Safari Quick Facts

See day 1 for Itinerary

Our next stop is Fish River Canyon, the world’s second largest canyon and the largest in Africa. There is a spectacular viewpoint over the canyon and the sunset never fails to impress.
From the canyon we head up to Naukluft National Park. This park has one main feature, its sensational sand dunes. These dunes are the highest in the world, reputed to be as high as 300 meters. The ones that we will see have been measured by altimeter on our previous trips and are about 200 meters. high. The day begins before sunrise, as the best time to photograph the dunes is when the sun is low on the horizon and the shadows clearly define the contours. The other reason for the early start is that it is too hot to walk up the dunes once the sun fully rises. There is also the chance to go on an informative early morning walk amongst the Sossusvlei/Dead Vlei sand dunes, getting up close and personal with the expertly adapted resident flora and wildlife.

See day 4 for Itinerary

See day 4 for Itinerary

The next part of our journey takes us to Swakopmund. 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 (still used as a prison). The town itself is generally cool, as it is covered by a mist which is created by the cold air off the Atlantic mixing with the hot air of the desert. There are lots of optional excursions on offer in Swakopmund, including venturing over the sand dunes in a beach buggy or quad bike, sand boarding, scenic flights & skydiving, game fishing or you can take a fascinating cultural tour of the nearby township area. The town itself proves popular on our tours as it has lots of clubs, restaurants, a casino and even an authentic German bakery. We spend 3 nights here in simple dormitory accommodation and thus we generally dine out for most meals, with your tour leader usually distributing an allowance from your local payment for these meals.

See day 7 for Itinerary

See day 7 for Itinerary

See day 7 for Itinerary

Just north of Swakopmund there is the Cape Cross seal colony, home to 20,000 to 100,000 (depending on the season) Cape Fur seals. Regardless of the season, it is always possible to get a close look at lots of seals. From Cape Cross we travel north and spend a night at 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 as a sanctuary for cheetah. This has not really endeared the family to their neighbours - who view cheetah as vermin and a real threat to their livestock; hence the area is fenced off. Highlights watching the cheetahs being fed by hand by the farm owner(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 tame cheetahs were abandoned when they were young and consequently cannot mix 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.

Our next highlight is Etosha National Park. This park is one of Africa’s largest (roughly the size of Wales). It has some very good facilities and an excellent network of roads and campsites. 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 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, Okaukeujo and Namutoni, with the former being the more established so it attracts more animals. Photography is permitted and, if using fast film, good results can be achieved. Okaukeujo is famous for attracting Black Rhino, and whilst nothing is guaranteed with animals; they are frequent visitors to this waterhole. The park has a wide variety of animals, and they are different to the animals seen in East Africa; with 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”), all of the big and small cats, antelope, teeming bird life and much more.

See day 11 for Itinerary

See day 11 for Itinerary

From Etosha, we 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 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 4WD vehicles and Mokoro (meaning ‘dug out canoe’ in Setswana). The Mokoros 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 wooden canoes uses a whole tree and fiberglass alternatives are better for the environment. Each canoe is piloted by a ‘poler’, who helps set up camp & takes you on guided bush walks…he/she will also always be ready for a chat and a cup of tea with you around the fire. We take all of 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.
From the Delta we continue to Kasane and the adjoining Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. At Chobe we usually go on a 3 hour sunrise game drive in open sided 4x4’s and a 3 hour sunset boat cruise. Both the boat cruise and the game drive (and the resident 50,000+ Elephant) give us great game viewing opportunities in one of the largest parks in southern Africa.

See day 14 for Itinerary

See day 14 for Itinerary

See day 14 for Itinerary

See day 14 for Itinerary

See day 14 for Itinerary

From Chobe National Park we will drive to Victoria Falls. This journey takes around 2 hours. Known locally as ‘Mosi oa Tunya’ or ‘the smoke that thunders’, the falls are one of the world’s natural wonders. Although they are neither the world’s highest nor widest falls, they are an amazing spectacle as water cuts a dramatic gorge through the earth's crust and then crashes 111 meters. to the river below. The Batoka Gorge forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and is an excellent base for adventure and wildlife activities galore.
Here we have the option to enjoy an evening river cruise on the upper (above the falls) Zambezi River. This lasts about 3 hrs with drinks included. There are also a wide variety of other optional activities, the most famous being seasonal whitewater rafting on the lower Zambezi. This excursion takes a full day and has around 14 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 meters. head first off of a perfectly good bridge. Various flights are on offer including light fixed wing aircraft, helicopter, microlight and ultralight, all offering a wonderful viewing of the falls. 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. Depending on activities being done we may also spend a night on the Zambian side of the Falls. There is also is horse riding, elephant riding, lion and rhino encounters, canoeing, not to mention a walk in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park. The first night of the tour will be spent in Victoria Falls.
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 20 for Itinerary

See day 20 for Itinerary

See day 20 for Itinerary

From Victoria Falls we drive across the south eastern part of Zambia, towards Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. This journey takes a couple of days and it a great opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers and to sit back, relax and enjoy the ever changing African scenery.
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 - our base for the next few days.

See day 24 for Itinerary

On our trip through Malawi we visit a couple of small bays along the lakeshore. Snorkelling and diving are available or chose to swim or relax on the beaches. There is also ample time to visit local villages and craft markets which abound with woodcarvings, the most famous of these being large carved chairs. These chairs have proved very popular with our clients, however they tend to be less popular when it becomes time to send such a large object home!

See day 26 for Itinerary

See day 26 for Itinerary

See day 26 for Itinerary

From Malawi we cross southern Tanzania to Dar es Salaam, our gateway to Zanzibar. Our route takes us through the Iringa Highlands, Baobab Valley and Mikumi National Park. Whilst the park is not an excursion, since the road passes right through the centre of the park, we hope to be lucky enough to see numbers of giraffe, antelope and elephants. It is interesting to note these elephants are very small in stature, which may be a result of the effects of poaching on the population. Large individuals have been selectively hunted, leaving a smaller breeding herd.

See day 30 for Itinerary

Next our journey will bring us to the humid, exotic city of Dar es Salaam (translated from Swahili as “haven of peace”). Situated on the Indian Ocean, we will spend a night here before travelling on to Zanzibar.
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 centre 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 32 to Itinerary

See day 32 to Itinerary

See day 32 to Itinerary

See day 32 to Itinerary

Leaving behind the sights and sounds of Zanzibar we drive to the town of Arusha, following the Usambara and Pare mountain ranges. Towards the end of our day of driving we will pass close to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest point at 5895 m. If were are lucky we may get a look at “Kili’s” snow capped peak. However, be warned, Kilimanjaro is regularly covered by cloud. Arusha is situated on the southern slopes of Mt Meru and was originally a coffee town. However, safaris have now taken over as the town’s biggest revenue earner. After spending a night in Arusha we transfer into smaller 4 wheel drive vehicles and head to Karutu and on to the Serengeti National Park. We will spend the afternoon on a game drive before heading to set up camp in the park for the night. The following day we will get up bright and early to continue through the park on an extensive game drive heading back towards the Ngorongoro Crater. We overnight at a camp on the rim of the Crater. We use smaller vehicles as the walls of the extinct volcano that form the crater are too steep to be negotiated by large vehicles. The following morning we descend onto the crater 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. There is a soda lake with flamingos, fresh water, open plains and a forest area. There is a high concentration of wildlife here, including the big cats and a small population of black rhino. We spend around 4½ hours game driving around the crater. After the game drive we journey back to Arusha.

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

Detailed Itinerary Information

From Arusha we leave Tanzania and enter Kenya for the final part of our journey before finishing our tour in the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. NO accommodation is included on Day 43.