6 Nights in the Delta, 3 Nights at Jacks (Dry Season) incl Bushmen Walk

(6 nights in the delta)

Uncharted Africa Safari Co. is  renowned throughout the industry for menus that emphasise fresh tastes and originality.  Three course meals under the stars include such offerings as fresh tomato and basil soup, ostrich piccata, roast Botswana beef, delectable orange tarts and impossibly rich,  but light, chocolate puddings.

Teas are indulgent affairs with treats like triple layer, banana caramel cake, tangy  lemon curd biscuits and the best brownies in the bush! All bread is baked daily in a trunk oven on the coals of an open fire,  and full cooked English breakfasts are on offer every morning. 

Day 3
After a hearty breakfast,  head out for the whole day to explore the wider area around your first camp. Search out the creatures and plants typical of the ecosystem and explore the interrelationships of species and the systems in which they live. Seek out  the elusive predators such as lion, cheetah and leopard and observe and interpret their behaviour.

Picnic and siesta under a shady mangosteen, and return to camp for dinner - tired,  but happy.

Day 4
After  breakfast, take a slow drive to the lagoon's edge and board a boat to explore the waters of  the Delta.  The deep open lagoons provide a wonderful contrast in habitat after the dry forest areas and floodplains of your first camp. Putt along the maze of channels,  stopping to admire rare birds and the diversity of aquatic life. Spot small crocodiles basking in the

sun on sparkling white sandbanks and hippos jousting for territories with  spectacular splashes and clashes of jaws and some serious dental equipment. Learn about the ecology of the waters and look at all the important  components of the ecosystem.

Have a picnic lunch on a sandy  bank in the river and cool off at a safe swimming spot.

Arrive at your private, twinkling, lantern-lit camp on an island,  deep in the delta - just after sunset to shower and relax around the fire before dinner under the stars.  Sleep in a  mosquito net tent and luxuriate in the freedom of a night in the open,  surrounded by nature at her very best.

Day 5
Rise early and after a short walk around the island,  hop back into your boat for a meander through the waterways, absorbing the tranquillity of the lagoons and narrow,  papyrus-fringed,  hippo trails and immersing yourself completely in the incredible spectacles that the Delta has to offer.

Search out hippo and bathing elephants to understand the importance of the Okavango to these enormous creatures. Marvel at the majesty of elephants from only a few yards away as they wash and feed on the roots of aquatic plants.  Drift back to the vehicles.  Picnic and siesta in the arms of a giant shady baobab. Spend the afternoon

seeking out hyena dens and,  as the day cools down, watch for hunting cats.

Head on to your third and final camp (which has been moved to a completely different habitat during your island stay) for a refreshing shower and delectable dinner.

Day 6
All day predator hunt.  Spend the last day indulging yourself completely in seeking out your favourite species.  Leopard spotting, lion tracking, cheetah chasing  and dog discovering. If you want to watch lions mating for two hours or prefer to watch bee eaters hawking insects on the wing then so be it. Return to camp for your last night in this incredible Eden.

Day 7
Say your farewells to the camp and transfer out of the Delta...

(3 Nights at Jacks Camp)

Day 1
Arrive at Jack’s Camp, surely one of the most romantic camps on earth…

The camp is pitched on a low grassland knoll amongst an oasis of dignified desert palms and Kalahari acacia. After the rains, when the summer grasses are still high and feathery, the camp is all but invisible until seconds before your arrival!

The camp,s hub is a romantic canvas pavillion of low spires and finials, with a fluttering valance beneath its eaves and could be the site for a medieval jousting tourney, were it not a deciduous green. Three poles support the main chamber where everyone meets for meals at a long communal dining table.

Ten green, roomy and stylish canvas tents with en-suite bathrooms, indoor and outdoor showers (for those who want to feel the Kalahari breeze on their skin) have been fashioned in classical 1940’s style creating an oasis of civilization in what can be the harshest of stark environments…

Persian rugs underfoot, cool cotton sheets and mahogany and brass campaign-style kit from the family safari stores form a striking contrast with the rugged wilderness viewed from the comfort of one’s own verandah.

After to tea, drive into the grasslands and the beautiful evening light. Stop to watch the sun set and listen to an explanation of how the Makgadikgadi pans, the remnants of the
world’s largest ever superlake, were formed.

Return to camp for a lavish dinner in the elegant mess tent, a designated national
museum of Botswana.

Day 2
Set off in the morning to visit some of the Kalahari’s sexiest meerkats. (‘Suricate’ to science-minded people and ‘Timon’ to Lion King fans.)  Get up close and personal with these captivating creatures. On chilly mornings, you might well find a meerkat snuggling up to you for warmth.

Or, in the absence of a termite mound or tree, using your head as a sentry lookout post.  By spending quality time with these incredibly social, superbly adapted animals, you will be able to see how they interact with each other and their environment. You also get the chance to see the desert through the eyes of a meerkat – which, despite the fact that it’s only a foot off the ground, is a pretty spectacular vantage point, and definitely one of the most special and memorable game experiences you will encounter in Botswana.
 
After a picnic breakfast, visit a remote cattle-post to learn about the traditional culture of the Batswana people.  Close by is the famous Chapman’s Baobab (Also known as the Seven Sisters) which is acknowledged to be the third largest tree in Africa, and was the campsite of early explorers like Livingstone and Selous when they pioneered the area. This gives you an opportunity to gain a fascinating insight into the history of the early explorers.
 
Return to camp for a rest and refreshing lunch.
 
After tea, travel down to the pans where you will be given a brief safety talk before mounting your trusty quad bike to head off across the pans. Watch the sun set and the stars rise.

This is one of the only places in the world where the silence is so complete you can hear the blood circulating through your ears.  There is not one visual landmark to be seen and one swiftly loses one’s sense of perspective. 

16,000 square kilometres of baking soda void are inhabited only by you and a few gazillion invisible brine shrimp!

Day 3
Early in the morning, comb the edge of the extinct lake shore to find some of the many stone tools and fossils that litter the pan surface and learn of the origins of early man. Return to camp for a huge brunch.

After another decadent tea, head off to see
one of Africa’s rarest carnivores – the brown hyena. Due to a PhD research programme on this cleverly adapted desert species, the cubs are habituated and allow us to observe their social behaviour without disturbance.

Back to the camp for dinner by candlelight.

Day 4
Spend the morning walking with Zu/’hoasi Bushmen trackers.
 
Uncharted Africa has pioneered and passionately supported cultural tourism in Botswana since the company’s inception 13 years ago.  It has long been our belief that it is a vitally important tool in terms of preserving this unique, but sadly fast-vanishing, culture.  We have been working closely with the Zu/’hoasi people of the Western Kalahari for many years and are privileged to have a small group of these extraordinary men to guide our Guests on a morning’s walking safari. Offering a window into the past, they teach us how they have survived in this harshest of environments, using their vast and ancient knowledge of plants, animal behaviour and survival skills.
 
For those of you who would prefer to spend a little less time exploring and little more time lounging – Jack’s Camp is perfectly adapted.
 
Time for one more delectable lunch, before you bid farewell to the camp in preparation for your onward journey.

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