On arrival in Livingstone, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure before a meet & greet over sundowners on the river followed by dinner.
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel or similar
Today we will visit the spectacular Victoria Falls, viewing them from the various lookout points in the park. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres and height of 108 metres, resulting in the world's largest sheet of falling water. Yes you will get wet! In the afternoon you will have time to do optional activities such as a scenic flight above the Falls, Jet boat ride up the Zambezi to visit the Elephant Cafe, or a visit to The David Livingstone Museum.
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel or similar (B,D)
Boarding our safari truck this morning, we set off across the border into Namibia. This is a reasonably long day on the road which gives a good chance to get to know each other better. Late afternoon we arrive into the lively town of Katima Mulilo where there is the opportunity to do shopping and get local currency from ATM. Our accommodation is on the outskirts of town right on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River.
Accommodation: Zambezi Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
Today we drive through the Caprivi Strip, a narrow protrusion of Namibia bordered by Botswana, Angola and Zambia. The area is rich in wildlife and mineral resources and has been the subject of many a dispute over ownership. You will be able to look across the river to Angola from the grounds of the lodge this afternoon.
Accommodation: Sarasungu River Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
We stop at Grootfontein in the morning for supplies before heading to Etosha National Park. Our camp is within the grounds of an old fort originally built by the Germans in 1902. A floodlit waterhole next to the fort provides game viewing opportunities at all hours, there is also a swimming pool, bar/restaurant and gift shop (good place to buy map of Etosha). After a tent erecting demo we set up camp and unpack before taking an afternoon game-drive in the National Park. Etosha is a vast reserve of over 20,000 sq km. Wildlife is most definitely abundant - a haven for 93 mammal species and 340 bird species! Back at camp, pour yourself a drink and head to the viewing point overlooking a floodlit waterhole and watch wildlife come and go.
Accommodation: Namutoni Rest Camp (camping) (B,L,D)
We'll depart early in the morning for a game-drive and a visit to the Etosha Pan, a flat saline desert 130km long by 50km at its widest. After lunch, enjoy a refreshing swim at Halali Rest Camp. We spend the afternoon game driving before stopping at Okaukuejo Rest Camp where we will be staying for the next two nights. Okaukuejo also has a floodlit water hole - a great place to sit any time of the day but best enjoyed at sundown with a drink in hand.
Accommodation: Okaukuejo Rest Camp (camping) (B,L,D)
Up early this morning for a game-drive in the Park before returning to Okaukuejo for lunch. You can spend the rest of the day relaxing by the swimming pool and game viewing at the water hole.
Accommodation: Okaukuejo Rest Camp (camping) (B,L,D)
This morning we'll drive to Outjo for supplies before continuing through scenic Damaraland. We stop for lunch at a Petrified Forest and take a guided walk through the site with a local tribesperson speaking in that fascinating click language. It's not actually a forest but huge tree trunks dating back 280 million years which have fossilized. You will also learn about Namibia's centuries old desert plant - the Welwitschia. Continuing to Twyfelfontein, we spend some time walking through the World Heritage site. The site has been inhabited for 6,000 years, first by hunter-gatherers and later by Khoikhoi herders then white farmers. Both ethnic groups used it as a place of worship and a site to conduct shamanist rituals. In the process of these rituals thousands of rock carvings and rock paintings were created.
Accommodation: Twyfelfontein Country Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
Today you are rewarded with an incredibly scenic drive through to the Skeleton Coast. We stop at Cape Cross Seal Reserve, home to over 80,000 noisy animated seals, before checking in to our accommodation just metres from the Atlantic ocean.
Accommodation: Cape Cross Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
Swakopmund is a seaside resort town with a German village feel to it. The Namib Desert around the town is the number one draw card offering countless exhilarating activities such as sand boarding, quad biking, cycling in the desert and scenic flights. If you're not a thrill seeker there are more sedentary activities such as art galleries, museums, a snake park, aquarium and tours that will take you to a local town to learn about the Herero people. The choice is yours today (own cost). Swakopmund also has lots of great restaurants and cafes (lunch & dinner own arrangements today).
Accommodation: Alte Brucke Resort or similar - 2 nights (B)
We'll spot flamingos and pelicans in Walvis Bay over lunch before heading out in to the Namib Desert Park. At Mirabib we set up camp under a huge granite rock. This is a very special place and there is evidence of nomadic people as long as 9000 years ago using this site as shelter. A fantastic place to watch the sun go down over the vast desert and sit around an evening fire looking at the stars in an unpolluted sky.
Accommodation: Bush Camping or similar (B,L,D)
This morning we journey through to the giant sand dunes at Sesriem. You can take an energetic walk/scramble up Dune 45 (over 80 metres in height) named from the fact that it is at the 45th kilometre of the road that connects the Sesriem gate and Sossusvlei. It is composed of 5-million-year-old sand that is detritus accumulated by the Orange River from the Kalahari Desert and then blown here - truly more stunning than you can imagine. We then take a 4WD trip further into the park and enjoy a walk in to Deadvlei and have a photo stop at Sossusvlei and Big Daddy.
Accommodation: Sesriem Campsite (Camping) (B,L,D)
An easy drive to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. This small city is located in a basin between the Khomas Highland, Auas and the Eros Mountains - 1,680m above sea level. With German-influenced architecture and a European café culture, it is a pleasant place to enjoy a stroll around.
Accommodation: Safari Court Hotel or similar (B,L)
Sit back and relax on a reasonably long day driving across the northern fringes of The Kalahari. This evening there may be the opportunity to be entertained by local San tribespeople.
Accommodation: Tautona Lodge, Ghanzi or similar (B,L,D)
We arrive in Maun early afternoon and prepare for our trip in to The Okavango Delta. Maun is the bustling hub of the Delta safari industry. There will be time for shopping for personal items, souvenirs, changing money etc before checking in to our hotel and relaxing by the pool.
Accommodation: Sedia Hotel or similar (B,L,D) We arrive in Maun early afternoon and prepare for our trip in to The Okavango Delta. Maun is
Early morning transfer by 4WD to the Poling Station. The Okavango Delta is a natural wetland where the Okavango River fans out into the largest inland delta in the world. We will load all our gear in to the mokoros (dugout canoe) and be poled by local guides into the Delta - an absolutely surreal experience. We set up camp on an island under shady trees. Hippo, crocodile, buffalo, giraffe and elephant are at home here, as are numerous species of bird. Enjoy the serenity amongst the swamps, lily pads and swaying delta grasses. Guided bush walks, great game viewing, stunning sunsets and entertainment around the bush fire this evening - just awesome!
Accommodation: Bush Camping (B,L,D)
After a morning nature walk, we have lunch back at camp before being poled out of the Delta. Look out for wildlife and birds along the way.
Accommodation: Sedia Hotel or similar (B,L,D)
Day at leisure. You might choose to do a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta this morning (at own cost - highly recommended), laze by the hotel pool or go shopping for curios in Maun.
Accommodation: Sedia Hotel or similar (B,L,D)
Back onboard our truck we journey through to Elephant Sands Lodge, located near Nata. This is a fabulous place to enjoy viewing elephants at a natural waterhole right in front of the lodge's bar and swimming pool. You will be wide-eyed watching these impressive creatures whilst they hang out at the waterhole just a couple of meters away from you. This is bush TV at its best!
Accommodation: Elephant Sands Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
Continue on to Chobe Safari Lodge in Kasane where we are based for the next two nights. This upmarket lodge sits on the banks of the Chobe River and borders the world-famous Chobe National Park.
Accommodation: Chobe Safari Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
Chobe National Park is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers a mere 10,566 sq kms. It also has one of the greatest concentrations of elephant found on the African continent. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region, offers an excellent safari experience. We take an early morning game drive by 4WD into the Park. Later this afternoon we board a boat for a 3-hour wildlife cruise on the Chobe River - an excellent chance to get up close to elephant, hippo, crocodile and other animals and birds. As the sunsets over the river, we cruise back to the Lodge with a cool drink hand.
Accommodation: Chobe Safari Lodge or similar (B,L,D)
We leave Botswana and cross back to Zambia on the Kazungula ferry. It is only a short drive back to Livingstone for our last night of a memorable safari. We end the day by cruising on the Upper Zambezi River for drinks - along the way perhaps seeing wild herds having their own drinks at the river's edge and flocks of birds skimming over the waterline as the sun sets on the African skyline. Truly magical and loads of fun.
Accommodation: Waterfront Hotel or similar (B,L,D)
Safari ends in Livingstone today.
Gae, Australia
Sandra, NZ.
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