IMPORTANT - ZIMBABWE NEWS UPDATE - please click on the following link which highlights up to date information on the situation in Zimbabwe and our alternative itinerary through neighbouring Zambia for the remainder of 2008. Trips through Zimbabwe
Special Reduced Offer - Sept 22nd Departure - Trip Price : £300 to Cape Town & £520 to Jo'burg
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On this trip we spend the first day at Victoria Falls, but if you would like to experience more of the many activities and sights in and around the Falls then we reccommend arriving a couple of days before your trip departs. We can advise on travel arrangements to Victoria Falls, pre and post tour accommodation, booking activites at Vic Falls etc.
For some, Mosi oa Tunya - The Smoke That Thunders, (Victoria Falls), is the highlight of their trip. When you arrive it is a surprise to discover the enormity of Victoria Falls. One mile wide and hurling over 5 million cubic metres of water a minute into the Zambezi Gorge this is the setting for the most awesome of grade 5 white water rafting in the world. There is something here for everyone: a day trip over the great Victoria Falls Bridge into Zambia with its excellent views of the Falls, canoe trips, the Flight of Angels over the Falls in a light aircraft, microlite or helicopter, Sunset Boat Cruises, the Gorge Swing, Abseiling and one of the highest commercial Bungee Jumps in the world!
Days 1 - 4 We spend the first day in Vic Falls township, giving you enough time to visit the Falls. We then have a short drive into Botswana, spending the night at the Chobe National Park. Here we can view game and wildlife from the deck of a boat on the Chobe River. We then organise our trip into the Okavango Delta (optional). From here most people will spend 2 days with guides poling them around in Mokoros (dug out canoes). This is the best way to explore the extensive waterways and wildlife of this unique desert oasis. You will have a number of opportunities to go on game walks with rangers. Elephant, crocodile and hippo are nearly always seen. The Okavango Delta is one of the worlds largest inland waterways and its serenity and quietness have a calming effect on those who experience it. There is also the opportunity to experience the heights of African adventure travel too: see the delta from the air during an hour-long flight.
Days 5 - 7 Travelling west we enter Namibia and continue north-west toward Etosha National Park. The semi desert is quite a contrast to the more fertile terrain we have been used to. We bush camp for a night in this expansive freedom. The night sky ablaze with shooting stars and the warm glow of our campfire makes it an unforgettable camping experience. Etosha National Park is recognised as one of Africas greatest wildlife viewing areas and is a must see on all Africa overland tours. Besides game drives we can also game watch by night at one of the floodlit water holes where we may well spot Rhino, Elephant and Giraffe among a host of other wildlife. From Etosha we visit a local Cheetah park before continuing on to the Brandenberg Mountains in Demaraland and head towards the Skeleton Coast.
Days 8 - 13 We then visit either Sptizkoppe Rock formations or the world famous Cape Cross Seal Colony where the sight of thousands of these mammals, as well as their accompanying pungent odour is remembered by all! For the next three days, our Africa overland tour will be based in Swakopmund, a gateway to a variety of activities and excursions. You can choose between a variety of Africa adventure travel activities here: spend a day deep sea fishing for shark and other game fish or head out to the desert and try quad biking and dune sledding.You can also go horse riding or take a flight over the desert and its dramatic coastline. In Swakopmund itself you can walk along miles of deserted beaches, visit the museum or relax in a cafe.
Days 14 - 18 A one day drive takes us to the Namib-Naukluft Park, a vast expanse of desert which contains some of the highest sand dunes in the world. At Sossusvlei we stop and explore the area and the dunes. Continuing south we enter the semi-desert, and wide-open countryside of cattle ranching until we arrive at one of Africas most sensational natural features, Fish River Canyon. We camp next to this massive gorge where you can go on a one-day hike and take in the awesome scenery.
Days 19 - 23 A couple of hours drive away we cross the Orange River, a rich source of diamonds, and enter South Africa. We travel south through the Cederburg Wilderness Area, a rugged area of valleys and peaks. Near Stellenbosch we visit one of the historic Cape Wineries before arriving at our final destination for this Africa adventure travel experience, the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town. Our accommodation here will be in a backpackers lodge.
Those on the 23 day trip finish here in Cape Town
Days 24 - 26 There is plenty to here in Cape Town and we spend three days here to experience some of them. From taking a cable car up Table Mountain to abseiling down it, shark diving (in cages), a day trip to Robben Island, Whale watching, winery tours, great shopping and nightlife plus a whole lot more!!
We then head for the most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas. Here the warm Indian Ocean and the cooler Atlantic Ocean meet, and from August to November Southern Right and Humpback Whales maybe spotted along the coast. From Cape Agulhas we travel inland and camp for the first night close to the picturesque town of Swellendam, one of South Africa's oldest settlements with tree lines streets and white washed Cape Dutch homesteads.
Days 27 - 30 Then its through the Outeniqua Mountains to the Little Karoo. We visit the Cango Caves recognised as amongst the worlds finest network of Calcite caves. We also visit an Ostrich farm to learn more about the worlds largest bird. 97% of the worlds population of Ostrichs lives in the Karoo and here we will have the opportunity to ride one!
We then spend two days winding our way along South Africa's famous Garden Route and there is a wealth of things to see and do. We travel through the popular resort of Knysna, located on a tranquil lagoon. We visit the Tsitsikamma Forest, where you will be able to hike along the coast and view the crashing waves at the mouth of the scenic Storms River, and maybe spot dolphins and whales in the ocean. Optional excursions in this region include mountain biking, black water tubing, and the mother of all bungee jumps at Bloakrans Bridge - the biggest jump in the world at 216 metres.
Days 31 - 35 From the Garden Route we continue along the coast and stop at South Africa's surfing mecca, Jeffrey's Bay, home to the international surfing championships and world renowned supertubes. In the afternoon we reach Addo Elephant National Park which has recently been extended to include part of the coast and is now home to the BIG 7 - lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, buffalo, whale and shark! On our game drive we hope to spot some of the many elephant that the park is famous for, which are the most southerly population in Africa.
We then drive to the beautiful and remote Wild Coast, an area of rolling grasslands stretching from East London to KwaZulu Natal. Once a former black homeland during the days of Apartheid, the inhabitants are mainly Xhosa people who herd their goats and cattle across the endless pastureland and live in rural settlements of brightly painted kraals. Previously neglected by tourism, it is isolated and wild with great coastal scenery and swathes of long empty beaches. We enjoy 2 nights next to the Indian Ocean, and lazily explore the shell strewn beaches, lagoons and forests.
Days 36 - 40 From the Wild Coast we have a day's drive north and out of South Africa into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Often referred to as 'the kingdom in the sky'. The scenery here is tremendous and the mountain air crisp and fresh and we will see Lesotho's horsemen dressed in their blankets and gumboots trotting around the hillsides. We spend two nights at Malealea Lodge, Lesotho's most famous countryside retreat tucked up high in the mountains. Here there are isolated waterfalls, cool rock pools ideal for swimming, and peaceful hikes in the surrounding hills. This is also a great place to try pony trekking, even if you have never been on a horse before, the best way to enjoy the scenery is from a sure footed Lesotho pony.
Today we drive through the lowlands of Lesotho and visit Thabo Bosiu with a local guide (time & weather permitting). This mountain stonghold was the home of Chief Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation. We continue through Lesotho's tiny capital Maseru, and re-enter South Africa near Fouriesburg. We spend the night camping in the Golden Gate National Park on the edge of the Drakensburg Mountains. This is an area of massive sandstone rock formations and the park gets its name from the golden rocks that are illuminated to their best at sunset.
Continuing into KwaZulu Natal we enter the Drakensburg Mountains where we spend the next couple of days exploring the Royal Natal National Park, a dramatic region of the Drakensburg beneath the famous Amphitheatre - a massive wall of rock with over 4kms of sheer cliff face. Here you will have the opportunity to climb to the Tugela Falls, a hike that includes an ascent by chain ladder, to view the Tugela River as it plunges over the edge of the amphitheatre wall dropping some 800 metres below. The Drakensburg Mountains are known by the Zulu as the 'barrier of spears, and are today a UNESCO world heritage sight for their outstanding natural beauty.
We arrive in Johannesburg in the afternoon and our final night is spent in a backpackers lodge. Jo'burg was built on the gold rush, and has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in the world. There is plenty to do and see in Jo'burg. A 'must do' activity is a tour of Soweto, where in this sprawling township, modern African culture is at its most vibrant and intense and you can visit one of the local shabeens (pubs), talk to local families and drop into the former home of Nelson Mandela. You can also visit the powerful apartheid museum, take a tour down a 700ft goldmine at Gold Reef City or visit South African breweries.
There is also the option to take a 3 day safari into the Kruger National Park , it covers about 24,000 sq km, larger than some countries, with a huge variety of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species as well as the BIG 5 - leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. We explore on game drives during the day and camp at the park's rest camps where there is the opportunity to join an optional night game drive with the Kruger's rangers with a spot light to view the shyer nocturnal creatures. If you are lucky you may spot leopard! Most meals, all accommodation, entrance fees and transport are included in the price.
If you're interested in this trip, enquire about "Desert & Gameparks" or some of our other Africa overland travel experiences today!
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