Amazing Southern Africa
Price- $8,883
22 Days | Uncover the incredible wildlife, culture and landscapes of Southern Africa on this adventure through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Travel to Africa and jump onboard an exhilarating journey through the magnificent nations of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Southern Africa is bursting with a diverse array of wildlife, culture and landscapes - all waiting to be explored and celebrated. Travel through stunning scenery and watch as lush green landscapes give way to harsh desert dunes and rocky mountain peaks. Take to the water on canoes and in a houseboat, embark on thrilling game drives, be immersed in unique ecosystems and be blown away by the sheer force of Victoria Falls. With welcoming locals and genuine experiences around every corner, this trip is full of surprises.
Trip overview
StartCape Town, South Africa
EndVictoria Falls, Zimbabwe
DestinationsNamibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
StyleComfort
AgesMin 15
Group SizeMin 1 - Max 13
ThemeOverland, Wildlife
Trip CodeUBKEC
Itinerary
Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1. Please look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask the hotel reception where it will take place. For those with time here before the trip starts, highly recommended excursions include catching the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain, taking the ferry across to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years), or the day trip down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope Peninsula.
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Depart Cape Town and travel along the west coast to the small seaside town of Lambert's Bay (265km approximately 4-5 hours). Its white beaches, lobsters and incredible wildlife earned this place the nickname ‘diamond of west coast’. It's also simply a quaint fishing town tucked into the western Cape Province, best explored by foot. You'll visit Cape Gannet Island today. At the right time of the year, you might be lucky enough to view the spectacular flocks of gannet, which make use of the spot for breeding in August and September. For birdwatchers, the colony at Lambert's Bay is the most accessible of the six gannet colonies in South Africa and Namibia. They are a spectacular sight in their tightly packed community, and it’s an awesome experience to see them wheel, land and settle into their designated positions. Sit down to a delicious feast at a local open-air restaurant, where the amazing ocean views are sure to dazzle.
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Say farewell to South Africa as you cross the border into Namibia (500km, approximately 7hrs). You should reach your destination on the banks of the Orange River by mid-afternoon. The border crossing and a few photo stops could delay this arrival a little. This is the longest river in South Africa, running from high up in the Drakensberg mountain range and onto the Atlantic Ocean. The river is significant for its role in transporting diamonds, which in turn leaves deposits that are found along the Namibian coastline.
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Kick things off with a half-day canoe adventure along the Orange River today. You will wind through the ancient Richtersveld Mountains. The canoe trip will be done in 2 man canoes with a local guide. It is a slow paced trip covering approximately 10km and we should be travelling down stream for most or all of the trip.After you have returned to land you'll venture to the Fish River Canyon (200km approximately 5hrs), one of the biggest canyons in the world. Along the way you will stop at various lookouts, all great opportunities to catch this beautiful and gigantic gorge on camera. Look out for some exotic birdlife while you’re here: plovers, wagtails, hammerkops and herons. You might even catch a glimpse of a baboon or an antelope at dusk if you're lucky.
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Today is a long travel day. We head to the eastern edge of the Namib Desert today (610km approximately 9hrs). This region of the world's oldest desert is known for its array of geological features. Take in the diversity and sprawling beauty of the scenery as you drive to your lodgings for the night.
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Today you will make an early morning visit to Sossusvlei, which lies at the end of an ancient riverbed. If you find yourself in the mood, a climb to the top of Dune 45 will reward you with unparalleled views of the region. After breakfast head to Dead Vlei. A clay pan well known for the iconic postcard like images taken here by many. The pan is surrounded by some of the highest dunes in the world, "Big Daddy" or "Crazy Dune" average about 350m.If you'd like to avoid a long walk in the sun you can opt to pay for a 4x4 transfer from the 2x2 car park out to the Dead Vlei entrance point. This will cost approximately 180ZAR per person. In the afternoon you will visit Sesriem Gorge, tranquil natural corridor you can walk through and explore. The canyon was caused by water erosion over thousands of years. The people who lived in the area used to pull buckets of water up from the depths with six knotted belts. Therefore, the canyon was named after the Afrikaans word “Sesriem” meaning “six belts”.
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Depart your desert lodge and travel across the Namib Desert today (280 km, approximately 6 hours), a trip culminating in the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean coastline. The drive goes through a diverse and colourful landscape. You'll see the awesome Kuiseb Canyon along the way, before arriving at the beachside town of Swakopmund, located on the Skeleton Coast.
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Enjoy some free time in this pretty coastal spot. Your accommodation is within walking distance of town. Perhaps go for a stroll along the beach, explore the open-air markets or visit the local museum. The Namibian National Marine Aquarium is also a good choice. There are plenty of options on offer at the local activity centre, which your leader will take you to.
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Get off the beaten track and head into the heart of Damaraland (330km approximately 6hrs). You should arrive at your lodge this afternoon. The ancient landscapes of the Kunene Region are ruggedly spectacular, awesome sunsets and night skies filled with a multitude of dazzling stars await you. This part of Namibia is also known as Damaraland, as it is the ancestral home land of the enigmatic Damara people whose exact origins remain unclear. Also home to the small population of hardy desert adapted elephant as well as a host of other unique flora and fauna.
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Spend the morning visiting the surrounding sights such as Twyfelfontein Heritage Site and the Petrified Forest. Twyfelfontein has one of the largest concentrations of ancient rock engraving in southern Africa and is a fascinating insight into the past. The Petrified Forest looks back into nature’s history, where 280 million-year-old fossilised tree trunks lie.
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Depart our lodge this morning and head towards Etosha National Park (220km approximately 5hrs). Namibia has protected its game reserves against poaching, so there are large herds of elephants, antelope and other herbivores here.We head out on a short afternoon Game Drive in our truck on arrival.
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Today, you'll enjoy two game drives. One in the morning in our overland truck and a second in the afternoon in open 4x4 vehicles
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After we arrive in the old German colonial town of Windhoek, you are free to do as you please. Perhaps head out to explore the German architecture of the older buildings lends the town a historic atmosphere. Good examples of German architecture can be seen in a number of buildings, but the best are the Tintenpalast (Ink Palace), the Christuskirche (church), the gymnasium and the Genossenschaftshaus.This evening you may wish to join the rest of the group for an optional welcome dinner.
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Cross the border into Botswana and travel to Ghanzi, known as the "Capital of the Kalahari" (560km approximately 8 hrs). Cap off your afternoon at our lodge accommodation by soaking up the Botswana sunshine, relax in the lapa with a refreshing drink or cool off in the pool.
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This morning, head to the Okavango Delta (400km approximately 7hrs), where we board speedboats that will take us to your home for the next two nights, a houseboat in the Okavango Delta Panhandle. Please note you will need to pack a small bag or backpack for this trip as we won't be taking all of our luggage with us. Your floating home for the next 2 nights is the most incredibly peaceful way to experience the delta. The houseboat has twin-share cabins with bedding, towels and mosquito nets provided (no single supplement is available on these nights). Cabins are very small and basic with shared facilities however we don't expect you'll be spending much time in there. There is also a dining area on the deck, tea/coffee making facilities and a small collection of books and board games.
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After breakfast we take a speedboat and 4WD to a nearby poling station. From here you have the opportunity to experience the myriad waterways in traditional dugout canoes (mokoros) with a local guide. Your guide will take you on a short nature walk around one of the many Islands in the Delta Panhandle. After a picnic lunch, return to the houseboat where you're free to relax, read a book or do some fishing. This evening grab a sundowner, pull up a chair and witness the often breathtaking sunset.
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After breakfast, we leave our houseboat behind, and again board the speedboats to take us back to our truck, and then on towards Maun - the gateway of the Okavango Delta (350km approximately 6 hrs). For those wanting more adventure, there's an opportunity to fly over the delta in a helicopter for a bird's-eye view - a great way to appreciate the immensity of this watery world. Your leader can give you more information on this activity and how to book. Otherwise the afternoon is free to sit by the pool, catch up on emails and laundry.
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We depart from our lodge after breakfast and head towards north-east Botswana (210km approximately 4hrs). Our next stop is the Makgadikgadi Pans; a large salt pan situation in the middle of the dry savanna is located. This pan is now all that remains of the former Lake Makgadikgadi. Head out to the Makgadikgadi Pans for an afternoon excursion in open 4WDs to one of the largest salt flats in the world. Spend your afternoon on a bush walk with one of Southern Africa's oldest inhabitants, the Kalahari Bushman. Learn about their way of life and symbiotic relationship with nature while they take you to visit a local meerkat community. Enjoy sundowners and snacks as you watch the sun set behind the magnificent old baobab trees.Our accommodation tonight is located on the edge of the pans. You can choose to relax beside the pool or lounge area while admiring the beautiful surroundings after a busy day.
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This morning we make tracks after breakfast and travel towards Kasane on the edge of Chobe National Park (410km approximately 7hrs). The stretch of road between Nata and Kasane is known as the 'Elephant Highway'. With no fences elephants are free to move between Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and Botswana. So keep your eyes peeled for roadside elephants. Botswana's first national park, Chobe, is perhaps best known for its high concentration of elephants. You will spend the next two nights in a lodge on the banks of the Chobe River.
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This morning we wake early and take a dawn game drive in Chobe National Park, where you may see elephants drinking at the waters' edge, large herds of cape buffaloes and many impala within the park. In the afternoon you’ll take a breathtaking cruise on the Chobe River, ideal for spotting bird life such as saddle-billed storks, malachite kingfishers, fish eagles and beautiful bee-eaters as well as hippos, crocodiles and large families of elephants. The boat trip will be a shared activity with other travellers. There will be an opportunity to have a sundowner drink and watch the sunset over the river.
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Travel on to Victoria Falls, crossing the border into Zimbabwe in time to have lunch on the banks of the Zambezi (100km approximately 2hrs depending on border formalities). These falls are one of the natural wonders of the world and, when in full flow, form the largest sheet of falling water. Your leader will take you to a local activity centre where a range of activities will be on offer. We have not risk assessed all activities and only those listed in our trip notes are recommended. It is against company policy for leaders to facilitate the booking of any activities that have not been risk assessed or do not adhere to our company’s Responsible Travel policy and ethos. This includes organising transport to and from these activities in our vehicles. An included local brewery tour and a tasting paddle is a great way wash down the thrill of witnessing the magnificent falls.
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Your adventure will come to an end after breakfast this morning. No accommodation is included for tonight, but can be requested at your own expense.
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Inclusions
Meals
Meals 20 breakfasts, 16 lunches, 16 dinnersTransport
Transport Overland vehicle, Canoe, Mokoro, Open Safari Vehicle, BoatAccommodation
Accommodation Lodge (10nights), Hotel (7 nights), Desert Camp (2 nights), Houseboat (2 nights)
Activities
- Complimentary Arrival Transfer
- Lamberts Bay - Cape Gannet Island
- Fish River Canyon - Canyon entrance
- Orange River - Canoe trip
- Sesriem - Sesriem Canyon Visit
- Sossusvlei - Dune 45
- Damaraland - Petrified Forest
- Damaraland - Twyfelfontein Bushman Paintings
- Etosha National Park - Overland Vehicle Game drives
- Etosha National Park - 4x4 Vehicle Game Drive
- Okavango Delta - Speedboat Cruise
- Okavango Delta - Mokoro safari
- Okavango Delta - Nature Walk
- Makgadikgadi Pans - Meerkat Pan Experience
- Chobe National Park - River Safari Cruise
- Chobe National Park - Open Safari Vehicle Game Drive
- Victoria Falls - Entrance & Visit
- Victoria Falls - Brewery Tour and Tasting
Add On Activities
- Cape Town - Table Mountain Hike - ZAR1600
- Cape Town - Table Mountain Aerial Cable - ZAR380
- Cape Town - Robben Island tour - ZAR550
- Cape Town - Harbour cruise - ZAR200
- Cape Town - Best of the Cape Combo Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula and SUP Tour - Full Day - ZAR2100
- Cape Town - Robben Island Ferry & Table Mountain Tour - Full Day - ZAR1800
- Cape Town - Winelands Tour - Full Day - ZAR1600
- Cape Town - Winelands Tour - Half Day - ZAR1000
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula & Table Mountain Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - Cape Malay Cooking Tour - Half Day - ZAR1200
- Cape Town - Township Experience - Half Day - ZAR965
- Cape Town - City and Waterfront Tour - Half Day - ZAR1100
- Cape Town - Cape Peninsula & Kirstenbosch Tour - Full Day - ZAR2000
- Cape Town - District Six & Bo-Kapp Cultural Tour - Half Day - ZAR965
- Swakopmund - Swakopmund Museum - USD2
- Okavango Delta - Helicopter Scenic Flight - From USD250 - USD280
- Victoria Falls - Whitewater rafting (Seasonal - excludes USD10 NP Fee) - USD126
- Victoria Falls - Jet Boat (Seasonal - excludes USD10 NP Fee) - USD110
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight (25 mins - Excludes US$30 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD284
- Victoria Falls - Helicopter Flight of the Angels (12 mins - Excludes US$25 fuel surcharge and NP fees) - USD150
- Victoria Falls - River Song Sunset Cruise (excludes USD10 NP Fee) - USD75
- Victoria Falls - Standard Sunset Cruise (excludes USD10 NP Fee) - USD45
- Victoria Falls - Bridge Tour - USD68
- Victoria Falls - Traditional Village Tour - USD55
- Victoria Falls - Bridge Swing - USD168
- Victoria Falls - Flying Fox / Bridge Slide / Zipline - USD48
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