Highlights

• • Victoria Falls - A natural wonder of the world & adventure activities
• • Caprivi - Game drive
• • Etosha NP - game viewing from camp & on drives
• • Brandberg - rock paintings
• • Swakopmund - dune boarding & quad biking
• • Namib Desert - walk Sossusvlei dunes
• • Kalahari - bush walk with San Bushman
• • Okavango Delta - mokoro excursion and bush walks
• • Chobe NP - sunset boat cruise on Chobe River

ITINERARY

Livingstone

The group will meet in Livingstone, in Zambia, at 14:00. We have 2 days to explore Victoria Falls, a natural wonder of the world, plunging into the Zambezi Gorge. Adventure activities abound, white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi, or an 111m bungi jump (own expense).

Includes: Entrance to see the Victoria Falls
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities, hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant & bar.
Optional Activities: White water rafting, sunset cruises, elephant back safaris, scenic flights & many more.

Caprivi

Heading out of Livingstone we cross at Sesheke into the Caprivi, a narrow strip of Namibian land that extends between Angola, Zambia and Botswana. An abundance of large rivers attracts a variety of animals and birds and we have 2 days to explore this remote and beautiful region

Includes: Entrance fees & game drives
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, restaurant, bar & swimming pool

Rundu

After a morning enjoying the abundant birdlife that surrounds the camp, our road takes us directly west along the Kavango River. Villages of grass huts and local wooden crafts and carvings a common sight. We stop for the night at our riverside camp in Rundu with a spectacular sunset.

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park, "the great white place of dry water", in the game rich north west corner of Namibia offers a variety of wildlife. We take game drives around the huge dry pan to find the elephants, herds of antelope and lions round the waterholes before we camp at Namutoni and Okaukuejo with its flood-lit waterhole. (Subject to animal movements we may use any of the 3 camps in Etosha.)

Includes: Entrance fees to Fish Etosha National Park, morning & afternoon game drives
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, restaurant, bar, swimming pool & shop
Optional Activities: Night game drive in National Park game viewing vehicle

Ugab Wilderness

Our next stop is the Brandberg where we camp next to the dry Ugab River bed, home to the rare desert elephants. We explore the mountains on foot with our local guides, who lead us through this region adorned with rock art including the "White Lady".

Includes: Guided walk to view San rock art
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, bar, swimming pool & telephone

Spitzkop

Our journey covers some beautiful desert landscapes as we move south towards the huge granite domes that rise out of the desert at Spitzkoppe. We set up camp at the foot of these massive domes, and take a walk to explore the area. The silence and wide open spaces add to the mystery and we enjoy a magnificent sunset.

Includes: Entrance to Spitskop
Overnight: Campsite - basic ablution facilities

Swakopmund

We cross flat open plains to the coastline where we visit the Cape Cross seal colony. Further south is the coastal town of Swakopmund. Day free to explore the town or try quad biking / dune boarding (own expense). We enjoy evening restaurant meals (own expense).

Includes: Entrance to Cape Cross seal colony
Overnight: Chalets - twin rooms with en-suite facilities & restaurant.
Optional Activities: Quad biking, Sand boarding, Skydiving, Ocean canoe safari, Scenic flights & many more

Namib Desert

The Lunar landscapes surround the town of Swakopmund and we visit these as we leave and head into the Namib Desert with it's towering red sand dunes. 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: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, shop.

Windhoek

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 the heart of the Kalahari. We take a walk with the local San Bushmen to learn fascinating bush skills.

Includes: Nature walk with local San bushman and translator
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, swimming in old quarry

Okavango Delta

We camp in Maun for a night in preparation before journeying deep into the Okavango Delta on Makoro (dugouts) - an experience not to be missed. We camp wild on remote islands for 2 nights and enjoy bush walks, swimming and the birdlife in this pristine wilderness area.

Includes: Entrance to Okavango Delta, morning and afternoon game walks with local guides
Overnight: Maun: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant & bar, 2 nights Okavango Delta: Wild camping - basic camping facilities, with bucket showers
Optional Activities: Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta (+/-USD70-90 pp depending on number of people in each aircraft)

Makgadikgadi Pans

Feel the vastness of Africa under a big sky sunset. After the rains the pans fill with water and attract thousands of water birds and herds of zebra, wildebeest and springbok.

Includes: Entrance fees to Makgadikgadi Pans
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant & bar

Chobe National Park

We turn north through the Chobe Forest Reserve to Kasane where we set up camp. Chobe NP is famous for large herds of elephant and buffalo. Our afternoon is spent on an exciting wildlife boat cruise in the Chobe NP.

Includes: Sunset game viewing boat cruise on the Chobe River
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities with hot showers, restaurant & bar & telephone

Zambia / Victoria Falls

This morning we transfer to Livingstone where tour ends at +/- 12:00 noon.

Special Interest:

Namibia has a rich ancient rock art heritage. Our local guide in the Brandberg Tsiseb conservancy lands, will lead us on a walk to view the White Lady rock painting. It is usually assumed that the painting shows a ritual dance, and that the "White Lady" is actually a medicine man

Sustainable Tourism:

In the Ugab wilderness region we camp at the White Lady Lodge campsite. A partnership was signed in 2003 and the community benefit through employment and a percentage of the income of the lodge. There are also other spin-offs such as the sale of firewood to the lodge.

Accommodation

• Camping - for 15 nights on safari we stay at designated campsites in national parks, on private land and in towns. Campsite facilities are generally very good but in places can be basic. There are hot and cold showers, restaurants, washing facilities and telephones available at most of the campsites. Some camps in Namibia and Botswana have simple reed enclosures for showers but do have flush toilets! We supply all the camping equipment with the exception of your sleeping bag and pillow. The dome tents we use are 2.2 x 2.2 x 1.8 metres and putting them up or down takes only 5 minutes. Tents have built-in insect nets. We supply mattresses, which are about 5 cm thick, warm and comfortable. The camp chairs have a backrest.
• Wild camping - for 2 nights while in the Okavango Delta we camp wild on remote islands. During the dry season we may also camp wild for 1 night on the Makgadikgadi Pans. Wild camps have no facilities; we will need to take our own water and all equipment. Wild camping is very enjoyable but please remember that we leave no trace of our stay and take all rubbish away with us. Toilets will be of the "dig and bury" variety.
• Guest house, Dunedin Star - 2 nights in Swakopmund we stay in guest house in town. Basic twin rooms and two bedrooms share one bathroom.
• Guest house, Roof of Africa - 1 night in Windhoek we stay in a guest house. We may have twin or double rooms all with shared facilities. The guest house is central and convenient.

Transport

• On foot - easy to moderate walks throughout the tour - Victoria Falls, Ugab Spitzkoppe, Sossusvlei, Kalahari & Okavango Delta. 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 vehicles - The transfer into the delta is also with an open 4WD 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 - 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

• 3 nights in guest house twin room en suite & 17 nights camping
• Entrance fees
• Use of camping equipment (except sleeping bags & pillows)
• 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