Ultimate Cape Town and Botswana Safari with Belmond

Upon arrival in Cape Town, you will be met and transferred to the luxurious Mount Nelson Hotel. Set within a verdant garden estate, you’ll find yourself within easy reach of the bustling V&A Waterfront and some of Cape Town’s finest beaches.

You’ll have four nights to make the most of this incredible city with its golden coastline, fabulous restaurants, period architecture and vibrant nightlife. Don’t miss out on a cable car ride up to the summit of Table Mountain, where you’ll be welcomed by an unbelievable panorama of city, mountain and sea. You can also cruise to historic Robben Island and wander the beautiful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Otherwise, make the most of the facilities of your hotel, which include two heated pools, two floodlit tennis courts and a sumptuous spa.

Stay: Four nights in a Junior Suite at The Mount Nelson Hotel – bed and breakfast

Today you’ll cross the border into Botswana. Upon arrival, you’ll continue by light aircraft to your lodge deep within the Okavango Delta, one of the world’s largest inland water systems and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated on Xaxaba island, your lodge is surrounded by a lagoon as well as innumerable waterways, floodplains and palm-fringed islands. It’s a pristine area of outstanding wildlife viewing, with wild dog, lion, leopard, elephant, sable antelope and buffalo all to be found, as well as more than 400 species of resident and migrant birds.

The camp offers an array of water-based activities including motorboat, mokoro (traditional canoe) and walking excursions. Between November and March, when the water levels are lower, you can also enjoy open 4x4s drives off the island. For the adventurous, why not get a bird’s eye of view of the action on a helicopter safari. Between activities, you can relax in your luxurious tent with its walled outdoor shower, outdoor deck and plunge pool.

Stay: Two nights in a Luxury Tented Room at Eagle Island Lodge – full board

Today you’ll set off by light aircraft to explore another corner of this immense wetland paradise. Khwai River Lodge sits on the edge of a leadwood and fig tree forest, overlooking the vast Khwai River floodplains and the Moremi Wildlife Reserve beyond. As well as a swimming pool, gym and spa, the lodge has its own hide overlooking the floodplains, allowing guests to unobtrusively observe passing wildlife.

This area of the Okavango offers is particularly known for its concentrations of mammals. Elephant, wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah are regularly spotted, as well as plenty of plains game and birds such as wildfowl and raptors. You’ll be able to make the most of the location on morning, afternoon and night spotlight game drives in open land cruisers. Guided walks along the Khwai River, in the company of an expert guide, are also on the menu. Cultural visits to a nearby village can be arranged for those looking to get an insight into local traditions.

Stay: Two nights in a Luxury Tented Room at Khwai River Lodge – full board

Chobe National Park is your final stop. After an absence of some 30 years, the Savute Channel has once again started flowing through Chobe National Park, drawing all manner of wildlife to its shores including lions, wild dogs, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and both sable and roan antelope. Here you’ll be staying on the banks of the Savute Channel, offering incredible views of the region’s elephants as they roam freely across the plains. Bird watchers will find over 250 different species to tick off their list, whilst rare Bushmen rock paintings can be uncovered in the region’s ancient baobab forests.

After a full days’ exploration, retreat to your air-conditioned room with its netted four-poster bed and lavish bathroom. Relax on your private deck in full view of the adjacent waterhole, or head to the camp’s viewing hide.

Stay: Two nights in a Luxury Tented Room at Savute Elephant Lodge – full board