Botswana Safari Bargain

The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, seven nights' accommodations, meals, safaris, and local transportation, from $2,750 per person

When: Jan. 9-Mar. 31, 2007; add $45 for travel through Dec. 8, 2006 and Oct. 7-Dec.8, 2007; $245 for Apr. 1-May 31 and Aug. 21-Oct. 6; $445 for Dec. 24, 2006-Jan. 8, 2007; $645 for June 1-Aug. 20; $745 for Dec. 9-Dec. 23, 2006

Gateways: New York City, Washington, D.C.; add $195 for Atlanta; $225 for Chicago; $325 for Houston, Minneapolis, San Francisco; additional cities available

Details: Air/hotel transfers, 13 meals, and park entrance fees (except for a US$20 fee at Victoria Falls) are included. Airport taxes of $295 and fuel surcharges of about $130 are additional. Purchase a Zimbabwe visa for Victoria Falls at the border for US$30

Book By: No deadline; based on availability

Contact: 2Afrika, 866/462-2374, 2afrika.com

The package includes round-trip airfare on South African Airways (17 hours from New York City) and seven nights' accommodations: the first night is at the Metcourt Laurel Hotel, part of a casino complex with restaurants and shops near the Johannesburg airport, and the following six nights are at the Chobe Safari Lodge in Chobe National Park, known for its buffalo and elephant herds.

It's a one-and-a-half hour flight between Johannesburg, South Africa, and either Livingstone, Zambia, or Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe. Flights are on a carrier such as South African Airways, Nationwide Airlines, or British Airways. From either airport, it's one-and-a-half hour drive in a private bus to Chobe Lodge. A quick look at a map, like the one at 2afrika.com, may help clarify these logistics. The lodge is at the northern edge of Botswana, which brushes against the borders of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. South Africa is Botswana's neighbor to the south.

While staying at Chobe, you'll enjoy two game-viewing drives in an open-back vehicle outfitted with high frequency two-way radios; two game-viewing cruises and two two-hour cruises on the Chobe River; and a two-hour fishing or birding safari. You can choose to head across the border to visit a traditional Namibian fishing village or to add an extra game drive at Chobe. (A Namibia visa is free for U.S. citizens.)

One of the trip highlights is a full-day excursion to the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Chobe Lodge.

Add extra nights in Johannesburg for an extra $75 per person per night.

In comparison, the lowest round-trip fare we've found for Johannesburg in mid-January 2007 is $1,126 from New York City or from Washington, D.C. (multiple carriers). For about $1,500 more, 2Afrika covers almost everything--international airfare, local flights, seven nights' lodgings, meals, safaris, and the trip logistics.

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