Tour Code - KTC43

Duration - 43 Days / 42 Nights

Country - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia

Start Nairobi   Finish Cape Town

Price Euro €1795 ( Plus Local Payment )

An epic journey from Kenya to the Cape covering wild and scenic game parks, the only inland delta in the world, one thoroughly tropical island, the third largest freshwater lake in Africa, the world’s oldest desert, and the ‘smoke that thunders’ over the dramatic Victoria Falls. Discover Africa’s best highlights on this comprehensive tour!

DAYS 1 - 7
From Nairobi your first encounter with Africa’s diverse wildlife is in the Masai Mara Game Reserve on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The ‘Mara’ is Kenya’s best known game reserve with impressive scenery and wildlife. After a couple of days we retrace our steps briefly before crossing the border into Tanzania. Our first stop is Arusha, (‘safari town’) where you can haggle for curios in the colourful local markets, handle African snakes or take an informative guided walk to a local Masai village. We switch to 4x4 vehicles for a 3-day excursion to the Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge and Ngorongoro Crater. Superb game viewing opportunities, spectacular scenery - together with Kenya’s Masai Mara - our first week on safari has take in East Africa’s ‘big three’ game parks.

DAYS 8 - 15
From Arusha, travel in the the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro whose snow-capped peak can be see on a clear day and cross vast tracts of rural savanna to the balmy Indian Ocean coastal city of Dar es Salaam. From here we catch a ferry to exotic Zanzibar, (the spice island) for its fragrant and lush tropical forests, ancient history, and tropical island beaches. Explore the bazaars and intriguing alleyways of Stone Town before relaxing on the white-sand beaches and sparkling blue sea on the northern coast. Returning to Dar on the mainland, drive southwest via Mikumi National Park and the Tanzanian Highlands towards the
‘warm heart of Africa’, Malawi.

DAYS 16 - 25
Malawi is one of the friendliest countries on tour and is dominated by the enormous Lake Malawi. The lake provides ample opportunity to enjoy the clear water and pristine beaches as well as explore this unique lakeside culture of fishermen and traders. Optionally, trek to the high escarpments and local forests surrounding the lake before driving through rural Zambia via its capital Lusaka, to Livingstone. This is the ideal base - on the banks of the Zambezi River - to explore the mighty Victoria Falls. This area is known as Africa's adventure playground where a multitude of adrenaline-pumping optional activities are on offer including white water rafting, bungy jumping, micro-lighting. No trip to Africa is complete without a view of the tremendous Victoria Falls themselves. We also take time to visit a local village for a taste of culture and hospitality.

DAYS 26 - 32
We eventually depart from the Livingstone / Vic Falls area for the small town of Kasane in northern Botswana. There is the opportunity here to take a game drive and river cruise in the scenic Chobe National Park . The park is known for its large stock of elephant, for lion and for its abundant birdlife. Leaving Chobe, we drive via Nata to Maun, the gateway for the Okavango Delta. The Okavango is an enormous waterway system of channels, reeds, tall grasses and remote scenery, now set aside as a wildlife reserve. We explore the ‘Delta’ on foot and by mokoro (dugout canoe), for the ultimate wilderness experience.

DAYS 33 - 37
From Maun, travel west via Ghanzi to the Namibian border and briefly stop in the country’s modern capital Windhoek before heading to Etosha National Park. Wildlife viewing is unique here thanks to the prolific waterholes and flat terrain, and if you can manage to stay awake at a floodlit waterhole during the night, you will be well rewarded. Outside Etosha, visit the Cheetah Park, where you’ll meet a cheetah ‘up-close and personal’, before seeing more unusual wildlife in the form of tens of thousands of seals congregating in the icy Atlantic waters at the Cape Cross Seal Colony. Further south is the quirky seaside town of Swakopmund, nestled between the ocean and desert, and the best way to explore the bizarre coastal terrain is by going dune-bashing by quad-bike or sand-board. Celebrate afterwards with a flagon of ale in
one of Swakopmund’s German-inspired bars or restaurants.

DAYS 38 - 43
Southern Namibia is home to two of the most geologically scenic attractions in Africa: Namib-Naukluft NP with its massive sand dunes, and the Fish River Canyon, a dramatic gash in the Earth’s surface, second only in size to the Grand Canyon. From here we cross into South Africa and camp on the banks of the Gariep (Orange) River. We continue to Citrusdal, before reaching the cosmopolitan and lively Cape Town. The tour ends with a Township tour in the shadow of Table Mountain.

Travelling ‘overland’ is an adventurous and exciting way to see the sights, meet the cultures, and feel the soul and rhythm of Africa. In a self-sufficient vehicle, we carry everything with us including camping and cooking equipment and get off the beaten track to the real Africa. Travel with like-minded people in a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere and make life-long friends. Add this to special wildlife encounters, evocative landscapes, thrilling adventure activities, and nights camping out in the African bush, and you’ll have a memorable overland tour through Africa with Acacia...