Great African Expedition North - 57 days

Welcome to South Africa. We will be there to meet you at Cape Town airport and transfer you to the backpackers in the gardens area of the city. Our first night will be in dormitory accommodation. A welcome meeting will take place tonight at 1700 where you will be able to meet your tour leader and other members of your group.

Cape Town - Cederberg. On our way out of the city we drive past the beautiful Table Bay area. Our destination today is the Cederberg Mountains where we stay at a beautiful campsite surrounded by wine farms. Arriving in the afternoon we have the opportunity to sample some of the local wines before spending our first night under canvass.

Cederberg - Gariep River. We depart Cederberg and head through the Namaqualand - famous for its wildflowers that appear every spring. We stop briefly in the mining town of Springbok before arriving at the Gariep (Orange) River which forms a natural border between South Africa and Namibia. We spend a second night under canvass.

Gariep River - Fish River Canyon (Namibia). This morning opt to join half day canoe trip on the Gariep River before crossing into Namibia this afternoon. We visit the Fish River Canyon - the world's second largest canyon (after the USA's Grand Canyon) before spending the night nearby.

Fish River Canyon - Sesriem. Today we head towards Namibia's vast desert - the Namib Naukluft. We spend the night in Sesriem before we get to explore the desert tomorrow.

Sesriem - Solitaire. Entering the desert this morning we get the opportunity to climb the famous Dune 45 - a truly memorable experience. Depending on the time of year we aim to get up there for sunrise and watch the amazing changing colours of the dunes. Afterwards we further explore the area of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei.

Sesriem - Swakopmund. On day 7 we head off towards the Atlantic Ocean and the colonial German town of Swakopmund, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn for the obligatory photo stop en route. We spend the next 2 nights in this lovely town in dormitory accommodation. There are a number of exciting optional excursions to enjoy including sky diving, dolphin cruises and dune boarding.

Swakopmund - Brandberg. Leaving Swakopmund behind we take a brief stop at Spitzkoppe - 'the Matterhorn of Namibia' - a well known ancient San sacred site. Our final destination is Brandberg.

Brandberg - Etosha National Park area. Continuing north we head towards Namibia's premier national park - Etosha and our campsite nearby. We start exploring the park on day 11 including the vast Etosha Pan - home to a large variety of both animal and bird life.

Today we make our way across the park, keeping a look out for the many different mammals, reptiles, birds and insects in the various regions. After a full day of game viewing, we spend the evening relaxing at our camp in the north of the park, at Namutoni. After dinner why not head to the waterhole where you can sit and observe the animals may come to drink in the evenings.

Etosha - Windhoek - Ghanzi - Maun (Botswana). Leaving the park we head to Namibia's capital Windhoek for the night before departing on day 14 for neighbouring Botswana. Our first overnight in Botswana is in Ghanzi in the middle of the Kalahari Desert and home to San Bushmen. On day 15 we drive to Maun - our base for our included excursion into the Okavango Delta.

Maun - Okavango Delta. Today we depart for the Okavango Delta - the world's largest inland delta. Our journey into the delta is mainly by mokoro (dugout canoe) safely guided by our trusty polers. Arriving at our mobile tented camp in the heart of the delta we meet the local staff who will host us during our stay. Whilst staying here we will have the opportunity to take guided wildlife walks and try our hand at poling out own mokoros!

Okovango Delta – Maun. We pack up this morning and return to our mokoros for our journey back to the mainland. We plan to get to the campsite in Maun around lunchtime. Those who want to see more of the delta can take an optional scenic flight over the delta (dependent on weather conditions & availability).

Maun - Nata Region. We leave this beautiful part of Botswana behind us this morning as we depart to the lush campsite called Elephant Sands. The drive will take you through a very unpopulated landscape where the donkeys roam freely. Once we have arrived at our campsite you will have the option of partaking in a game drive or a bushwalk.

Nata Region - Chobe. Travelling north we head to the town of Kasane on the banks of the Chobe River. On day 20 we pack up and head out on our overnight excursion to Chobe National Park.



Chobe is one of Botswana’s premier game parks, renowned for its large elephant herds. Spend the afternoon in search of wildlife while we game drive to our camp within the park where we spend the evening surrounded by the night-time noises of the local wildlife. Look out for the rare Sable and Roan Antelope on your game drive, with their majestic backward slanting horns, or try keep a count of the Lilac Breasted Roller’s that swoop by!

Chobe - Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Leaving the park in the morning we return to Kasane to join our truck and continue onto our next destination - Victoria Falls into Zimbabwe. We spend the next 3 nights here in Victoria Falls which is the adrenaline capital of Africa. You can choose to either relax for a few days or take part in a whole host of exciting activities on offer including white water rafting, abseiling, microlight flights to name just a few.

Victoria Falls - Kasane (Botswana) - Livingstone (Zambia). Leaving Vic Falls on this morning we cross back into Botswana and back to the town of Kasane, situated on the banks of the Chobe River.



The following morning, we get back on our truck and continue to the town of Livingstone in Zambia. This afternoon we have the opportunity to view Victoria Falls from the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, Zambia or partake in a sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River. Another fantastic photo opportunity!

Livingstone - Lusaka Area - Luangwa. We spend the next two days continuing through Zambia with an overnight in the Lusaka area before heading to South Luangwa National Park for game drives and a night in the park itself. Animals such as giraffe, buffalo and elephants can be found in abundance. The Luangwa river is home to many a hippo and croc.

South Luangwa - Lake Malawi (Malawi). Leaving Zambia behind we enter the 'Warm Heart of Africa' Malawi. Our first stop is the capital Lilongwe before we arrive at our first night by the beautiful lake. We spend 3 nights by Lake Malawi first night at the central lake and the next two in the north.

Lake Malawi - Iringa (Tanzania). Leaving Malawi we cross another border today - this time into Tanzania. Passing by Tukuyu tea and banana plantations we arrive into Iringa for the night.

Iringa - Dar es Salaam. Our destination today is the busy city of Dar Es Salaam. On the way we will pass through Mikumi National Park where it is very possible to see wildlife roaming around the road. Our campsite tonight is a coastal campsite where we relax and prepare for our journey to Zanzibar tomorrow.

Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar. We depart Dar Es Salaam this morning for the ferry over to Zanzibar. We spend three nights here - one in the capital Stone Town and two up at he northern beaches. Our stay here also includes a Spice Tour in Stone Town and a Dhow Sunset cruise whilst at the beach.

Zanzibar - Dar es Salaam - Pangani - Arusha. Returning to Dar Es Salaam on the evening of day 37 we continue north the next morning and stop for the evening at Pengani - a coastal town. On day 39 we depart for Arusha - our base for visiting the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Meserani - Serengeti & Ngorongoro. This morning we visit the Meserani Reptiel Park and Masai Culture Museum before preparing for our exciting journey into the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Over the next couple of days we will game drive in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro whilst camping nearby. We hope to spot lots of exciting game including the famous Big Five.



On the morning of day 42 we depart on a final game drive and the start of our journey back to Arusha. This evening we compare our amazing wildlife stories.

Arusha - Nairobi (Kenya). We set off early this morning and make our way to the Tanzania/ Kenyan border and the small border town of Namanga. After completing the border formalities, we continue on our journey to the Capital City Nairobi and our campsite on the outskirts of the city.

Nairobi - Masai Mara. Departing the capital - we travel along the Great Rift Valley and begin to enter Masai land. Our campsite whilst exploring the Masai Mara is Acacia Camp and we game drive in the park on day 45.



After our game drive, we have the option to visit one of the nearby Masai Manyatta’s – this is a traditional hamlet where the Masai still live in their traditional way. This evening we sit around the camp fire, and watch the sun set over this “Garden of Eden”

Masai Mara - Eldoret - Kampala (Uganda). Leaving the Masai Mara we pass by pretty tea plantations before arriving at our campsite for the evening in Eldoret. The following morning we cross the border into Uganda and head to the capital Kampala for the night.

Kampala - Lake Bunyonyi. We depart Kampala and head towards beautiful Lake Bunyonyi - the deepest crater lake in Africa. Lake Bunyonyi is our base for the next few days as we journey into either Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in search of the magnificent mountain gorilla.



Please note: Gorilla permits need to be purchased in advance, please ask your reservations consultant or visit our Gorilla trekking travel guide.

Lake Bunyonyi - Kampala. After marvelling at the experience of our gorilla encounters and enjoying the peaceful Lake Bunyonyi, we begin our drive back to Kampala. We cross the Equator for the second time and stop for the classic “one foot in each hemisphere” photo opportunity. We overnight in Kampala and have the opportunity to sample its night life!

Kampala - Jinja. Today we have the option of visiting the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary or heading to Jinja for a selection of adventure activities including white water rafting at the source of the White Nile or visiting a volunteer and community project. Spend the afternoon relaxing on the banks of the river, or ticking off the wide variety of water birds in this area.

Jinja - Lake Nakuru (Kenya). Today we return to Kenya and travel to Nakuru - capital of the Rift Valley province. We head to Lake Nakuru National Park and spend the night in the surrounding area.

Lake Nakuru - Lake Naivasha. This morning we explore Lake Nakuru National Park searching for black and white rhino as well as the elusive leopard, encountering buffalo, giraffe, various antelope and the occasional hippo along the way. On day 56 we head to Lake Naivasha where we have the option of visiting Elsamere (former home to Joy & George Adamson of Born Free fame), a boat ride to the Crescent Island Game Sanctuary or a bike ride around Hell’s Gate National Park.

Lake Naivasha - Nairobi. After breakfast, we head back to Nairobi usually arriving by late morning, or early afternoon. On arrival to Nairobi, we exchange addresses and part ways, having just experienced a trip of a lifetime!