dinner with Felix and Jane Pinto’s dear Johannesburg friends.
  • Expertly guided nature walks and interactive discovery sessions geared toward the Okavango’s marvelously adapted wildlife, its fascinating ecology, and sheer wilderness wonder.
  • Beginning-to-trip’s-end services of expert guides and facilitators and our ceaselessly alert Concierge Service.

Itinerary

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Day 1 En route

We begin our adventure as we wing to South Africa.

Day 2 Serene Sandhurst, Johannesburg’s lovely suburb

After arriving at O. R. Tambo International, we’ll be escorted to the Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg’s tree-lined suburb of Sandhurst. This luxury hotel has much to be proud of but says, touchingly, that its greatest “boast” is that the late Nelson Mandela chose the Saxon as his sanctuary at which to complete his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. Tonight, we’ll also enjoy dinner at the home of Micato family friends.

Days 3 & 4 Camp Okavango, an island retreat

Our base in the miraculous Delta is beautifully shaded Camp Okavango, tucked away in serene isolation on lush Nxaragha Island. Intimate, recently and lovingly rebuilt, the camp has many charms: unflashy luxury, great dining, and extraordinarily well-designed tents—including a two-bedroom family tent—each raised on a platform with a private deck overlooking the hippo-thronged Delta waters.

Camp Okavango is notable for its variety of game-viewing experiences, from canoeing and motorboating in the Delta’s waterways, to guided bush walks on neighbouring islands. All the classic African headliners are to be seen, sometimes unexpectedly. “One of the Okavango’s delights,” Frans Lanting writes, “is the sheer surprise of seeing an elephant emerge from underwater.”

Days 5 & 6 Gomoti Plains Camp, another Okavango gem

A quick flight takes us southeastward to Gomoti Plains Camp, where the river of that name, a thick tendril of Okavango lushness, is bounded by savannah giving way to desert, offering us another exceptionally varied look at intertwined ecosystems and the charismatic animals that call them home. Because of Gomoti’s untroubled remoteness, much wildlife filming and research has been done here, of lions, elephants, buffalo, and especially of the area’s large coterie of African wild dogs, sometimes called painted wolves.

Gomoti Plains Camp, set pacifically along the banks of the Gomoti River, accommodates us with tents set on raised wooden decks and decorated to mirror the water and land themes that define the exquisite and heart-liftingly rare Okavango.

Days 7 & 8 Classic Machaba Camp, on the Khwai River

Another short flight takes us north to the Khwai River and Machaba Camp, designed in classic 1950s safari style, so well suited to its surroundings that animals wander down to the river insouciantly, delighting us as we watch, sundowner in hand, from our tents. And, among Moremi’s myriad charms, it gives us the chance to see the huge African night sky that ever captivated Elspeth Huxley, a sky “bristling with innumerable stars, as close-packed as the quills on a porcupine.”

Days 9 & 10 Victoria Falls, one of Earth’s grandest extravaganzas

Victoria Falls draws nearly universal praise, so here we’ll repeat something a good friend of ours once said: “Victoria Falls is billed as one of the world’s greatest waterfalls, but, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the world’s greatest anythings.” In other good news, we’ll be staying at the grand, colonial-era Victoria Falls Hotel, within walking distance of the incredible cataract.

Days 11 & 12 Johannesburg and homeward flights

We fly from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg, and on to a day room in the InterContinental at Johannesburg’s airport, and connect with our inter national flight home, arriving on Day 12.

Camps & Lodges

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Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa

Johannesburg, South Africa
A garden oasis in the heart of bustling Johannesburg, The Saxon beguiles from the first glance.
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Camp Okavango

Okavango Delta, Botswana
A delightfully ‘other’ safari experience, this water-rich wilderness is a World Heritage escape of stunning wildlife and spirit-lifting surprises.
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Gomoti Plains Camp

Okavango Delta, Botswana
Well removed from the sublime Okavango’s more frequented byways, Gomoti Plains Camp is a small, intimate, and proudly traditional luxury camp adjacent to a game-rich private concession.
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Machaba Camp

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Award-winning is a much-bandied phrase, but we’re impressed that luxury camp Machaba has won a passel, including the 2016 Safari Award for Best New Safari Property.
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Victoria Falls Hotel

​Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
A classic colonial-era masterpiece, the Victoria Falls Hotel is within walking distance of the thrillingly gargantuan cataract, one of the planet’s grandest wonders.
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What's Included

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  • Luxury accommodations and all meals, including a private home dinner and cocktails in Johannesburg with Pinto family friends.
  • Every last gratuity, even substantial ones to Game Rangers, Trackers, waiters, porters… and everyone else, from beginning to end of your safari.
  • Highly-credentialed Game Rangers and Trackers during your journey.
  • A variety of activities, individualized for you at every safari location.
  • 24/7 Concierge Team poised to meet last minute, unexpected, and unusual requests.
  • Regional wine and beer at mealtimes, vehicles stocked with soft drinks and bottled water.
  • All airport transfers, game park, national park, and conservancy fees.
  • Sublime safari swag! Bush hats, specially designed Micato Safaris duffels, luggage tags, document wallets, flashlights, and more…
  • For every guest on safari, Micato sends an African child to school.
  • Daily valet laundry service. You can pack less and even return home with a bag of clean clothes… now that’s luxury!
  • Free Wi-Fi wherever it exists on safari, including camps and lodges.

Dates & Rates

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2023 Dates

To and from Home | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Jan. 07 – Jan. 18 May 13 – May 13 Jul. 15 – Jul. 26 Sept. 16 – Sept. 27
Jan. 21 – Feb. 01 May 20 – May 31 Jul. 22 – Aug. 02 Sept. 30 – Oct. 11
Feb. 11 – Feb. 22 May 27 – June 07 Jul. 22 – Aug. 02 Oct. 14 – Oct. 25
Feb. 25 – Mar. 08 June 03 – June 14 Jul. 29 – Aug. 09 Oct. 28 – Nov. 08
Mar. 18 – Mar. 29 June 10 – June 21 Aug. 05 – Aug. 16 Nov. 11 – Nov. 22
Apr. 01 – Apr. 12 June 17 – June 28 Aug. 12 – Aug. 23 Nov. 25 – Dec.06
Apr. 15 – Apr. 26 June 24 – July 05 Aug. 19 – Aug. 30 Dec. 23 – Jan. 03
Apr. 29 – May 10 Jul. 01 – Jul. 12 Aug. 26 – Sept. 06 Dec. 30 – Jan. 10
May 06 – May 17 Jul. 08 – Jul. 19 Sept. 02 – Sept. 13

2024 Dates

To and from Home | Every date is a guaranteed departure

Jan. 06 – Jan. 17 May 11 – May 22 Jul. 13 – Jul. 24 Sept. 28 – Oct. 09
Jan. 20 – Jan. 31 May 18 – May 29 Jul. 20 – Jul. 31 Oct. 12 – Oct. 23
Feb. 10 – Feb. 21 May 25 – June 05 Jul. 27 – Aug. 07 Oct. 26 – Nov. 06
Feb. 24 – Mar. 06 June 01 – June 12 Aug. 03 – Aug. 14 Nov. 09 – Nov. 20
Mar. 16 – Mar. 27 June 08 – June 19 Aug. 10 – Aug. 21 Nov. 23 – Dec. 04
Mar. 30 – Apr. 10 June 15 – June 26 Aug. 17 – Aug. 28 Dec. 21 – Jan. 01
Apr. 13 – Apr. 24 June 22 – Jul. 03 Aug. 24 – Sept. 04 Dec. 28 – Jan. 08
Apr. 27 – May 08 June 29 – Jul. 10 Aug. 31 – Sept. 11
May 04 – May 15 Jul. 06 – Jul. 17 Sept. 14 – Sept. 25

Price Per Person

Land Arrangements, Per Person (2023)

April – May June – Oct. Nov. – Mar.
Double Occupancy $17,950 $20,950 $16,950
Single Supplement $3,450 $4,350 $2,950
Internal Flights $2,750 $2,750 $2,750

Ask us about a private vehicle for your Classic Safari.

Options & Extensions

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