The road west from Maun crosses flat, dusty scrubland before the land drops away and the Boteti River appears below — a ribbon of green cutting through the Kalahari. Meno a Kwena sits right on the cliff edge above it, and your first glimpse of camp is the river itself: elephant drinking on the far bank, zebra watching nervously from the shallows. The road transfer takes roughly two hours, and by late afternoon you’ll be settled into your tented room with a sundowner in hand, watching the light soften over the pans as the first animals gather at the water’s edge.

Makgadikgadi Pans, Boteti River

Stay at: Meno a Kwena

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

Dawn breaks over the Boteti and the cliff edge comes alive with birdsong — barred owls call from the mopane, and Verreaux’s eagle-owls watch from the branches above camp. Head out on a morning game drive into the national park, where desert-adapted species roam among ancient baobab trees and shimmering salt pans. Between April and November, the Boteti River draws Africa’s second-largest zebra migration — tens of thousands of animals converging in a spectacle of dust and stripes. Between drives, spend time in the floating photographic hide at river level for intimate, eye-to-eye encounters with elephant and other wildlife, or join a guided walk with the San Bushmen to learn the ancient art of desert survival. As evening falls, the camp fire and a canopy of stars provide the perfect end to the day.

Makgadikgadi Pans, Boteti River

Stay at: Meno a Kwena

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

From the air, the landscape tells the whole story of this itinerary: the dry Kalahari edge gives way to mopane woodland, then channels and floodplains stretching to the horizon. A morning drive returns you to Maun, and from there a light aircraft carries you north into the Khwai Private Reserve. Elephant Pan sits among cathedral mopane trees, overlooking a permanent waterhole where the action never stops. This is a different world from the pans — thicker bush, staggering elephant numbers, and a pace that feels wonderfully unhurried. By afternoon, you could be watching from the ground-level photographic hide as a breeding herd drinks just metres away.

Khwai Private Reserve (northern concession)

Stay at: Elephant Pan

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

The waterhole wakes you before the alarm call does — elephants arriving in the half-light, their low rumbles carrying across the still air. Morning and afternoon game drives take you through dry mopane woodland and across open plains in search of buffalo, lion, leopard and wild dog. The reserve borders both Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park, and animals roam freely between them — the sheer variety is remarkable. Between drives, the underground photographic hide is just metres from the busy waterhole, where elephants splash and snort while rarer visitors such as sable and roan antelope come to drink. On another day, swap a game drive for a walking safari with your guide — a completely different perspective on the bush.

Khwai Private Reserve (northern concession)

Stay at: Elephant Pan

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

The mopane thins, the sky opens up, and suddenly the grasslands stretch to the horizon in every direction — the shift from Elephant Pan’s woodland to Little Sable’s open floodplains is one of the most striking transitions on any Botswana safari. A morning game drive from Elephant Pan doubles as your transfer south through the reserve to this intimate eight-tent camp. Raised on wooden platforms, each tent looks out across plains where lion, leopard and wild dog are regularly seen. An afternoon drive helps you get your bearings in this new corner of Khwai.

Khwai Private Reserve (southern grasslands)

Stay at: Little Sable

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

The grasslands in front of camp are a natural stage — lechwe graze in the shallows, hippos grunt from the deeper channels, and a fish eagle’s cry carries across the water. Your morning activity takes you across the floodplains and along the Khwai River, where herds of buffalo, elephant and rare sable antelope roam freely alongside zebra, giraffe and kudu. In the afternoon, depending on water levels, a mokoro excursion or boat safari may be available — a completely different perspective on the Delta’s wildlife. The birdlife is exceptional — look out for giant eagle owls, lilac-breasted rollers and wattled cranes. With very few other vehicles in this vast concession, every sighting feels wonderfully private.

Khwai Private Reserve (southern grasslands)

Stay at: Little Sable

Meals included: Full Board (B, L, D)

Drinks included: Local brand drinks included

One last morning in the bush — the light is always best at this hour, and the flight back to Maun offers a final aerial view of the channels and floodplains that have been your home for the past four nights. At Maun Airport, connect with onward flights to Kasane for a Victoria Falls extension, continue deeper into the Okavango Delta, or head south via Johannesburg. Whichever direction you take, the sounds and silences of these camps tend to stay with you.

Meals included: Breakfast (B)

Drinks included: Not included