Pricing:
From $9,950 per person sharing
Trip Dates:
July – November, 2024
Trip Length:
10 Days
Trip Details:
The dry season of Botswana is as good as it gets to see large quantities of animals in exclusive wilderness areas. Of special note the rare African wild dog typically is denning with puppies visible from mid-July to the end of August, then September through November remains outstanding as packs with puppies are traveling small distances with a drive to hunt to feed the quickly growing pups. With the last rain falling in early April many species are forced to concentrate at dwindling water sources, leading to massive herds of buffalo and amazing elephant numbers as herds meet and greet in the water. The plentiful groupings of buffalo greatly increases the chances of seeing lion hunting action.
This remarkable itinerary features locations that combine to represent the best opportunities of this seasonal excitement. First you will visit Okavango Origins, in the paradise of the Delta this location stands out for African wild dogs. Over the last year BBC Planet Earth 3 and Disney Nature have featured wild dog packs in action filmed in this area. The famed Ash Pack has started to den June 1st with puppies expected to emerge in early July. The Tshwara pack was up to 30 dogs but has split with the main pack of 18 likely to den in the area, and possibly the split portion could produce a den as well. Beyond wild dogs this part of the Okavango has become well known for very relaxed leopards. There are frequent lion sightings, a spotted hyena den, and wide ranging cheetah come and go from the area. Night drives are very productive, with unusual sightings such as aardwolf, honey badger and civet often occurring. Due to high densities interaction between different predator species has become a hallmark of the area, though completely unpredictable.
Onward you will move from the variety of habitats in the Okavango to a vast dry open grassland of the Mababe Depression that is anchored by a ribbon of water ending in a large marsh. This serves as a magnet for immense quantities of buffalo, and in turn four different large prides of lions seek them out. The potential to witness power on power daytime hunts is very high during this time of year. Elephants are also attracted to this isolated wet zone and a sunken container photo hide provides wonderful viewing opportunities as different herds come together and interact.
These areas have a small number of guests traversing extremely large areas ensuring exclusive game viewing and maximizing the wild experience. The ability to go off-road creates opportunities for incredibly close viewing of predators and the ability to follow the action.