Touch down at Victoria Falls Airport and step into the warm Zimbabwean air. A short road transfer brings you to Batonka Guest Lodge, a boutique property set in beautifully manicured tropical gardens in a quiet corner of Victoria Falls town. Settle into your ground-floor room — each one opens onto a private patio overlooking the gardens or pool — and take your time acclimatising. The rest of the day is yours: stroll the garden paths, cool off in the pool, or wander into town for a first glimpse of the curio shops and restaurants along the main strip. Dinner can be taken at the lodge’s own restaurant, where a short menu of local and international dishes is served under the verandah.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Stay at: Batonka Guest Lodge

Meals included: Not included

Drinks included: Not included

A full day at one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, with no fixed schedule. This is deliberate: Victoria Falls rewards those who take their time. Walk the rainforest path along the gorge at your own pace, feeling the spray build as you approach the main cataract — the views from the Zimbabwe side are widely considered the most spectacular. Beyond the falls themselves, the town offers an extraordinary range of experiences: a scenic helicopter flight over the gorge, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, white-water rafting below the falls, or simply a leisurely afternoon at the lodge pool with a book. The activities desk at Batonka can arrange any of these for you, and the lodge’s location makes it easy to move between the falls, the bridge and the town centre. Breakfast is included; lunch and dinner are at your leisure.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Stay at: Batonka Guest Lodge

Meals included: Breakfast (B)

Drinks included: Not included

The landscape changes the moment you cross the Kazungula border into Botswana — the roadside scrub gives way to mopane woodland, and elephant and buffalo begin to appear as you approach Chobe National Park. A road transfer from Batonka Guest Lodge after breakfast brings you here within the morning. Your destination is Chobe Game Lodge, the only permanent lodge situated inside the national park, set directly on the banks of the Chobe River beneath a canopy of mature trees. Settle into your river-facing room with its complimentary minibar and private terrace, then head out for your first activity: a late afternoon boat cruise aboard one of the lodge’s solar-powered electric boats. The silent approach allows remarkably close encounters with the enormous elephant herds that gather along the riverbank, alongside hippo pods, Nile crocodiles and a dazzling array of waterbirds.

Chobe National Park

Stay at: Chobe Game Lodge

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

Drinks included: Local spirits, wines and beers (premium brands excluded)

A full day to discover Chobe from every angle. Rise early for a game drive in one of the lodge’s whisper-quiet electric Land Rovers — being inside the park means the lodge’s vehicles are out before other operators arrive, a precious window of near-solitude with the wildlife. The Chobe riverfront supports staggering numbers of elephant, alongside lion, buffalo, giraffe, sable antelope and spotted hyena. Return for a late breakfast on the 250-metre boardwalk that stretches over the river, then spend the middle of the day as you wish — the pool, a spa treatment, or simply the view from your terrace. In the late afternoon, board a solar-powered boat for a sunset river cruise. This is Chobe at its most magical: golden light on the water, elephants silhouetted at the bank, and hippos surfacing in the shallows as the day fades.

Chobe National Park

Stay at: Chobe Game Lodge

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

Drinks included: Local spirits, wines and beers (premium brands excluded)

Below the wing of your light aircraft, the broad Chobe floodplain gives way to dry Kalahari scrub — then, gradually, the landscape fractures into the braided channels, palm-studded islands and open lagoons of the Okavango Delta. After a morning activity and brunch at Chobe Game Lodge, a short flight from Kasane carries you into a different world entirely. Land at the Xakanaxa airstrip and transfer to Camp Xakanaxa, one of the oldest and most characterful camps in the region. The mood shifts palpably here — from the hotel-style comfort of Chobe to the canvas intimacy of a classic bush camp. Twelve Meru-style tents sit on raised decks along the Xakanaxa Lagoon, each with a private viewing deck overlooking the lagoon. Settle in, then head out on an afternoon game drive through Moremi’s mosaic of mopane woodland and open grassland — lion, leopard, elephant and wild dog all roam these plains.

Moremi Game Reserve

Stay at: Camp Xakanaxa

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

Drinks included: Local spirits, wines and beers (premium brands excluded)

A full day to explore one of Botswana’s most celebrated wildlife areas from both land and water. Head out at dawn with your guide for a game drive through Moremi’s patchwork of habitats — the reserve’s position where Kalahari sand meets Delta water creates an extraordinary concentration of species. Lion prides, cheetah, elephant herds and the elusive African wild dog are all regularly sighted. After brunch back at camp, swap wheels for water: a motorboat excursion along the Xakanaxa Lagoon and its winding channels reveals a different Moremi. Hippos surface among water lilies, Goliath herons stalk the shallows, and malachite kingfishers dart between the reeds. The birding is outstanding in every season. As evening falls, return to a camp lit by dozens of paraffin lamps. Dinner is served at the long communal table beneath the stars, accompanied by homemade bread and the distant calls of hippo and hyena.

Moremi Game Reserve

Stay at: Camp Xakanaxa

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

Drinks included: Local spirits, wines and beers (premium brands excluded)

Depending on your flight schedule, there may be time for a final early morning game drive or boat excursion before brunch. Bid farewell to the bush as you transfer to the Xakanaxa airstrip for a light aircraft flight to Maun Airport, where your onward journey begins. Connect with international flights via Johannesburg, extend with a few days in the Okavango Delta, or speak to us about adding a Makgadikgadi Pans experience. However you choose to continue, you’ll carry with you the sound of thundering water, the silence of an electric boat at sunset, and the crackle of a paraffin lamp in the Moremi night.

Meals included: Breakfast (B)

Drinks included: Not included