Day 1 - Flight to Namibia
Begin your African adventure with a scheduled overnight flight from London Heathrow to Windhoek, via Johannesburg, with South African Airways.
Includes dinner on the flight.
Day 2 - Windhoek
On arrival in Windhoek, you are met and transferred to a comfortable guesthouse. As this is the only afternoon you have in Windhoek, Namibia's capital city, we recommend you spend your free time exploring the craft markets and shops. Make the most of Windhoek's great restaurants by eating out at one of them. Alternatively, it's possible to order in at the guesthouse for anyone who prefers a quiet night - just ask your hosts for details.
Includes breakfast on the flight.
Day 3 - Ghanzi
After breakfast, you are met between 07.30 and 08.00 to head east along the Trans-Kalahari Highway. Stop for a break and refreshments in the small bustling town of Gobabis, situated on the western edges of the Kalahari and the centre of Namibia's cattle country. You then cross into Botswana, heading for the small cattle-farming town of Ghanzi and your campsite for the night.
Windhoek to Ghanzi: approx. 6½ hours (600km)
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 4 - Okavango Delta
After breakfast, you break camp and make a short stop in Ghanzi to stock up on provisions. From here you drive through a typical Kalahari landscape of low scrubland and acacia before following the south-western edge of the Okavango Delta to your camp on the banks of the picturesque Guma Lagoon.
Ghanzi to Guma: approx. 6 hours (450km)
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 5 - Okavango Delta
Adventure in Africa doesn't always mean game drives and today you relish time spent out of the vehicle as you head deep into the Delta. Navigating the papyrus channels in a motorboat, you may see hippos, basking crocodiles, or herons fishing amongst the reeds. Then enjoy a more tranquil trip in a mokoro (dugout canoe), drifting gently through this pristine area rich in birdlife such as white-faced ducks, malachite kingfishers and African jacanas or 'lily trotters', also called Jesus birds for their apparent ability to walk on water. A possible sighting of red lechwe, sitatunga or elephant would be an added bonus as you explore this unique environment. Return to camp in time to watch a spectacular sunset over the lagoon.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 6 - Mahango Game Reserve
Leaving Botswana behind, you travel north along the Okavango Delta's panhandle into Namibia and Mahango, one of the country's smallest game reserves. After breaking for lunch there is time for a game drive; you'll find a tremendous diversity of environments in this productive little park. Wild date palms and lush evergreen forests are sandwiched between papyrus swamps and dry Kalahari thornbush. This gives rise to Namibia's most diverse birdlife and some of its most interesting game. Sizeable herds of elephant and buffalo are common and it's a great park for relatively rare antelope species like roan and, especially, sable. Lion and leopard are the main predators but, since Mahango is still part of the Okavango Delta's ecosystem, you never quite know what animals you'll see! From here it's a short drive to your camp where you can relax overlooking the Kavango, the main river carrying water from Angola to feed the Okavango Delta.
Guma to Mahango: approx. 4 hours (350km)
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 7 - Caprivi & Chobe National Park
After breakfast you head east into the Caprivi Strip, a landscape of broadleaf forest with small villages dotted along the route. Stop in Caprivi's main town, Katima Mulilo, to stock up on provisions and refreshments before crossing from Namibia into Botswana. Soon after entering the country you will pass through the gates of Chobe National Park and follow the transit road through this wildlife area to Kasane. Your camp site tonight is situated on the banks of the Chobe River, just outside the park boundaries.
Mahango to Chobe: approx. 6 hours (500km)
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 8 - Chobe National Park
After an early breakfast you take a game drive into Chobe National Park: big game country. The animals here are used to vehicles and very relaxed, allowing you the chance for some great close-up photography. The riverfront area of Chobe National Park is renowned for its large herds of elephant and buffalo and the lions that stalk them, but don't forget to keep an eye out for leopard up a tree. In the late afternoon, you'll hop on a boat for a stunning river cruise. Enjoy the peace and coolness of being on the water, spotting crocodiles, hippos and a host of colourful water birds, and watching the procession of animals that come to the river to drink. After drinking your own sundowner, you'll float back to your camp as the sun sinks into the depths of the Chobe.
Game drives & boat cruise.
Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 9 - Livingstone, Zambia
After breaking camp, you take a ferry (an experience in itself) across the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. Here four African countries meet - Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. You land on the north bank, in Zambia, from where it's a relatively short drive to Livingstone, beside the mighty Victoria Falls. After setting up camp by the Zambezi River, you go down to the Falls themselves. This magnificent waterfall is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and it's captivating in any season. In the evening, your guide helps you plan for the following day, organising the variety of optional adventure activities that are available.
Chobe to Livingstone: approx. 2 hours (100km)
Includes breakfast and lunch.
Day 10 - Livingstone, Zambia
The area around Livingstone and Victoria Falls is the current epicentre of adrenalin and adventure activities in Africa. If there's something fun that can be done, they're doing it here! Although this safari usually finishes on this day, and some of your travelling companions may depart, we have included an extra night to allow you the flexibility to enjoy some of the many activities offered. There are options to white-water raft, bungee-jump, jet-boat, micro-light, boogie-board, swing across gorges, and much more (all payable locally and undertaken at your own risk). Within a short distance, you can canoe on the Upper Zambezi, go horse riding, enjoy a sedate boat cruise, or choose from a myriad of other adventure activities. Then there is Livingstone itself, which is worth a visit for its shops, excellent museum, and, beside the falls, one of the best curio markets in southern Africa. Your guide will set up breakfast before leaving you to enjoy the day as you choose.
Includes breakfast.
Day 11 - Flight to London
Breakfast is at 7am this morning as your guide must pack up camp and leave early to drive back to Namibia. There is time for you to relax in the main area of the Zambezi Waterfront, overlooking the Zambezi River before you are transferred to the airport to catch scheduled homeward flight.
Alternatively, you can join the guide for the two day transfer via Rundu in the Caprivi, back to Windhoek and continue your travels from there. Speak to us for further information and costs for this option.
Includes breakfast. Dinner is on the flight.
Day 12 - Arrive in London
Return home after an amazing adventure visiting three countries in Africa - Namibia, Botswana and Zambia.
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