9-Nights Botswana Safari in Style - Luxury Small Group Journeys from $12,695

Abercrombie & Kent: Botswana Safari in Style

DAY 1 Johannesburg, South Africa

Arrive in Johannesburg, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Tonight, enjoy a gourmet welcome dinner prepared with locally sourced ingredients. A professional photographer joins you to offer tips for the days ahead.

Fly to Livingstone, Zambia. On arrival, continue overland to Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma, where you stay in a luxury tree house built into the riverside canopy. At twilight, cruise the Zambezi River, sipping cocktails, gazing out across a verdant vista and gliding past pods of hippo, on a memorable Scenic Sundowner.

This morning, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities.

Visit Nakatindi Village to see a bike shop, school and clinic supported by A&K Philanthropy.

Walk Close to Rhino, pausing on a game drive in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park to draw near the giants on foot.

On a Walking Safari, experience and understand African wildlife, the bush and ecosystem as a whole on foot.

Return to camp for lunch and the rest of your afternoon at leisure. Tonight, enjoy a cocktail and a Chef’s Table tasting of traditional Zambian fare, followed by dinner.

This morning, drive to Zimbabwe to join your private guide on an awe-inspiring exploration of Victoria Falls, which plummet 354 feet to cast up the mist that inspired their original name, Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders). Enjoy lunch in the town of Victoria Falls before continuing to Chobe National Park in Botswana to settle into your lodge for unparalleled panoramic views across the islands and floodplains of the Chobe River. This afternoon, set out on a river cruise or game drive that includes the opportunity to see elephant — a staggering 120,000 live in the park — along with impala, buffalo and possibly lion. Return to the lodge to relax in the comforts of your luxury accommodations and enjoy a freshly prepared meal. Later, drift to sleep, serenaded by the sounds of Africa, beneath a blanket of stars.

Set out on a game drive at sunrise to catch the animals at the start of their day, when they are most active. You may even glimpse a leopard returning from the hunt. Later, embark on a Chobe River safari cruise and watch for crocodile and hippo, as well as elephant that come down to drink and play in the water. The park’s beautiful wetlands also lure a wealth of birdlife to the region, and you may glimpse many of the 460 species that either live here or migrate through, including raptors, vulture and waterfowl. When you return to the lodge this evening, revel in the comforts of your luxury accommodations, gather for dinner and share stories of your day.

Fly to a vast private concession in the Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta in the world. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure with a choice of activities, such as a Ride Like a Local by seasonal mokoro (dugout canoe) on the delta or a nighttime game-viewing drive, made possible on this private reserve.

Continue exploring the delta through your choice of activities, such as a thrilling, guided game drive in a customized 4x4 vehicle or a bush walk in the company of an armed, expert guide, on the lookout for Africa’s smaller denizens among the unique flora.

Fly across the Okavango Delta to your next amazing safari camp. Widely acknowledged as the “Predator Capital of the World,” this area offers some of the most exciting game viewing in Africa and is one of the best places in Botswana to see the Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant and Cape buffalo — drawn here from surrounding regions by the lush delta. Predators include cheetah, spotted hyena and, at the very top of the food chain, large resident prides of lion. This afternoon, take advantage of game-viewing activities led by experienced guides or enjoy the vistas from your own private viewing deck.

Depart on another spectacular early morning game drive. Beyond predators, the Okavango Delta draws large concentrations of elephant, buffalo, red lechwe, giraffe and impala. Enjoy a seasonal mokoro ride for a rare safari opportunity across deceptively quiet marshlands alive with crocodile, bathing hippo, birds and tiny red reed frog. If you opt for an afternoon game drive, listen for roaring lion on the hunt or spy nocturnal animals as they start out for the night. After a full day of game viewing, return to your camp to relax and enjoy a farewell dinner.

Fly to Johannesburg for your flight home. Relax in the Premier Lounge, compliments of A&K, before your departure.