Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Johannesburg
Sawubona! Welcome to South Africa.
You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. Your leader will collect your local payment at this meeting. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.
Please note this is a combination trip. The composition of your group, your group leader and your overland vehicle may change in Livingstone.
Our journey begins in Johannesburg, a sprawling city of remarkable contrasts: in the townships, mansions stand alongside tin shacks and there are as many green parks on the outskirts of the city as there are conglomerations of concrete in the city centre. This is a good place to spend a couple of days to get an insight into South Africa's history and it's a great base for exploring the rest of the country.
In Jo'Burg we stay in comfortable twin share permanent dome tents with two beds, toilet facilities are shared.
Day 2 Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Today we head to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary situated on the edge of the vast Kalahari Desert. This reserve is the result of local communities' efforts in 1989 to convert the Serwe Pan, previously a hunting area, into a conservation area. Now, the area is prime habitat for white rhinos, zebras, wildebeest and giraffes, and game may be observed around its many natural waterholes. A visit to this locally-based wildlife project benefits local communities and you'll also be contributing to the protection of the highly endangered rhinoceros. We head out on a dusk game drive to see the rhinos when they are at their most active.
Tonight we overnight at a campsite with camp toilets and hot and cold showers.
Distance: 600km
Time travelled: 9 to 10 hours
Meals: Dinner
Note: Today we cross the border into Botswana. This border crossing at martins Drift is normally quite smooth but there might be some delay during peak season e.g. school holidays
Day 3 Maun
Day 3: Khama Rhino Sanctuary - Maun
We head to Maun, our base for heading into the Okavango Delta. Our destination today is one of the world's most renowned and complex ecosystems, the Okavango Delta. Springing from the Okavango River which begins life in Angola, this is a natural wetland system formed by the river dividing into an intricate floodplain of thousands of channels, spreading 1,600,000ha over northern Botswana. This fan-like network of waterways forms an inland delta, the only one of its kind in the world.
For those wanting more adventure there is an opportunity to fly over the delta in a small plane for a bird's eye view, a great way to appreciate the immensity of this watery world.
Distance: 520 km
Time travelled: 7 to 8 hours
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Days 4-5 Okavango Delta
Day 4: Maun - Okavango Delta
Today we traverse the waterways by mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe navigated by friendly local 'polers', as well as on foot. With luck, you might spot some of the delta's unusual wildlife and prolific birdlife while on these safaris. We also spend time exploring the maze of lagoons, lakes and streams on foot, led by experienced and knowledgeable guides.
We camp on a remote island in the heart of the wilderness. We dig a bush toilet and go without a shower but it is all part of the Delta experience. At night, the sounds of the African bush are the only things you will hear - a true wilderness experience!
Distance travelled: 60km from Maun to poling station
Time travelled: 2 to 3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Okavango Delta - Planet Baobab
We start the morning with a final bush walk before taking down our camp. We mokoro back to the poling station for our transfer back to Maun. After lunch we drive 240km to Planet Baobab, our next camp. Our campsite is situated around an ancient boabab forest- a wonderful chance to get up close to these magnificent trees.
Distance: Maun to Planet Baobab, 240km
Time travelled: 4 Hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Chobe National Park
After breakfast we drive to the town of Kasane through the Chobe Forest Extension with a chance to see animals such as elephants and giraffe.
Nestled in the northern corner of Botswana amid lush forest, Chobe covers a huge area of 12,000 sq km and is home to some of the largest elephant populations in Africa as well as lions and a flurry of bird life, including the famous African fish-eagle. In the late afternoon, we enjoy a fish-eagle cruise on the Chobe River, a very relaxing way to perhaps see hippos in the shallows and maybe even a herd of elephants coming down to the river's edge for bath time
Tonight we camp. There are hot showers and flush toilets at our campsite.
Distance: 420kms from Planet Baobab to Kasane
Time travelled: 7-8 hours including stops and lunch
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Days 7-8 Livingstone/Victoria Falls
Our day begins early, with the chance of an optional dawn game drive before heading for Zambia, its border naturally formed by the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers and we cross it aboard the Kazangula Ferry.
The powerful Victoria Falls is the perfect place to end this wilderness adventure.
After settling in to our campsite in Livingstone this afternoon we head to the
Falls to experience this wonder of nature. The falls are an enormous curtain of water, about a mile wide, falling 108 m into a narrow chasm below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise up an incredible 400 m and the falls are an impressive raging torrent. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below.
Please note that this is a combination trip and on day 7 the composition of your tour may change. There will be a group meeting at 1pm on day 7 before heading to the Falls so that you can meet your new travelling companions and find out more about the second week of your adventure. Your leader will collect the second part of your local payment at this meeting.
These nights we overnight at a campsite near the mighty Zambezi River.
Distance: Today we travel a total distance of 90km with a Ferry Crossing over the Zambezi.
Time travelled: 4 to 5 hours depending on delays at the ferry
Meals: Breakfast on day 7 only. Please note there are no meals provided on day 8
Notes: Please note that this ferry crossing at Kazangula can get very busy due to the trucks travelling up and down Africa. The trucks use this ferry crossing because of the weight restriction over the Victoria Falls bridge as well as the political situation in Zimbabwe. Normally there are two ferries operating but most of the time only one is operational. In cases like this we might expect some delays crossing the ferry into Zambia
Day 9 Northern Botswana
Departing around 8am, we begin our drive, heading towards the border post where we cross the Zambezi river by ferry. From there we drive through the vast grasslands of Botswana towards Nata. There may be the chance for some great wildlife viewing on our drive as we drive through the Chobe Forest Extension.
Tonight we camp in Northern Botswana. Our campsite has a swimming pool as well as a fully stocked bar.
Distance travelled: 75 km from Livingstone to Ferry at Kazangula, 300 km from Kasane to our campsite
Time travelled: 6-7 hours depending on ferry crossing over the Zambezi River
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Notes: Please note that this ferry crossing at Kazangula can get very busy due to the trucks travelling up and down Africa. The trucks use this ferry crossing because of the weight restriction over the Victoria Falls bridge as well as the political situation in Zimbabwe. Normally there are two ferries operating but most of the time only one is operational. In cases like this we might expect some delays crossing the ferry into Botswana
Day 10 Polokwane Game Reserve
On day 10 it's time to enter South Africa and after a long driving day we reach Polokwane. We drive approximately 460kms to the border via Francistown, taking our lunch break here (approx. 6 hours). It is another 250km from the border to Polokwane (approx. 4 hours), giving us an approximate arrival time of 5pm in the afternoon.
Tonight's campsite has hot water ablution block and washing facilities.
Distance travelled: See notes above
Time travelled: 10 - 12 hours depending on the time spend at the border post at Martins Drift.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Note: Please note today is a long driving day with a border crossing to negotiate at Martins Drift
Days 11-12 Kruger National Park
This morning we begin the day with a dawn game drive in Polokwane Game Reserve. There is the chance to see white rhino, eland and sable - quite rare antelope species!
After breakfast we continue to southern Africa's most famous premier game reserve, the Kruger, where we spend two nights. The distance is about 280km, approximately 3.5 hours on a scenic mountain road. We enter Kruger through one of the central gates and immediately begin game driving enroute to our campsite.
Distance: 280km from Polokwane to Kruger National Park
Time travelled; 3 - 4 hours
Meals: Brweakfast, Lunch, Dinner
On day 12 we explore the diversity of the Kruger landscape ranging form rolling hills with granite outcrops to savannah grasslands during a full day game drive. In the evening, there is the option of taking an additional night drive with park authorities to spot nocturnal animals and perhaps even night-time predators.
Our campsite for these nights has hot water and flush toilets.
Distance: 250 km on game drives in Kruger National Park
Time travelled: We spend all day on game drives spotting of at various rest camps en-route to relax in between game drives
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Please note that trips departing on the 21st and 28th of June 2009 will camp in a bordering game reserve rather than the National Park.
Day 13 Shangaan Cultural Village
We spend most of our day doing game drives and exploring Kruger National Park before we exit the park and head for Mafunyani Cultural Village, arriving in the late afternoon. We enjoy an exciting evening of tribal interaction in the local "boma" and a traditional African dinner.
We overnight tonight in the traditional huts of the village. Mattresses are provided. There are flushing toilets and cold showers provided in rustic ablution blocks.
Distance travelled: We spend most of the day doing game drives and drive about 100km to the cultural village once we exit the Park.
Time Travelled: 1 - 2 hours once out of the Park
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Day 14 Johannesburg
Today we head for the bright city lights of Johannesburg. There's plenty of time to stop and explore along the way. We stop at the viewpoint over the awesome Blyde River Canyon and take in amazing views over the region.
Our tour ends in Johannesburg in the late afternoon/early evening of day 14 (approximately 6pm). On arrival in Jo'Burg you can be dropped at the airport or at Amadwala Lodge.
Please note accommodation is not provided to tonight - post tour accommodation is available at Amadwala Lodge, please ask at time of booking.
Distance travelled: 600 km
Time travelled: 8-9 hours including stops
Meals: Breakfast