Bag a 2-for-1 deal on a luxury African safari in Botswana

Elephants, lions and rhinos — oh my! You can see these legendary beasts and more on an 11-day luxury safari in Botswana. Better yet, a longtime purveyor of African travel is offering a 2-for-1 deal on this adventure in one of southern Africa’s most treasured wildlife destinations, home of the renowned Okavango Delta and the setting for “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” TV series on HBO.

Did I mention that the trip isn’t cheap? Even with the deal, it starts at about $3,300 per person, not including airfare to Africa. But it can be a terrific value for a once-in-a lifetime, top-of-the-line experience. And it comes from a respected tour operator right here in Southern California — African Travel Inc. of Glendale.

Deal: On “The Last Refuge”  tour, you view wildlife on foot, by canoe, by safari vehicle and by helicopter in three areas of Botswana.

After flying to Johannesburg and connecting to Maun, Botswana, you travel to the Eagle Island Camp in the Okavango Delta, the Khwai River Lodge in the Moremi Reserve and the Savute Elephant Camp in Chobe, all operated by Orient-Express. You spend two nights in each, with your days devoted to wildlife viewing and relaxing. In Johannesburg, you spend two nights at the Westcliff Hotel, also run by  Orient-Express.

The tour price is normally $8,675 per person, double occupancy, in September and October and $6,595 in November and December. With the 2-for-1 deal, it is half that. The price includes lodging for eight nights, daily breakfast, beverages (including alcohol), most lunches and dinners, game drives, flights between safari camps and a wildlife excursion by helicopter. It does not include round-trip airfare between the U.S. and Johannesburg and between Johannesburg and Maun.

Dates: Travel through Dec. 20.

Contact: African Travel Inc., (800) 421-8907. Book by phone through the company or your travel agent;  online reservations are not available.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Photo: Savute Elephant Camp in Botswana. Credit: Courtesy of Orient-Express

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This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 8:30 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Africa & Middle East, Deals, Eco-Travel, Fall, Global, Luxury Travel, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, Rowed Trip, Tours & Cruises, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.