The Complete Safari Adventure: Best of Botswana and Kenya

Chobe National Park, Botswana

What to expect on this itinerary

Africa’s surreal landscapes revel in their diversity on this 13-day Botswana and Kenya. safari Each national park is unique and every stretch of wilderness offers a new experience. Combine the very best of East and Southern Africa with this ultimate safari adventure. Lose yourself in the rugged landscapes of Northern Botswana, feast your eyes on the serene beauty of the Okavango, then soak up the enchantment of Kenya’s Maasai Mara.

Countries Visited

Botswana, Kenya

Places Visited

Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve, Maasai Mara, Diani Beach

Suggested Duration

13 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Chobe National Park – First Safari Excitement

Evidence of elephants surrounds you in Chobe. Trumpet calls echo through the forest, great swathes of trees have been uprooted and trampled, and fresh dung encircles a waterhole. Gaze up from your verandah and start counting. There is one slowly emerging along the horizon. Here’s another, creeping around from behind your camp. A third already patrols the water, taking its time as you eagerly take photos. You’re not counting individual elephants; you’re keeping track of herds. Some number 30 individuals, while other herds join forces and move together, forming a giant grey mass that seems to be descending on your camp. African safari is all about the wow moments, the unique snapshots that paint a picture of both grace and power. It’s the elephants of Chobe National Park that offer your first moment; some people gasp and shake their heads, others shriek in excitement, and then the guide reminds you that you haven’t even been on a game drive yet. This is just the sight when you open the en-suite tent.

Chobe is home to the largest collection of wild elephants on the planet, almost 100,000 of them marauding across thick forest, sandy trails, and ancient rivers. A first game drive reveals that they’re not alone. Hippos are counted by their pods, zebra by their herds, and giraffe by their number of towers. It’s this rich abundance of nature’s largest mammals that makes Chobe such a spectacular first stop. After landing in Maun International Airport you’ll take a light aircraft into a tiny airstrip in the Linyanti Reserve along the northern perimeter of Chobe. Almost immediately you’ve swapped modern civilization for an astonishing landscape, one that seems overrun by the biggest nature has to offer.

What's Included:

Accommodation
Activity
Transfer
Dinner
Day 2 - 3

Chobe National Park – Immense Elephant Herds and Nature’s Great Mammals

Day 4

Moremi Game Reserve – Drama of the Okavango Delta

Day 5 - 6

Moremi Game Reserve – Abundant Big Cat Action

Day 7

Maasai Mara – Epic Scale of the Maasai Mara

Day 8 - 9

Maasai Mara – Grass Plains of the Mara

Day 10 - 12

Diani Beach – Indulging in Tropical Beach Paradise

Day 13

Nairobi – Farewell to Africa

Trip Highlights

  • Explore three of Africa’s finest national parks and combine a breathtaking collection of safari activities and adventure
  • Discover the world’s largest wild elephant population and feast your eyes on nature’s great mammals in Chobe National Park
  • Explore the luxuriant waterways of the Okavango Delta and soak up the enchantment of the planet’s greatest natural oasis
  • Spend three days on Chief's Island, an astonishingly abundant world of big cats, hippo pods, and giraffe towers
  • Gaze out to the horizon and let your eyes run wild in the Maasai Mara, home to the Great Migration and East Africa’s greatest collection of wild game
  • Tailor a personal itinerary that combines game drives, walking safaris, nighttime drives, and boat safaris
  • Enjoy a continual safari immersion as Africa’s indelible residents wander through your unfenced camp and roam beside your private balcony

Starting Price

$11,200 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 957 reviews

Margarita M.
Tanzania, Kenya Vacation Review: 12 Nights

We had a wonderful journey, with every step detailed and escorted from end to end. Our Zicasso travel experts did a great job and were always available for support.

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Bernard L.
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana Travel Review: Cape Town, Victoria Falls, 16 Days

Zicasso's trip designer arranged a flawless, extraordinary trip.

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Mona P.
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe Vacation Review: Safari, Wildlife, Nature, 13-Day Trip

We’re still not over our trip! Everything was absolutely fantastic. Thank you for organizing such a great experience and making it so effortless for me. I already have family and friends asking who I went through, and I’m guessing some of them will be reaching out to you in the next year.

I do have one small piece of constructive feedback about our camp in the Olifants West Nature Reserve. The staff, lodge, and food were wonderful, but unfortunately, the safari guide fell short. We had just come from the camp in the Thornybush Game Reserve (where we left our hearts—the guide there was truly exceptional, with such a great personality), so the difference stood out even more. At the Olifants West Nature Reserve camp, we saw very few animals and the guide didn’t engage much—he barely spoke, and when he did, it wasn’t very professional or kind, especially toward my son. My son even said the trip might have worked better in reverse, since after Botswana it was hard to adjust to seeing only a few animals a day.

That said, I’m so grateful for how smoothly you planned everything, especially on such short notice. It really was a trip of a lifetime for us.

Thank you again!

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Stephanie L.
Tanzania, Kenya Travel Review: Balloon Safari, Boat Ride, Culture, 12 Days

Without exaggeration, this was the most amazing trip of my life. Everything was perfect, from the itinerary to the lodging, food, and guides. We saw so much and so many varied topographies. We also got such a great flavor of the culture, people, and way of life in both countries. It truly was incredible from start to finish.

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Tracy C.
Kenya Travel Review: Nairobi, Elephant Experience, Local Cuisine, 8-Night Trip

We had a fantastic trip. There were a few hiccups, but they were minor and were resolved very quickly.

This was pretty much the trip we had envisioned coming to life! Zicasso's travel agents on the ground, assisting us, were on top of things and made the trip go super-smooth. Thanks!

The camps we stayed at were amazing, the food was fabulous at both camps, the hotel in Nairobi was very nice; all in all, a great trip. Thank you so much for putting together my bucket list, including the experience with elephants in Tsavo East National Park!

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Jim K.
Kenya Vacation Review: Family Bonding, Wildlife, 10 Nights

There aren't enough superlatives to describe our safari. Every single aspect exceeded expectations. The Zicasso trip designer, who handled the in-country arrangements, was terrific, and literally every arrangement went smoothly. A few last-minute changes on the front and back end were handled effectively. 

Each of the camps was different, but wonderful in its own way. We liked the variation. The accommodations were great and the food was great. But the people – hosts, driver/guides, spotters, service personnel were really great – friendly, fun, helpful, enjoyable to be with, and really great. It's difficult to put into words how much we enjoyed being with them and with each other (me, my five adult children, and their spouses). And the wildlife and landscapes, again, quite different over the three camps, were spectacular. Every game drive was a much-anticipated adventure and the guides were, to a person, superb in helping us understand the animal behaviors we observed. 

There is nothing we would have done differently and we were constantly amazed at how smoothly everything worked out (literally no hitches, even minor ones), how much fun we had with each other and our hosts, and how much the people we were with contributed to our experience. I'm not given to hyperbole, but I'm left without words to describe how great the experiences we had were and how seamless the arrangements seemed to be.

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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