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Zimbabwe/Namibia/Botswana

Safari by Water & Land: Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana

Program No. 23458RJ

Discover the wildlife and natural gems of southern Africa on this safari by land and water, searching for the “Big Five” as you explore Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana.

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15 days

14 nights

36 meals

12B 5BR 7L 12D

In Transit to Program

In Flight

Arrive Johannesburg, Check-in, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

Johannesburg

Fly to Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls

Free Time, Local Community Projects, Wildlife Trust

Victoria Falls

About Dr. Livingstone, Fly to Hwange, Safari Game Drive

Hwange National Park

Safari Game Drives, Bush Walk

Hwange National Park

Safari Game Drives, Importance of Termites

Hwange National Park

To the Riverboat, Sunset River Safari

Chobe River

Choice of Morning Activity, Elephant Behavior, Boat Safari

Chobe River

Choice of Activity, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Boat Safari

Chobe River

Transfer to Okavango Delta, Overview of Botswana, Game Drive

Okavango Delta

Bush Walk, Delta Hydrology, Safari by Mokoro

Okavango Delta

Safari Game Drives

Okavango Delta

Game Drive, Fly To Johannesburg, Program Concludes

In Flight

In Transit From Program

In Flight

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At a Glance

Embark on the ultimate African safari by land and water on this incredible learning adventure in the heart of Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. Beginning in Zimbabwe, admire the majesty of Victoria Falls, meet locals at grassroots community projects and explore Hwange National Park in search of lions, leopards, wild dogs and cheetahs. Then, board the luxurious Zambezi Queen in Namibia for a three-night voyage along the Chobe River, offering opportunities to search for wildlife along the water. Conclude your learning adventure in Botswana’s Okavango Delta where you’ll enjoy game drives on land and a chance to explore the delta’s waters by boat and mokoro, a traditional canoe.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Minimal walking. Participants must be able to endure bumpy rides in four-wheel drive vehicles for up to four hours, climb into/out of 4x4 vehicles with 18" step up, and be able to get on/off smaller tinder boats. Elevations up to 5,575 feet.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Float along the Chobe River on a three-day voyage on board the luxurious Zambezi Queen to search for giraffes, zebras and elephants as they come to the river to drink.
Search for wildlife in the Okavango Delta as you explore by vehicle, boat and mokoro — a traditional canoe.
Marvel in the beauty of Victoria Falls and interact with locals during a field trip to grassroots community projects.

General Notes

Please refer to the “Travel Information” section on the Road Scholar website, the start/end time listed in your first informational packet or contact the provider if you plan on booking your own flights for correct arrival and departure dates. Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Helen Malisan

Helen Malisan’s passion for exploration began in high school when she visited Italy, her ancestral country. After completing her final year at school, she immediately joined South African Airways where she worked for 10 years. In 1993, her love for nature and South Africa inspired her to complete the necessary courses to become a wilderness excursion leader, spurring her career as a safari leader in Namibia and Zambia. Helen says her interest in people, nature and animals inspires her work.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Helen Malisan View biography

Lisa Reed View biography

Lisa Reed was born in Zimbabwe, spent her school years in South Africa, and now lives in Botswana. She has worked or visited most Southern and East African safari destinations, and has managed safari camps on her own and with others since being in Botswana. Lisa has a natural affinity with adults and children, and enjoys passing on her years of experience and knowledge to the next generation. She has been leading safaris for Road Scholar for more than 15 years.

Keith Chisnall View biography

A local of northern Zimbabwe, Keith Chisnall relishes in showing the bush culture to travelers from around the world. As a child, Keith learned the medicinal value of bush plants, how to track animals, tribal customs and the indigenous flora and fauna, and his knowledge has only grown since then. He’s worked as an engineer, salesman and detective, but his most meaningful work has been in leading educational adventures. After over 20 years of experience leading groups in “Big Five” territory, you can rely on Keith to explain every aspect and every detail of the wilderness!

Sam Mushandu View biography

Sam was born in a small village in southeast Zimbabwe. Growing up in the village gave him an appreciation for nature, particularly during holidays when he would herd his family’s cattle in the bush. Sam attended Bulawayo Commercial College and is an award-winning safari educator. He has lead learning safaris throughout southern Africa, including top destinations like Hwange and Kafue National Parks. Sam lives with his wife and family in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and enjoys history and fishing. (Be prepared to hear some fishing stories!)

Suggested Reading List (14 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Safari by Water & Land: Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana

Program Number: 23458

Glory

by NoViolet Bulawayo

Award-winning author follows the fall of the Old Horse, the long-serving leader of a fictional country, and the drama that follows for a nation of animals on the path to true liberation. Inspired by the unexpected fall by coup in 2017 of Robert G. Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president of nearly four decades, Glory shows a country's imploding, narrated by a chorus of animal voices.

Fodor’s Complete Guide to African Safaris

by Fodor's Travel

This guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time.

Elephant Dawn

by Sharon Pincott

In 2001, Sharon Pincott traded her privileged life as a high-flying corporate executive to start a new one with the Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe. She was unpaid, untrained, self-funded and arrived with the starry-eyed idealism of most foreigners during early encounters with Africa. For thirteen years - the worst in Zimbabwe's volatile history - this intrepid Australian woman lived in the Hwange bush fighting for the lives of these elephants, forming an extraordinary and life-changing bond with them.

The Safari Companion

by Richard Estes

An encyclopedic guide to the behavior of Africa’s mammals by a noted scientist.

The Last Elephants

by Colin Bell & Don Pinnock

African savanna elephants--among the most magnificent and beloved of our fellow mammals--are an extraordinary, social, and intelligent species. The Last Elephants, an homage to these animals and a clarion call for their preservation, is based upon a shocking finding: savanna elephant populations across Africa are being decimated, with two to three murdered every hour for their ivory. Without action, these elephants soon will vanish from our world. They are a species in imminent danger of extinction, and it is up to us to save them.

Okavango, Africa’s Last Eden

by Franz Lanting

In this handsome volume, master wildlife photographer Franz Lanting captures the wildlife and habitats of the Okavango

Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales Of A Botswana Safari Guide

by Peter Allison

These safari stories are entertaining, humorous and educational. Enjoy true tales from top safari guide Peter Allison.

Watch My Tracer

by Keith Chisnall

A third-generation Rhodesian tells the story of his upbringing on a farm and his days learning to track and survive in the bush that would assist him during the Rhodesian Civil War as a part of the clandestine operation unit known as the Pachedu.

Out of Darkness, Shining Light

by Petina Gappah

So begins Petina Gappah's powerful novel of exploration and adventure in nineteenth-century Africa—the captivating story of the loyal men and women who carried explorer and missionary Dr. Livingstone's body, his papers and maps, fifteen hundred miles across the continent of Africa, so his remains could be returned home to England and his work preserved there.

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

by Alexandra Fuller

A worthy heir to Isak Dinesen and Beryl Markham, Alexandra Fuller remembers her African childhood with candor and sensitivity. Though it is a diary of an unruly life in an often inhospitable place, it is suffused with Fuller's endearing ability to find laughter, even when there is little to celebrate. Fuller's debut is unsentimental and unflinching but always captivating. In wry and sometimes hilarious prose, she stares down disaster and looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time.

The Big Conservation Lie

by John Mbaria, Mordecai Ogada

This book takes the reader through Kenya’s conservation ‘industry’ and the players therein with all their prejudices, weaknesses and commitment to causes. It is a call to indigenous Africans to claim their place at the table where the management of their natural resources is being discussed, and invites well-meaning donors to look beyond the romantic images and detect the possible role of their money in the disenfranchisement of a people.

Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent

by Dipo Faloyin

So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. This book offers stories that bring to life Africa’s rich diversity, communities, and histories.

Southern Africa Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide

by Mike Unwin

A popular, photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text.

The Harmless People

by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

A classic study of the Bushmen of the Kalahari. It’s an account of the author’s fieldwork, strong on the character of the people.

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Safari by Water & Land: Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana

Enroll with Confidence

Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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