Prices
for - African
Overland Truck Adventures
Cape Town Gameparks to Gorillas
54 days
Trip
Highlights
Days 1 - 5
- Leaving Cape Town we head out across the Great Karoo; a beautiful semi
arid area. Crossing the Orange River our first stop in the “The Big Hole” in
Kimberley three tons of diamonds have been dug from 40 million tons of rock
over the years just to make small rings to trap foolish men into marriage.
Next is Johannesburg – “the city of gold”. Take the SOWETO tour or go deep
into a gold mine on the rand. Good cinema and restaurants before heading
into “the real Africa”.
Days 6 -
12 - Leaving Johannesburg we leave the city behind us and head off into
Botswana and the small town of Palapye where we camp for the night. This
day includes the border crossing, so passports at the ready.
From
Palapye we head out across part of the Kalahari Desert, the Magkadikadi and
Nxai Salt Pans, a once migration route for elephants. Entering Maun, a
small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta, and prepare for the wilderness
experience to come.
You have
the option today to go out into the Delta. Pack up your own kit along with
food, water and cooking and camping equipment and you’re off. A short truck
ride to the dugout canoes, called Mokoros, and you gently punt out into the
delta down reed lined waterways. Find a spot for the night and set up camp.
For those not venturing to the Delta, relax around a pool, visit town, go to
the crocodile farm and visit the sites.
Up early
and it’s off for a walk with the guide. This is a rare chance to see game
on foot with anything from elephants to herds of grazing zebra. If you’re
really lucky you might catch a glimpse of the red lechwe or the incredibly
shy Sitatunga.
Maybe try
learning how to “pole” your mokoro, or try to catch a catfish. The guides
make it look so easy, but it’s really not. Then maybe a last swim before
heading back to the truck and then the campsite for a well earned shower and
a cold drink.
An early
start and a stunning drive through some very arid landscape and a different
perspective from the lush Delta. One turn to the left and the country
becomes more bushy and then lush again as we approach the Chobe River, where
we head onto a viewing boat for a cruise along the river banks.
Another
early start (animals eh?) and around the Chobe National park for a game
drive in small 4x4’s then back to pack up camp. A short drive and a border
crossing bring us into the Zimbabwe town of Victoria Falls. Mosi-oa-Tunya
means the “Smoke that thunders”, and you can see it as you approx the town.
Days 13 -
19 - A full day to enjoy the many activities in the area, of which there is
something for everyone. There are also a number of good restaurants to
choose from many curio markets to keep you busy and bartering.
Leaving
the bustling town of Vic Falls behind us we head down the tree lined roads
to Bulawayo, home to the Matopos National Park, full of ancient rock art and
a healthy population of white rhino, a highly protected animal.
We then
head off to Gweru and the Antelope Park. This is one of the few places
where you can take a walk in the bush with a lion at your side. Here is
also the place to take a swim with an elephant or take a ride through the
wildlife on horseback.
A full day
to enjoy all the activities on offer, such as feeding any new cubs, taking a
mule and carriage on safari, and elephant safari or why not have a go at
learning Polocrosse? An exciting game of lacrosse on horseback.....but not
for the faint hearted.
After all
that excitement it is back to the truck and a drive to Harare. Here we stay
on the outskirts of town and can enjoy some relaxation and cool drinks.
Also a chance to shop in town and stock up for our night of bush camping.
Big
driving day today, so work out your rota for the beach time. A border
crossing into Mozambique, which can take some time, so make sure you have a
good book handy too. Also a football is always a winner and always people
willing to play. Then it’s time to look for a suitable bush camp and a real
African Experience.
Another
border crossing, this time into Malawi, and then off to the colonial city of
Blantyre. A chance to stock up on essentials before heading to the lake the
following day, and any personal stuff you may need, or snacks you can’t live
without.
Days 20 -
26 - A beautiful and scenically stunning drive out of the city, past the
Zomba Plateau and through to the lake shore at Kande. This campsite started
life as a cooler box under a tree, and has now become a popular venue for
many things.
A full day
on the beach to do as little or as much as you want. There are a number of
activities to choose from including scuba diving, horse riding, canoeing,
sailing or snorkelling. The lake is home to over 500 different types of
freshwater Cyclid and these are very colourful and cheeky.
A short
drive up the lakeshore to Chitimba, situated at the base of the Livingstonia
escarpment, which you can hike to get some amazing views across the lake to
Mozambique.
A fairly
early start in order to get to the border with Tanzania and head up to
Iringa for a bit of shopping and then it’s into the long and winding road
through the valley of Baobab trees. These amazing trees are huge in their
stature and only flower for 24 hrs once a year.
Get your
cameras at the ready as this drive takes you through the Mikumi National
Park, famous for its Pygmy Elephants, and herds of buffalo due to the close
proximity with Selous National park. The day then ends at Dar es Salaam on
a beach with the Indian Ocean lapping the shore.
If you
wish to go you can take the ferry over to the Spice Island of Zanzibar, and
walk the narrow streets of Stone Town. Visit the House of Wonders which had
electricity before London and marvel at the cornucopia of seafood at the
evening market.
Take the
transfer up to the North Beach at Nungwi and spend the day wafting through
the azure waters and admire the starfish, but watch out for those
urchins....ouch! Sunset Dhows rides are a must and if you Scuba, go to the
Mnemba Atoll to spot the whale sharks.
Days 27 -
33 - this is your last chance to get the sand in your toes, and enjoy the
relaxed life island style. Enjoy the super fresh pineapples and other
fruits and don’t forget to visit the turtle sanctuary near the lighthouse.
Back to Stone Town and one more look around the beautiful things on offer,
then it’s the afternoon ferry back over to the Mainland and a final night of
seafood on the beach. Catch an early night as tomorrow is the biggest drive
of the trip.
This is a long day, although the scenery is very diverse as you climb in
altitude and pass both mountains and plains, through sisal plantations and
hopefully catch a glimpse of Mount Kilimanjaro. More elusive than the
cheetah.
You now have the option of going into the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation
Area to see the collapsed volcano that now holds its own ecosystem
supporting a huge amount of wildlife. The only things that are not in the
crater are giraffe.
Your trip into the crater can continue into the Serengeti National Park if
you wish, where you will pass pride rock, the inspiration for the Lion King,
and get the chance to see where the great wildebeest and zebra migration
prepares to head off to the Masai Mara in Kenya.
After a final game drive around the Serengeti you’ll head back out, through
the conservation area and back down to the Snake Park. Here there is a
cultural Masai museum, a chance to see a true Masai village from the back of
a camel and see the snakes of Africa.
From Arusha we head North and cross the border into Kenya, and across the
plains to the leafy suburb of Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi for a week
away from the truck and travelling
Days 34 - 40 - Leaving Nairobi we stop at the Rift Valley scenic lookout at
8,000 feet high, overlooking Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha. We pass from
the dramatic landscape of the Rift Valley to the highlands and spend our
first night near Nakuru, where you can end your day sipping beer at Kembu
Campsite.
We have an
early start, crossing over the Ugandan border at Malaba or Busia. The
scenery changes to tropical rain forests and tea and sugar plantations. We
catch our first glimpse of Lake Victoria on route to Uganda’s capital city,
our overnight stop.
Stopping
for photos as we cross the equator, we continue southwest to Kabale town,
gateway to the Mountain Gorilla Reserves. We spend this evening camped on
the shores of Lake Bunyonyi the deepest Crater Lake in Uganda.
Climbing
through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, there are panoramic views of this
unique Ugandan landscape on every turn. From the road we have outlooks over
three countries - Uganda, Republic of Congo, Rwanda; and the Virunga
Mountains - Mountains of the Moon, the home of the rare mountain gorillas.
Kisoro is
situated under the peaks of the Mufumbiro Mountains making a stunning base
for the next two to three days, which are set aside for trekking the famed
mountain gorillas.
In groups
of six to eight people with two guides we trek deep into the forest to find
one of the gorilla families. The trek is an experience in itself, following
your guides as they cut a path through the thick vegetation. The guides
track the gorillas almost every day but even so, sometimes it can take eight
hours to find them. You will be rewarded though by the sight of these
human-like giants playing with their young, feeding, grooming and staring
curiously back at you. We spend an hour observing these amazing animals -
bring plenty of film.
As the
groups going to the gorillas are small, it takes a couple of days for
everyone to do the trek. Whilst others are searching for the great apes,
you can take in the local markets; walk to the nearby mountain lakes, or
enter the Magahinga National park for a day hike up a volcano or a guided
nature trail.
Still on a
high from our time spent with the gorillas, we head back to Lake Bunyonyi
meaning “place of little birds”. It is known, not only for its water birds,
but also for its fresh water crayfish population. Lake Bunyonyi is a great
place to relax, or for the more energetic you can canoe to one of the many
islands dotting the lake, swim, or take in the scenery on mountain bikes.
Days 41 - 47 - We return to Uganda’s capital. Kampala is a modern bustling
city leaving you no shortage of things to see and do. You may wish to visit
the National Museum, the Kasubi Tombs of the Buganda people.
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, and we 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 is
no shortage of other activities in Jinja; head off on a quad bike, 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.
Leaving
Uganda, we head back into Kenya and onto Nakuru Town, the capital of the
Rift Valley Province. We spend the next few nights at Kembu Camp, a working
farm. You can visit the local weavers and school or take a tour of the farm.
We visit
Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park famous for its soda lake surrounded by
thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingoes. The park is home to over
400 species of bird, and we may spot leopard or black and white rhino
amongst the zebra, waterbuck, impala, giraffe and many more.
Days 48 - 54 - Not far from Nakuru in the Rift Valley is Lake Naivasha. We
camp on the shores of the lake where hippos often come to graze in the
evenings and black and white Colobus monkeys turn up in the early morning.
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.
Also on
the lake is Elsamere; once the 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, watch a video on Joy’s life and take
afternoon tea in the gardens.
We head
south 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.
From here
we return to Nairobi with the chance to feast at the renowned Carnivore Game
Restaurant.
Africa is an unpredictable
continent. We do not have a fixed itinerary so please treat the information
given as a guideline only. Although our information is written in good faith
at the time of printing, our route may vary at any time due to weather,
politics or road conditions.
Prices
for - African
Overland Truck Adventures
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