Southern Africa Explorer - 33 Days
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Overview
Highlights
- Cape Town - Begin your adventure in South Africa's 'Mother City' with a township tour before departing for the Western Cape
- Fish River Canyon - Admire this colossal canyon, which scars the Earth for 160km, second only in size to the USA's Grand Canyon
- Namib-Naukluft National Park - Climb to the top of Dune 45 for tremendous views, discover barren Deadvlei and marvel at Sesriem Canyon
- Swakopmund - Relax in this coastal German colonial town with free time to sit by the pool, go skydiving, dolphin-watching or surfing
- Etosha National Park - Search for the wildlife which gathers around the limited watering holes in this barren salt pan
- Okavango Delta - Paddle traditional mokoro canoes through this biodiverse wetland and enjoy an optional scenic flight
- Chobe National Park - Cruise the Chobe River in search of hippos, elephants and crocodiles, then game drive in search of lions and leopards
- Livingstone and Victoria Falls - Visit the spectacular Victoria Falls and enjoy a myriad of optional excursions
- Hwange National Park - Game drive through the Private Concession of Zimbabwe's best game reserve, home to a healthy population of elephants
- Magaruque Island - Sail on a dhow boat to this beautiful island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, with its powdery-white beaches and turquoise waters
What's this trip about?
Details
Destinations
Attractions
Trip includes
- Kruger National Park full day and late afternoon game drives in a 4x4 open vehicle with resident guide
- 32 breakfast, 27 lunch & 25 dinner
- 29 nights camping in 2-person dome tents, 1 night permanent tented camp in the Okavango Delta, and 2 nights in dorm accommodation in Swakopmund (please refer to the trip notes for details)
- Escorted by a licensed 2-person crew
- Transportation in a 24-seater overland truck with camping and cooking equipment
- Mosi Oa Tunya National Park, Victoria Falls visit
- Cape Town Township tour
- Dhow Safari, Vilanculos - Magaruque Island snorkelling
- Chobe River boat cruise and Chobe National Park game drive in a purpose-built safari vehicle with a resident guide and Fish Eagle (Sunset) Boat Cruise
- Okavango Delta excursion including mokoro and walking safari
- Hwange National Park game drive in a 4x4 open vehicle with resident guide
- Matabo National Park game drive in a 4x4 open vehicle and wilderness walk with resident guide
- Visit to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins
- Kalahari Bushman Walk
- Etosha National Park game drives
- Spitzkoppe excursion to see Bushmen paintings
- Sossusvlei shuttle, guided walk and Dune 45 excursion
- Sesriem & Fish River Canyon visit
- Sleeping mattress (you will need to bring your own sleeping bag)
- All road tolls and vehicle taxes
Itinerary
Cape Town – Cederberg. Departing Cape Town early this morning we head east of the city to Cape Flat, one of the Cape Town's local townships, where we meet local people and learn about the local community projects. Then we head out north in our overland truck into the ...
Cederberg - Orange River (Namibia). As we journey north, we pass through dry and rocky territory until we reach the Namibian border, crossing at Vioolsdrift. We stop at a campsite for the night beside Gariep (AKA Orange) River, which marks the border between South Afr...
Orange River – Fish River Canyon. This morning is free to spend at leisure or to enjoy the optional canoe safari, if we didn’t have time yesterday. Then we head north to the incredible Fish River Canyon, second only in size to the Grand Canyon in the USA. Stretching o...
Fish River Canyon – Namib-Naukluft National Park. Today we have a long drive as we journey to the edge of Namib-Naukluft National Park, taking in the massive portion of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountains. We’ll stop at the edge of the park at our campsite, ready to explore tomorrow.
Namib-Naukluft National Park – Solitaire. Today we explore the Namib Desert! Starting our journey at the mighty Dune 45, one of the tallest sand dunes in the region. Hike to the apex of the dune to admire the incredible view and dazzling sights over the surrounding ar...
Solitaire – Swakopmund. Next stop is Swakopmund, a German colonial town located on Namibia’s famous Skeleton Coast. Rather than camping, we’ll be staying in simple dormitory accommodation in Swakopmund. The rest of day 6 and day 7 are free to spend at leisure, explori...
Swakopmund – Spitzkoppe. We leave coastal Swakopmund today and head into the Damaraland region to Spitzkoppe. Here we see the incredibly well-preserved bushmen paintings and admire the spectacular rock formations reaching 1800 meters above sea level. We witness the ro...
Spitzkoppe – Estosha National Park. We spend the next two days exploring Etosha National Park. Dominated by a salt pan, this incredible 20,000 square kilometre reserve is home to an abundance of animals and the pan has specially managed watering holes where animals ga...
Etosha National Park – Windhoek. Today we travel to the charming capital of Namibia. Windhoek is a small capital by global standards, with a population of just 470,000 people. The city's German architecture is a reminder of Namibia’s early colonial past. Our camp for ...
Windhoek – Gobabis. We bid farewell to Windhoek as we travel east towards the Botswanan border to the city of Gobabis. Today we meet some of the local San Bushmen. The San culture is one of the oldest surviving cultures in Southern Africa, Here we’ll enjoy a bush walk...
Gobabis – Maun (Botswana). Today we journey to Maun in Botswana, we will use this as a base for exploring the famed Okavango Delta. If we have time, there will be an opportunity for you to take a scenic flight over the Delta – If we haven’t got enough time today then this opportunity will be offered on day 15 instead.
Maun – Okavango Delta – Maun. Day 14 we enjoy an overnight excursion into the Okavango Delta in our specialised safari vehicles. Spread across more than 1.6 million hectares, the Delta is a natural wetland that is home to an incredible array of wildlife. We soon reach...
Maun – Nata region. This morning we set off on our drive through a wildlife corridor between the isolated Nxai and Makgadikgadi pans. We’ll make short stops to take in the beauty of some of the region’s towering baobab tree and reach our unfenced campsite in the afternoon. If we are fortunate enough, we’ll see different kinds of wildlife including elephant and antelope.
Nata Region – Kasane. Today we head towards north Botswana to Kasane. Kasane is the gateway to Chobe National Park where we enjoy a cruise on the Chobe River. Chobe is home to an array of wildlife including herds of elephants, which you can spot near the water’s edge. Also be on the lookout for hippos, crocodiles, buffalo and the rare African fish eagle.
Kasane – Chobe National Park – Livingstone (Zambia). This morning enjoy an open vehicle game drive in Chobe National Park, which is home to all of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo), although rhinos are very rare here. Once our game drive ends,...
Today is free for you to spend at leisure and enjoy the optional activities available to book locally. Typically these include rafting, canoeing, bungee, abseiling, gorge swinging, horse riding, scenic flights, and river cruises.
Livingstone – Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). This morning we leave Livingstone and cross enjoy more optional activities or simply relax in our beautiful surroundings. Be sure to visit the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side for a different perspective and see the Zambezi River plunging over the enormous Batoka Gorge.
Victoria Falls - Hwange National Park. Today we head to Zimbabwe’s largest and best-known park, Hwange National Park. In the early 19th century, it was the royal hunting grounds of the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi. Spanning across 14,600 square kilometres, Hwange i...
Hwange National Park – Bulawayo. Our journey continues on day 22 as we head south to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city. The rest of the afternoon is free to spend at leisure exploring this pleasant city with its broad tree-lined avenues and wide-open spaces. The n...
Bulawayo – Masvingo. Today we journey toward the east of the country to the small town of Masvingo. Nearby is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southern Africa: the Great Zimbabwe National Monument. We camp nearby with ample time to explore the ruins a...
Masvingo – Bandula area (Mozambique). Our day starts very early as we begin our 400 km journey into Mozambique. Our first stop along the way is Mutare and if time permits, we will stop at the spectacular Birchenough Bridge. Crossing the border into Mozambique we make our way to the Bandula area near the Chicamba Dam. We’ll settle in our campsite that is located within a 550-hectare conservancy.
Bandula – Vilanculos area. We leave Bandula and head to the spectacular Indian Ocean coast. We stop in the small town of Vilanculos, gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago. Here we gather our luggage and snorkels for tomorrow’s island trip and board our traditional dhow ...
Vilanculos area – Tofo. The morning of day 28 we head further down the scenic coast through Inhambane to Tofo, our base for the next 2 nights. Tofo is a beautiful little beach town with open beaches, the slow-paced atmosphere is a great place for us to relax. Check ou...
Tofo - Bilene. Today we journey south of Tofo to Bilene, our last coastal stop in Mozambique. Bilene is famous for the Uembje Lagoon (or San Marthino lake) where you can try out one of the best loved activities in Bilene - snorkelling! Our campsite for the evening is located on top of the dunes overlooking the stunning lagoon.
Praia do Bilene - Hazyview - Kruger National Park (South Africa). From Bilene we cross the border into South Africa and head for our camp in Hazyview, just outside Kruger National Park, southern Africa’s game reserve. The national park and the surrounding reserves ar...
Hazyview – Pretoria. We leave Kruger behind and make our way to Pretoria where our incredible African adventure comes to an end late afternoon/ early evening, as we bid farewell to our guide and our fellow travellers. Please note: We recommend that you spend the n...
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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
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Tour Operator
Escaping a cold London winter back in 1998, we followed the sun for a colourful adventure around the world. Discovering amazing history, interesting cultures and the jaw-dropping beauty of our planet, the friends we made along the way made our journey all the more special. Inspired to share our experiences, the seeds were sown and On The Go Tours was born.
Over the years we’ve grown into a small yet global company, with a purposeful local ethos. True to our own travels, authenticity is core to our holidays. We’d love you to experience a country the way it really is, with people who live there and know it inside out. We know this makes the difference between a great holiday and a truly memorable one. Our carefully sought out English-speaking local guides are passionate about sharing their country with you and we believe that they are amongst the best in the business.
We know too that adventure feels better with a chilled beer poolside or a soft pillow at the end of each day and we search out comfortable hotels and boutique properties for your stay. As we love to say - travel with us and adventure in style!
Unbeatable value: Combining authentic local experiences with an excellent range of 3-5 star hotels & boutique properties, our tours represent unbeatable value. Add in airport transfers, passionate tour guides and all transportation and you do get the best of adventure travel and creature comforts too.
Great group size: With an average of 15 and a maximum of 24, our group size really works well on tour, so you’re bound to meet like-minded travellers and make lasting friendships. Our festival tours do have larger group sizes due to their ‘one-off’ nature.
100% Guaranteed: Not only are all our group tour departures 100% guaranteed, we are also fully financially bonded, so you can book our tours with absolute confidence. We’re proud to say that we recently won 2 prestigious British Travel Awards and were runner up for another 3, testament to the quality of our holidays.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International flights and visas
- Sleeping bag - please bring your own
- Tipping - an entirely personal gesture
- Optional activities (prices listed in Trip Notes)
- Airport transfers - can be booked on request
- Local payment - $670, paid in USD
Accommodation
18 and over. Anyone over 65 to complete a Tour Suitability Form.Maximum age 75.
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