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2010 schedule
2010 safari: Born Free Safaris & Tours "Botswana Discovery" Luxury Adventure escorted by Lindsay Scott
Botswana's unique diversity of wildlife habitats provides some of the best game viewing and wilderness experiences Africa has to offer, from crystal clear lagoons festooned with water lilies to woodlands, forests and open grasslands. It is uncrowded, remote, pristine and safe to travel in. We will stay in camps run by Wilderness Safari's. I have used them for years, their camps are superb, service flawless, guides and staff friendly and knowledgeable. They also have a very good environmental record and are involved with the local communities and educational programs. Game viewing will be in open 4 x 4 vehicles, mokoro canoes, boats, from blinds or on guided walks. there are great opportunities for photography or just observing the abundance of mammal and bird life. Often there is wonderful game viewing from the camps. Transfer between camps is by light aircraft. To find out more about Wilderness on the web go to www.wilderness-safaris.com
The camps are small and intimate, with even the more rustic ones having all the comforts and amenities, yet never loosing their charm. All the tents have en suite hot showers, often with additional outdoor showers. There are communal dining, lounge and bar areas and swimming pools. While at the camps all meals, local drinks, game viewing activities and laundry are included. The weather at that time of year is warm with cool mornings and is dry, it is the premium season for game viewing. 16 Oct. JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Upon arrival in Johannesburg you will be met by Lindsay and Brian, and a Wilderness representative, who will assist you to the Intercontinental Johannesburg Tambo Airport. The Intercontinental Johannesburg Tambo Airport is situated right across from Tambo International Airport. Each of the 138 rooms has its own bathroom, air conditioning, television, radio, coffee and tea making facilities as well as a mini-bar, access to 24-hour room service as well as in-room flight information. The hotel has a first class restaurant Quills, with an informal atmosphere, offering modern cuisine from breakfast through to late night a la carte dining. The cocktail bar is an ideal meeting place for the international traveller. In-room dining with an optional "flight friendly" menu is also available. The hotel has its own health and fitness centre with fully equipped gym as well as indoor heated pool and Camelot Health Spa offers a full range of treatments. It can be arranged to leave any excess baggage here to be picked up on the outward journey. 17- 19 Oct. LINYANTI – BOTSWANA After breakfast at the hotel – board a flight to Maun where you hop a short flight into the heart of game viewing country. Savuti Camp is situated along the Savuti Channel in northern Botswana. Between 1980 and 2008 the Channel stopped flowing and became an unusual and productive ribbon of grassland that served as a corridor and feeding ground in the surrounding woodland for a wide variety of herbivores. In 2008, the Channel once more became a deep, clear waterway harbouring hippo and aquatic life with myriad varieties of waterbirds. Savuti Camp is a classic wilderness camp providing accommodation in 7 walk-in tented rooms with en-suite facilities. Each room is raised off the ground on wooden decks. The camp has a thatched dining area, bar and plunge pool, all on raised wooden decks. There is also a curio shop and a boma area. Activities include game drives in open 4x4 Land Rovers, hides, night drives and walks with an armed guide. Wildlife in the area includes all of Botswana's big animals and is one of the best areas in the country to see predators. There is also a good concentration of plains game in the area. Game concentrations around Savuti Camp are particularly high, especially in the dry winter season. Roan and Sable antelope often make and appearance, as well as southern giraffe and vast herds of elephant. Predators include: lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal and wild dog. Winter also brings the sought after aardvark and aardwolf too. All meals, daily activities, laundry and drinks (excluding premium import brands) 20 - 22 Oct OKAVANGO DELTA A short flight takes you further into the OKAVANGO DELTA region and a private reserve located on a remote island. The area is located to the west of the MOREMI GAME RESERVE in the heart of the Delta. Jao Camp is situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta in a private reserve on a remote large island, bordering the Moremi Game Reserve . The diversity of habitats in this area allows for exceptional game viewing, from tranquil waterways and lagoons teaming with birdlife to kalahari grasslands with abundant game, the best that the delta has to offer. Each of the unique and beautiful twin-bedded canvas and thatched rooms has been individually hand crafted. The rooms are built under a canopy of shady trees, with en-suite bathroom comprising of a shower, large bath and double basin vanity. There is also an outside shower under the stars for those more adventurous guests wanting to shower closer to nature. The rooms are raised off the ground and each has a private sala offering wonderful views of the surrounding flood plains. (These tents were featured in Architectural Digest, March 2002) A raised walkway connects the rooms to the dining room and lounge area. There is a plunge pool and an outdoor "boma" for dining under the stars as well as an excellent wine cellar. Jao also has a Salon where the full time therapist offers a wide range of massage therapies. The activities at Jao include mokoros (dug-out canoes), boats, fishing, day and night game drives and guided walks. www.wilderness-safaris.com/botswana_okavango_delta/jao_camp/introduction All meals, daily activities, laundry and drinks (excluding premium import brands) 23-24 Oct. CHIEF’S ISLAND – MOMBO ISLAND Breakfast in Jao and then fly off to Botswana’s premium camp – Mombo. Mombo Camp. This is THE PLACE, with out a doubt the most sought after camp in the delta. Hidden form the world and situated deep with in the Moremi Game Reserve on a scenic island just off Chief's Island is the secret paradise of Mombo. It's reputation as one of the most renown camps in all of Africa is well deserved. Its unequaled game viewing record has made it the top wildlife documentary location in Botswana, for the likes of National Geographic and BBC. White and black rhino have recently been introduced to the area, offering the only chance to see these great creatures in Botswana. The environment is a mosaic of magnificent open savannah landscapes with thorn trees and Illala palms, marshes and flood plains. Each of the luxuriously appointed tents is raised off the ground and has wonderful views and game viewing over the flood plains, especially from your private cabana and outdoor shower. Raised walkways, up to 2m off the ground link the tents and living area allowing animals to wander freely through and under the camp, but at the same time allowing for guest safety. The canvas rooms are spacious and well appointed and have en-suite facilities under canvas and an additional outdoor shower for those who enjoy a shower under the stars. The dining room, pub and living area overlook the open plain in front of the camp and there is a plunge pool. Activities at Mombo include morning and afternoon game drives in open 4x4 vehicles. The cuisine is superb, it even has it's own recipe book. Mombo is built under the shade of some large shady trees and overlooks a wonderful floodplain that teems with wildlife. The camp has 9 comfortably furnished, luxurious tents, raised off the ground. The wildlife viewing in the area is excellent and guests can see lion, leopard, large herds of buffalo, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, rhino, hyaena, giraffe, wildebeest and zebra. Access into this area is only by aircraft. All meals, daily activities, laundry and drinks (excluding premium import brands 25 - 26 Oct. VICTORIA FALLS Bid farewell to the Botswana bush as you fly to Victoria Falls – one of the top natural wonders of the world. The Victoria Falls Hotel set in acres of private gardens, was established in 1904 and for almost 100 years, visiting members of Royal families, heads of state, celebrities, authors, journalists and poets, have preferred to stay at The Victoria Falls Hotel, where they are assured of privacy, comfort and care. Situated in a prime location overlooking Victoria Falls bridge and gorge, the hotel offers guests the opportunity of walking to the falls along it’s own private pathway. The suites and rooms, 180 in total, are well appointed, cool and comfortable. Each room is air-conditioned and offers every modern amenity. The beautifully appointed Edwardian swimming pool, surrounded by lush gardens and exotic trees, affords total privacy. Two all-weather courts are in the hotel grounds, and golf and other sporting activities are only a short ride away. Same day laundry service, safety deposit boxes, open secure parking, car hire and touring desks, a chapel, a library, a shop, a doctor on call, left luggage service, baby-sitters, hairdressers, packed breakfasts and lunches are a few of the services offered by the hotel. This is a time to do your own thing, walk to the falls and village shopping area or a myriad of activities can be arranged, from scenic flights to elephant back rides or bungy jumping (more details will follow) or simply catch up with Lindsay & Brian by the pool. Breakfast, dinner 27Oct. JOHANNESBURG Flight back to Johannesburg to connect to home ward flight or for an extension to Namibia, Kenya or Cape Town
SAFARI TARIFF INCLUDES: All accommodation on a shared basis; Meals as specified; Excursions and transfers as included in the quote; Most safari camps and lodges include two game activities a day in their tariff (one in the morning and the other in the afternoon). Services of the lodge guides and staff; Relevant park fees; Drinks as specified – drink inclusions may differ between camps/lodges; Laundry can be done at most camps/lodges and hotels. In some cases this is included in the tariff quoted. Air transfers as specified between camps; Accommodation taxes, the applicable Tourism Levies and all relevant Value Added Tax (VAT) or Government Sales Tax (GST). GENERAL EXCLUSIONS: Meals not specified in the quote such as lunch and dinner in city hotels; Drinks, entrance fees, porterage, tours/excursions and transfers not specified in the quote; Any scheduled flights and related taxes; Johannesburg to Maun Victoria Falls to Johannesburg Cancellation, baggage and medical insurance; Staff gratuities; Any new Government taxes, levies, fuel or industry increases which are beyond our control; Visa fees where relevant. If a visa payment is required, then this must be made in US Dollars cash. Change is often not provided and so the exact amounts payable are required. Traveller's cheques and credit cards are not accepted for this purpose. International airport departure taxes applicable from manned airports only, which is to be paid in US$ cash on departure unless included in your ticket cost; Any items of a personal nature.
WEIGHT AND LUGGAGE RESTRICTIONS: These limits are applicable when traveling with the services of Sefofane Air Charters on a seat rate basis: Passengers weighing more than 220lbs must please advise us in advance as an extra seat will have to be costed into the package for safety purposes. Luggage is restricted to (maximum in a soft bag/s including camera equipment and carry on luggage)): In Botswana 44lbs per person. If these limits above are exceeded, the excess luggage can be held (or forwarded to the point of exit) for your flight out at the end of the safari. Kindly note that the additional cost incurred will be for your account. Please advise us before you travel if you are likely to have excess luggage, and we will make the necessary arrangements SAFARI COST As people will possibly be joining us from all over the world I have separated out the international airfare prices so the pricing is as follows: Land portion of safari.............................................................................................$13,980 internal airfares................................................................................................Approx $650 Johannesburg to Maun and Vic Falls to Johannesburg, this may vary due to rand exchange rate and it would be discounted if it is booked with a South African Airways international flight Single supplement..................................................................................................$2,500 International airfares to Johannesburg Coach from Bozeman.............................................................................................$1,700 from Dulles or JFK........................................................................................$1,500 this does include tax Business class from Dulles or JFK........................................................................................$6,800 These are to give you an idea but an exact quote will be given for each individual flight itinerary. All prices are in US dollars and are a discounted cash rate, there would be a 3.5 % credit card charge. Due to the level of interest and time frame involved I will reserve places on a "first come, first serve" basis so would appreciate it if you could let me know as soon as possible if you would be interested in joing us on this adventure, I will need to let the safari company know how many bookings to hold. I will let you know shortly what deposits would be required to secure a place on the safari. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. Lindsay The Safari has been put together for us by Alana Hayden, BORN FREE SAFARIS & TOURS, 800-372-3274 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Awarded One of the World's Best Safari Outfitters Founder: Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa
For all inquires email scott2000@xtra.co.nz |
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