Camping with the Big Five

1.Tag: Arrival in Johannesburg

Sawubona! Welcome to South Africa. After your arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel in Johannesburg. Spend the day exploring the city and enjoy one night in a proper room, before we head out on safari tomorrow. Don’t stay up all night as you will meet your group at 06:30 am tomorrow morning.

Included activities:
– Airport transfer to the hotel in Johannesburg

2.Tag: Krüger National Park

You will meet your group at 06:30 am at the hotel reception. After a short briefing we head north-east into the world famous Krüger National Park. We visit the remote and seldom visited northern part of the park from Letaba to Pafuri. We enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in our safari vehicle and hope to spot lions, elephants, rhinos and other animals in this icon of wildlife conservation.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Krüger National Park
– Game drives in Krüger National Park

3.Tag: Krüger National Park

Be prepared for a full day of safaris in Krüger National Park. We will explore the park on a full-day game drive and hope to spot all the Big 5. So keep your eyes and ears wide open to make sure we don’t miss any wildlife.

Included activities:
– Game drives in Krüger National Park

4.Tag: Krüger Natinonal Park – Zimbabwe

Entering Zimbabwe at the Beitbridge border post, we travel to the town of Masvingo and the Great Zimbabwe Monuments. The well preserved ruins are some of the oldest and largest stone structures in Southern Africa and were built during the 11th to 14th centuries. We explore them on foot and wonder at the mysteries of these ancient stone structures and the civilization that built them.

Included activities:
– Entrance to and guided tour of the Zimbabwe Ruins

5.Tag: Matobos National Park

Moving on to Bulawayo, we arrive in the late afternoon and set up our camp on the outskirts of the park, before enjoying a sundowner and an evening around the campfire.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Matobos National Park

6.Tag: Matobos National Park

This morning we head into Matobos National Park with a local guide to visit the core of the Matopos Hills, an area of granite koppies and wooded valleys. During our open vehicle game drive, we visit World’s View and the historical site of Cecil John Rhodes’ grave and discover the unusual rock formations that are characteristic of this area. As part of our visit we take a guided walk to track and hopefully find endangered white rhinos, as well as other wildlife, and marvel at bushman rock paintings.

Included activities:
– Guided walk in Matobos National Park

7.Tag: Hwange National Park

Today we head to Hwange Nationalpark. Named after a local Nhanzwa chief, Hwange National Park is the largest Park in Zimbabwe occupying roughly 14 650 square kilometres and is located in the north-west corner of the country. It is famous for its large elephant population, so it will probably not take long for the first one to cross our path. Our camp lies within the game management area that borders the park.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Hwange National Park

8.Tag: Hwange National Park

If we didn’t see all of the Big 5 yet, chances are high that we will complete them today. We explore the park with our local guide on a full day game drive in an open 4-WD game viewing vehicle. So keep your eyes wide open and enjoy the magnificent views.

Included activities:
– Game drive in Hwange National Park

9.Tag: Hwange National Park – Victoria Falls

After breakfast we head back to civilisation. The small town of Victoria Falls will feel much bigger than it is after the past week we spend in the bush. We will stay here for two nights and make sure to take a peek at Victoria Falls. The spectacular footpath surrounding the falls leads us through tropical vegetation to the very edge of »Mosi oa Tunya« or »the smoke that thunders«.

Included activities:
– Entrance fee to Victoria Falls and walk

10.Tag: A free day in Victoria Falls

Today is your chance to sleep in as the entire day is free. The way you want to spend your day is completely up to you. If you are looking for action, white-water rafting down the mighty Zambesi River might be for you. Alternatively, you can throw yourself off a cliff during a Bungee Jump or take a more comfortable option and look at the country from during a helicopter flight that locals refer to as »the flight of angels«. Ask your guide for more ideas.

11.Tag: Victoria Falls – Chobe National Park

We cross the border to Botswana in the morning and set up our camp in the small town of Kasane on the banks of the Chobe River. The river flows lazily along the northern boundary of the Chobe National Park and attracts some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. A highlight of any trip to the Chobe is the afternoon game viewing sunset cruise, where we hope to see a large number of elephants and other wildlife as they quench their thirst at the end of the day.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Chope National Park
– Sunset cruise on Chobe River

12.Tag: Chobe National Park – Gweta

This morning there is time for an optional game drive in Chobe National Park, if you are keen. Later on we heading south through the Kasane Forest Reserve and make our way to Gweta. Here we sleep with our tents nestled at the base of ancient baobab trees.
 

13.Tag: Gweta – Okavango Delta

After an early start, we depart for Maun, where we will then transfer into the delta by open 4-WD game viewing vehicle. Our local guides will take us deep into the heart of the Okavango Delta on mokoros (dugout canoes). Being gently poled through the network of channels is an experience not to be missed. The delta forms as rain water from the Angolan highlands flows out over the flat Kalahari Desert sands, forming a delicate, green oasis for birds and wildlife. We will camp wild on remote islands in this amazing environment.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Okavango Delta
– Mokoro expeditions

14.Tag: Okavango Delta

In the morning and afternoon we enjoy bush walks and go on mokoro expeditions. During the heat of the day, you can relax or go swimming in the clear waters of the Delta. Our local guides will share their lifestyle and culture with us, so you definitely won’t get bored.

Included activities:
– Guided walking safari
– Mokoro expeditions

15.Tag: Okavango Delta – Maun

In the morning we explore the Delta on foot again. Then our local tour guides on mokoros lead us back to our vehicle. Be prepared for another shock, once we get back to the town of Maun in the late afternoon. After the peaceful days in the Delta, you have the opportunity for an optional game flight over the Okavango, which will reveal what it looks like from above.

Included activities:
– Game walk in the morning
– Mokoro expedition

16.Tag: Maun – Khama Rhino Sanctuary

The last day of our African adventure has begun. Heading south from Maun, we drive through the wide open spaces of the Kalahari Desert on our way to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.  This is a community based wildlife project that was established in 1992 to assist in saving the vanishing rhino, restore an area formerly teeming with wildlife to its previous natural state and to provide economic benefits to the local Batswana community through tourism and the sustainable use of natural resources. We hope to spot some of the elusive rhino on an afternoon game drive.

Included activities:
– Entrance to Khama Rhino Sanctuary
– Afternoon game drive

17.Tag: Khama Rhino Sanctuary – Johannesburg and departure

Crossing back into South Africa we make our way to Johannesburg, where the tour ends in the late afternoon. Let the country whizz past you on the bus and take in the final views of Africa, before you board the plane that takes you home.

Included activities:
– Transfer to Johannesburg Airport (for flights departing after 19:30 o’clock)