Tour highlights: Nairobi, Masai Game Reserve, see the Big 5, Dar es Slaam, Zanzibar watersports, Mikumi National Park, Malawi, Zambezi River, Livingstone, Chobe National Park.
Day 1-7:
From Nairobi, your first encounter with Africa's diverse wildlife is in the Masai Mara Game Reserve on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The 'Mara' is Kenya's best known game reserve with impressive scenery and wildlife. After a couple of days we retrace our steps briefly before crossing the border into Tanzania. Our first stop is Arusha, ('safari town') where you can haggle for curios in the colourful local markets, handle African snakes or take an informative guided walk to a local Masai village. We switch to 4x4 vehicles for a 3-day excursion to the Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge and Ngorongoro Crater. Here you will find superb game viewing opportunities, spectacular scenery. You will take in East Africa's 'big three' game parks on our first week of the safari.
Day 8-15:
From Arusha, we travel in the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro whose snow-capped peak can be see on a clear day. We will cross vast tracts of rural savanna to the balmy Indian Ocean coastal city of Dar es Salaam. From here we catch a ferry to exotic Zanzibar, (the spice island) for its fragrant and lush tropical forests, ancient history, and tropical island beaches.
We will explore the bazaars and intriguing alleyways of Stone Town before relaxing on the white-sand beaches and sparkling blue sea on the northern coast. Then, we will return to Dar on the mainland and drive southwest via Mikumi National Park and the Tanzanian Highlands towards the ‘warm heart of Africa’, Malawi.
Day 16-25:
Malawi is one of the friendliest countries on tour and is dominated by the enormous Lake Malawi. The lake provides ample opportunity to enjoy the clear water and pristine beaches as well as explore this unique lakeside culture of fishermen and traders. You have the option of taking a trek to the high escarpments and local forests surrounding the lake before driving through rural Zambia via its capital Lusaka, to Livingstone. This is the ideal base, on the banks of the Zambezi River, to explore the mighty Victoria Falls. This area is known as Africa's adventure playground where a multitude of adrenaline-pumping optional activities are offerrd including white water rafting, bungy jumping, and micro-lighting.
No trip to Africa is complete without a view of the tremendous Victoria Falls themselves. We also take time to visit a local village for a taste of culture and hospitality.
Day 26-32:
We eventually depart from the Livingstone / Vic Falls area for the small town of Kasane in northern Botswana. There is the opportunity here to take a game drive and river cruise in the scenic Chobe National Park . The park is known for its large stock of elephant, for lion and for its abundant birdlife. Leaving Chobe, we drive via Nata to Maun, the gateway for the Okavango Delta. The Okavango is an enormous waterway system of channels, reeds, tall grasses and remote scenery, now set aside as a wildlife reserve.
We explore the ‘Delta’ on foot and by mokoro (dugout canoe), for the ultimate wilderness experience.
Day 33-37:
From Maun, we travel west via Ghanzi to the Namibian border and briefly stop in the country’s modern capital Windhoek before heading to the Etosha National Park. Wildlife viewing is unique here thanks to the prolific waterholes and flat terrain. If you can manage to stay awake at a floodlit waterhole during the night, you will be well rewarded. Outside Etosha, we will visit the Cheetah Park, where you’ll meet a cheetah "up-close and personal". You will also have the chance to see more unusual wildlife in the form of tens of thousands of seals congregating in the icy Atlantic waters at the Cape Cross Seal Colony. Further south is the quirky seaside town of Swakopmund, nestled between the ocean and desert. The best way to explore the bizarre coastal terrain is by going dune-bashing by quad-bike or sand-board. Celebrate afterwards with a flagon of ale in one of Swakopmund’s German-inspired bars or restaurants.
Day 38-43:
Southern Namibia is home to two of the most geologically scenic attractions in Africa. Namib-Naukluft NP with its massive sand dunes, and the Fish River Canyon, a dramatic gash in the Earth’s surface. (second only in size to the Grand Canyon). From here we cross into South Africa and camp on the banks of the Gariep (Orange) River.
We continue to Citrusdal, before reaching the cosmopolitan and lively Cape Town. The tour ends with a Township tour in the shadow of Table Mountain.
43 Day Kenya to Cape Town tour
