Day 1: Into the Okavango Delta, Botswana

From Maun Airport, take a safari transfer flight over vast, virtually uninhabited swaths of northern Botswana to a remote corner of the famed Okavango Delta. Here in the private Abu Concession, famed for its elephant herds, our intimate camps get you closer to the action. Upon arrival, you can join fellow guests in the lounge, go for a refreshing plunge in the pool or take in the sweeping vistas over the surrounding riverine forest and a perennial lagoon that attracts a wide variety of big game.

Day 2: Okavango by Land

Morning, afternoon and night time game drives take you deep into the surrounding forests and grasslands interlaced with waterways. Led by a certified, expertly trained safari guide, you’re likely to encounter fierce predators like lion, spotted hyena and the occasional leopard and wild dog. Huge herds of buffalo, elephant, zebra and wildebeest also inhabit the pristine Abu Concession.

Day 3: Okavango by Water

With lifelong skill, your safari guide will use his ngashi, a long wooden pole, to steer and propel your mokoro canoe through the narrow channels of the Okavango Delta. Drifting in near complete silence puts you at one with the environment, making it all the easier to spot the animals that come to the river to quench their thirst. Tsessebe, red lechwe, impala and zebra often graze at water’s edge and with 380 species recorded, this pristine sector of the Delta is also a birder’s paradise.

Day 4: Onward to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Take off from the Abu airstrip and fly to Kasane. From here, A+R takes you overland across the border into Zimbabwe to the luxurious Palm River Hotel where adventurers have met and gathered for nearly a century. Later this afternoon, head down to the banks of the Zambezi River for a cruise that begins with sundowner cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a chance to see hippos and crocodiles wallowing in the water as well as elephant and antelope grazing at river’s edge. As the sun sets and stars begin to fill the darkening sky, an elegant 3-course plated dinner will be served.

Day 5: Experience the thrill of Victoria Falls

David Livingstone was the first European to visit the Falls and named it after Queen Victoria. But locals still call it Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Smoke that Thunders. As an expert guide takes you along scenic paths through the rainforest alive with birdlife, you’ll hit the best vantage points including a heart-pounding view over the famed Devil’s cataract. And by tour’s end, you might agree that the local name best captures the dramatic spray and deafening roar of the mighty Zambezi River as it plunges more than 300 feet over a mile-wide chasm! The rest of this day is yours to delight in the Edwardian elegance of your hotel.

Day 6: To Hwange National Park

This morning’s flight brings you to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, a 3-million acre expanse of sandy spoils and broad-leafed woodland at the eastern edge of the fabled Kalahari Desert. Your destination is the intimate Davison’s Camp, offering complete privacy with 9 tents set on the private Linkwasha Concession. This prime southeastern sector of the Park has one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in all of Africa.

Day 7: Explore Hwange National Park

Boasting over 100 mammal species, including elephant herds and fierce predators, your safari experiences at Hwange promise unforgettable stories and photos you’ll be sharing long after your return home. You’ll track the Big 5 and maybe spot rare White rhino or the surprisingly ferocious honey badger.

Day 8: More of Hwange National Park

Along with game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, bush walks with an expert safari guides promise a rare and genuine connection to Africa. And in between these guided activities, spending time on your private verandah can be equally thrilling as giraffe, wildebeest, reedbuck, impala, and zebra congregate at the Camp’s waterhole.

Day 9: Depart Hwange

Fly to Victoria Falls Airport for total convenience as you connect to any onward international flight.