Safari Quick Facts

Leaving Lake Nakuru we head for Uganda and Kampala, via the Malaba border with its hundreds of transport trucks awaiting customs clearance. Scenery along the way consists of local villages, sugar and tea plantations, and as much of this drive is at altitudes around 2000 meters above sea level you will also see fields of pyrethrum, distinguishable by its white and yellow flowers. The juice from the pyrethrum plant is a natural insect repellent and is harvested commercially and used to treat materials such as mosquito netting and clothes.
After entering Uganda we cross the Nile River at its source near Jinja, on the shores of Lake Victoria before arriving in Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Kampala is a large modern city that was rebuilt after its decimation by Idi Amin and the chaos of his rule.

See day 3 for Itinerary

From Kampala we head out to the western part of the country, where we see the gorillas. We set up camp at Lake Bunyoni and use this as a base for the gorilla visits. Lake Bunyoni is a great place to spend a few days swimming, walking, canoeing (in traditional dug out canoes, not as easy as it looks!), whilst looking forward to your trip to the gorillas or reflecting on the time you have spent with them. Please note: permits to see the gorillas are restricted which means that it will take a few days for everyone to see them.

See day 5 for Itinerary

From our base at Lake Bunyoni, passengers wishing to trek the Mountain Gorillas will transfer by small vehicle/minibus to the relevant national park. Please note that the transfers are not included in your gorilla permit or tour cost (cost U$50-100). Depending on the location of the trek, additional visas may also be required.
Gorilla permits allow visitors to spend up to one hour with a family of gorillas each day. In order to safeguard the gorillas, only 6-8 people may visit each day. In the interests of the gorillas, people with colds, flu or other contagious diseases will not be permitted to trek.
Gorilla trekking may be very strenuous and walking boots are recommended. The area is often shrouded in mist and frequent downpours are common at all times of year. A waterproof jacket can be very useful.
Accompanied by your guides and trackers you will follow simple pathways into the cloud forest. The terrain is hilly and can be muddy and slippery, however the views of the Virunga mountain range are spectacular and more than make up for the tough inclines. As you walk, you may see signs and tracks of other animals as well as enjoying bird, monkey and insect sounds of the jungle.
Following their spore and night nests, your guides will lead you to the gorilla group. Some gorilla groups may be a 5 hour walk away from base camp, whilst other groups can be located within an hour. It is difficult to predict where the gorilla group might be and this adds to the excitement and unpredictability of the trek.
After encountering a gorilla family your guides will settle you down and enable you to watch the group interactions. Visitors are not allowed to get closer than 5 metres to the gorillas, but sometimes the gorillas themselves forget this and come very close indeed! Family groups are generally made up of several females, their playful young and one or two mature silverbacks. Young gorillas are extremely entertaining and enjoy showing off their climbing, tumbling and play-fighting antics. Mothers watch on and silverbacks generally maintain a respectful distance whilst keeping a protective eye on their family. Depending on their daily pattern, gorillas may be encountered resting in a sunny or shady spot or on the move as they travel from one feeding patch to another. Whatever else they are doing, gorillas are usually also eating and it is fascinating to watch them in the giant salad bowls which make up their habitat.
Photographing gorillas is allowed, but flash photography is prohibited. Anyone wishing to use a video camera must pay for a special permit.
After your time with the gorilla group you will return to base camp and then rejoin the truck at Lake Bunyoni.
For up to date information regarding securing a permit and the current prices please contact your nearest Kumuka office.
Those who opt not to partake in the Gorilla trek will be based at Lake Bunyoni where, as noted on days 5-6 there are plenty of activities to keep you busy. As well as swimming, walking and canoeing there are village and craft center tours available, visits to the nearby Pygmy Island, and bird watching, time to soak up the sites and sounds of Uganda.

See day 7 for Itinerary

See day 7 for Itinerary

Leaving Lake Bunyoni we head back to Kampala. The following day we take a short drive (approx 3 hours) to Bujagali Falls, near Jinja, where we have the optional excursion of white water rafting on the Nile River, quad biking or volunteer work with the Soft Power Education Project. There are some excellent walks either by the Nile or in the local villages.

See day 10 for Itinerary

From Bujagali Falls we head back to Kenya, towards Lake Naivasha, which was briefly Kenya’s airport as flying boats from southern Africa stopped to refuel on their way north. At Lake Naivasha there are lots of optional excursions you can enjoy. You may wish to visit Elsamere, named after the lioness in “Born Free”. This was the home of Joy Adamson who, along with her husband, was the inspiration for the movie “Born Free”. You also have the option of going trekking or cycling in Hells Gate National Park, one of the few parks in Africa where it is possible to do walking safaris. For the less energetic, Crescent Island (actually the rim of an old crater still attached to the mainland) is a much more leisurely walk and you are almost certain to come within metres of giraffe, wildebeest and several species of gazelle.

See day 12 for Itinerary

See day 12 for Itinerary

From Lake Naivasha we head into the Masai Mara one of Africa’s premier game parks. The Masai Mara has large herds of plains game (gazelle, antelope, and giraffe), which in turn attract large numbers of carnivores (lion, cheetah, hyena and the ever elusive leopard). In the Masai Mara we do two game drives, one evening drive and one early the following morning. In most national parks it is forbidden to drive at night so all game viewing is done as early and as late as possible to get the best conditions. Looking for game in a National park is not always easy. This is one of the advantages of using a truck; it has superior height making it easier to see over the surrounding terrain. Game parks are places where the enthusiast tends to use a lot of film or extra memory so it’s advisable to have some extra on hand.

See day 15 for Itinerary

See day 15 for Itinerary

From the Masai Mara we pass back through Nairobi.
Members of the group only doing the gorilla section of the tour will be leaving the trip in Nairobi. There will, however, be new faces joining the truck to Victoria Falls.
We depart Nairobi and enter Tanzania and the town of Arusha. Our route to Arusha takes us through more Masai tribal lands and along the western slope of Mt Meru. On this route it is also possible to see Mt Kilimanjaro. Be warned, Kilimanjaro is regularly covered by cloud.

See day 18 for Itinerary

Arusha is situated on the southern slopes of Mt Meru and was originally a coffee town. Safaris have now taken over as the town’s big earner. In Arusha we transfer into smaller 4 wheel drive vehicles to transfer to Karatu, where we spend the night.
Karatu is a small trading town on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation area. The following morning we head into the Ngorongoro Crater National Park. We descend onto the Crater floor for an early morning game drive in one of the most stunning natural wonders of the world. At 19Kms across and 600m deep this is the 5th largest crater in the world. It is a world heritage site and boasts a unique ecosystem. The crater itself reflects a mini rift valley. It has a soda lake with flamingos, fresh water, open plains, and a forest area. There is a high concentration of animals here, and it is also a home to a small population of black rhino. We spend around 4½ hours game driving around the crater. We use smaller vehicles to visit the park, as the walls of the extinct volcano that form the crater are too steep to be negotiated by large vehicles. After the Game drive we head back to Arusha.

See day 20 for Itinerary

From Arusha our journey takes us to Dar es Salaam (Swahili for ‘haven of peace’) on the Indian Ocean. The trip will either be one big day on the truck or broken down into 2 shorter drives. Whichever way it is done we get another chance to Kilimanjaro and will also see a changing landscape en-route to the coast.

See day 22 for Itinerary

We travel to Zanzibar by ferry from Dar es Salaam and this journey can take up to 3 or 4 hours. Conditions are usually smooth but beware the occasional day with rolling seas.
Zanzibar is known as the Spice Island, which comes from the many different spices that were grown there by the original Omani settlers. A lot of spices are still grown on the island and make up a large part of the economy of the island. The island does have a more sordid past in that it was once a major slave trading port; and it is still possible to visit the site of the old slave trading markets. The town center still shows a lot of its Arabic origins in its architecture. It’s fascinating to walk around the labyrinth of old buildings and walled streets. For the beach lovers you can go out of the town and spend some relaxing time on the isolated beaches. There are spice tours that take in all manners of exotic fruits and spices and you can sample many of the tastes and smells first hand. Just off the coast of the old town is Prison Island, where there is a population of giant land tortoises who are happy to share their stretch of beach.
We generally spend 3 to 4 days on the island. We recommend that you budget around U$200-$300 for your stay on Zanzibar to cover food, transport around the island, optional tours, accommodation upgrades, drinks and souvenirs. Please note that this is a recommendation only as different passengers have widely differing spending patterns.

See day 24 for Itinerary

See day 24 for Itinerary

See day 24 for Itinerary

See day 24 for Itinerary

From Zanzibar we cross southern Tanzania into Malawi. The route takes us through the Mikumi National Park. This is not an excursion but the road actually passes right through the center of the park, which is a bonus, and it is possible to see numbers of giraffe, antelope and elephants. It is interesting to note that these elephants are very small in stature, which is attributed to the decimation of their gene pool due to poaching.

See day 29 for Itinerary

Malawi is a small country in central southern Africa and is dominated by water and mountainous regions. More than 30% of the country’s landmass comprises of Lake Malawi. On our trip through Malawi we visit a number of the small bays along the lakeshore. Snorkelling and diving are available, or people can just swim and laze about on the beaches. There is also ample time to visit local villages and the local markets which abound with woodcarvings, the most famous of these being large carved chairs. These chairs have proved very popular with our clients over the years, only becoming a problematic purchase when the time comes to send such a large object home.

See day 31 for Itinerary

See day 31 for Itinerary

See day 31 for Itinerary

See day 31 for Itinerary

This period is spent travelling from Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, to Livingstone, stopping off in Lusaka, Zambia, en-route. Livingstone is a small town on the Zambian side and not surprisingly was named after David Livingstone, the man who discovered Victoria Falls.

See day 36 for Itinerary

Victoria Falls, known locally as ‘Mosi oa Tunya’, ‘the smoke that thunders’, is one of the world’s natural wonders, though they are neither the highest nor the widest of the world’s waterfalls. They do, however, create a visual spectacle as they cut a massive gorge in the earth and crash 111 metres to the river below. This gorge actually forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and the initial part of our stay we spend on the Zambian side. Here we have the option to do an evening river cruise on the Upper (above the falls) Zambezi River, which takes about 3 hrs with drinks included.
On the Zimbabwe side there are a wide variety of optional activities, the most famous being white water rafting on the Lower Zambezi. This excursion takes a full day and has 14 plus rapids none below grade 4 (rapids are graded from 1 to 6). Please note that at certain times of the year the rafting may be restricted or even closed due to high water levels (March – May). Bungy jumping is also an option for all those who wish to throw themselves 111 metres head first off a perfectly good bridge. Another optional activity is Jet Boating, imported and improved on from New Zealand. Various flights are on offer including light fixed wing aircraft, helicopter, microlight and ultralight, all offering wonderful viewing of the falls. Other optional activities include horse riding, elephant riding and canoeing, not to mention a walk to the falls themselves. Videos and still photographs are available for purchase of most activities, and are a great reminder of your adrenaline filled visit to the mighty Victoria Falls and Zambezi River.

NB Please note that entrance (approximately 20 USD) to Mosi oa Tunya (Victoria Falls) National Park is not included in your tour price.

See day 38 for Itinerary

See day 38 for Itinerary

See day 38 for Itinerary

See day 38 for Itinerary

See day 38 for Itinerary

Leaving the falls we go into Botswana and visit the Chobe National Park on the Chobe River. Here we do a morning game drive (3hrs) and an afternoon boat cruise on the river. This river cruise is very good for seeing all the aquatic animals that are not normally seen during a game drive. Both the boat cruise and the game drive give us great game viewing opportunities in one of the largest parks in southern Africa. From Chobe we head to the Okavango Delta.

See day 44 for Itinerary

From Chobe we will drive along the edge of the Makgadikgadi pans to the town of Maun. We will stop in town to restock and prepare for our trip into the Okavango Delta.
The Okavango Delta is formed by the Okavango River, which flows into the desert and disappears as it fans out to form the Delta. We go into the ‘the Delta’ for 3 days (2 nights) and camp in the bush usually on the banks of one of the many fresh water channels that give life to the flora and fauna. Our method of transport is 4 wheel drive vehicles and Makoro (meaning ‘dug out canoe’ in Setswana). The Makoros are traditionally made of wood but as they come to the end of their serviceable life, fibreglass canoes are now replacing them. These are not quite as authentic but building the old canoes uses a whole tree and the environment is beginning to suffer. Each makoro is piloted by a ‘poler’, who helps set up camp & take guided bush walks. He/she will always be ready for a chat and a cup of tea with you around the fire. This is a wonderful opportunity to spend an extended amount of time with people who were born and grew up in this part of the world. We take all our own equipment and food and bring it all back out (including the rubbish), showing our understanding of the fragility of the Delta. The Okavango Delta region is one of the world’s last remaining true wilderness areas and is home to a vast amount of animals. It is possible to take some walks to try to see them or, if you are lucky, they will wander pass close to camp. As you retire to your tent for the night, the sounds and smells of the African bush will leave an indelible mark on your senses like no other.

See day 46 for Itinerary

See day 46 for Itinerary

See day 46 for Itinerary

Leaving the delta we head for Namibia and Etosha National Park. This Park is one of Africa’s largest (roughly the size of Wales). It has some very good facilities, very good roads and waterholes which enable good game viewing. One of the more famous features of Etosha is that the campsites also have waterholes. This means that once the days game driving is over and parks laws restrict us to the camping areas, it is still possible to view animals. The holes are floodlit and people can sit and watch all night if they wish, the only restriction being noise. We use two areas, Namutoni and Okaukeujo, the latter better established so it attracts a greater number of animals. Photography is permitted and, if using fast film, good results can be achieved. Okaukeujo is famous for attracting black rhino and, although nothing is guaranteed with animals, they are frequent visitors to this waterhole. The park itself has a wide variety of game and they are different to the animals seen in East Africa; there are different types of zebra (it’s all in the stripes), impala (black faced) and wildebeest (blue). Aside from these different types of animals, there are elephant, giraffe (the park has been referred to at times as “Giraffic Park”), lion, bird life and gazelle.

See day 50 for Itinerary

See day 50 for Itinerary

About 150 kms south of Etosha we spend the night at the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park. What makes this farm unique from other farms in the region is that this farmer has allocated 2,000 acres of the family property to be used for breeding cheetah. This has not really endeared them to all their neighbours who are predominately livestock farmers; hence the area is fenced off. Although it’s not the ideal way to view these animals (through a fence) they do have 2,000 acres and it is rare to get so close to them. Highlights include his over excitable son feeding them by hand (something that shouldn’t be missed, while he still has a hand) and sitting amongst the few that are hand reared and therefore tame. These young tame cheetahs have been abandoned when they were young and consequently cannot be let to run with the other cheetah. They usually allow us 30 minutes with these animals and it is quite an experience to have cheetah walking amongst us.
From the cheetah farm we go to the small coastal town of Swakopmund. Our route to this town takes us to the Cape Cross seal colony. This colony varies in number from 20,000 to 100,000 in breeding season. Regardless of the season it is always possible to get a close look at lots of seals. Seals eat a lot of fish and so getting close to so many of them does mean that the smell is quite strong. Stench withstanding, it is well worth a visit, but we do lunch further down the road.
The town of Swakopmund is situated on the Atlantic Ocean and is a German colonial town in the middle of a desert. It has some wonderful old German buildings of which one of the most beautiful is the prison (it is still used as a prison). The town itself is generally cool, as a mist created by the cold air off the Atlantic mixing with the hot air of the desert, which is why the Germans chose this area to build the town, covers it.
There are lots of optional excursions to do in Swakopmund. Dune biking on quad bikes over the sand dunes, sand boarding, scenic flights, and game fishing. The town itself proves popular on our tours as it has lots of clubs, restaurants, casino and even an authentic German bakery.

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

From Swakopmund we go to the Naukluft National Park. This park has one main feature, which is sand, large mountains of sand. These dunes are the highest in the world, reputed to be as high as 300 metres. The ones we will see have been measured by altimeter on our previous trips and are about 200 metres high, which is still very large. The day here begins before sunrise, as the best times to photograph the dunes is when the sun is low on the horizon and the shadows define the contours clearly. The other reason for the early start is that it is too hot to walk up the dunes once the sun fully rises and the hot sand burns people’s feet. There is also the chance to go on a desert tour for about 3 hours. The guide is a local wildlife specialist.
Our next stop is Fish River Canyon, which is the world’s second largest canyon. There is a spectacular viewpoint over the canyon and short walks are available in the region.

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

he next stop is the Orange River on the South African border where we have an opportunity to do some canoeing on the river. This is done in 2 person canoes with a guide and takes about 4 hours. Our journey then takes us to Stellenbosch via Cederburg. Stellenbosch is the heart of South Africa’s wine growing region and its here that we visit some wineries to sample the local flavours. From Stellenbosch we take a short drive to Capetown where our trip finishes.The tour will end at approx 15.00pm on the last day.

NO accommodation included on Day 63.

See day 60 for Itinerary

See day 60 for Itinerary

NO accommodation included on Day 63.