Tour itinerary
Days 1 - 5
Our trip begins with a short drive north from Nairobi into Africa's greatest natural feature, The Great Rift Valley. Our journey takes us into the valley where we visit Lake Naivasha. We camp near the lakeshore where Hippos sometimes feed at night! Here you can also walk to Elsamere, the house of Joy Adamson of Elsa the Lion and Born Free fame, and enjoy a film of her life - and cream teas! You can also hire mountain bikes and cycle or walk through Hells Gate National Park - the only game reserve in Kenya in which you are allowed to walk. Or for a less active but equably enjoyable game viewing experience visit the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Both offer excellent scenery & opportunities to spot hyrax, abundant bird & plant life along with several types of gazelle, impala and eland.From here a mountainous drive through the spectacular Nandi Hills brings us to our next stop at Eldoret. The following morning, we cross into Uganda and continue onto Kampala, the capital, where we have a free day to spend in local cafes and nightspots, there is also the opportunity to spend the day visiting a local Chimpanzee Sanctuary and rehabilitation centre on one of the islands on Lake Victoria. We then continue west through patches of forest and green fertile countryside and pass a number of small towns and villages along the way where we can see local crafts people at work. We usually have a lunch stop at one of the roadside stalls selling fresh rotisserie meat and vegetables. We also stop at the spot where our route crosses the equator.
Days 6 - 12
Next is the Virunga range of volcanic mountains and the rainforests on these mountain slopes are home to several families of Mountain Gorillas. Getting up close to these amazing creatures is a truly humbling experience and one of the highlights of the trip. We will visit the gorillas in either Uganda or Rwanda. If we view them from Uganda there is the opportunity to paddle out onto Lake Bunyoni in canoes and visit some of the nearby islands or hire mountain bikes to visit nearby villages & schools. From Rwanda there is also the chance to visit the genocide museum in Kigali, which is a moving and interesting experience.
Days 13 - 18
We then return to Kampala and camp near Jinja. We spend the following three nights at Bujagali Falls, just downstream from the source of the Nile. This is a spectacular area, and a superb place to go whitewater rafting. We can also go quad biking or visit a local school. Ending the first stage of our tour and our travel in Uganda, we re-enter Kenya and travel to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake and our game drives here allow us to see its world famous flock of almost a million Pink Flamingos, as well as a wide variety of wildlife including, Black Rhino, Hippo, Lion, Leopard, Hyena and Giraffe.
Days 19 - 27
A half-day drive brings us back to Nairobi for a day, where we visit a Giraffe Centre and where there is also an option to visit an Elephant Orphanage, before continuing south towards Tanzania we stop at the town of Arusha from where we use a local safari company to guide us through Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Parks. On the crater floor you can spend the day viewing wildlife including Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, White Rhino, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile and Pink Flamingos. From here you can choose to go into the Serengeti for a day, where vast herds of Wildebeest roam the plains. There is also the option, for those who wish to visit a local Maasai Village and learn about their culture and way of life.It's a one-day drive to Dar Es Salaam, passing a number of small towns and villages along the way and, if we are lucky, we may see the towering peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. We camp for about 4 nights in a campsite on a beautiful Indian Ocean beach. From here most people take the ferry out to Zanzibar for the full four days and venture into the narrow bustling streets of Stone Town and its exotic spice markets, old slave forts and dungeons. There is also time to relax on Zanzibar's famous white beaches.
Days 28 - 35
After Zanzibar we begin our journey through the interesting and often mountainous hinterland of Tanzania. We pass through the peaceful national park of Mikumi where it is possible to see Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope from the roadside. Passing rivers and small waterfalls we enter Malawi, which is dominated by its huge fresh water lake. We spend several days at small laid back campsites on the edge of the lake. Most people choose to relax on the sandy beaches or try their hand at snorkelling or windsurfing as we follow the lakeshore south. Leaving the lake we continue to Lilongwe in the south of the country, where we stop for two nights and organise our Mozambique visas.
Days 36 - 42
From Lilongwe we cross the border and begin the next stretch of our travel in Mozambique. We follow the infamous 'Tete Corridor' which was well known in the days of Mozambique's long running civil war as the 'Gun Run'. Thankfully these days things are a lot different! We enter Zimbabwe and travel to Harare, the capital, and spend two nights here before continuing to Gweru where we visit a privately run horse and game ranch where you can go game viewing on elephant and horseback. There is also the chance to go walking with lion cubs which is always a great highlight.
Days 43 - 48
From Gweru we travel to The Great Zimbabwe Ruins, once the greatest medieval city in Sub-Saharan Africa and from where the name Zimbabwe is derived, literally meaning 'house of stone'. Next we head for Bulawayo where you have the option of leaving the truck for a day and use a local safari company to venture into Motobo National Park, where you may well see the elusive Black Rhino amongst hordes of other game. There is also the opportunity to visit Cecil Rhodes's grave and Ancient Rock Paintings before catching an old style sleeper train (if available) to rejoin the truck at one of the adventure playgrounds of the world - Victoria Falls.
Days 49 - 57
For some Mosi oa Tunya 'The Smoke That Thunders' is the highlight of their trip. There is something here for everyone, from grade 5 white water rafting and canoe trips, the Flight of Angels or a Sunset Cruise, to one of the world's highest commercial Bungee Jumps, plus jet boating, gorge swings, abseiling and a whole lot more!After your adrenaline has been spent we head into Botswana and Chobe National Park is our first stop, where it is possible to take a cruise on the Chobe River - a less intrusive way to view its wildlife, particularly its hordes of elephants. From here we then organise our trip into the Okavango Delta. You will have the chance to go on a Mokoro (dug out canoe) and explore the extensive waterways of this unique desert wetland as well as take several game walks where Elephants, Crocodile and Hippo are often seen.
Days 58 - 66
Heading west, we cross into Namibia and travel towards Etosha National Park, recognised as one of the world's greatest wildlife viewing areas and where we can game watch by night at one of the floodlit watering holes. From Etosha we visit a local Cheetah Park before continuing on to the Brandenberg Mountains in Demaraland and the Skeleton Coast. We then visit either the stunning Spitzkoppe Rock formations or the world famous Cape Cross Seal Colony where thousands of these mammals - and their accompanying odour pervade the coastline, before making our way to Swakopmund where we spend three days. You now have the choice of a load of activities to indulge in, including quad biking, dune sledding, deep sea fishing for shark and other game fish, horse riding and a desert flight.
Days 67 - 73
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, until we arrive at one of Africa's most sensational natural features, Fish River Canyon. We camp next to this massive gorge for two days, where you can hike and soak up the sun and fabulous scenery. A couple of hours drive away we cross the Orange River and enter South Africa. Near Stellenbosch we visit one of the historic Cape Wineries before reaching the exciting and vibrant city of Cape Town.Those on the 73 day trip finish here in Cape Town.