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FROM US$10,710-US$16,860

Porcupine Safari

Visit dramatically contrasting landscapes boasting a variety of species during this exploration of Botswana’s top-safari destinations. A combination of national parks and private reserves allows for a range of activities.

Porcupine Safari: Summary

Porcupine Safari in a nutshell

This comprehensive safari includes a selection of Botswana’s best game-viewing destinations. Featuring the Savute, Khwai and Okavanago regions, as well as the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the trip encompasses a vast spectrum of ecosystems and wildlife, combining richly varied species with contrasting landscapes.

Savuti Safari Lodge in the heart of Chobe National Park, beside the famous Savuti Channel, just before it spills out across the Savuti Marshes. Historically this has been an amazing area for game: a wild area and a name to conjure with. The dry, harsh scenery here contrasts greatly with the lush vegetation of the Okavango’s Khwai and Kwara reserves, where guests then respectively stay at Machaba and Splash Camp. Both Khwai and Kwara consist of a patchwork of lagoons, shallow flood pans, plains and forests where the birdlife is plentiful, wild-dog sightings increasingly frequent and mokoro and boating activities are possible.

In a further contrast, the area around last stop is different again. In the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Tau Pan stands beside a large, open pan surrounded by vegetated dunes. Here you'll find a very different ecosystem, with some different carnivores considerably fewer visitors. Yet despite its severe climate, summer in this region provides some of the Kalahari’s best game viewing, when herds of plain’s game congregate on the pans in their thousands, attracting an equally impressive number of predators.

The trip’s contrast of habitats, combined with its variation of national parks and private reserves, makes for a thoroughly well-rounded safari: the opportunity for bush walks, day and night drives, off-roading and boating provide further immersion during an unforgettable experience.

At a glance

Starts: Maun Airport
2 nights Savute Safari Lodge - Chobe National Park, Botswana Full Board & Activities
3 nights Machaba Camp - Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana Full Board & Activities
3 nights Splash Camp - Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana Full Board & Activities
3 nights Tau Pan Camp - Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana Full Board & Activities
Ends: Maun Airport

Savute Safari Lodge

Days 1-3

Perched on the banks of the Savuti Channel within Chobe National Park, Savute Safari Lodge offers a good location from which to explore the nearby Savuti Marshes. Comfortable without being luxurious, the camp enjoys views over the Savute Channel and its two pumped waterholes, which – especially during the dry season – attract vast numbers of elephant to drink in the afternoons and evenings.

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Machaba Camp

Days 3-6

Opened in 2013, Machaba Camp is located along the Khwai riverfront, looking across to the Moremi Game Reserve. The camp lies to the east of the Khwai Community Concession, a tranquil, open spot along the river, backed by a sparse forest of sycamore figs, and with plenty of wildlife. Machaba is spacious yet traditional in feel, and very comfortable.

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Splash Camp

Days 6-9

The smart Splash Camp, opened in June 2018, is located in a prime game-viewing area of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, bordering Moremi Game Reserve. The whole camp affords great views over a large pan, which attracts game all year round.

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Tau Pan Camp

Days 9-12

The first permanent camp to open inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) – and still one of only two within the reserve – Tau Pan sits on a low sand ridge with commanding views over the surrounding plains to Tau Pan itself, and beyond.

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Savute Safari Lodge

Savute Safari Lodge

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Machaba Camp

Machaba Camp

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana

Splash Camp

Splash Camp

Okavango Delta Safari Reserves, Botswana

Tau Pan Camp

Tau Pan Camp

Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana

About image

Highlights

Our thoughts on five of the top experiences of this Porcupine Safari.

  • Dining at eye level with elephants in Savute
  • Identifying some of the 400 bird species in Khwai
  • Get off the beaten track, with off-road driving at Machaba
  • Enjoying utter seclusion in the Central Kalahari
  • Watch black-maned lions on the expansive plains of CKGR

Activities

Some activities which can be included in the Porcupine Safari: talk to us about those which interest you.

  • 4WD Safari

  • Birdwatching

  • Boat trip

  • Cultural excursion

  • Fishing

  • Guided walking safari

  • Helicopter

  • Mokoro

  • Night drive

  • Sleeping under the stars

About image

Key species to see on the Porcupine Safari

Based on our travellers' observations, we’ve estimated the likelihood of seeing these species during the Porcupine Safari. Click on the animals and our wildlife surveys page for more info.


Lion

100% chance

Leopard

100% chance

Buffalo

100% chance

Elephant

100% chance

Giraffe

100% chance

Hippo

100% chance

Wildebeest

100% chance

Zebra

100% chance

Spotted Hyena

98% chance

Wild dog

96% chance

Cheetah

95% chance

Oryx

95% chance

Roan antelope

64% chance

Sable antelope

42% chance

Brown Hyena

40% chance

Sitatunga

27% chance

Eland

25% chance

Aardvark

9% chance

Meerkat

5% chance

Pangolin

5% chance

White Rhino

2% chance

Black Rhino

0% chance

Side-trips whilst on this safari

We may be able to build in some of these optional excursions from the Porcupine Safari. Talk to us: they’re usually best arranged when you book.


Helicopter Flight - Botswana

Helicopter Flight - Botswana

Various: from 30 minutes to half a day.

Low-flying, agile and offering superb views, helicopters are an ideal way to move around the Okavango Delta.You can use them instead of fixed-wing inter-lodge transfers or as an addition to other wildlife watching activities, and of course, helicopters can hover to allow that perfect pic, whereas fixed-wings can’t.

More about Helicopter Flight

Let us help you customise your trip

All of our holidays on this site are just ideas; none are fixed. All of our trips are tailor-made, so we'll always adapt them to suit you. Talk to an Expert and let us help you to work out your perfect trip.


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Call us now! We’ll match you with the Specialist in our team who is best suited to help you. Then together we can start planning your trip.

Set up your itinerary

Based on our experience and your ideas, your specialist will create a detailed, costed itinerary. We’ll refine it together, until we have a trip that you’re perfectly happy with.

Prepare for your trip

The same Specialist will make the seamless arrangements for your trip, send you detailed travel documents, and be available to answer any questions before you depart.

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After you set off, you’ll be cared for by our partners in Africa, most of whom have worked with Expert Africa for decades. And if you ever need us urgently, we’re available 24/7.

When you return

We love to learn about your trip, and so will always be grateful if you’ve the time to give feedback to your Specialist when you return.

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