ITINERARY
Day 1 CAPE TOWN [Lion’s Head Lodge - - -]
Cape Town is one of the most picturesque cities in the world, with the
majestic Table Mountain providing its central focus. After a tour briefing
at 8:00am, we visit the African Penguin colony en route to Cape Point Nature
Reserve, and spend the rest of the day relaxing on Hout Bay beach. We sample
some of Cape Town’s culinary wonders at a local restaurant in the Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront (own expense).
Day 2 CEDARBERG [chalet BLD]
The Cedarberg is a massive rock wilderness whose giant sandstone boulders
have been sculpted by wind and rain into bizarre and artistic shapes. We
head north to the Cedarberg and explore the rugged landscape on foot before
relaxing in chalets for the evening.
Day 3 GARIEP RIVER [tented Lodge BLD]
We make our way into the more arid regions and entering Namibia, we stay
at a lodge on the Gariep River. Namibia's southern border river flows quietly
and peacefully and the river valley is hardly affected by tourism. The riverbed
is sandy, the water clean and clear. Time free for swimming and relaxing
or you can adventure down the river in canoes (own expense).
Day 4 FISH RIVER CANYON [Lodge BL-]
The Fish River Canyon, situated along the lower reaches of the Fish River,
is one of the most impressive natural beauties in the southern part of Namibia.
With its depth of up to 550 metres, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest
canyon in the world. We make our way to the canyon and in the afternoon we
watch as a spectacular sunset slips over the canyon’s rim.
Day 5 - 6 NAMIB DESERT [Lodge BLD]
The parched Namib Desert has endless orange dunes blown into sharp ridges
by the sand-shifting wind and at Sossusvlei they form a gateway into the
Namib Desert. We will walk to Sossusvlei, explore Sesriem Canyon and watch
dramatic sunsets over the world’s highest sand dunes.
Day 7 – 8 SWAKOPMUND [chalet BL-]
Swakopmund is a popular seaside resort with a slightly nostalgic atmosphere,
characterized by numerous colonial buildings. In terms of flora, both the
Welwitschias Mirabilis and the Kokerboom are exclusive to Namibia. These
strange plants only grow on the stony plains of the north Namib and many
beautiful specimens surround the coastal town. Swakopmund is also the adventure
activity capital of Namibia. Day free to explore the town or try quad biking
/ dune boarding (own expense).
Day 9 DAMARALAND [Tented Lodge BLD]
Namibia is a land of great contrasts and Damaraland demonstrates this with
stark plains, petrified forests and ancient valleys leading to rocky outcrops
and the soaring peaks of the Brandberg Massive Mountains.
Day 10, 11, 12 ETOSHA NP [Chalets BLD]
Once a vast lake fed by the Kunene River, the pan that is Etosha NP dried
up thousands of years ago when the river waters chose a new course. Etosha
is big game country. We take game drives around the huge pan to find the
elephants, herds of antelope and lions around the waterholes before we stay
in chalets at Okaukuejo with its flood-lit waterhole.
Day 13 WINDHOEK [Guest House BL-]
This pretty town, beautifully situated in a valley, combines the architecture
of a modern city with numerous buildings in the style of the German colonial
era. The charm of the City of Windhoek lies in its harmonious blend of African
and European cultures and the friendliness of its people. We visit the cosmopolitan
capital and enjoy a restaurant meal (own expense).
Day 14 KALAHARI [Bushmen Huts BLD]
Crossing into Botswana we overnight in rustic, grass huts in the heart
of the Kalahari. The sand masses were created by the erosion of soft stone
formations. The wind shaped the sand ridges, which are so typical of the
landscape in the Kalahari. We take a walk with the local Bushmen to learn
fascinating bush skills (Local guide may not be San due to nomadic lifestyle
of San Bushmen)
Day 15, 16, 17 OKAVANGO DELTA [tented camp x2 BLD] [lodge
x1 BL-]
The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world, instead of
flowing into the sea, the annual flood of fresh water flows inland, spreading
over 15000km of the Kalahari sand in a maze of lagoons and channels. We journey
deep into the Okavango Delta on Makoro (dugouts). We have 2 nights at our
tented camp and enjoy game walks, swimming, the birdlife and game in this
pristine wilderness area. We return to Maun late in the afternoon on day
17 for an evening at the lodge and a hot shower and restaurant meal.
Day 18 MAKGADIKGADI PANS [Tented Lodge
or Chalets BL-]
Feel the vastness of Africa. The shimmering saltpans of Makgadikgadi are
the size of Switzerland and most of the time appear as a glaring, white,
endless plain. When the rain comes a dramatic change takes place as the pans
come to life with frantically feeding water birds and great herds of zebra,
wildebeest and springbok.
Day 19, 20, 21 ZAMBIA / VICTORIA FALLS [Chalets Bx3 -
-]
Magnificent Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
David Livingstone ‘discovered’ the falls in 1885 and named them
after his Queen. The scene he encountered was a mile-wide (1.6 km) sheer
basalt fault line over which the mighty Zambezi tumbled to a depth of 300
feet (100m), creating a cloud of spray, which can be seen up to 20 miles
away. The falls are also the centre of a wide range of activities, including
white water rafting on mighty Zambezi, elephant back rides, scenic flights
or a 111m Bungi Jump (own expense). Tour ends.
PLEASE NOTE: The accommodation specified in the itinerary is a guide
only and subject to availability. Alternatives will be of a similar standard.
Price: € 1 995 pp s + local payment of ZAR 1900 pp (valid
Jan 2006 – Dec 2006)
Single supplement: € 520 pp
2006 DEPARTURE DATES
SAa 11-Jan-06 31-Jan-06
SAa 15-Feb-06 07-Mar-06
SAa 22-Mar-06 11-Apr-06
SAa 26-Apr-06 16-May-06
SAa 14-Jun-06 04-Jul-06
SAa 12-Jul-06 01-Aug-06
SAa 23-Aug-06 12-Sep-06
SAa 11-Oct-06 31-Oct-06
SAa 01-Nov-06 21-Nov-06
SAa 29-Nov-06 19-Dec-06
SAa 20-Dec-06 09-Jan-07
* SAa: The “Cape Town to Victoria Falls
Grand Explorer” can be combined after all “South Africa
accommodated Rainbow Route” departures to create a complete
circular safari in Southern Africa.
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