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| Botswana Green Desert Expedition |
| 7 NIGHT PACKAGE / THE SEASON OPERATES FROM 01 JANUARY 2009 TO 31 DECEMBER 2009 |
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| LOCATION: |
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Departure Location: Maun
Arrival Location: Maun, Botswana
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| RATE / COST: |
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The Green Desert Expedition
7 night package
Maun-Maun, Botswana
Rate Per Person sharing US $ 2,976.00
Single Supplement US $ 0.00
Package includes:
accommodation on a per person sharing basis, all meals from lunch on Day 1 to the end of the scheduled safari, a reasonable amount of soft drinks, wine, beer, teas & coffees and bottled water while on safari within Botswana, national park fees, activities, guided tour of the Victoria Falls and all internal charters on a seat rate basis.
Package excludes:
flights (other than specified in the detailed safari itinerary), visas, compulsory insurance, all relevant entry and departure government taxes, all drinks in Zambia, all personal purchases (including curios, spirit liquors, telephone calls etc.), gratuities, laundry, optional extra activities, pre and post safari tours and all other travel arrangements before or after the safari.
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| BRIEF ITINERARY: |
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The Green Desert Expedition explores the contrasts of three major habitats: the Makgadikgadi "moonscape" saltpans, Deception Valley in the Kalahari Desert, and finally the lush islands and blue-green waterways of the Okavango Delta. This Exploration is specifically designed to enjoy the Kalahari Desert at its most productive season, when it receives low sporadic rains and the wildlife migrates into the desert valleys in large numbers. This precious water creates a short yet incredibly prolific wildlife-viewing period with concentrations of desert species and their young in the fertile, ancient river valleys of Deception Valley in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
Brief Itinerary
Days 1 : Motsentsela Tree Lodge, Maun
Days 2, 3, 4 & 5: Travel by road to Deception Valley, Central Kalahari Game Reserve
Days 6 & 7: Drive to Maun and fly to Xigera Camp, Okavango Delta
Days 8: Fly to Maun
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| UNIQUE FEATURES OF THIS TOUR: |
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This Exploration has the following unique features:
- Exposes the spectacular desert wildlife concentrations in the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pan systems during sporadic rainfall with a contrasting Okavango Delta experience (December to March).
- Varied desert denizens revealed and interpreted.
- Serviced safari camps pre-erected with comfortable dome tents, ending in a luxury lodge - Xigera Camp.
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| DETAILED ITINERARY: |
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Day 1: Motsensela Tree Lodge, 15 km from Maun
Upon arrival in Maun, you will be met by a Wilderness Safaris representative and transferred by 4x4 vehicle to Motsensela Tree Lodge where we will be spending the first night of the safari.
Motsensela is a small lodge situated just 15km south of Maun airport on the western border of a farm on the Thamalakane River. It is perfect for travellers on their way to or from the Okavango Delta or the Kalahari. The Lodge consists of 7 large Meru style tents with en suite facilities, catering for a maximum of fourteen guests. All tents are on decks surrounded by trees, and are well spaced for privacy. The main thatched complex consists of a bar, lounge, entrance hall and dining room. There is a large teak deck in front of the lodge surrounding large Leadwood and Birdplum Trees, the latter giving the Lodge its Setswana name. There is a swimming pool, also with a teak deck. The lodge is situated on a small 200-hectare game farm with a variety of game including Ostrich, Zebra, Kudu, Duiker, Black Springbok, Blesbok, Jackal and several nocturnal species, one of which is the Aardwolf. A recent bird count tallied over 120 species.
Before dinner, you will be met by your guide, who will, over a relaxed, drink give you a briefing of the wonderful adventure that awaits you. He will spend some time answering all your questions and making sure you are fully prepared for the safari.
Days 2, 3, 4 & 5: Deception Valley, Central Kalahari Game Reserve
After an early breakfast, we depart overland to our private Adventurer campsite in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve with lunch en route.
This prehistoric riverbed, flanked by petrified dune lands, is very appealing after brief rains, as it is covered with nutritious grasses that attract herds from all over the enormous reserve. These large congregations of desert wildlife with their young are followed by predators into the broad riverbed, all of which makes for outstanding viewing.
On Day 4 or 5 we enjoy extended wildlife game drives (with picnic lunch), taking in the game-rich Pipers Pans area of the Kalahari, as well as the Letiahau and Deception Valleys.
Suggested reading on the area is "Cry of the Kalahari", by Mark and Delia Owens.
Days 6 & 7: Xigera Camp, Okavango Delta
After a light breakfast we depart overland to Maun (approximately 6 hours), after which we fly by light aircraft in the afternoon to the water-filled paradise of the private Xigera area, within the Moremi Game Reserve. Xigera is the ultimate Delta experience, with serene waters flowing through innumerable channels around remote islands and a profusion of plant and animal life.
Xigera Camp is a luxury tented camp situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta. It has something for everyone, in an area where there are no other Moremi camps and where permanent water all year round allows for a variety of activities. Enjoy a true Delta experience while you sit back in a mokoro (dugout canoe) and silently glide through the tranquil Okavango waterways or watch the sunset and birds gliding home to roost from a motorboat on the Xigera Lagoon. The more adventurous can enjoy a scenic nature walk.
Nestled in a magnificent riverine forest, Xigera consists of 10 luxuriously furnished tented rooms with en-suite facilities and outdoor shower. Each room is raised off the ground on a wooden deck offering superb views of the seasonal floodplain and waterhole. Meals and drinks are enjoyed under the thatch of the raised lounge, pub and dining area overlooking a permanently flowing channel. A traditional boma offers alternative dining under the African stars. Wooden walkways wind through the forest connecting the rooms to the main area. There is a plunge pool for cooling off and relaxation. Birding in the area is excellent, with Pel's Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret, Wattled Crane, African Skimmers and a host of eagles, vultures, raptors and kingfishers to be found. The area has the highest density of the rare sitatunga antelope found anywhere in the Okavango Delta.
Day 8: Charter flight to Maun
After an early morning activity and breakfast, we fly to Maun, where the safari ends.
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| TERMS AND CONDITIONS: |
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- Each departure is guaranteed for a minimum of 2 confirmed guests and operates with a maximum of 8 guests per safari.
- Should all other bookings on an Exploration cancel to one guest, we will convert the booking to an FIT packageat an increased price.
- Package includes: accommodation on a per person sharing basis, all meals from lunch on Day 1 to the end of the scheduled safari, a reasonable amount of soft drinks, wine, beer, teas & coffees and bottled water while on safari within Botswana, national park fees, activities, guided tour of the Victoria Falls and all internal charters on a seat rate basis.
- Package excludes: flights (other than specified in the detailed safari itinerary), visas, compulsory insurance, all relevant entry and departure government taxes, all drinks in Zambia, all personal purchases (including curios, spirit liquors, telephone calls etc.), gratuities, laundry, optional extra activities, pre and post safari tours and all other travel arrangements before or after the safari.
- Age Limits - Children from the age of 12 are welcome on all scheduled departures. For parties with children under 12, a private tailor-made safari will be quoted for on request. For guests over the age of 75, a certified medical certificate of full health must be submitted on booking confirmation.
- Wilderness Safaris reserve the right, due to situations beyond our control, to substitute a lodge or location with another of comparable quality at no additional cost.
- Please note that guests departing a Migration Routes Safari from Xigera Mokoro Trails Camp will not be able to connect with a 10H00 departure out of Maun due to safety reason.
- There is a limitation of 2 single tents per safari (excluding the Migration Route), and a maximum number of 5 tents at any site while on safari. When there are more than 2 single guests on a safari, we will attempt to match guests of the same gender. No triple rooms are accepted.
- For Migration Routes only, no Single supplement is charged for the first two singles on any departure. Any additional singles will be levied with the supplement below.
- The season operates from 01 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.
- Due to seasonally fluctuating water levels in the Selinda Spillway, we may need to switch the flight from Kasane - Linyanti to a road transfer and the road transfer from Linyanti to Lechwe Island to a flight from time to time. This will not affect the trip in a negative way.
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| SCHEDULED SAFARI DATES: |
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Sequence of set dates for the Green Desert Tour is:
Language / Departure Day / Departure Date / Depart From / Finish Day / Finish Date / Finish In
- English Saturday 03 January Maun Saturday 10 January Maun
- English Friday 09 January Maun Friday 16 January Maun
- English Friday 23 January Maun Friday 30 January Maun
- English Tuesday 03 February Maun Tuesday 10 February Maun
- English Saturday 07 March Maun Saturday 14 March Maun
- English Tuesday 17 March Maun Tuesday 24 March Maun
- English Tuesday 07 April Maun Tuesday 14 April Maun
- English Sunday 19 April Maun Sunday 26 April Maun
- English Friday 24 April Maun Friday 01 May Maun
- English Tuesday 17 November Maun Tuesday 24 November Maun
- English Sunday 22 November Maun Sunday 29 November Maun
- English Thursday 03 December Maun Thursday 10 December Maun
- English Monday 21 December Maun Monday 28 December Maun
- English Monday 28 December Maun Monday 04 January Maun
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