South Africa, Namibia, Botswana en Zimbabwe

Overland safari through Southern Africa

Day 1 – 3 Cape Town                                                                     27 Days Camping
You will be met at the departure point today and given a briefing of the tour schedule and the tourleader will be avaailable to answer any questions.

Cape Town has lots to offer. Architecture range from historic buildings built by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) to ultra-modern buildings at the Waterfront. Noteworthy places include the Castle of Good Hope, the St-Georges Cathedral, the South African Museum, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront shopping complex and many more. No visit to the city would be complete without a visit to Table Mountain and Robben Island.

Dag 4  Cape Town – Orange River

If all goes well we should get to the Namibian border by late afternoon. We will then proceed to our camp on the banks of the Orange River.  While here you can either relax in the sun or shade or go swim in the river.

Day 5 Orange River – Fish River Canyon

There will be time for those who want to take canoe trip on the river before we depart for the Fish River Canyon. The Canyon is the largest canyon in Africa. This 161 km long Canyon is as wide as 27 km in some places and is 550 meters deep.

If you are lucky you will be able to see some water in the river from the viewpoints over the canyon at sunset – a nice setting for some sundowners J Depending on availability you will either be staying in Ais- Ais or Hobas this evening.

Day 6 – 7 Fish River Canyon – Sesriem 

The 50.000 square kilometre Namib Naukluft Park must be one of the largest streches of barren land on Earth.  Due to the desolation here the world seems almost idyllic, combined with the rusty red colours around you. If time allows you will be able to watch the sun set from the Elim Dune near the campsite.

To avoid the heat we will leave camp before dawn the next day to go and explore the Sossusvlei area and dunes. The road follows the riverbed of the Tsauchab River and leads to Dune 45. The 150-meter Dune will be the vantage point to watch the sun come up over the dessert. The climb in the soft sand is strenuous but more than worthwhile when you see the ocean of colours across the dessert.

You might want to go on a guided hike into the “Dead Vlei” area adjacent to Sossusvlei. Look out for springbok, oryx, ostrich, jackals and other desert dwellers.        

Day 8 - 9 Sesriem - Swakopmund

We depart for the Coast and pass the small fueling station and farm “Solitaire” where you have to try their famous apple pie!
Swakopmund lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the dunes of the Namib dessert. This historical town still has a German feel to it, with many inhabitants still speaking German and architecture distinctly of German origin. The town has everything an adventurer could want and can cater for the less adventurous. A few activities available are sand boarding, quadbiking, sky diving, dolphin cruises and many more.
We spend two nights here and you are encouraged to sample the local cuisine. 

Day 10 Swakopmund – Damaraland

We travel Northwards towards the Skeleton Coast before turning Eastwards just after the small town of Henties Bay. We pass the Spitskoppe on our right hand side and Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, on our left.

The Brandberg is famous for the rock art found all over it and as the name suggests it can look like it is on fire depending on the sun’s influence. You will have the opportunity to go on a guided tour of some of the bushman rock art in the area before returning to our campsite close to the mountain.

 Dag 11 – 13 Damaraland – Etosha

Today will take us past the towns of Khroixas and Outjoe before turning towards the  world famous Etosha National Park. Founded in 1907 the 23 000 square kilometre Park has been the pride of Namibia ever since. 

Nourishing vegetation consisting of Grasses, Succulents and Acacia Trees surrounds the pan. These form the staple diet of die thousands of antelopes like springbok, Kudus, Impalas, Zebras, Wildebees, Giraffes, Elephants and Oryx. Where antelopes roam the likelyhood of you seeing large predators (like Lions, Leopards, cheetahs etc.) stalking them is good.

You will be staying in various camps in the Park that all has excellent facilities.

Day 14 Etosha – Waterberg

The destination today will be the Waterberg Plateau Park, a convenient stopover between Etosha and Buitepos.This 50 km by 16 km Plateau raises 150 meters above ground and can be seen from afar. Sable, Roan, Tsetsebe, Cape Buffalos, and White & Black Rhinos can be seen here.

Day 15 Waterberg – Buitepos

Today will be spent driving right up to the Namibian border with Botswana.

This evening you will stay at Buitepos farm where they have various animals like Cheetah and baboons.  If time allows you can even watch some traditional Bushmen dances.

Dag 16 – 18 Buitepos – Maun (Okavango Delta Excursion)

Today we will be en route to Maun on the Okavango delta in Botswana where we will spend three days. The Okavango River forms a fully enclosed marshy Delta in North Eastern Botswana. All the water disappears into the ground on a very wide front in the Delta. The Delta fans out like large fingers into the direction of the Kalahari dessert. This unique place is teaming with 350 species of birds and plenty of wildlife. 

You have the option of entering the delta on a Dugout Raft (Makoro) on day 17. If you deide to go you will spend the night on an island in the Delta – a truly unique experience. During the day you can relax at the camp or go on some gamewalks with your guide – be carefull as wild animals roam freely. In the evening you can sit by the wood fire and just enjoy the sounds and stars of Africa. On day 18 after returning to Maun there might be time to go on a flight with a small aircraft over the Delta – this will give you a much better overall picture and it would be easy to spot large heards of elephants or bufallo.

Day 19 Maun – Kasane

The famous Chobe Park was founded in 1939 is approximately 11.700 square kilometre in size. Due to the parks diverse vegetation various animals populate the area. Due to the good protection the park affords to the animals they have one of the biggest herds of elephant here.

You will have the opportunity to go on game Drives with experienced guides or take a boat down the Chobe River. On the river banks you might see Elephants, Impala’s, Buffalos, Waterbuck and other antelope. Look out for the less obvious crocodiles, hippo’s and too many birds to even mention here. 

Day 20 - 21 Kasane – Victoria Falls

Today’s drive will take you to Victoria Falls (the locals call it Mosi-Oa-Tunya - the smoke that thunders). You can see the misty haze above the falls from far away as you approach the town. The 1.7 km wide Zambezi River falls pushes 55 000 cubic meters of water per second for a 107meters down into the narrow gorge. Due to the tremendous mist that erupts from the gorge a rain forest has grown in the area, which is home to various species of apes and buck.

You will be staying here for 2 days, which will give you ample time to explore the town and area on your own. Victoria Falls is the adrenaline capital of Zimbabwe. Those who dare can take on the rapids of the Zambezi (with names like the Washing Machine and Terminator!!) with your fellow travellers and an experienced guide. Be warned though that the ride can get rough and you will need all your strength to stay on board.

Go and take a Flight of the Angels - a flight in a light aircraft or ultra light plane – flown at low altitude over the Victoria Falls. When Livingston arrived at the Falls for the first time he said that ‘Angels must be speechless when flying over such beauty’.

Day 22 - 23 Victoria Falls – Bulawayo

Today we will drive to Buluwayo, which is the second largest city in Zimbabwe. You will have the option to visit the Matopos National Park with its spectacular granite landscapes.  These wind eroded rock formations have been dated at 3000 Million years. The vista from Worlds View where Cecil John Rhodes is buried is breathtaking. In the park you will have a good chance of seeing White Rhinos, Giraffes, Sables, Eland and Zebras.

Day 24 Bulawayo – Thispise

We will be re-entering South Africa today after a long day on the road. After arriving you will have a chance relax in the hotwater swimming pool close to the campsite.

Day 25 - 26 Thispise – Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park is by far the biggest National Park in South Africa and boasts to have the Big Five, all land predators, and over 500 species of birds. The rest of the first day in the park will be spent game driving. Everyone will be keeping their eyes open for the ‘Big Five’ but there are hundreds of others species of animals and birds to look for as well.

Day 27 Kruger National Park – Johannesburg

Today the tour will end in Johannesburg. There is a final long climb out of the ‘Lowveld’ onto central escarpment of South Africa where Johannesburg lies. The tour will end when you arrive at the departure point of the tour.