51 day safari starts Nairobi and ends in Cape Town.
KENYA - TANZANIA Journeying south from bustling Nairobi, we travel through sweeping and often arid plains, dotted with whistling thorn, to safari in Tanzania's premier game parks, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. On our drive we can catch a glimpse of snow capped Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain. Our first game drives are on the seemingly endless savannah grasslands of the Serengeti, the stage for the famous wildebeest migration. Here, from small hills of rock, the Simba Kopjes, lion nonchalantly oversee the game on the plains.
We then safari to what is known as the 'Noah's ark' of game reserves, the perfectly intact volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro Crater. Descending into the Crater we view the rim of Lake Magadi pink with flamingo, plain's game graze peacefully on the grasslands, hippo loll in the pools and we have the chance to see all 'the big five', lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.
We are in Maasai lands here. The traditional herdsmen, attired in colourful dress, can be seen grazing their cattle by the road. A visit in the Maasai cultural museum, village and school allows us to experience a little of traditional ways and provides insight into their way of life. We travel to Dar Es Salaam on the Indian Ocean to cross to Unguja, the exotic spice island of Zanzibar for four days. Explore Stone Town with its ancient architecture. Take a spice tour for some history. Then hire a jeep or motor bike and get away.....snorkel, scuba dive, swim with the dolphins or just enjoy the sun bleached miles of palm-fringed white beaches.
MALAWI We enter Africa's 'warm heart' transiting via Mikumi National Park. A country of charm, warmth and beauty where we can visit in traditional villages, shop in busy carving markets, hike the extensive plateaux amongst lush scenery - waterfalls, exotic plantations and woodlands - and relax by the lake at beach resorts. Enjoy horse riding or water sports, windsurfing, and water skiing. Take out a pedalow, canoe or sail boat, scuba dive or snorkel.
ZAMBIA - ZIMBABWE We travel via Zambia to reach Lake Kariba for some luxury cruising on a houseboat to visit Matusadona National Park and to relax away from camping, the houseboats having an onboard chef, jacuzzi, bar and beds. View elephant, hippo, crocodile and waterbuck from our boat. Sometimes lion come to drink at the water's edge. Take a dinghy out to fish for bream or the ferocious tiger fish and to get up close to view game at the lake's edge. As the sun sets the fossilised hardwood trees stand sentinel in this extraordinary setting.
Our next stop is a private game ranch to safari by elephant or horse back into the bush, play polo cross or walk with habituated lions, before heading to Bulawayo and guided game drives in Matopos National Park. The park is named after 'the bald headed ones', the massive granite boulder stacks that seem to brood over the surrounding landscape which is home to a large concentration of black eagles and leopard, as well as black and white rhino, giraffe, warthog, Burchell's zebra and impala. We also explore the exquisite ancient San bushman rock paintings and visit Cecil Rhodes' grave.
We arrive at Victoria Falls for four days. Wander the national park to view the Falls. The Zambezi is also the place for adventure........ whitewater rafting, bunji or gorge swing, riverboard, kayak or take 'the flight of the Angels'. A sunset cruise is a perfect way to finish a day, the hippo rising out of the murky waters as the sun sets. Alternatively enjoy a sizzling steak and a beer in one of the many pubs or restaurants.
BOTSWANA Botswana brings more opportunities to experience Africa's incomparable wilderness areas - Chobe National Park and its large herds of elephant for a game drive and sunset cruise. Then the option of a three day mokoro safari in the remote unspoilt and lush waterways of the Okavango Delta. Here we are poled by mokoro, traditional dug-out canoes, through tranquil waters and take guided game walks viewing elephant, buffalo, hippo and other game as well as the wonderful birdlife of the Delta.
NAMIBIA After visiting Popa Falls, we continue to the Hoba meteorite, the largest known meteorite in the world, before entering 'the place of dry water', Etosha National Park. Elephant, lion, giraffe, antelope, wildebeest and black rhino, amongst other wildlife, exist around the Pan and may be seen at the floodlit water holes in the evening. Two to three days in the park allow for plenty of game drives, photo opportunities and a swim at the campsite. From here we visit the Cheetah Park, for an opportunity to get up close to the wild cats.
After viewing bushman paintings, we drive a small section of the southern Skeleton Coast, stopping at Cape Cross Seal Reserve, home to 200,000 Cape fur seals who flourish in the cold waters of the Benguela Current. Swakopmund, a seaside resort nestled between the desert and the sea, is our next destination offering plenty of action ........skydiving, open sea fishing, quad biking, sandboarding and scenic flights over the Skeleton Coast.Township tours are also available.
Through the Namib Desert to Sossusvlei we camp at Sesriem in the shade of the camelthorn trees. With an early rise to scale the 1,000 foot dunes before the day heats up, we can also photograph the colour transformations of sunrise on the red gold formations. We continue to Fish River Canyon, reputedly second only in size to the Grand Canyon before travelling to Ai Ais, at the far end of the Canyon, for a soak in the hot springs.
SOUTH AFRICA Across the Orange River and into South Africa we stop over for a lazy afternoon canoeing and to camp amidst wild and dramatic scenery. Travelling through the wine areas of the Cape Province we reach our journey's end in Cape Town where we stay at Ashanti Lodge. Its Travel Centre will advise on any of the activities you may wish to do in South Africa, travelling the Garden Route or onward journeys to Johannesburg.
SAFARI NOTES: This safari extends to 51 days for the 12 Jan 07 departure and for all departures from 27 March 07 onwards. Contact us for bolt-on safaris into the Masai Mara before 3rd July 07 to 16 October 07 departures for a chance to see the big herds of wildebeest, zebra and Thomson's gazelle on migration in the Mara h2. Suggested projects you can do before this adventure: Madventurer projects in Kenya and Madventurer projects in Tanzania.