Itinerary | East and Southern Africa Digest
We recommend you arrive in Nairobi the day before the trip departs. If you’re there with time to spare there are lots to see and do around the city. In Nairobi town is the National Museum and markets. Also Karen Blixen’s house, Langata Giraffe Centre, Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage and Nairobi National Park for the first glimpse of African wildlife. In the evening we have a pre departure meeting at the departure hotel to prep you for the trip.
WEEK 1: Nairobi, Kenya to Jinja, Uganda
Leaving Nairobi we stop at the Rift Valley scenic lookout its 8,000 feet high and overlooks Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha. We camp beside the lake. Close by is Hell’s Gate National Park where you can hire bikes to take you around the park and see the herds of zebra, buffalo and antelope. You can also wander in the predator free reserve amongst African game. There is spectacular scenery here; red cliffs, grassy plains and rock towers made of hardened lava and the remains of ancient volcanoes.
By the lake is Elsamere; home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of ‘Born Free’ fame. Elsamere is now the centre of the Born Free Foundation and you can find out more about their work and take afternoon tea in the gardens. Lake Naivasha, camping under the fever trees on the shore of Lake Naivasha, with hippos grazing on the shore in the evening
We camp near Nakuru at a campsite on a local farm. Nakuru is Kenya’s fourth largest town and sits in the Rift Valley, beside Lake Nakuru National Park.
At Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park; famous for its soda lake surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingos. The park is home to over 400 species of bird, and we should spot leopard or black and white rhino among the zebra, waterbuck, impala, giraffe and tree climbing lions. Leaving the park we return to our camp.
Included Activity: Lake Nakuru National Park
Crossing the Owen Falls dam we arrive at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Our campsite for the next few days above Bujagali Falls is a welcome break from travelling; we can have a lazy afternoon to put up our tents on the grassy terraces overlooking the Nile River. – You can spend an action-filled day white water rafting down the Nile. As well as grade 5 rapids this river has a lot of bird and wildlife to view while drifting between the rapids. The rafting is rounded off with a sunset BBQ and drinks, then back to camp to re-live it on video. There are no shortages of other activities in Jinja; quad biking, bungee jump, fish on Lake Victoria, take a guided village walk or give up a day of your holiday to volunteer for the local community education project.
WEEK 2: Kampala to Gorillas
Uganda is a green fertile country and head on via Jinja on Lake Victoria to Kampala. Its landscapes vary from the fertile green areas around the northern shores of Lake Victoria to the snow-capped Ruwenzori Mountains. Kampala, the capital city is bustling and friendly.
Stopping for photos as we cross the equator, we continue southwest to Kabale town; gateway to the Mountain Gorilla Reserves. Climbing through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, there are panoramic views of the Ugandan hills on every turn. From the road, we have outlooks over three countries – Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda; Virunga Mountains; Mountains of the Moon, – home of the rare Mountain Gorillas.
Trekking to the mountain gorillas
The park rangers monitor the gorillas on a daily basis and know pretty much where they are each day. As the gorillas share much of our DNA, anyone with cold or flu cannot trek. Trekking is also only open to people over 16 years old. Due to the restrictions on the daily numbers of visitors, we depart from our base in Bunyoni in small groups over a few days. Whilst others are searching for the great apes you can; see the local markets, walk to the nearby mountain lakes, go to Magahinga National Park to hike up a volcano, or go on a guided nature trail.
Dependant on where permits are available
We may spend a night in either Kisoro or in Rwanda. The following morning, after packing our picnic lunch, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and villagers of subsistence farmers, into the dense rainforest and on to find a gorilla family.
Trekking Time
It can take from one to eight 8 hours walking past the terraced farms into the forests and the hills with the guides sometimes cutting a path through the forest undergrowth. On finding a gorilla family visiting time is just one hour. Watch them, while the ranger guides give you the background of the family you are visiting.
The prices of trekking permits
This fluctuates. There is a local transport & handling fee which covers the return public transfer and the Wildlife Authority’s booking fee. We normally visit the gorillas in Uganda, but depending on conditions, we may see them in Rwanda.
Optional excursion Gorilla Trekking
WEEK 3: Gorillas to Nairobi
We return from the Mountain Gorillas to cross the Equator for the second time and stop for the classic – one foot in each hemisphere photo opportunity. We spend the night in Kampala and have the opportunity to try its nightlife. We pass from the dramatic landscape of the Rift Valley to the highlands and spend our first night on the highland route to Eldoret
We head south to Narok and on to Masai Mara National Reserve; camping on the edge of the park.
The sweeping plains evoke a picture of East Africa that most people hold in their minds and are rarely disappointed when confronted with the real thing. Great game viewing is assured all year round. The Mara offers us everything, amazing scenery and abundant wildlife; including the big five.
Included Activity: Masai Mara Nature Reserve and game drives
We climb out of the Rift Valley, hopefully with a mist free view of the valley below from the escarpment. We return to Nairobi, arriving around noon.
WEEK 4: Nairobi, Kenya to Zanzibar, Tanzania
We head south from Nairobi, through the Masai plains and cross the border at Namanga into Tanzania; arriving in Arusha late in the day. The country we pass through is sparsely inhabited grassland savannah, inhabited by the Masai. Tonight, we stay in a lovely campsite in Meserani, 20 km to the west of Arusha. Visit the Reptile Rescue Park and Masai Cultural Museum by the campsite, and an art gallery selling the strongly coloured Tinga Tinga paintings.
100 km to the west, we visit the Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater. We meet our Tanzanian guides with their locally operated 4WD vehicles adapted for safari use. They allow excellent viewing through the opening roof hatches. The trip is camping, away for three days and two nights. One of these nights will be inside the park in the parks amidst the animals. If you choose not to visit the park you can wander the markets in Arusha town.
In our 4×4’s we cross the Rift Valley to Mtu wa Mbu (Mosquito River) and then up the Rift Valley Escarpment to spend the evening at a campsite. An early start to Ngorongoro Crater the largest unbroken caldera (collapsed volcano) in the world. Inside is open grassland and a lot of animals. After our game drive in the Crater, we head down the Crater rim and past the Cradle of Mankind, on our way to the Serengeti National Park. We cross the vast plains as we game drive through the southern and central areas in the park. Tonight we camp in the wild, with no fences between us and the animals, who live as they have for millennia.
In the morning, we head off for another game drive and explore the park. After our morning drive, we return via the Crater rim to our safari truck near Arusha. Then drinks at the bar, to talk about the big 5.
We head towards the coast past Moshi town the capital city of the Chugga people. Skirting the base of snowy Mount Kilimanjaro we camp on the way to Dar es Salaam. We arrive in Dar to our campsite on the beach of the Indian Ocean. If you decide not to go to Zanzibar, the campsite at the beach is an ideal place to have a few lazy days.
From Dar es Salaam we take the ferry to Zanzibar and the old stone capital of the Omani Sultanate. Sandy beaches, spice tours, snorkelling, diving and trips to other nearby islands. Zanzibar is a fascinating place to visit and to take it all in. Over a thousand years trade between Africa and Arabia has resulted in the blending of Arabs and Africans into a beautiful Swahili coastal culture with; wooden sailing dhows crossing the ocean, coconut plantations and fishing villages with mosques on the beaches. Nungwe beach resort on the north of the island has the most beautiful beaches.
You get your own meals while in Zanzibar, as people like to experience here on their own or in small groups and in accordance with their own budget. Our tour leader joins you and will arrange your activities, while meals can be taken from a wide selection of restaurants to suit any budget. There are also a wide variety of optional excursions.
Stone Town in Zanzibar Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old slave market, the spice growing areas, Jozani Forest with Red Colobus Monkeys and in the evening the seafood cafes on the wharf side.
WEEK 5: Zanzibar to Malawi
Return by ferry to Dar es Salaam on the mainland for another on our beach campsite; late afternoon, or early evening.
We head south through Tanzania; our route takes us through Mikumi National Park where we may well see giraffe or elephant grazing beside the road. The road from Mikumi National Park to Malawi takes us through the southern highlands, passing Baobab Valley to Iringa.
Crossing the border into Malawi, we reach the shores of its huge lake. We spend the night at Chitimba Beach Camp. The campsites and small resorts along Lake Malawi offer sandy beaches, swimming and snorkelling, water-skiing, horse riding or walking in the surrounding countryside. Markets sell carved Malawi chairs, tables and wood carvings
Kande Beach. We head south through the hills and drop down to the lake and Kande Beach resort. Very relaxed and just the sort of beach place you need in Africa.
WEEK 6: Lake Malawi to Harare, Zimbabwe
Leaving the beach we go inland to spend the night in the capital Lilongwe through sparsely settled countryside with few people or villages for miles.
From Lilongwe we cross Mozambique for Zimbabwe and Harare. It’s got a well organised city centre, with markets throughout the city with craft markets, gardens and good nightlife in one of the many bars throughout the city.
WEEK 7: Harare, Zimbabwe to Bulawayo
From Harare we make our way to the Eastern and Chimanimani. Hike through the mountain wilderness area, and Bridal Veil Falls. Great Zimbabwe Ruins which was once the greatest medieval city in Sub Saharan Africa is form the name Zimbabwe is derived, it means stone houses.
We drive across Mashonaland to Gweru, to a horse and game ranch where you can go game viewing on horseback. Then into Matabeleland and Bulawayo.
WEEK 8: Bulawayo to Vic Falls & Okavango Delta, Botswana
You can leave the truck for a day to venture into Matobo National Park with a local safari company. You can walk around the park to see the Black Rhino – and other game. Here is Cecil Rhodes’ grave at the worlds end view.
If it’s running, you can take the old overnight sleeper train from Bulawayo Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls – the Zambezi River plunges 100 metres down a mile wide chasm, creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. The local name for the falls is ‘Mosi- oa-Tunya’ – ‘the smoke that thunders’.
We stay beside Victoria Falls in Victoria Falls town; there is lots to see and do. Adventure activities abound – you can bungee jump, white water rafting, and go game-viewing on horseback or walking with lions. More sedate excursions include canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the Falls and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Though the Falls themselves are the main attraction, you can walk in the rainforest along the cliff opposite for an excellent view.
Optional Activities – Bungee jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge, abseil down the Gorge. Fly over the Falls. Whitewater raft down the Zambezi. You can float serenely down the river deep below the cliff topped gorge.
In the midmorning we leave Zimbabwe for Botswana and Kasane, where we have a chance to explore the town of Kasane. Wander around town for the day or have a break on the banks of the Chobe River. In Chobe National Park you can take an overnight game drive; a wild experience – excellent game viewing is a must.
Back in camp, you can have a break, after all the adventure. You can take an optional boat cruise on the Chobe River, or spend your time by the pool.
We travel along the edge of the Kalahari Desert to Maun a small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta, the starting point for the Delta trip.
A Mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe and your transport into the Delta. As you glide through the waterways, you will see a fantastic array of wetland wildlife, birds in particular, and you will come across hippos in the water and elephants drinking on the shore. You can go on a walking safari to look for giraffe, buffalo and rare antelope – the overnight stay is a great wilderness experience.
Optional Activity: Overnight Delta excursion
Up early and it’s off walking with the guide, a unique chance to see game on foot; elephants, herds of grazing zebra and pods of hippos. Try learning how to pole your mokoro, or try to catch a catfish; the guides make it look so easy. A last swim in the clear delta water before heading back to the truck and campsite for a shower and cold drinks. Time permitting you can take a scenic flight over the Delta from Maun.
Week 9: Maun, Botswana to Cheetah Park, Namibia
From the lush Delta, we pass through the arid Namibian landscape to our evening’s bush camp. Heading north to Etosha Pan National Park. Thousands of years ago this vast saltpan was a lake, till Kunene River changed course and deprived the lake of water. The pan and surrounding bush support large numbers and a wide range of wildlife. We view the game from the truck and spend the evenings by the floodlit water holes at the park’s campsites. These waterholes provide an excellent opportunity to see animals that are hard to find during the day, particularly rhino and also smaller animals such as the genet. Elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, oryx, ostrich, springbok, jackals, hyenas and meercats are also likely to be seen.
We leave Etosha and head to a cheetah rescue park and get up close to these amazing and endangered creatures. The animals here are rescued from the wild where they are in conflict with herders and farmers.
Brandberg Mountain or Fire Mountain; a massive mountain outcrop rising above the gravel plains, uninhabited and isolated with the tallest mountain in Namibia.
WEEK 10: Brandberg Mountain to Fish River Canyon
Namibia is a land of wide open spaces and we pass few inhabited areas as we drive towards Spitzkoppe; a group of granite peaks Swakopmund is an old German colonial seaside resort with plenty to do for the energetic and German beer halls for those after a more relaxing time. Horse-riding, quad biking or sand boarding on the dunes, deep sea fishing in the Atlantic, jump out of a plane or take a scenic flight over the coastline are just a few of the things you can do here.
Included Activity: Spitzkoppe
Optional Activities: Skydiving, quad biking, sand boarding, scenic desert flights, dolphin cruises, fishing trips, golf, horse riding etc.
Leaving Swakopmund, we head south to the industrial port Walvis Bay, before turning inland and toward the desert. Continuing our journey, we enter the Namib-Naukluft Park in one of the oldest deserts in the world. We base ourselves at Sesriem, a great place to experience the Namib and its many moods.
Namib-Naukluft National Park, Dune 45 & Sossusvlei. An early start into Namib-Naukluft National Park, we take a morning roaming around the sands. We take some time to summit the famous Dune 45. We then take a desert shuttle a further 5 kms into the desert where you can take a walk to Sossusvlei; a river which ends is a salt and clay pan, surrounded by high red dunes.
Included Activity: Visit to Sossusvlei & Dune 45
After overnighting in the desert we drive south to Fish River Canyon; 160 km long and half a kilometre deep; second in length only to the Grand Canyon. You can trek along the rim and look into the canyon from the various viewpoints.
Included Activity: Visit to Fish River Canyon
Week 11 Fish River Canyon to Cape Town, South Africa
We cross to South Africa over the Orange River. Take a canoe trip down the river or relax by the pool enjoying the spectacular view.
Optional Activity: Canoe the Orange River
We drive through mountain valleys and stony semi-desert following the farmland south through the sparsely populated areas of the Western Cape. Cederberg growing area of the centre of one of the Cape’s many wine routes.
Optional Activity: Wine tasting
Continuing south through to the fruit growing area of Citrusdal; we cross the mountains to Cape Town – a beautiful city, plenty of cafes, pubs, clubs and markets. While in Cape Town; go and climb Table Mountain or take the cable car to the top for views of the city and visit Robben Island.
WEEK 12 Cape Town to Little Karoo & Addo National Park
To the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape peninsula. Walk up to the upper lighthouse, or ride on the Flying Dutchman Funicular for some spectacular views. On to Hermanus; now Gansbaai, for whale watching, shark cave diving and Dyer Island Nature Reserve. Cape Agulhas the most southern tip of Africa – the dividing line between the warm Indian Ocean and the cool Atlantic.
Between August to December Southern Right and Humpback Whales can be seen off the southern coast. From Cape Agulhas we pass through the Outeniqua Mountains to the Little Karoo – we will visit an Ostrich farm to see the worlds largest bird. We explore the Cango network of calcite caves
South Africa’s Garden Route – through Knysna, on its lagoon and Tsitsikamma Forest; where you will be able to hike along the coast and view the crashing waves at the mouth of the scenic Storms River to see dolphins and whales in the ocean. Optional excursions in this region include mountain biking, black water tubing, and bungee jumps at Bloakrans Bridge – the highest jump in the world at 216 metres. Along the coast to Addo Elephant National Park – home to the BIG 7 – lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, buffalo, whale and shark.
WEEK 13 The Free State, Lesotho to Johannesburg
On to the rugged and remote Wild Coast and the seaside village of Cintsa, on the Cintsa River. A free day on sandy beaches, canoe the river, hike, or horse ride.
Lesotho is a mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa. Tremendous scenery and the mountain air crisp and fresh.. We stay at Malealea Lodge, a countryside retreat, high in the mountains. With waterfalls, rock pools ideal for swimming, and peaceful hikes in the surrounding hills and pony trekking. We drive through the lowlands of Lesotho and visit Thabo Bosiu or Mt. Moorosi; a mountain stronghold, which was the home of Chief Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation. On to Lesotho’s tiny capital Maseru, and South Africa.
The Royal Natal National Park on the edge of the Drakensburg Mountains has an impressive natural Amphitheatre of massive rock walls. The Tugela River plunges spectacularly over the edge of the Amphitheatre wall, dropping around 800m through a series of five falls.
Going north through Afrikaaner heartland and on to South Africas largest city, Johannesburg. A gold rush city and the end of our trip.