Project Description

Why choose this safari?
• Float through the Okavango Delta in traditional Makoros
• The small and the big game
• Track game on foot in the most beautiful national parks
• Enjoy the majestic Savuti and its Marsh – an oasis in the desert
• Canoeing on the Zambezi

Search for that ancient call deep within and let’s travel back to the roots of mankind. This is a safari which lets you meet wildlife eye to eye from a complete different angle than the average safari: on foot and from the water – and suddenly one feels so small but fully within. If you would like to explore the pure nature in different ways and want to do something off the track, this is the right safari for you. Along the most beautiful spots of Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Itinerary at a Glance
Day 1 − Day 2
Oddballs Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Bush walks, Makoro excursions, overnight camping trails by Makoro, full day picnics

Day 2 − Day 5
Oddballs Makoro Trail, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Makoro Trail, bush walks

Day 5 – Day 7
Camp Savuti, Savuti, Botswana
Game drives, birding

Day 7 − Day 10
Zambezi Sands Camp, Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe
Game drives, game walks, sunset cruise, canoeing, fishing, island picnic, village and school visit

Day 10
Road transfer to Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe

Day to Day Experience
Day 1 − Day 2 | Oddballs Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
From your international flight you will take a connection to Botswana – either Maun or Kasane. Here a representative will take you to your charter flight, a 20 minute scenic trip towards the eastern part of Botswana – the famous Okavango Delta. As the delta comes into view beneath, it allows an appreciation of the extraordinary beauty and unusual topography of this rare wilderness where you are to spend the next 4 nights in the Oddballs Camp and on the Makoro Trail.
Oddballs is situated on the edge of Chief’s Island, deep in the heart of the Okavango, bordering the Moremi Game Reserve. On arrival, you are met at the airstrip by your personal guide and welcomed to the island. He remains your guide for the duration of your stay.
Accommodation is in dome tents, fully equipped, and set on elevated wooden decks shaded by reed shelters. Each tent has its own, semi-detached bathroom with hot and cold running water and an al fresco bucket shower – in true safari style.
Oddballs offers no motorized activities, with the emphasis on a quiet, slow, and intensely personal experience of the African bush. Activities are conducted by your own professional guide (a maximum of two guests per guide), a man of the swamp, born and bred in the area. Each guide has his own Makoro, in which he’ll take you gliding through the Okavango to nearby islands, where he’ll walk you through magnificent scenery to view game, birds, insects, medicinal plants, tracks, signs, droppings, and other fascinating natural phenomena.
Being a small, remote and personal camp, the guides and staff will be there for you every step of the way and will provide a special, individual feeling of comfort and belonging.

Day 2 − Day 5 | Oddballs Makoro Trail, Okavango Delta, Botswana
After spending at least one night at Oddballs, acclimatizing, you will set off for the following 3 nights into the Okavango in a dug-out canoe with your camping equipment and guide. Oddballs Makoro Trail is one of the greatest wilderness adventure camping trails of the world.
Makoro is a traditional hand-hewn canoe that has allowed the locals to navigate these channels for millennia and your own personal African gondola is at your beck and call. Hop into the boat with an experienced boatman, a mine of knowledge on the waterways and the wildlife, as he punts you through the highways and byways of the delta. The aching silence of the African wilderness broken only by the gentle lapping of waves on the banks and the orchestra of wild sounds will enchant and allow you to approach closer to nature than you thought possible. Amazing game sightings and endless water are seductive and you will fall in love with the magic of the delta. A sundowner stop on a small, remote, nameless, unexplored island will bring a close to your unique adventure – pure Africa.
Early morning Makoro rides are particularly special. Spend those first hours of the day in the boat, seeing how the wildlife world awakes and watch the dawn sun revive the water. Stop on little islands for coffee and tea and short leg-stretching walks and stand on an ancient landscape where perhaps your footstep is among the first on earth. After lunch and a short siesta in the shade of the trees back at the camp, another gentle glide beckons until sunset. After dinner, relax around the campfire to the roars, snores and chortles of hippos who make their home in the waterways. Oddballs Makoro Trail makes it easy to leave the hectic world behind and dive into the wilderness.
Please be advised that the use of Makoro depends on a number of natural factors beyond our control. Consequently we may recommend guests that they stay in camp and do daily excursions, rather than camp out overnight.

Day 5 – Day 7 | Camp Savuti, Savuti, Botswana
After 4 nights at the Delta you will catch your small charter plane and fly to Savuti Airstrip. On arrival you will meet your personal driver who takes you on an about 30-40 minutes’ drive to the Savuti Camp, where you will spend the following 2 nights.
Camp Savuti is located in the heart of the Chobe National Park, on the Savuti Channel. It is a small, intimate camp of 5 Meru tents accommodating a maximum of 10 guests in comfort and style. The tents have been positioned to ensure privacy and a modest level of exclusivity throughout the camp. Each tent sits on a platform, with views over the Savuti Channel. The tents are large and spacious with en-suite facilities and views from your deck. In the guest areas, there is a comfortable and intimate lounge, bar and dining area, all overlooking the Savuti Channel.
The Savuti Marsh, fed by the Savuti Channel, has developed a reputation over the years as one of the world’s premier predator viewing areas, boasting one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the African continent. A number of award-winning documentary films shot in Savuti have cemented its reputation. The Channel, dry since 1982, started flowing again in 2010. It is now once again flooding the Marsh, an area of sweet grasses that attracts herbivores of every description and, this being Africa, their attendant predators. Savuti is famed for its large lion prides that are known for hunting elephant. Visitors also enjoy frequent sightings of the endangered African wild dog.
The activities on offer are morning and afternoon game drives through the park and along the fringes of the Channel and Marsh. The game viewing vehicles are open to facilitate game watching and photography, and your guide will delight in showing you the beauty and diversity of Savuti’s natural wonders. This area offers superb game and birding viewing in the open areas of Savuti within Chobe National Park.

Day 7 − Day 10 | Zambezi Sands Camp, Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe
After a breakfast at Camp Savuti, and a short game drive with your guide to Savuti Airstrip, catch your charter flight to Kasane Airport. There you will be met by a representative who escorts you to Kazungula Border to clear customs. From the border your driver will bring you to Victoria Falls, where your guide from Zambezi Sands Camp awaits you. Enjoy the landscape and wildlife of the Zambezi National Park on another 45 min drive to the camp.
Settle in and decide with your guide, which activities you want to do the next 3 nights. Zambezi Sands provides a wealth of opportunities for game drives and bush walks with experienced guides. The Zambezi River itself invites for exploration by inflatable canoe or motorised launch: stop for an island picnic along the river or go on a sunset cruise and enjoy your sundowner. Elephants can be found loitering on the mainland or in the river, while hippos, waterbucks and bushbucks frequent the reed banks and islands. Lions can be heard calling at night and the birdlife is prolific – African fin foot, African skimmer, pratincoles and Pel’s fishing owl all occur here.
However, relaxing in your private splash pool on your deck overlooking the Zambezi is also just as enjoyable. The camp has 8 Bedouin style luxury tents, all with en-suite bathroom, outdoor shower and toilet. The spacious rooms all have twin double beds, a lounge area, a stocked mini-bar and ceiling fans. The private deck with splash pool provides an amazing view, overlooks the Zambezi River. The main lodge is also built on raised platforms with a large viewing deck with a comfortable lounge and a dining area. In the evening a delicious dinner is served on the main areas deck and a fire is lit for the guests to enjoy some drinks while reflecting on the days happenings.

Day 10 | Road transfer to Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe
After breakfast and the last morning activity, you will be transferred back to Victoria Falls Airport by road transfer in time for your onward connecting flight.

What do I see and experience on this safari?
The Wild at Heart safari is an authentic and intense bush experience, allowing you to be close to the natural world in the most natural way, exploring Africa by Makoro and on foot.

Season
This safari is a seasonal experience as some camps are inaccessible during the summer season in Botswana which lasts from about April to late October – Please consult us to be informed which month the camps are actually closed, as this depends on the annual floods in the Okavango. The dry season is also winter time in Africa, offering cooler nights, but still pleasantly warm to occasionally hot days under the African sun. This safari will take you to stunning safari camps in some of the best locations in Southern Africa.
Please be advised that the use of Makoro depends on a number of natural factors beyond our control. Consequently we may recommend guests that they stay in camp and do daily excursions, rather than camp out overnight.

Wildlife & Nature
• Big herds of elephant and buffalo
• Giraffe, endangered African wild dog, lion, leopard
• The channels of the Okavango Delta in a Makoro
• Ever mutating landscape, with the floors of the delta constantly rising
• Savuti and its Marsh – an oasis in the desert
• Savuti Channel was dry from 1982 on and started flowing again in 2010
• Zambezi River and surrounding national park

Activities
• Makoro trip in the Okavango Delta
• Game drives
• Bush walks

What to pack for this safari?
Packing Essentials
• Comfortable safari clothes for warm and cold
• Long sturdy pants, gloves
• Water-resistant jacket and hat
• Good shoes for trekking and Makoro Trail
• Swimming gear
• Camera and binoculars for better game viewing pleasure

Health
• Anti-Malarials
• Insect repellent
• Sun hat, glasses, sunscreen

Travellers’ physical requirements
The Wild at Heart Safari includes trekking and other exciting activities. Do not underestimate the African Sun and how it may affect your fitness levels. The guides in all the camps are very professional and will not do anything which would put you or themselves in harm. If in any doubt about your special circumstances and your ability to enjoy this safari, consult your medical practitioner. If you have any other queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

What is in this package?
Safari Includes
• Accommodation
• All meals in the safari camps
• Drinks & alcoholic beverages (except premium brands) at Zambezi Sands
• All game activities during the safari
• All road and air charter transfers as stated in the itinerary
• Limited laundry at the camps
• Park entrance fees

Available Extras
• Private lunches & dinners
• Private guide and private vehicle throughout the safari
• Additional activities at Victoria Falls such as bungee jumping, rafting, sunset cruises

Safari Excludes
• All drinks at the Footsteps Camps (Oddballs & Camp Savuti)
• Government Wilderness fee for the Oddballs Trail
• Inter-Africa and international flights
• Airport taxes
• Visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Items of a personal nature
• Staff gratuities

Enquire

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