22 Day Cape Town to Vic Falls: Accommodated & Camping (UXOF)

Sawubona! Welcome to South Africa.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

At this meeting, your leader will collect your kitty money. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations.

With its stunning coastline, dominating mountain and modern cityscape, Cape Town is one of Africa's most appealing cities. With vineyards on its doorstep, adventure activities around every other corner and plenty of restaurants and cafes to while away the time, Cape Town is a very easy city to spend some extra time in.

We stay in a hotel situated in Cape Town's popular, lively and vibrant Kloof Street with a large variety of restaurants, coffee shops, cafe's and bars all within walking distance.

Meal plan: Day 1 - No meals included.

Time to begin our journey with a long driving day passing through Namaqualand's barren landscape to the natural border between South Africa and Namibia, the beautiful Orange River. We drive for approximately 7 hours today (568km).

The following morning there is a chance for an optional canoe adventure on this beautiful river - a great way to discover the beauty of this region.

We pitch our tents for the next two nights by the scenic banks of the Gariep (Orange) River.

Meal plan: Day 2 - Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 3 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Please note- in the current political climate, on occasion our Zimbabwean cooks experience difficulty obtaining their temporary work permit for South Africa. If this occurs our tour leader will help organise meals for our time in South Africa with the group.

This morning there is further time to relax before we head further south into the desert lands of Namibia towards Fish River Canyon. Todays travel time is approximately 3 hours covering 275km.

At 500m (1,640ft) deep and over 160km (99 miles) long, Fish River Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world. There are remarkable photographic opportunities here, as we take in the sunset orange glows before heading to our campsite.

Tonight's camp has showers and flush toilet.

Meal plan: Day 4 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 5 is a long driving day as we head towards the fabled dunes of Namibia (500km, approx. 7 hours).

Filled with the highest sand dunes on earth, the Namib-Naukluft National Park holds some amazing sights. It's also the oldest desert in the world and we get the chance to appreciate it in all its glory on a sunrise climb to the top of one of its sand dunes.

We wake before dawn on day 6 and scramble to the top of these dunes for a dramatic sunrise view across a vast sea of sand. The colour changes are just incredible! Another day, another specatacular meal setting, as we enjoy our brunch with a view of the dunes.

Afterwards we jump in the back of a pickup truck for a day trip to Soussesvlei (approx. 30 minutes each way). Here we meet an incredible local with a passion for the desert and all that lives in it, who is dying to show you the hidden amazing mysteries this area contains. He really is the Steve Irwin of the desert!

We camp in the Sesriem region in a bush camp.

From the desert, we continue on to the old German colonial town of Swakopmund. It's an all day drive as we travel from the Sesriem region to Swakopmund (480km, approx. 9 hours).

Swakopmund is a lovely oasis between the desert and the ocean, and there's plenty of adventure activities on offer. We have a full day here to go dune-bashing by quad bike, sand boarding or even skydiving over the town and surrounding desert. Then spend lively evenings in the town's many good restaurants and fun bars.

Our accommodation here is in A-frame bungalows. These accommodate 6 people each and share bathroom facilities.

Meal plan: Day 7 - Breakfast & Lunch.

Meal plan: Day 8 - No meals included.

Experience the sight, sound and smell of thousands of olive-coloured seals on the shores of Cape Cross while travelling up the eerie Atlantic Coast (250km, approx. 4.5 hours).

This is a place to get away from it all and to appreciate the stunning harsh beauty of this sparsely populated country. We hike amoungst these spectacular rock formations and visit the ancient bushman paintings they hide.

We bush camp for the night in the midst of this remote region and should witness the breathtaking sunsets and sunrises as the colour of the landscapes take on remarkable oranges and reds. Our bush camp has very limited toilet facilities with a drop toilet and no shower or running water on these nights.

Meal plan: Day 9 - Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 10 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Etosha is home to a wide range of Southern Africa's wildlife, including all the big carnivores and five rare or endangered species: Black Rhino, Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Black Faced Impala, Roan Antelope and the tiny Damara Dik Dik. The wildlife is prolific and Etosha has every right to proclaim itself as one of the world's most pre-eminent wildlife areas. Game viewing in the park is relatively easy due to the man-made water holes and the large sparsely vegetated pans. The bushland surrounding the pans is difficult to see through but there are enough clearings, pans and waterholes to make most visits well worthwhile. Namibia has protected its game reserves against poaching and there are large herds of elephant, antelope and other herbivores. We will stay in the park for a couple of days giving us plenty of opportunity for game drives.

We stay at two different campsites in the park, one of which, Okaukuejo, is particularly spectacular as it overlooks a floodlit waterhole visited by many different species throughout the day and night.

We cover approximately 480Kms on our drive from Spitzkoppe to the Etosha National Park which should take approximately 7-8 hours.

Meal plan: Day 11 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 12 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

This afternoon we head to the pleasant market town of Grootfontein (90km, approx. 2 hours), our base to visit a San bushmen village.

We have the opportunity to go out tracking and gathering with the San bushmen, to spend a night and listen to the stories and songs of these fascinating people, presented in their fascinating and unique "clicking language". The Bushmen are the oldest ethnic group in Namibia having inhabited Southern Africa for an estimated 20,000 years. Around 30,000 San live in Namibia, but only 2,000 of them still follow a traditional way of life. The San have a deep understanding of nature and the ecology, living in harmony with their environment. Taking part in their everyday lives, you will stay overnight in the village, helping the men track animals and watch the women gather and prepare seeds and plants. A truly authentic experience.

Our bush camp tonight is very basic - drop toilets and no showers.

The following morning we head off to Rundu, our launching pad for our Okavango Delta experience, aiming to arrive at lunch time (400km, approx. 6 hours). It is a great place to relax and if there is time to watch traditional dances or go horse riding.

We camp at the beautiful n'Kwazi lodge, situated 20km north of Rundua, a tranquil spot set in lush vegetation on the banks of the Kavango River on the border with Angola.

Tonight we have flush toilets and showers.

Meal plan: Day 13 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 14 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

We head north along the 'Pan Handle' (the narrowest part of the Delta that stretches south until the Delta fans out into the vast swamps of the south) travelling by vehicle, boat and makoro today.

We drive to Sepupa (approx. 5 hours- 320kms), where we leave our vehicle and board boats out into the swamps. We will transfer by boat to Gao Island where we will meet our makoro team to explore the Okavango Delta.

This intricate network of channels began life as the Okavango River in Angola. The river finishes its journey as an inland delta unlike anything else in the world and creates 16,000 sq km maze of wetlands. The Delta is formed by the Okavango River, which flows into a basin on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. The river has no outlet from the desert and spreads out into thousands of small streams to form a wilderness that is totally unspoilt. It is a wonderland of meandering clear waterways, green islands, lush plains and prolific wildlife. This ecosystem is filled with a diversity of flora and fauna that includes hippo, crocodile, elephant, and the big cats. However, it is not for the game that we come, as this cannot always be found. The Delta is about exploring one of the world's most fascinating ecosystems.

In our small dugout styled canoes we will be poled out into the reed beds of the Delta. Each canoe takes two people and is poled along by a local tribesman through the meandering waterways. Reeds and lily pads line the streams, and birds startled by the makoros rise out of the long grasses. Punting along, the peace of the Delta may be shattered by the deep grunting of hippos.

You will be in the middle of a wilderness area and on the first night out you will camp out on an island away from civilisation.

On day 16 we continue our trip around the Delta and then return to Gao Island and head to the relative civilisation of Umvuvu Camp with its hot showers (usually) and small bar.

Meal plan: Day 15 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 16 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Today we drive for 4 hours (110km) to reach Bagani, heading back up the Pan Handle of the Delta.

Here we have time to relax away from the rigours of the road a little and take part in the various activities that are available at this charming place. Various boat trips, fishing or hikes are possible from Bagani.

Our campsite in Bagani has flush toilets and cold showers.

Meal plan: Day 17 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

The trip from Bagani to Chobe National Park is around 432km which will take approximately 7 hours- another long driving day!

This massive park is home to an amazing array of animals, especially huge populations of elephants. Our second day here we enjoy an early morning game drive and get up close to the wildlife, hopefully spotting lions, buffaloes, birds and of course elephants. In the afternoon we take a Fish Eagle cruise down the Chobe River- in many ways being on the river is the best way to enjoy the animals of Chobe. Keep an eye out for swimming elephants, a huge variety of bird life as well as hippos wallowing and crocs sunning themselves by the water's edge.

We stay on the outskirts of Chobe near the town of Kasane in a campsite with flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

Meal plan: Day 18 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 19 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Moving on from the Chobe, we cross the river by ferry and enter into Zambia. It's only a short drive to the town of Livingstone, located very close to the mighty Victoria Falls. Travel time today including the border crossing is around 3 hours and 150km.

While here we experience one of our journey's highlights- a visit to the magnificent Victoria Falls. The falls are an enormous curtain of water, about a mile wide, falling 108m into a narrow chasm below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise up an incredible 400m and the falls are an impressive raging torrent. The spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. It's no wonder the local name Mosi oa Tunya, means the "smoke that thunders". In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below.

The remainder of our time in Livingstone is free to allow you to participate in some of the many optional activities on offer. There are various activities and excursions to choose from both on the water, on land and high above it all. Choose from white water rafting and canoeing, or go horse riding, abseiling or gorge swinging. You could also take a ride in a micro-light, helicopter or small plane for a bird's eye view of the falls.

Our camp ground is centrally located on the Zambezi River only four kilometres from the Falls, the perfect place to use as a base for the vast array of adventure activities on offer in the area. It has clean ablution blocks, comprising hot and cold showers and toilets.

There are no activities planned for day 22 and you are able to depart at any time. Check out time from the hotel is at 10am. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel.

Meal plan: Day 20 - Breakfast & Lunch.

Meal plan: Day 21 -No meals included.

Meal plan: Day 22 -No meals included.