Five Rivers Safari 2023

We pick you up at Hosea Kutako Airport in Windhoek. Once you have passed immigration and have collected your luggage, we depart for Windhoek (ca 40km from the airport). We check in at Windhoek Luxury Suites, where you can freshen up, take a swim or a shower, before we do a little tour of Windhoek, visiting some of the colonial building structures (Christuskirche, Tintenpalast, the old railway station) but also Windhoek’s Central Business District, a craft market and Namibia’ Freedom Museum (one of the best views of the city can be seen from the top of the museum).

In the evening your guide will take you to the famous Joe’s Beerhouse for dinner, where you can taste some of Namibia’s famed meat cuisine.

After a wholesome breakfast at the guesthouse, we depart for the Etosha National Park, approximately 400 km north of Windhoek. We have a quick lunch in a little village called Outjo, before checking in at the stunning Toshari Lodge.

Those very eager to see their first animals can accompany your guide into a short excursion into the Etosha National Park. However, you can also enjoy a swim and a beer at the lodge and just relax, your choice.

We meet for a sundowner drink on the terrace, before sitting down to a wonderful buffet dinner.

An early rise and breakfast; today we spend the entire day in the Etosha National Park, looking for virtually all that Africa has to offer in terms of wildlife. We visit various waterholes, exploring east and west, we view the actual saltpans and marvel at the porous rock formations that allow water to seep into natural waterholes. During the mid-day heat we stop over at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp, here we enjoy a Toshari-packed lunch, have a swim or a short siesta at the poolside, before continuing or quest to see lions, elephants and rhinos. In the late afternoon we leave the park and return to Toshari Lodge, where we freshen up before having sundowners and another fantastic meal.

After a hearty breakfast we say goodbye to Toshari and travel back to the park. Our mission today is to traverse it from the central part where Anderson gate is, to the eastern gate called Von Lindequist, all the while visiting the waterholes and watching the wildlife.

Around midday we reach the Halali Rest Camp, where we will enjoy another of Toshari’s scrumptious lunch packs. After a swim and a siesta we continue on eastwards towards Namutoni, all the while watching Africa’s nature. In the late afternoon we will reach the Von Lindequist Gate. Right outside the gate we find ourselves at the Mokuti Lodge. This lodge has just been completely re-built; they are famous for outstanding hospitality and quality.

After check-in you are at your leisure until we meet at the pool bar for a sundowner, after which we sit down to another exciting dinner.

After an early breakfast we drive back to the park for another half day of exploration and adventure. We visit famed waterholes like Okevi, Tsumcor and Chudap, looking for elusive game like Leopards and Hyena. At lunch time we return to Mokuti for a good lunch, as well as a siesta. Those who still feel adventurous, can accompany the guide for a last excursion into the Etosha National Park.

We meet at the pool bar for a sundowner before sitting down to another wonderful meal.

We have a long drive ahead of us, which unfortunately cannot be avoided. After breakfast we take the road to Rundu, via Tsintsabis. What makes this part of the journey interesting is the unspoilt nature and the endless forests of Mangetti trees. At Nkurenkuru we meet up with the Kavango River as it straddles the border between Angola and Namibia. Following it for another 130 km through pastures and grazing land of the Kavango people living along the river, we reach Hakusembe Lodge, situated on the banks of the Kavango River. After checking in and freshening up, we meet for a sundowner drink and dinner at the main restaurant. As with most of Gondwana’s lodges, we have a superb buffet selection for every culinary taste.

After breakfast we hit the road in an easterly direction – past Rundu along the B8 – and along the Kavango river towards Divundu.

We cross the Kavango and explore the western part of the Bwabwata National Park, all along the riverside. There is an incredible variety of birdlife here – and for the first time we will be able to watch hippos and buffaloes as they graze along the riverbank. We stop for lunch at one of the picnic spots along the river. In the afternoon we make for the lodge where Cameron Wilson, the owner of Nunda River Lodge awaits us to check us in. After refreshing ourselves we set of for a sunset cruise on the Kavango River, hopping off on an island directly under the Popa Falls, a series of rapids that lies across the river.

After a delicious dinner, we sit at the fireplace and listen to the sound of the frogs, watching the stars.

After breakfast we travel to the Mahangu Park which lies on the south-western side of the Kavango River. There are some old Baobab trees here, as well as roan and sable antelopes. Occasionally we will see an elephant herd making their way to the water whilst watching the hippos from up close. We return to the lodge for lunch.

The afternoon is free time for everyone – during the late afternoon the guides will come to take you on a mokoro excursion. Mokoros are the traditional boats made from trees used by the indigenous population. Accompanied by a motorboat (for your safety), you get to traverse the Kavango in silence, watching the birdlife and the hippos.

We meet for a sundowner drink after which dinner will be served.

We continue on the B8 towards Kongola, on the eastern side of the Bwabwata Park. Here the Kwando River runs through the Zambezi region, forming a natural triangle with the Linyanti river. Most of this area is dedicated to nature conservation, we have three Wildlife Parks in this area.

As we near Kongola, we turn of toward the Angolan border and visit a Mafwe village. This traditional village aims at keeping their culture alive, as well as showing the rest of us how the tribes used to manufacture, hunt, plant and make clothing.

In the early afternoon we arrive at the Namushasha Lodge. After check in, and a little time to freshen up, we embark on a river boat which will take us into the Bwabwata National Park. Here we climb onto game viewers which will take us to the famous “horseshoe”, a U-shaped part of the Kwando River where elephants like to converge. I personally have seen over 300 elephants here. There is a hide which can be accessed by guests, to have better photographic opportunities to capture this unbelievable part of nature.

On return to the lodge, we have our sundowner, followed by a delicious dinner.

After an early breakfast we travel to the Bwabwata National Park. We will be spending most of the day tracking and observing wildlife in this forested area. We will take lunch packs with us, somewhere on the river we will stop for lunch. In the late afternoon we return to the lodge for sundowners and dinner.

As we leave this part of the Kwando River, we drive southwards along the Kwando. Here we have two National Parks. On our right, we will find the Mudumu National Park. After registering at the Wildlife offices, we will traverse the thick sand until we get to the river, then explore it from the Hippo Pools until well beyond Nakatwa.

Around lunchtime we will picnic along the river, before continuing southwards to the Nkasa Rupara Park. Inside this park we find the stunning Nkasa Lupala tented camp. This is a lodge with a difference, as there are no fences around it and the wildlife literally flows around this space.

We have our traditional sundowner and dinner – however this is not the end of the evening – there is a night drive planned so as to see more of the nocturnal animals. Lions, leopard, hyenas, jus to name a few move predominantly at night, but also the smaller cats like civets, as well as honey badgers are very seldom seen during day time.

An early rise will take us on a game-drive toward the Linyanti River. This early in the morning there is a good chance to find leopard or lion on a kill – before we embark on a river boat to follow the Linyanti river northwards. This is one of the most pristine nature areas in Africa and reminds me of the Okavango Delta, it has so many similarities. We return to the lodge for lunch, the afternoon is leisure time, for a siesta or spending a bit of time in the pool.

As per tradition, we meet for sundowner and dinner on the main deck.

As we drive back to the tar road, we continue following the Linyanti all the way to Katima Mulilo, the capital of the Zambezi region. This is a bustling town, so if you need to do any shopping, here is where you will find it. After Katima, we follow the Zambezi to a camping place called Zambezi Mubala Camp. Here we offload our luggage as we will be taken to the lodge by boat.

Enjoy your first boat ride on the mighty Zambezi – it takes 20 Minutes to reach the lodge.

In the late afternoon we embark on a leisurely sundowner boat cruise and enjoy the majestic scenery.

After returning and freshening up, we have dinner on the open terrace, whereafter we have a nightcap watching the stars, or have a last chat at the fire.

Early in the morning your guide will take you on a scenic walk along the riverfront – hopefully the carmine bee-eaters have arrived and are nesting in this area in their thousands. The guide will show you different plants, birds and reptiles as you walk along the river.

Returning to the lodge we have a late breakfast. You now have some leisure time until the early afternoon where we embark on a final boat cruise on this part of the Zambezi.

Dinner will be held on the terrace.

We cross the border into Botswana and drive through the Chobe National Park to a town called Kasane. Kasane lies on the Chobe River and borders Namibia.

Here we check into the Chobe Safari Lodge at the edge of the town. After a siesta and some lunch we embark on a boat cruise on the Chobe river along the Chobe National Park.

We return to the lodge just after sundown. Dinner at the lodge

A very early game drive into the Chobe Park sees us on the road at 6.00 am. This is the best time to see the cats and various carnivores on the river front. This park has one of the most concentrated animal densities in Africa and we will not be disappointed.

We return to the lodge before lunch. During the late afternoon we once again embark on a boat cruise along the Chobe National Park.

Dinner will be served at the lodge.

After a hearty breakfast we travel towards the Kazangula border and enter Zimbabwe. The formalities can take a while with all the traffic between the two countries.

Having arrived in Victoria Falls, we check into our lodge and freshen up. Then we are off to view the Magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the Natural World Wonders.

We return to the lodge for sundowners and dinner.

We have a leisurely breakfast together. Those that wish to do a helicopter flight will be taken to the landing pad, the rest of the guests can relax, until all are together again. Your guide will then take you to the airport for your departure home.