Africa Safaris & Holidays

Highlights: Zimbabwe: Hwange National Park - Victoria Falls National Park - Great Zimbabwe Ruins - Chinhoyi Caves - Zambia: Lower Zambezi National Park Canoe Trip

Day 1 Botswana – Francistown
The tour begins in Johannesburg where we load up the truck before heading northeast towards the Zimbabwe border. It is a long and fairly uneventful drive to Francistown, Botswana’s second largest city and the site of Southern Africa’s first ‘gold-rush’ back in the late 1800’s. Nowadays Francistown is a modern African city and home to many jazz-clubs and casinos making for some excellent nightlife.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 Zimbabwe – Hwange National Park
It is just under 100km from Francistown to the Zimbabwe border and within hours we arrive in Hwange National Park and begin some spectacular game viewing from an open 4x4 vehicle. At around 14650 square kilometres the Hwange National Park is the largest in Zimbabwe and home to one of Africa’s largest Elephant populations as well as over 100 other mammalian species and 400 different birds.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls National Park
In the early morning there we will enjoy another game drive in the Hwange NP. After lunch we drive north to Victoria Falls where we will visit the Victoria Falls National Park in order to experience this magnificent natural wonder. The local people wisely use the expression ‘the smoke that thunders’, or Musi-o-tunya, to describe the unforgettable waterfall in the Zambezi River. We will also visit a local adventure operator to book activities for the next day. In the evening there are many excellent restaurants to choose from.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4 Victoria Falls
Today there is an entire day free to experience some of the exciting adventure activities that are possible from this tourism town. While the White Water Rafting is one of the most popular activities there are many others on offer such as: Walking with Lions, Elephant interactions, Gorge swing, microlighting and scenic Helicopter flights.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5 Zambia - Livingstone and Zambezi River
Today we cross over the historical railway bridge that links Zimbabwe and Zambia at the Victoria Falls. This bridge was completed in 1905 and was placed, at the request of Cecil John Rhodes, so that the spray from the falls could embrace the railway carriages as they crossed from one side to the other. Once in Zambia there will be a short stop to collect any additional passengers and then we have a long drive to reach the camp for the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 Lower Zambezi National Park Canoe Trip
Today we will be beginning our canoe adventure in to the Lower Zambezi National Park. Starting early in the morning we will be taking the minimum of equipment necessary and ‘bush camping’ on an island this evening, surrounded by wildlife, including the hippo. This is a unique experience as we will be a long, long way from any form of civilisation!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 Lower Zambezi National Park
This is the second day spent on the mighty Zambezi River. As we are travelling downstream with the current the physical effort required to negotiate the river is not extreme and many happy hours can be spent simply drifting and enjoying the beautiful scenery, birdlife and company. At certain times of the year it may not be possible to canoe on the river due to extreme temperatures or water levels. In this instance the 2 days normally spent on the river will be swapped for a 2-night houseboat excursion on Lake Kariba.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 Zimbabwe – Chinhoyi Caves
In the morning there is a transfer through the Lower Zambezi National Park and back to the truck. All together again, we will pass through the Chirundu Border (sometimes a time consuming process) and re-enter Zimbabwe. From Chirundu it is not a long trip to Chinhoyi. Probably best known for cave diving, the Chinhoyi caves system is the largest publicly accessible cave system in Zimbabwe and reputably a ‘mysterious’ area.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 Harare and Chimanimani National Park
After visiting the caves it is a short drive from Chinhoyi to Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, where we will stop for some shopping, lunch and exploration. Although Harare has not had a lot of positive press in the last 10 years, many will be surprised at just how safe and accessible this small, modern capital is. After lunch we will be travelling to the Eastern Highlands and the Chimanimani National Park. The Mountain range that separates Zimbabwe and Mozambique is the site of some simply spectacular hiking and scenery and with time permitting we will take a short walk to the well-known Bridal Veil Falls in the late afternoon.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 10 Chirinda Forest
It is possible to spend another full day hiking in the Chimanimani, or take a day trip to Zimbabwe’s only rain forest on the Mozambique Border. Chirinda is the southernmost rain forest in Africa and home to some spectacular large mahogany trees. A short hike to ‘the big tree’ is a lovely outing and a fantastic spot for a picnic lunch.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 Great Zimbabwe Ruins
No visit to Zimbabwe could possibly be complete without visiting the world-famous Great Zimbabwe ruins. Dating from around the 11th century these iron-age ruins have been the source of much speculation and disagreement over the years. Built without any mortar some of the walls are up to 5 metres high and still standing after so many centuries. This site was also home to 8 carved Zimbabwe birds, the image of which is found on the Zimbabwean National Flag.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 Gweru and Antelope Park
This morning we drive to Gweru, home to a place called Antelope Park. This is a unique place and home to The African Lion Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) and the world’s first Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Programme. On arrival we have some time to relax and then decide on any of the optional activities available here. In addition to the Lion program there are also Elephants, horse riding, canoeing, fishing and a marketplace selling local crafts, including woven goods.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 Gweru and Antelope Park
We have a second day here in which to really enjoy all that is on offer. This is a fantastic opportunity to spend some quality time with Africa’s wildlife. In the afternoon we have an included walk with the Lions that are part of the rehabilitation and release program.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 Matobo National Park and Bulawayo
It is not a long drive to Bulawayo and the Matobo National Park (and also a World Heritage site) where we have a full afternoon of activities. Here we will visit the grave of Cecil John Rhodes, love him or not, he was a big part in Zimbabwe’s history. We will also be taking a game drive in the Matobo National Park, which is home to a very successful breeding program of Black and White Rhino. In the evening there are a number of local restaurants to choose between in Bulawayo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 15 South Africa – Bulawayo to Messina
After a short visit to the Bulawayo Historical Museum we start the drive back to South Africa. We cross the border at Buitbridge, which can sometimes take a long time, and return to South Africa where we will camp at the border town of Messina.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 16 Johannesburg
Today we leave early for the journey South along the Great North Road for our final destination in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. We will gradually move up from the Bushveld and Baobabs of the Limpopo Province through citrus and maize fields to the heavily populated and industrialised Highveld and Gauteng Province, the powerhouse of Africa. We will travel through Pretoria, one of South Africa’s capital cities, before arriving in Johannesburg in the late afternoon. Although this final night is not included in the tour most people choose to get together for a final meal out at one of Johannesburg’s many excellent restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Safari Facts
 
Price 2012: Camping EUR 1195 + EUR 545 (for the Activity Package, which includes all acitivites that are mentioned as included in the itinerary, except for the optional activities)
Start in Johannesburg/South Africa
End in Johannesburg/South Africa
Meals B x 15, L x 14, D x 11
Tour in english
Accommodation: Participatory camping in twin share tents or 4 per room/dorm
Transport: Overland truck

28-Apr-2012 to 13-May-2012
26-May-2012 to 10-Jun-2012
23-Jun-2012 to 08-Jul-2012
21-Jul-2012 to 05-Aug-2012
18-Aug-2012 to 02-Sep-2012
15-Sep-2012 to 30-Sep-2012
13-Oct-2012 to 28-Oct-2012
10-Nov-2012 to 25-Nov-2012
08-Dec-2012 to 23-Dec-2012