For meals not included, please allow the equivalent of approximately £12.50/US$15 per meal per person. Some meals are in restaurants or the lodges while others are prepared by the crew. Camp meals are freshly cooked over the campfire. They are wholesome and plentiful, but do not expect cordon bleu cuisine and please note it is not always easy to get fresh meat. However, the standard of food is generally good.

Breakfast: Cereals, coffee, muesli, fresh fruit or the occasional fried breakfast

Lunch: Cheese, cold meats, pasta, salads, bread or rolls

Dinner: Potjie (stew), braai (barbecue) or stir fries

Vegetarians are well catered for on this trip though sometimes options might be more limited.

Walk into the Tsisab Ravine on the flanks of the Brandberg (Dâures) massif to view the famed White Lady rock painting and surrounding figures. The trail winds over granite slabs and boulders, revealing rugged scenery and the quiet drama of Damaraland’s canyons.

Created by San hunter-gatherers around 2,000 years ago, the polychrome images—ochres and charcoal on sheltered rock—offer a window into spiritual and daily life. Guides explain symbolism and technique amid the desert’s enduring stillness.

Head out on a lodge-run night game drive to scan the savannah with spotlights for elusive nocturnal life—porcupines, genets, and the potential prowl of lions or hyenas near waterholes. Darkness heightens senses and reveals a different rhythm of the park.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Guides interpret eye-shine and behavior while ensuring safe, low-impact viewing in Etosha’s after-hours world.

Soar above the Skeleton Coast on a low-altitude scenic flight to trace dune ridges, wave-battered shipwrecks, and salt pans glowing pink and white. The aerial perspective highlights the stark frontier where the Namib Desert meets the cold Atlantic.

This flight is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Weather and routes vary, but the drama of this coast—fog banks, surf lines, and endless dunes—remains constant.

Mark the golden hour with classic sundowners by the water, watching egrets settle and listening for hippo grunts as the light softens across the reeds. After dinner, gather around the fire for campfire stargazing, where the Milky Way burns bright in a sky free of city glow.

Guides help orient the Southern Cross and share stories of life in the Delta. Night sounds—distant hyena calls and rustling reedbeds—create a vivid sense of wilderness and a powerful end to the day.

Travel the riverside track through Mahango Game Park (part of Bwabwata), scanning floodplains and woodlands for elephants, hippos, sable antelope, and prolific birdlife along the Kavango River. The route offers spontaneous encounters framed by wildlife-rich riverine forest and broad reedbeds.

This narrow corridor of the Caprivi Strip is a vital migration area linking larger ecosystems. Expect varied habitats—riparian groves, open grasslands, and oxbow lagoons—where you can pause for photos and reflection as the savannah rolls by.

Join a guided game drive in Etosha National Park, where the shimmering Etosha Pan creates a striking backdrop to thirsty herds. Circle key waterholes to look for elephants, zebra, giraffe, and predators, with a chance—if luck allows—to see the rare black rhino.

The arid setting concentrates wildlife, making Etosha superb for observation and photography. From mirage-bright horizons to dust-plumed arrivals at water’s edge, this is big-game viewing distilled to its essentials.

Visit Walvis Bay Lagoon, a renowned wetland where flamingo flocks sift the shallows for shrimp and algae. Walk the shoreline as the Atlantic breeze rolls in and the dune belt glows beyond the harbor.

A Ramsar-listed sanctuary, the lagoon draws migratory birds to nutrient-rich waters fed by the Benguela Current. Expect superb photography as pink plumage reflects on calm surfaces with desert dunes rising just inland.

Experience sunrise over the dunes of Sossusvlei, when soft light paints apricot curves and long shadows across the Namib. Choose to climb a towering dune—such as the celebrated Dune 45—for sweeping views of an ancient desertscape.

Among the world’s loftiest sand mountains, these star-shaped dunes shift with the wind yet feel timeless. Watch for desert-adapted gemsbok moving across salt pans as the day’s heat begins to build.

Walk the 4km trail to Hiddenvlei, a seldom-visited pan tucked behind high dunes, where silence amplifies the crunch of sand and the whisper of the wind. The route rewards with quiet, crowd-free views of dune crests and subtle animal tracks.

Look for prints of beetles, geckos, and foxes tracing the powder-fine surface, and scattered camelthorn trees adapting to scarce water. It’s a contemplative counterpoint to Sossusvlei’s grand vistas.

Lift off on a scenic flight or helicopter to witness the Okavango Delta from above—fan-shaped waterways, hippo paths, and game-studded islands unfolding in every direction. Aerial views reveal flood patterns invisible from the ground.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Choose doors-off helicopters for photography, subject to availability, and consider late-afternoon light for the richest color and contrast.

Explore the backwaters on an afternoon boat ride from Guma Lagoon, skimming over mirror-calm channels past papyrus fringes and river lilies. Watch for kingfishers flashing electric blue and African fish eagles calling from riverside trees.

This activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s an easy-going complement to mokoro travel, ideal for photography and birdwatching in the soft, late-day light.

Venture along the Ugab River on a 4×4 game drive in search of Namibia’s famed desert-adapted elephants. The route weaves through dry riverbeds and granite outcrops where these remarkable animals browse on hardy riverine trees.

This seasonal activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Guides share insights into adaptations that allow large mammals to endure arid landscapes with scarce surface water.

Ride the dune sea outside Swakopmund with adrenaline-fueled sandboarding and guided quad-biking. Carve smooth faces of wind-sculpted sand or throttle up slipfaces for big views where the desert meets the Atlantic.

Both activities are at additional cost and bookable on tour. Safety briefings, helmets, and boards/bikes are provided, with options suited to beginners and thrill-seekers alike.

Head offshore for deep-sea fishing on the nutrient-rich Benguela Current, targeting local species with guidance from experienced skippers. Sea air, rolling swells, and the vast blue horizon create a classic Atlantic outing.

This excursion is at additional cost and bookable on tour. All essential tackle is typically provided; catches and exact species depend on season and conditions.

Ride a shuttle across soft sands to Deadvlei, where a baked white clay pan is studded with the famous “skeleton trees”—dead camelthorns preserved by arid air for centuries. It’s an otherworldly contrast of dark trunks against red dunes and cobalt sky.

This visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It pairs perfectly with Sossusvlei’s sunrise, offering iconic compositions and time to wander among the silhouettes.

Glide into Africa’s great inland wetland as you board a traditional mokoro canoe, poled by expert local guides through lily-dappled channels and papyrus stands. The water is calm, birdlife abundant, and the sense of arrival profound as the reedbeds part to reveal islands used by elephants and antelope.

Part of a UNESCO-listed ecosystem fed by rains from Angola, the Delta’s seasonal rhythms shape every bend. Reach a secluded camp and soak in the lily-fringed waterways and the quiet pulse of the floodplains far from roads and routine.

Explore Delta islands on foot during guided bush walks that focus on reading tracks, spoor, and the subtle signs of life. Move quietly along elephant paths, pausing to study fresh prints, dropped seed pods, and bird calls that reveal nearby antelope and, sometimes, big game at a respectful distance.

Guides share traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and the ecology of islands formed by ancient termite mounds. The slow pace heightens awareness, with sweeping views of floodplain grasses and the thrill of spotting wildlife without engine noise.

Arrive in Botswana’s safari hub and meet your tour leader and fellow travellers over a hosted welcome dinner in Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. Share first impressions and questions while getting practical advice on packing light for the Delta and traveling comfortably across wide-open bush country.

Learn how the journey unfolds, from mokoro safaris to desert dunes, with tips on wildlife etiquette and local customs. This relaxed evening sets the tone with warm Botswanan hospitality and a clear understanding of the expedition-style adventure ahead.