Colours of Africa 11 days Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Johannesburg

Activities:

• On arrival in Johannesburg you’ll be met at the Arrivals Information Desk (at the international terminal) and transferred to your hotel, where you’ll have the rest of the day to settle in and spend at your leisure.
• Please note, this is just an arrival day, but your accommodation tonight is covered and has already been booked for you.

Day 2: Timbavati Game Reserve (Greater Kruger National Park)

Travel time: approx. 6 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• We’ll meet our guide between 7.00am and 7.30am before we head off on our journey.
• When we arrive at Timbavati Game Reserve, part of Greater Kruger National Park, we’ll enjoy a late lunch at the delightful bush camp.
• Once we’ve settled into our accommodation, we’ll go on a late afternoon/early evening game drive for our first chance to glimpse the local wildlife. A pre-dinner drink will await us on our return, served under the stars around a blazing fire in an open-air boma.
• A sumptuous South African dinner awaits us in the intimate dining area of the camp. This is a private camp and our overnight accommodation is in comfortable chalets, complete with en suite facilities.
• Optional activity: A very special feature of this camp is the tree house. About two kilometres away from the main camp, the tree house overlooks a watering hole. The camp staff will set up your bedding so you can spend a night among the tree tops (please note there are no bathroom facilities). You will be dropped off at the tree house after dinner and collected in the morning, before the game drive. For peace of mind, you’ll have a two-way radio so you can stay in touch with camp staff. You’ll also get a spotlight so you spot any thirsty wildlife coming to drink at the waterhole overnight. The tree house experience is offered at no extra cost, but must be booked in advance. It is also dependent on weather, therefore not guaranteed.

Day 3-4: Timbavati Game Reserve (Greater Kruger National Park)

Travel time: two safaris per day - times variable

Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

Activities:

• Two full days in the reserve allows for morning and afternoon wildlife activities, with time for relaxing back at camp during the warmer middle hours of the day. As well as game drives, we also offer a walking safari accompanied by a highly experienced, armed guide. This is a fascinating and unique way to experience the African bush.
• We depart with our local resident guides on morning and afternoon drives in open 4WD vehicles, searching for zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and a variety of antelope. We may see elephant, buffalo and, hopefully, some of the predators too. There’s a good chance of seeing all of the 'Big Five', including the endangered rhinoceros.
• On the afternoon game drive, a “sundowner” drink is usually served before our return to camp. On the drive back to camp we use spotlights, to try and catch a glimpse of some of the many nocturnal animals that are seldom seen during the day.

Day 5: Blyde River Canyon - Hazyview

Travel time: approx. 8 hours including sightseeing excursions

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Activities:

• This morning we leave Timbavati behind and travel to the nearby Blyde River Canyon area. This is the largest green canyon in the world and our drive offers spectacular views of the breathtaking gorge from different vantage points.
• We stop at the Three Rondavels viewpoint, explore Bourke's Luck Potholes and peer out through God's Window, before checking into our cosy private guesthouse near Hazyview where we’ll enjoy a delicious sunset dinner.

Day 6: Johannesburg

Travel time: approx. 4½ hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

• After checking out of our guesthouse we make our way to Johannesburg. We’ll stop for lunch along the way (purchased at your own expense). We think you’ll enjoy sampling the local cuisine! We expect to arrive at the Metcourt Laurel Hotel Johannesburg by mid-afternoon.
• Please note your local tour leader will not be continuing on with you to Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park. In Vic Falls you will be met by a tour representative and escorted to your included activities. A local guide will join you at Vic Falls National Park and local specialist wildlife guides will escort you on your game drives in Chobe National Park.

Day 7: Victoria Falls

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Activities:

• This morning you take the courtesy airport shuttle from your hotel to Johannesburg International Airport for your flight to Victoria Falls. The shuttle service departs from the hotel at 20 minute intervals (flight not included).
• You’ll be greeted on arrival at Victoria Falls and transferred to your guesthouse. Please note, you need to organise this flight prior to going on the tour and provide us with your flight details when you start your tour.
• The rest of the afternoon can be spent at your leisure. Explore the town or book any optional tours or activities you want to do through local agents.
• Tonight we’ll experience an incredible meal and musical performance at the Boma Restaurant. The mouth-watering main course is a buffet of local meats, which may include warthog, buffalo, crocodile, impala and more. Throughout the meal we'll be entertained with local song and dance, where everyone will be given an African drum and encouraged to join the party!
• Please note, if you don’t wish to join in with the drumming you can choose an earlier session for dinner. Alternatively, you can be transferred to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, for a “sundowner” drink at their outdoor bar overlooking a waterhole. From there you’ll be transferred the short distance to the Boma for dinner.

Day 8: Victoria Falls

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

• Today your time in Victoria Falls is all your own. In addition to visiting the falls, there are lots of exhilarating activities you can partake in including canoeing and inflatable kayaking along the upper Zambezi (well above the falls!), white-water rafting beneath the falls (along the lower section of the river) and morning or afternoon game drives or walks in Zambezi National Park.
• During your stay you may choose to take a spectacular helicopter flight over the falls and the Zambezi Gorges - a truly stunning and unique way of taking in the region in its full glory.
• Alternatively, a great range of curio and craft shops provide a pleasant distraction for those seeking a less vigorous kind of day!
• Details of optional activities are set out in these trip notes and can be booked through our local operator.

Day 9: Chobe National Park

Travel time: approx. 2 hours not including time at border; game drive times variable

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• This morning we’ll be taken on a guided tour of Victoria Falls. US$30 entry fee is payable at the National Park gate which must be paid in cash (These are Zimbabwean Government Regulations. Please try to ensure you have the correct money and that the notes are not issued prior to the year 2000.)
• Once inside the park, your guide will take you through the falls area, stopping at viewpoints along the way to tell you about the history of the falls and its surroundings.
• After returning from the tour, we’ll check out of the guesthouse. We’ll be collected by our Botswana operators at 10.30am and transferred west along the Zambezi Valley road to Kazangula - a travelling time of about 50 minutes on a sealed road. Here we complete border formalities and cross into Botswana. Please bring your passport and sufficient US dollars to purchase a new Zimbabwe visa, if necessary, when returning!
• From there, it’s just a short drive to Chobe Safari Lodge, which is situated on the riverfront outside of the National Park. After settling in and enjoying lunch, there’ll be time to relax until mid-afternoon when we’ll take a game drive in the park.
• We’ll almost certainly see elephants drinking at the waters' edge – and keep your eyes open for the park’s large herds of buffalo too!
• We return to the lodge for dinner just after dusk. Chobe Safari Lodge is a delightful lodge offering various styles of accommodation. We usually use the rondavels - comfortable individual circular thatched units with private facilities and balconies. The lodge is situated on the southern bank of the mighty Chobe River, bordering the national park. Its bar is a great place to enjoy a drink at the end of the day and dinner is often served outside with a smorgasbord of options. The lodge pool is a great place to cool off and relax during the warmer part of the day.

Day 10: Chobe National Park

Travel time: Game drive times variable

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

• A full day is planned with an early morning game drive, relaxation back at the lodge during the heat of the day and a mid-afternoon boat trip out on the river.
• The bird life on the river can be truly spectacular with sightings of saddle-billed storks, malachite kingfishers, fish eagles, goliath herons and beautiful bee-eaters. There are good hippopotamus numbers in the river too and, you might even spot a crocodile on the riverbanks - although they are surprisingly shy!

Day 11: Victoria Falls

Travel time: approx. 2 hours not including time at border

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

• We’ll enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge before we’re collected at 8am for a transfer back to either Victoria Falls township or Victoria Falls Airport, where our tour ends on arrival at around 10am.
• Please do not book a flight departing from Victoria Falls before 12pm. Additional accommodation and transfers can be pre-booked, (at additional costs), if you would like to extend your stay in Victoria Falls.