Botswana · 8 days · 7 nights
Khutse & Central Kalahari Expedition
Central Kalahari → Khutse
Khutse & Central Kalahari Expedition links Central Kalahari and Khutse over 8 days — a route with few changes of camp, so you spend more time watching wildlife than travelling. It suits travellers who would like a thoughtful mix of game viewing, comfortable camps and time to be still, with the pacing adjusted in your proposal.
A note from your safari desk
This is how we would run the route for a first visit, not a fixed package. We hold two things firm — the pace of the days and the driving times — and stay flexible on camps until we know what matters to your party. Send us your dates and we will come back with a version written for you, with the trade-offs explained plainly.
Take Me There Safaris · Safari desk, Nairobi
What this journey is about
Central Kalahari
Game drives across the Kalahari’s fossil riverbeds, looking for the area’s desert-adapted species.
Khutse
Drives in the Kalahari sandveld, with a guide reading the pans and fossil river lines.
The route
- Stop 1
Central Kalahari
- Stop 2
Khutse
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
2 stops · drag and zoom to explore
Loading map…
- 01Central Kalahari
- 02Khutse
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
8 days · 7 nights, totalling exactly the advertised nights
Day01Arrive and settle into Central KalahariCentral Kalahari · overnight Central Kalahari
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Game drives across the Kalahari’s fossil riverbeds, looking for the area’s desert-adapted species.
- Transfers
- Met at Maun (MUB), then a transfer of a light-aircraft flight or a long road transfer from Maun.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Central Kalahari
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Central Kalahari — full dayCentral Kalahari · overnight Central Kalahari
A walk with San guides, reading tracks and the landscape.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Central Kalahari
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Central Kalahari — full dayCentral Kalahari · overnight Central Kalahari
An evening drive as the light softens over the dunes.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Central Kalahari
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Central Kalahari — full dayCentral Kalahari · overnight Central Kalahari
Game drives across the Kalahari’s fossil riverbeds, looking for the area’s desert-adapted species.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Central Kalahari
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05On to KhutseKhutse · overnight Khutse
After breakfast you travel on to Khutse. The afternoon is kept light: Drives in the Kalahari sandveld, with a guide reading the pans and fossil river lines.
- Transfers
- approximately 4 hours by road from Gaborone.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Khutse
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day06Khutse — full dayKhutse · overnight Khutse
A quiet day at a waterhole, watching what the desert brings without moving far.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Khutse
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day07Khutse — full dayKhutse · overnight Khutse
A morning drive before the road south.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Khutse
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day08DepartureKhutse · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of approximately 4 hours by road from Gaborone to Maun for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Transfer times are estimates and depend on road and weather conditions. Flight connections on arrival day are checked before we confirm the first night; if your flight cannot connect comfortably we will suggest an extra night.
Included
- Meet-and-greet and road or light-aircraft transfers as shown in the itinerary
- Private safari vehicle with a professional guide for the safari days
- Accommodation as proposed, on the meal basis shown for each day
- Park, reserve and conservancy fees for the areas on the route
- Drinking water in the vehicle and game drives as scheduled
- Planning by a safari consultant before you travel
- Internal light-aircraft flights between camps where the itinerary specifies them
Not included
- International flights and any flights not listed in the itinerary
- Visas, entry fees and travel insurance
- Optional experiences such as balloon flights, mokoro trips, scenic flights and spa treatments
- Gorilla and chimpanzee permits unless the proposal states otherwise
- Drinks, laundry, tips and personal spending
- Anything not listed in the inclusions
When to travel
Dry months (roughly June–October)
Wildlife concentrates around water and the Delta’s channels are high with the seasonal flood. Excellent game viewing and the busiest period.
Green season (roughly November–April)
Dramatic skies, newborn animals and predator action, with lower rates in some camps. Some water activities depend on local conditions.
Water levels
The Delta’s flood arrives in the dry months, not during local rainfall. Do not assume every camp offers the same activities in every month.
Good to know
- Style: Private safari. Private journeys include your own vehicle and guide on safari days.
- Accommodation level: proposed budget to midrange. Specific properties are offered privately in your proposal — we do not name properties or publish rates here.
- Group joining: shared departures are only offered once confirmed. This route is planned privately for your party.
- Children: many camps welcome families, but room configurations, drive lengths and activity minimum ages vary. Share each child’s age at travel so we can check.
- Accessibility: tell us about mobility needs and we will say honestly which camps and activities can accommodate them.
- Arrival and departure: enter via Maun (MUB); depart from Maun. Transfers are by road as shown.
Questions about this journey
Can we change the route or the number of nights?
Yes. Every journey here is a starting point. Add a night in one place, drop another, or finish at the coast — tell us what you would prefer in the enquiry.
Is this itinerary confirmed as available?
Not yet. It is a proposed route and is checked against your dates, camp availability and seasonal conditions before it is offered as confirmed.
Can we add a balloon flight or another optional experience?
Often, yes — subject to availability and weather. Balloon flights, extra permits and scenic flights are quoted separately and never assumed in the base arrangement.
Will we see every animal mentioned?
No. Wildlife moves freely and sightings cannot be guaranteed. We plan routes where the chances are good for the season, and we will always be straight with you about that.
