Activities included in the rates:
- Game viewing by tender boat into The Chobe National Park
- Tiger and Bream fishing with personal guide and fishing tackle included
- Birding excursions along the Chobe River and the Kasai channel
- Cultural Village walks on Impalila Island
Activities not included in the rates:
- Golf at the 9-hole golf course in Kasane
- Spa Treatments in Kasane
- Game Drives into the Chobe National Park
- Road transfers between airports/borders and Kasane Immigration
- Day trips to Victoria Falls (either Zambia or Zimbabwe)
Facilities:
- Houseboat consists of 3 decks
- 6 Spacious fully furnished luxury en-suite cabins each measuring approx 20 sq metres and fitted with large sliding glass windows + gauze screens for protection from bugs and mosquitoes
- Built-in cupboards,free-standing fans, hair dryers on request
- Bathrooms fitted with shower, toilet and hand basin
- Guest amenities: Conditioning shampoo, Shower Gel, Body Lotion, Insect Rep ell ant
- Open plan lounge and dining area with unobstructed views
- Electric shutters for protection from wind and rain
- Centralised evaporator/cooling system for hot summer months
- Well appointed fully serviced bar
- 10-seater Jacuzzi on middle deck with pool towels provided
- Large semi-covered area with pool loungers on top deck
- Continental Breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea, sundowner bar snacks + 3-course dinner
- 220V Electricity 24-hours a day
- Ipod docking station so guests are welcome to bring their own ipod
- Air Botswana has 4 direct flights a week between Johannesburg's O R Tambo and Kasane airport
- SAA, BA into Victoria Falls with road transfer to Botswana Immigration
- SAA, BA, 1Time, Zambezi Airlines into Livingstone, Zambia with road transfer to Bots immigration
- Gravel airstrip on Impalila Island for light aircraft charters
- Pick up after 2pm at Kasane Immigration, Botswana
- Disembarkation at 10h00
Important Info:
- Each guest must have his/her own comprehensive Travel Insurance and ensure all Visa requirements are taken care of before arriving in Botswana and Namibia
- Guests returning to SA and who have stayed or been in transit in Zambia
(Livingstone and surrounds), will require a yellow fever certificate to be shown on arrival at OR Tambo Airport. Inoculation to be done 10 days before travel
Sample Itinerary:
The Pride of the Zambezi does not have fixed departure dates with a set plan or routing. We like to 'tailor make' according to the guest's interests and requests.
It could mean their main priority is game viewing OR birding OR photography OR fishing OR a culmination of all and will then plan accordingly. Air Botswana flies direct into Kasane Airport from Johannesburg on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, allowing agents flexibility in the planning of an itinerary.
Feel free to tweak the below description to suit your itinerary.
Typically a 2-nt itin will read as follows:
Day 1
Check in time is after 2pm so we will collect at Kasane immigration in town around about this time. The direct Air Botswana flight (JNB/Kasane) lands at 2pm. We then transfer by small boat to Namibian Immigration where guests complete formalities before heading out to The Pride of the Zambezi. All in all this takes about 30 minutes.
After boarding and being briefed by the Captain, guests are shown to their cabins and may then head upstairs to the middle deck for afternoon tea. At this point we lift anchor and head for the Chobe National Park where we will moor for the first night. This is an awesome experience particularly for first timers on a Houseboat. This leisurely cruise of about 2-3 hours offers excellent game viewing from any of the three decks. We generally aim to arrive at our docking spot by dusk
so that guests can enjoy Sundowners and snacks whilst taking in the peace and tranquility that goes hand in hand with an awesome African sunset.
Dinner is served a little later. For guest's convenience we also offer 24-hr electricity on The Pride so late night reading or charging of camera batteries for the next day's adventures, is possible.
Day 2
Early risers will find a tea/coffee station on the middle deck from where they can witness a new African day unfold. Early morning birding and/or game viewing / fishing by tender boat with qualified and experienced guide is the order of the day after enjoying a Continental breakfast of juice, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, freshly baked muffins, toast and jams.
Brunch happens around 11am and this is when the Captain says 'Ahoy' for the second time ... With the move deeper into the park and mooring in the Kabulabula or Serondela area this time. This move is dependent on the time of year and river levels which fluctuate with the season.
After Brunch it is 'Siesta time', which offers the opportunity of enjoying the ever changing scenery from one's bed. Truly a rare and wonderful experience.
Afternoon tea is at approximately 3.30 before heading out on the afternoon game or fishing activity.
Sundowners and bar snacks welcome you back on the Houseboat as the African sun dips below the horizon.
Day 3
An optional early activity followed by full breakfast as we cruise back to our base station with check out at 10h00/10h30. Then its again passing through Immigration on both the Namibian and then the Botswana side. Guests continue with their onward journeys. For those flying out on the 14:40 flight to JNB we drop off at one of the nearby lodges where they can relax by the pool or wander into the
small town of Kasane for last minute shopping before heading back to the airport.
Included:
- Return boat transfers Kasane/Namibian Immigration/Houseboat
- Luxury accommodation in twin bedded/king en suite cabins
- All meals, snacks, teas and coffees
- Local beers, housewines, soft drinks and mineral water
- All activities: fishing, game viewing and birding by boat
- Cultural walks
- All standard fishing equipment: boats with driver guide, rods and lures
- All National park fees, fishing licences, VAT and tourism levies
- All water based transfers
- 20 litres Fuel per tender boat per day
Excluded:
- Flights or transfer arrangements between Kasane airport/Immigration
- All spirits and premium brand drinks
- Visa's into Botswana and Nambia (if applicable – none required for South African citizens)
- Game Drives into the Chobe National Park – but which may be arranged at an additional fee
- Voluntary Community development levy: R40 per person per stay
- Replacement of lost lures and equipment
- Gratuities
For the 3-night itineraries: We spend the extra night at either of the Park's two mooring spots or we head back to the base station if guests wish to bird or fish in the backwaters of the Kasai channel. Cultural tours on the nearby Impalila Island are on offer too.
For those purely interested in fishing, we move via the Kasai channel to the upper Zambezi where all-year round fishing is great with the months of August, September, October and November offering the best of the best.
Check in: After 2pm and we collect at Kasane Immigration. Self-drive clients can leave vehicles at Chobe Safari Lodge, from where we pick up and drop off.
Check out: On the day of departure Check out is strictly at 10h00.
We will transfer clients to Namibia and then Kasane Immigration where they will check back into Botswana, before being dropped off at Waterlily lodge in town, from where they have time to either relax at the pool, have a drink or light lunch for their own cost, or explore the town of Kasane. They will then be transferred to the Kasane Airport at 13h15 to be in time for their Air Botswana flight back to Johannesburg.
Important info we require for each booking:
- FULL NAMES /passport numbers / passport expiry date / Date of Birth of each client as this assists us in the pre filling out of their Immigration forms
- Nicknames or names they go by
- Any dietary requirements any of them may have eg. Vegetarian / food allergies / food dislikes / preferences
- Drinks preferences eg Beer (Castle , Hansa, Windhoek etc ) White Wine (Sauv Blance/Rose/ Chardonnay etc) Whisky (J+B, Bell's, Jamieson etc)
- Where they are arriving FROM and where they are departing TO
- Room Configuration – twin or King and who shares with whom
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