Blooming Desert

Daily Detail

You will arrive from Johannesburg by 13h30 into Maun Airport where you will be met by a Letaka Safaris representative who will assist you with your luggage and then transferring you in a closed mini-bus on the open tar road south-east out of Maun to the Khumaga area on the Boteti River for the first night at Leroo La Tau.

Leroo La Tau is situated on the western bank of the Boteti River, which forms the boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. The Boteti River provides a lifeline or the wildlife which inhabit the arid national park and is a critical link in the annual zebra migration. Leroo La Tau translates as ‘lion’s paw’ but, although the surrounding area features abundant lion, zebra and wildebeest, it also boasts bushbuck, leopard, cheetah, brown and spotted hyena, kudu, genet and porcupine to name a few.

Upon arrival at Leroo La Tau, we shall transfer to the open game viewer and once you have been shown to your accommodation, you will then have a chance to relax in the comfort of your tent and the rest of the lodge before taking a short sundowner and orientation game drive in the Boteti River area.

Daily Detail

After an early breakfast, you will depart the lodge with your guide for the drive to the entrance of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve through the Matswere Gate. The Deception Valley region is where you will be spending the next 4 nights in a Letaka mobile camp in a private site- miles from anyone or anything else other than the local wildlife. The total length of the drive will depend on how much you see along the way.

Daily Detail

Habitat: Deception Valley is the course of an ancient river that once flowed in the wetter times - thousands of years ago. The river may have been a tributary of the vast ancient lake that once covered much of the central plateau or may have been part of the lake at one time, but now it a place of waving grass where herds of springbok and gemsbok gather. During the rainy season when the grass in the valley is lush and green the site of thousands of animals can make you forget how dry the area is in general.

Despite being in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Deception Valley is grassed and lies between wooded dunes. This habitat provides for wildlife year-round, even during the dry season when there is no surface water.

Wildlife: Home to a good population of cheetah, a resident pride of lion and several leopard, whose territories include parts of the pan, this is an excellent place for Kalahari predators. The break of dawn is an excellent time to be out looking for the crepuscular brown hyaena that patrol the pans, scrounging for a meal. Good sized herds of blue wildebeest, oryx and springbok graze on the pans. Giraffe and greater kudu browse on the verges and the islands of the pan.

Birding: Good sized flocks of Ostrich can be found here. Rufous-eared warbler are particularly fond of the bush on the southern slopes and on the islands of the pans where our camp is, are Crimson-breasted Shrike, Monotonous Lark, Spike-heeled Lark, Yellow Canary, Chestnut-backed Sparrowlark, Grey-backed Sparrowlark, Buffy Pipit, Kalahari Robin, Violet-eared Waxbill, Black-cheeked waxbill and Black Crow to mention but a few species.

Daily Detail

Today we depart from Deception Valley and head toward the wilderness area on the north-western side of Central Kalahari. Our journey takes us over endless vegetated dune-fields and the extensive Leopard and San Pans before arriving at the magnificent and wildlife rich Passarge Valley.

Daily Detail

Habitat: The remoteness of this region, along with its climate and undulating terrain, has kept the environment in immaculate condition and as a result, any visit is richly rewarded with some of the finest African wilderness experiences.

The geology of the Passarge Valley provides optimal grazing for Kalahari game with highly nutritious grasses. Impressive clusters of umbrella thorn punctuate the endless grasslands of the pan-floor. The edges of the pans consist of ancient dune-veld, arrested by the vegetation that resulted from wetter times. Impressive woodlands of purple-pod terminalia and Kalahari apple-leaf are found on the ridges of many of these sandy dunes.

Wildlife: When the rains arrive, the plains surge into life and become one of the primary sites in Botswana to catch a glimpse of the famous black-maned Kalahari lions. This area is also home to one of Africa's most endangered predators. - the African wild dog. Among the other great mammals encountered in the Passarge are aardwolf, meerkat, eland, bat-eared fox, Cape fox and many more. Journeys of up to 30 giraffe may be seen browsing on the dense Acacia thickets.

Birding: The Passarge skies are home to some great species including Montague’s harrier*, lanner falcon, steppe eagle* and the endangered lapped-face vulture. The grasslands support large flocks of pink-billed lark, red-capped lark and grey-backed sparrowlark. Some of the more attractive species of the area include the capped wheatear, double banded and Temmink’s courser

Daily Detail

After saying farewell to your safari crew, your guide will take you south west and to Tau Pan Lodge from Kwando Safaris. We shall conduct our own activities this afternoon and possibly take part in the bushmen walking experience but spend the night in the lodge to be able to take advantage of their private airstrip to depart the next morning back to Maun.

Daily Detail

A final morning activity in the incredible Kalahari before boarding your charter flight to Maun arriving back in civilisation in time to check in for the lunchtime flights out to Joburg and Cape Town or in time to join a Miracle Rivers mobile safari to the delta.