Border Information: If joining in Cape Town, you will most likely enter South Africa at Cape Town International Airport (IATA code: CPT). There will be a group meeting today at 18:00. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. The rest of the day will be free to explore the city. There is the option tonight of joining the group for dinner. Please note that many of the options listed below will only be possible for those with extra time in Cape Town before the start of your trip with us - please contact the Sales team if you would like to book pre-tour accommodation with us to have extra time exploring Cape Town. In Cape Town we will stay in a hotel in the popular, lively and vibrant Kloof Street with a large variety of restaurants, coffee shops, cafes and bars all within walking distance.

Our journey begins up the Western Cape to the wine region of Citrusdal. In the evening we will have the option for some wine tasting!

Border Information: Exit South Africa at Noordoewer, enter Namibia at Noordoewer. Today we pass through Namaqualand to arrive at Noordoewer, next to the scenic banks of the Gariep (Orange) River - the natural border between Namibia and South Africa.

This morning if there is enough water in the river there is a chance for an optional canoe adventure on the Orange River, before we head west into the desert lands of Namibia towards the dramatic secnery of the Fish River Canyon. Here we will have a some time for exploration and taking in the beautiful sunset over the canyon. 

Today we have a full day drive to Sesriem, our base for exploring the the fabled sand dunes of Namibia. En route we will detour to the town of Keetmanshoop for food shopping. 

Today we have an early morning start to climb to the top of the famous Dune 45 for a dramatic and incredible sunrise view across a vast sea of sand. We will also have chance to explore the otherworldy landscape of the Dead Vlei.We will then drive a short distance to the deserts at Solitaire.

Today we will continue to the old German colonial town of Swakopmund, where we will have 2 nights to explore the town and enjoy some of the many optional adventure activities on offer.

Today we have free time for all of the amazing optional activities available in Swakopmund

Today we will drive east to the stunning mountains of Spitzkoppe. This remote region has breathtaking sunsets and sunrises as the colour of the landscape takes on remarkable oranges and reds. We will also have an included visit to Cape Cross en route to Spitzkoppe, to experience the sight, sound and smell of thousands of olive-coloured seals on the shore.

Today we head north to the stunning Etosha NP. Estimated Drive Time - 5-6 hours. Etosha is one of the world's most pre-eminent wildlife areas, and we have an excellent chance to spot some of Africa's most famous animals such as elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, leopard, oryx, impala, and rhino! We will stay in the park for 2 days, giving us plenty of opportunity for game drives in our truck in search of the animals here. In Etosha NP we will stay in a mixture of the campsites of Namutoni, Halali or Okaukuejo according to availability, all of which are superbly located within the NP, have excellent facilities and are situated next to watering holes where many animals come for a drink at night.  

Today we will spend the day exploring Etosha on our truck

Today we will turn east and head to the area north of the town of Grootfontein. This region is home to many of the San people, and we will visit a village community project here - we will go on a fascinating 'bushwalk', learning all about the survival skills, crafts and traditional life from our local San guides! After this, we will head to our campsite for the evening.

Border Information: Exit Namibia at Muhembo, enter Botswana at Muhembo. Today we will drive through the narrow Zambezi region of Namibia (also known as the Caprivi Strip), and cross the border into northern Botswana, arriving at our campsite near the small village of Shakawe. Tonight we will prepare for our visit to the Okavango Delta.

Today we have a short drive south to the village of Sepupa, where we leave our vehicle and board boats out over to Mokoba island. Here we will meet our 'mokoro' team, who will take us out into the stunningly beautiful area of the Okavango Delta. We'll board the mokoros (which are small dugout-style canoes) and get poled out into the reed beds of the delta. Each canoe takes two people and is poled through the meandering waterways by a local guide.  We'll be camping out on an island in the middle of a wilderness area. All food will be provided by our local hosts.  

Today we will explore the island on foot, and then take the mokoros out to a different island for more game walks, lunch, and then mokoro back to camp. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to swim in a safe area of the delta and have a try at poling the canoes ourselves! We will stay overnight at a houseboat.

Today we travel to the Makgadikgadi Pans NP. 

Today we will have the time for optional excursions into the Makgadikgadi Pans to see the incredible scenery and go in search of meerkats!   

Border Information: Exit Botswana at Ramokgwebana, enter Zimbabwe at Plumtree. Today we have a long drive day across the border into Zimbabwe and the city of Bulawayo.

Today we will have an included day trip to explore the Matobo NP, home to a large population of black and white rhinoceros. We have an incredible safari to track them on foot, and also have the chance to visit the grave of Cecil Rhodes and learn all about Zimbabwe's past.   

After breakfast we head towards Hwange NP, stopping en route to visit the Painted Dog Conservation Group for an insight into the plight of the African Wild Dog. We will take an included afternoon game drive in local safari trucks through Hwange NP.

This morning we will head out on an early morning game drive within Hwange NP. Border Information: exit Zimbabwe at Kazangula, enter Botswana at Kazangula. After our Game Drive in Hwange we head across the border into Botswana and the town of Kasane, the gateway to the beautiful Chobe NP. In Kasane we will stay in a well equipped campsite in the grounds of a safari lodge. Estimated Drive Time - 4 hours.

In the morning we will visit the park by taking an included boat trip down the Chobe river - the boat trip provides a fantastic opportunity to take some stunning wildlife photographs, getting extremely close to the animals without disturbing them. In the afternoon we will drive back into Zimbabwe.

Today we will have an included visit to the main viewpoints over the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls.Our well equipped campground is centrally located on the Zambezi River only 4 kilometres from the waterfalls, the perfect place to use as a base for the vast array of adventure activities on offer in the area. Please note that no meals are included in Victoria Falls.

Border Information: Welcome to Victoria Falls and the largest waterfalls in Africa! If joining the trip in Victoria Falls, you will most likely enter Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls Airport (IATA code: VFA).There will be a group meeting at 10:00am at the Victoria Falls Rest Camp. Your leader will leave a note on the reception with the details of this important meeting - when you arrive you will easily spot the truck as well (usually to the right-hand-side of the reception), where you'll be able to meet one of our crew.This afternoon we will have an included visit to the main viewpoints over the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls.If you would like to take advantage of the vast array of adventure activities on offer in the area, we advise that you arrive a day earlier than the meeting to give yourself enough time to do so. Please note that no meals are included in Victoria Falls.Please note that many of the options listed below will only be possible for those with extra time in Victoria Falls before the start of your trip with us - please contact the Sales team if you would like to book pre-tour accommodation with us to have extra time exploring Victoria Falls.

Border information: Exit Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls, enter Zambia at Victoria Falls. Today we start our journey with a short drive over the border into Zambia! We will head to the town of Livingstone, on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls.

Today we have a full day drive across southern Zambia to our well equipped campsite on the banks of the Lower Zambezi.  Tonight we will meet our guides who will take us on our two-day canoeing expedition on the Lower Zambezi on the following day - they will give us a full briefing about the canoeing trip when we arrive.

Today we head out on our 2-day/2-night canoeing trip on the Lower Zambezi river. This is a fully participatory expedition - everyone will pair up, go out in 2-person canoes and paddle themselves, following the lead boat! Everyone also gets involved in setting up the camps and cooking. All of our gear will be carried in a supply canoe, and wild camps are erected on islands in the river along the way. This is a fantastic way to see the river, the scenery and some of the wildlife in the area!

Today we have our second day out on the river. By now you will have a keen eye for wildlife and be well on your way to being a pro at paddling!

After breakfast, we have an early morning transfer from our second island wild camp on a fast barge back to the truck, and then continue our journey to the bridge over the River Luangwa.

Today our journey continues to the stunning South Luangwa NP, where we will stay for 2 nights. If we make good enough time on the drive to the campsite, then there may be opportunity for an optional extra game drive upon arrival tonight. South Luangwa NP is a hidden gem on the safari circuit; it is rarely visited due to its remote setting, but has some incredible populations of wildlife and is one of the only parks in Southern Africa that is open for night driving with spotlights when many of the big game is at its most active.

Today we will have an included early morning game drive and an included evening game drive, both in open-sided safari vehicles.

Border information: Exit Zambia at Mchinji, enter Malawi at Mchinji. Today we will cross the border into Malawi and head to the capital Lilongwe. Hopefully we will arrive by mid-afternoon so that we have the chance to explore the city, its markets and its shops.

Today we will travel from Lilongwe to Kande beach on the western shore of Lake Malawi.

Today we will have a free day on Kande beach to relax or to get involved in some of the optional activities available here - there are watersports on the lake, horse riding through the forests and on the beaches, and village walks to see a little bit of the life of the local Tonga people.

Today we continue north along the coast of Lake Malawi to Chitimba, an equally beautiful campsite on the shore of the lake. If we arrive in good time, we may have to chance for a short village walk or a woodcarving lesson!

Border Information: Exit Malawi at Songwe, enter Tanzania at Songwe. Today is a long travel day as we enter Tanzania and drive through its southern highlands. We will stay on a working ranch 52kms south of the town of Iringa.

Today we will continue our journey north to the small village of Mikumi.

Today we will aim to have an early start in order to pass through the Mikumi NP en route at the best time of day to try to spot any animals - the main road passes through the NP so we can take it slowly and look out for wildlife en route. The rest of the day will be spent driving to Dar es Salaam - we will have to pass through the city (which is often highly congested) before reaching our beautiful beach camp on the southern side of the bay across from the city. Please note that, as of tonight, this trip overlaps with our "YND - Zanzibar to Nairobi" trip, so you may have other customers joining your existing group once you arrive in Zanzibar. This is because Zanzibar is part of both trips, so it means customers going all the way through do not do our Zanzibar itinerary twice!

This morning we will head to the exotic and beautiful island of Zanzibar! We will travel on the local commuter barge from Kigamboni to the city centre of Dar es Salaam, and then take a ferry from Dar es Salaam centre to Zanzibar. The ferry will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes. When we reach Zanzibar we will meet our local guide, who will help us check in to our hotel in Stone Town and then give a quick orientation of the town before we branch off and head to lunch! We will have a free afternoon to explore the atmospheric streets of the historic centre of Stone Town, with the option of meeting for sunset drinks at Africa House and heading out to the night markets for a local dinner.

On our second day on Zanzibar we will join our local guide for a very interesting and informative tour around the sights of Stone Town and learn about the history of the island. We will then head away from town and take in a tour of a spice plantation, enjoy a local lunch with our guide, then head to Nungwi beach at the very north of the island. Nungwi is the Indian Ocean at its best - bright white sand, sparkling blue sea outstanding seafood and a fantastic chilled atmosphere. 

On our third day on Zanzibar, we will have free time to enjoy Nungwi beach and relax, or to try snorkeling, diving, or other beach activities, or maybe go further afield looking for Red Colobus monkeys in the Jozani Forest.

Border infromation: If leaving at Zanzibar, you will most likely exit Tanzania from Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (IATA code: ZNZ), however some customers prefer to return to Dar es Salaam and then exit from Dar Es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport (IATA code: DAR).Today is the end day for passengers finishing their trip in Zanzibar. Please note there is no accommodation included on the trip tonight - please contact the Sales Team if you are interested in booking extra nights of accommodation in order to fully explore and take part in some of the optional activities listed.