Northern Experience

On arrival at Cape Town International Airport, you will be met by a representative who will transfer you to your hotel. You have the remainder of the day at leisure to acclimatize and relax at the hotel facilities.

On this morning you will be collected and taken on an orientation tour of the city. You will see the Company Gardens, Greenmarket Square, the SA Museum, and Bo-Kaap. The afternoon can be spent at leisure. We suggest a visit to the V&A Waterfront, situated in the heart of Cape Town’s working harbor, offering a great array of indoor shopping and entertainment options.

The day is spent exploring the Cape Peninsula and visiting Hout Bay on the Atlantic coast before heading off to Cape Point for lunch. In the afternoon we head back via the Boulders Beach penguin colony.

Moving south we make our way towards the Namib Naukluft National Park and our accommodation for the next two nights, Agama River Camp. The park contains what is considered to be the oldest desert in the world. The next morning we need to wake up early to visit the world’s highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei and Deadvlei. These dunes, which can reach heights of over 300 meters, are spectacular and provide a fantastic photo opportunity. With luck, there may even be water in the vlei (lake). We also stop to view the Sesriem Canyon, which was carved millions of years ago by the Tsauchab River.

The day is spent driving through the Namib Naukluft National Park on our way to Swakopmund. The Namib-Naukluft Desert is an ancient land with an ageless spirit. It is home to some of the rarest plant and animal species in the world. Sightings of the unique fauna and flora are a must on a Namibian safari. The animals of this harsh landscape include the oryx, springbok, and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra. En-route we make a stop in the small town of Walvis Bay where you may spot a variety of birds including flamingos in the lagoon. We arrive at the charming coastal town of Swakopmund in the late afternoon where you will have the rest of the day at leisure.

On day 8 you will have the opportunity to visit a local urban sustainability center and explore how they preserve energy, water, waste, and biodiversity, on a semi-guided tour. The rest of the day you will have the opportunity to partake in optional activities or just soak up the atmosphere of this quaint German city and enjoy its beauty and beaches.

Leaving the cold Atlantic coastline behind us, we continue our journey towards Namibia’s best-known highlight of the north – Etosha National Park. The first night is spent at our lodge neighboring the park, situated on an outcrop of dolomite rocks overlooking a forest of Mopane and white Seringa trees. Spend the afternoon relaxing at the pool, or take a stroll through the natural bush and gardens. Optional game drives are also available.

After breakfast, we enter the Etosha National Park via the Anderson gate. We fill the next two days with game drives in the hopes of spotting lion, leopard, elephant, and rhino as well as cheetah, giraffe, zebra, and the numerous types of antelope the park has to offer. Our nights are spent at the flood-lit waterholes or viewpoints encountering the park’s various nocturnal animals that come to drink. Etosha was declared a National Park in 1907 and is home to approximately 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species, and remarkably, one species of fish.

We leave the Caprivi and travel south to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve. The afternoon is yours to spend at leisure, either relaxing next to the pool at the lodge or if you are looking for something different and exciting, consider booking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta.

After breakfast we will be picked up by our local Botswana guides and take a short drive to the mokoro station. From here, we will float in these traditional dug-out canoes through the thick vegetation of the Okavango Delta discovering a variety of birds and wildlife. Unlike other deltas, it flows into the Kalahari Desert without ever reaching the coast. After this spectacular excursion, we make our way to our camp, which is situated in the Greater Moremi region. Once settled into our camp, we will enjoy dinner and embark on a night game drive in the private concession – a fantastic opportunity to spot some nocturnal animals that are more difficult to see during the day.

We have the opportunity to spend the day on game drives. In our open 4×4 vehicle we will explore the Moremi Game Reserve on morning and afternoon game drives hopefully spotting a variety of game that frequent this region. This large area is known for its concentration of mammals and it is not unusual to see many different types of wildlife during just one game drive. Game viewing is seasonal; depending on the time of the year you may see different species in different areas. The best time for game viewing is the end of the dry season (or spring) from August to November. During this season, for us to offer the best game viewing possible, extra driving may be required, due to the animals migrating closer to the river. In the summer, birds can be viewed in abundance with exceptional sightings of wildfowl and raptors.

We leave the bush behind and travel east towards the Makgadikgadi Pans; once a large river-fed lake, the pans are now saline and dry. In the afternoon we visit the Nata Bird Sanctuary, where we enjoy the magnificent view over the Sowa Pan, which is part of the Greater Makgadikgadi Pans. (Please note a visit to the pans is subject to road conditions, water levels, and time constraints).

On this morning we head north to Kasane, the gateway to the Chobe National Park. Chobe, which is the second largest national park in Botswana, covering 10,566 square kilometers, has one of the greatest concentrations of elephants found on the African continent. The afternoon is at leisure to partake in several optional activities or relax by the pool. The next day you will get to see the wildlife of the Chobe National Park on a morning game drive, with the hope of spotting big game up close, and hopefully, have an encounter with one of the large predators. In the afternoon take a cruise on the Chobe River, a truly unforgettable experience and one of the best ways to view the sunset, and the many animals as they come down to drink.

Today we make our way across the border into Zimbabwe and onto Hwange National Park where we spend the next two nights. Hwange National Park is one of Africa’s finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, and zebra and has a very large concentration of giraffe. It is also home to many predators and endangered species plus varied birdlife. A full day game drive is included in the park on the second day.

Continuing our trip, we head north to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Your guide will take you on a tour of the mighty Falls, and in the afternoon we have a relaxing sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, spotting hippos and crocodiles at the riverbanks. The rest of the day may be spent at leisure or partaking in one of the many optional activities on offer (at own expense).

Our safari ends after breakfast. You will be transferred to Victoria Falls Airport in time for your departure flight. We hope to welcome you again one day on another of our African adventures.