Highlights

• • Fish River Canyon - walking
• • Namib Desert - Sossusvlei dunes
• • Swakopmund - dune boarding & quad biking
• • Twyfelfontein - rock engravings
• • Etosha NP - game drives
• • Okavango Delta - mokoro excursion
• • Victoria Falls - white water rafting

ITINERARY

Cape Town

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).

Includes: Entrance fees to Penguin colony & Cape Nature Point
Overnight: Guesthouse / hotel - twin rooms with en-suite facilities

Cederberg

The Cederberg is a massive rock wilderness with giant sandstone boulders that have been sculpted by wind and rain into bizarre and artistic shapes. We head north to the Cederberg and explore the rugged landscape on foot before relaxing in chalets for the evening.

Includes: Entrance fees, and walk in the Cederberg
Optional Activities: Chalets - 2 twin bedrooms, with 1 bathroom shared between 2 rooms

Gariep River

We make our way into the more arid regions and upon 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).

Overnight: Tented Lodge - twin rooms with shared facilities, restaurant & bar
Optional Activities: Half day canoe safari

Fish River Canyon

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 and watch a spectacular sunset as the sun slips over the canyon's rim.

Includes: Entrance fees to look out point at Fish River Canyon
Overnight: Chalets - twin rooms with en-suite facilities

Namib Desert

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.

Includes: Entrance fees to Sesriem Canyon and Naukluft National Park
Overnight: Lodge or Tented lodge - twin rooms with shared facilities or en-suite facilities

Swakopmund

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 grow on the stony plains of the 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).

Overnight: Guest House - twin rooms with en-suite facilities & restaurant.
Optional Activities: Quad biking, Sand boarding, Skydiving, Ocean canoe safari, Scenic flights & many more

Damaraland

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. We'll also visit the rock engravings at Twyfelfontein.

Includes: Entrance fees to Cape Cross Seal colony amp; San Rock Art & bar.
Overnight: Chalets - twin chalets with en-suite bathroom, swimming pool, restaurant & bar.

Etosha National Park

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. We stay at a lodge on the outskirts of the national park.

Includes: Entrance fees to Etosha National Park, morning & afternoon game drives
Overnight: Guest Lodge or tented camp - twin rooms with en-suite facilities, swimming pool, restaurant & bar

Windhoek

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).

Overnight: Guesthouse - twin rooms with en-suite facilities, swimming pool, restaurant & bar

Kalahari

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.

Includes: Nature walk with local San bushman
Overnight: Grass huts - very simple twin huts, with shared ablutions, swimming in old quarry

Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is the only inland delta in the world. Instead of flowing into the sea, the annual flood of fresh water, spreads over 15000sq km 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.

Includes: Entrance to Okavango Delta, morning and afternoon game walks with local guides
Overnight: Maun: twin permanent tents with shared facilities, swimming pool, restaurant & bar 2 nights Okavango Delta: Tented Camp - basic facilities, with bucket showers

Makgadikgadi Pans

The shimmering saltpans of Makgadikgadi are the size of Switzerland and most of the time appears 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.

Includes: Entrance fees to Makgadikgadi Pans
Overnight: Tented Lodge - twin rooms with en-suite facilities, swimming pool, restaurant & bar

Zambia / Victoria Falls

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 100m, creating a cloud of spray. The falls are also the centre of a wide range of activities, including white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi, elephant back rides, scenic flights or a 111m bungi jump (own expense).

Tour ends.

Includes: Entrance fees to Vic Falls
Overnight: Tented Camp - twin permanent tents with shared facilities, swimming pool, restaurant & bar
Optional Activities: White water rafting, sunset cruises, elephant back safaris, scenic flights & many more

Special Interest:

See magnificently dressed Herero women whose traditional dress is reminiscent of the early German colonisation of German South-West Africa. Herero Dolls made in this fashion can be bought as curios and make wonderful gifts.

Sustainable Tourism:

During our stay in Damaraland a local guide takes us to visit a San Bushman Rock Art site. Our entrance fees go towards ensuring that the area remains protected for future generations, and that the local community benefits directly from tourism.

Accommodation

• Cape Town, Sweet Orange Guest House - guest house in a metropolitan area of Cape Town near the V&A Waterfront. Rooms are twin with en suite facilities. (or similar guest house)
• Cedarberg, Cedarberg bungalows - 2 twin share bedrooms in each chalet with 1 bathroom shared between 2 rooms.
• Gariep River, Permanent Lodge tents - twin share permanent lodge tents with shared facilities. Bar, restaurant, telephone.
• Fish River Canyon, Canon Mountain Camp - twin share chalet with en suite facilities.
• Namib Desert, Taleni Desert Camp - twin share permanent tents with en-suite facilities.
• Swakopmund, Dunedin Star guest house - twin share rooms with en suite facilities. Telephone
• Damaraland - White Lady Lodge & Camp Xaragu - twin share permanent tents with en-suite facilities, bar, restaurant & swimming pool.
• Etosha, Taleni Etosha Village - twin permanent luxury tents, with en-suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. (5km/10min from Anderson Gate to Etosha) (or Tarentaal Guest Farm, 5 x twin share bedrooms. 2 x twin rooms with shared bathroom. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. (35km/20min from Anderson Gate to Etosha)
• Windhoek, Roof of Africa guest house - twin share rooms with shared facilities. Telephone.
• Kalahari, Ghanzi Trail Blazers - basic grass huts with stretchers, mattresses, mosquito nets and bed side lamp. Sleeping bag supplied. Shared facilities.
• Maun, Audi Camp - twin permanent tents with shared facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone.
• Okavango Delta - wilderness tented camp - for 2 nights while in the Okavango Delta we overnight in a pre-erected tented camp. The facilities are very basic but we will provide a simple bucket bush shower and a toilet tent will be provided of the "sand and bury" variety. We need to take our own water and all equipment. Wild tented camping can be very enjoyable but please remember that we leave no trace of our stay and take all rubbish away with us. We supply all the camping equipment including use of a sleeping bag & camp pillow. The dome tents we use are 2.2 x 2.2 x 1.8 metres. Tents have built-in insect nets. We supply mattresses, which are about 5 cm thick, warm and comfortable. The camp chairs have a backrest.
• Makgadikgadi Pans - Nata Lodge - twin share luxury tents with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. (or Planet Baobab, twin share Bakalanga Huts with en suite facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone)
• Livingstone, SAFPAR Waterfront Lodge - twin share tented camp with shared facilities. Swimming pool, bar, restaurant, telephone. (or Maramba Lodge, twin share chalet with en suite facilities)

Transport

• On foot - easy to moderate walks throughout the tour - Fish River, Sossusvlei, Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls. Duration from ½ - 4hours.
• Mokoro - In the Okavango we use mokoros (dugout canoes), "poled" by our local guides, 2 people and their kit per mokoro.
• Open Game drives - The transfer into the delta is also with an open vehicle. This allows us the opportunity to really feel part of the bush, the smells, sounds and of course great views!
• Vehicle - for longer distance travel, place to place, we use custom built Safari trucks with 12 forward facing seats. Comfortable touring and good for game viewing. Large, sliding windows and viewing hatches give everyone a good view; or Toyota Hiace minibuses with 10 forward facing seats (roof rack and trailer for equipment and baggage). There are a couple of long days of travelling but the vehicles have a comfortable cruising speed. The emphasis of the trip is "getting out and doing things".

Local Payment

• A local payment is required on this safari and this will be collected by the tour leader on departure. This covers a portion of the local operational costs including entrance and park fees. This ensures that a major portion of your tour price goes directly into the country you are visiting, benefiting local communities and contributing to the conservation of the area.

Participation

• An essential part of your OzBus African Safari is participation - An essential part of your OzBus African Safari is participation - from putting up your tent (while camping) or packing away in the morning to helping with meal preparation and cleaning up - it's all part of your adventure and when everyone puts in a little effort the trip will run smoothly. Your tour leaders will do all the meal preparation but we do ask the clients to help with the washing up. Team spirit is part of the fun!

What's Included

• 18 nights cabin / hotels / chalets and 2 nights tented camp in Okavango
• Entrance fees
• Use of equipment (including sleeping bag & pillow)
• Transport in minibus / safari truck & 4WD
• Meals as per itinerary
• Professional guide
• Okavango Delta mokoro excursion

What's Not Included

• International flights
• Sleeping bag and mat on camping trips
• Personal travel insurance
• Visas
• Items of a personal nature
• Optional excursions which are detailed on the trip page
• Restaurant meals and drinks