Delta, Dunes & Falls (Reverse)

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Day to Day Itinerary

Day 1: Cape Town

Accommodation: Cape Milner Hotel or similar, Cape Town

Activities:

• Today is arrival day in Cape Town. On arrival, you'll be met at the airport and transferred to your accommodation, where you'll meet the rest of your group. The rest of the day will be spent at your leisure.
• There is so much to see and do here, we recommend booking a couple of extra nights before your trip starts so you can explore the city in depth. Highly-recommended excursions include catching the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain, taking the ferry across to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, and a day trip down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope peninsula.

Day 2-3: Cederberg - Fish River Canyon

Travel time: Approx 3 hours on Day 2 and approx 7 hours on Day 3

Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Canyon Lodge or similar, Fish River Canyon

Activities:

• Heading north, we stop 70 kilometres northwest of Cape Town in Khwa ttu, a cultural centre showcasing the unique customs and traditions of the San "bushemen" people who are considered the original indigenous people of southern Africa.
• After lunch we'll continue on to the dramatic mountains of the Cederberg range. Laden with citrus farms, Cederberg is also the highest wine-growing region in the country and, if time permits, we may sample some of the local wines. In the early days of spring after the desert rains have fallen, the Cederberg range is an explosion of colour with the onset of the annual wildflower season (August and September only).
• As the landscape becomes more rugged we wind our way across a mountainous plateau to reach the Gariep River, which marks the border between Namibia and South Africa
• Crossing into Namibia we reach our destination at Fish River Canyon. Nearly 30 kilometres across and 160 kilometres in length, it is reportedly the second largest (and one of the least visited) canyons in the world. We walk along the rim and, in the late afternoon, watch the canyon walls change colour, as they become tinged with golden rays from the setting sun.

Day 4-5: Namib-Naukluft National Park

Travel time: approx 8 hours; travelling time for excursion variable

Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

Accommodation: Desert Camp or similar, Sesreim

Activities:

• This morning we descend into the Namib-Naukluft Valley at the southernmost edge of the dune fields. Enjoy the stunning scenery with the grassy savannah dotted with free roaming wildlife such as springbok, oryx and ostrich. We reach our lodge in the late afternoon, in time to settle in and enjoy the sunset.
• We rise at dawn on Day 5 to head towards Sossusvlei taking in the breathtaking orange-blazed brilliance of the immense dunes as the dawn light first strikes their slopes.
• Later in the morning we walk into Sossusvlei, which is the end of an ancient riverbed. Depending on how energetic you feel, you’ll have the chance to climb Dune 45 and take in the expansive views from its peak.
• This afternoon we visit nearby Sesriem Gorge - a small, but fascinating area where the desert strata has been cut away by the force of occasional floodwaters over thousands of years. A trip out to Elim Dune is the perfect way to bring our Namib-Naukluft National Park experience to a close.
• Our lodge accommodation tonight offers tranquillity, silence and solitude and spectacular views over the vast plains of the Namib Desert

Day 6-7: Swakopmund

Travel time: approx 6 hours

Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch

Accommodation: Hotel Zum Kaiser or similar, Swakopmund

Activities:

• We travel through the Namib Desert and head northwest towards the Atlantic Ocean coastline of Namibia through wonderfully varied and colourful landscapes.
• We leave the dune fields behind to experience more mountain desert vistas, particularly spectacular as we traverse the Kuiseb Canyon. We then re-enter the Namib Desert, as we travel towards the Skeleton Coast and the seaside holiday town of Swakopmund.
• Along the way we stop at Walvis Bay to take in the bird life including the stunning flamingo population.
• Our lodge accommodation is within walking distance of the town's many attractions. Your time in Swakopmund will be at your leisure to explore this beautiful coastal town. Stroll along the beach, browse the many and varied shops, barter for souvenirs in the open-air curio market, visit the excellent local museum or get nautical at the Namibian National Marine Aquarium. There are also a number of optional activities that can be arranged (at additional cost).

Day 8: Cape Cross - Khorixas

Travel time: approx 7 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch

Accommodation: Igowati Lodge or similar, Twyfelfontein

Activities:

• Today we continue north to Cape Cross, on the southern end of the Skeleton Coast. Cape Cross is a huge breeding site for Cape fur seals. With numbers reaching up to 100,000, it makes for an incredible sight and sometimes an incredible smell, especially if the winds are blowing the wrong way!
• Leaving Cape Cross we turn inland across the gravel plains of the Namib Desert, and head north into Damaraland, an incredibly picturesque region where prehistoric water courses merged with open plains, grasslands, massive granite koppies and distant mountains to carve out a unique landscape. The area is also home to several free roaming species including desert elephant, black rhinoceros, ostrich and springbok.
• On arrival at the great rock amphitheatre of Twyfelfontein, we stop to view the UNESCO World Heritage listed rock engravings and imagine what life might have been like here thousands of years ago. An astonishing 2000 figures are engraved here, some dating back to the early Stone Age.
• From here we continue a short distance to Khorixas, the capital of the region.

Day 9: Himba Village - Otjitotongwe - Gelbingen

Travel time: approx 5 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Gelbingen Guest Farm or similar, Gelbingen

Activities:

• Leaving Khorixas we continue north to visit the Himba village and its people.
• Descendants of Herero herders, they are semi-nomadic people who are unique in rejecting modern ways in favour of traditional ways of life.

Day 10-12: Etosha National Park

Travel time: approx 4 hours; game drive times variable

Meals included: 3 breakfasts, 1 lunch

Accommodation: Okaukuejo Chalets or similar, Etosha

Activities:

• In the morning, we can make the optional visit to Kamanjab, to the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park. Many cheetahs are being persecuted by farmers in Namibia because they pose a threat to livestock, and this centre helps protect them and provide them with a home. We may also get a very close-up encounter with the lodge's resident tame cheetah!
• We then continue to Etosha, Namibia's largest and best known national park and the third largest wildlife sanctuary in the world. The Etosha Pan (the word 'pan' meaning either a wet or dry waterhole) that forms about a third of the park is a vast shallow depression 139 kilometres long and 50 kilometres wide, and is all that remains of a once great inland sea. Most of it is dry for much of the year, resulting in a shimmering sea of white salt. However, a number of permanent springs located along its southern shores provide sustenance for the many wild animals that are attracted to the springs. During our stay, we hope to see wildebeest, zebra, springbok, kudu, giraffe, jackal, elephant and, with a little luck, lion, leopard, hyena or perhaps even a cheetah or two!
• Upon arrival into the park, we check into our bungalow accommodation before taking a short game drive before sunset. We spend three nights here, exploring the many regions of the park and staying in its rest camps. Each camp has floodlit waterholes to ensure continuous game viewing.
• Enjoy included breakfasts at the camp restaurants, with lunches and dinners free for you to organise. You may choose to dine in the restaurants within the camp. Alternatively, there are small local shops that sell groceries at each of the camps - get together with your group to prepare a meal together or simply ask your guide to help recommend somewhere to eat.

The usual routine at Etosha involves waking up a little before dawn to start our morning game drive, as this is often one of the most productive times of the day. We return to camp for brunch and relax during the heat of the day. Alternatively you may wish to take a swim or spend some time at the waterhole before the next drive. We set off again in the afternoon and expect to return to a little before sunset, before enjoying supper and going out to view the star-filled night sky.

Day 13: Divundu

Travel time: approx 8 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Nkwazi Lodge or similar, Rundu

Activities:

• Today we leave Etosha and drive to the town of Divundu in the northernmost region of Namibia. On our way, we cross the Red Line, a veterinary disease checkpoint that also represents a divide between the developed southern part of the country and the northern traditional part of the country. Along the way we stop at small villages to see the local woodcarvers in action, with the opportunity to pick up a few souvenirs.
• We arrive at our accommodation in the late afternoon, in time to explore the area on foot and enjoy a ‘sundowner’ drink in the unique desert wetland.

Day 14-15: Okavango Delta

Travel time: approx 4 hours not including time at border

Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners

Accommodation: Delta Boathouse or similar, Okavango Delta

Activities:

• Today we drive through the Kavango Region to the border at Muhembo, where we enter Botswana. After completing immigration formalities we continue southward along the edge of the Okavango Delta to Sepupa, where we turn off the main road and on to the sandy river paths that take us to the edge of the Okavango River. The contrast between the arid country that we’ve been travelling through over the past day and a half and the lush and green riverine setting is quite remarkable.
• At Sepupa we transfer to motorboats to travel along the upper reaches of the Okavango Delta system to our home for the next two nights, a houseboat in the middle of the Okavango Delta. From our floating home we have the chance to experience the myriad waterways in traditional dugout canoes (mokoros).
• In the afternoon we return to our houseboat to witness the often breathtaking sunset.

Day 16: Kwando River - Mudumu National Park Region

Travel time: approx 7 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Namushasha Lodge or similar, Mudumu National Park

Activities:

• This morning we make our way back from the houseboat to our vehicle on the riverbank and retrace our path to the Muhembo border, where we re-enter Namibia. We then travel east along the Caprivi Strip, a 500 kilometre narrow finger of land that connects Namibia with the Zambezi River.
• Midway along this strip we stop to spend a night at our lodge just outside the Mudumu National Park.
• This afternoon you can take part in activities offered by the lodge including boating, fishing, bird watching or joining a guided game drive or game walk. In this subtropical region we get the opportunity to spot species that are rare in other parts of Namibia, such as hippo, sable antelope, lechwe, tsessebe and buffalo.

Day 17: Chobe National Park

Travel time: approx 3.5 hours

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Thebe Safari Lodge or similar, Chobe National Park

Activities:

• This morning we leave Namibia behind and head for Chobe National Park in Botswana. In the afternoon we’ll take a breathtaking cruise on the Chobe River, ideal for spotting bird life such as saddle-billed storks, malachite kingfishers, fish eagles and beautiful bee-eaters as well as hippos, crocodiles and families of elephants drinking at the river’s edge.
• We spend the night in a mobile camp inside Chobe National Park itself to experience this African nature wonderland at night, long after all the day-trippers have left.

Day 18: Chobe National Park - Victoria Falls

Travel time: approx 2 hours; game drive times variable

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge or similar, Vic Falls

Activities:

• We enjoy an early morning game drive in Chobe National Park, where we may see elephants drinking at the waters' edge. The park also boasts large herds of cape buffaloes. Please note that a visit to Chobe National Park itself is not a complete wilderness experience. We are sure to see other people, boats and vehicles but we’re also sure to see wildlife that can be the equal of anything anywhere in Africa.
• We then cross the border into Zimbabwe and continue to the town of Victoria Falls - our final destination. After completing the passport formalities we drive to the main centre of Vic Falls and check into our boutique lodge. Ideally situated in the centre of town, the lodge is also one of the closest to the falls.
• After arrival in Victoria Falls and transfer to your lodge, the afternoon’s free to enjoy some of the activities Vic Falls is known for.
• Optional activities include canoeing, inflatable kayaking along the upper Zambezi, white-water rafting, morning and afternoon game drives or walks in the Zambezi National Park. Or you might choose to enjoy a jaw-dropping helicopter flight over the Falls and the Zambezi Gorges.
• What better way to end your African adventure than with a superb feast? Tonight we'll share an incredible dinner 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 is given an African drum and encouraged to join the party.

Please note that if you don’t wish to join in with the drumming you may wish to choose an earlier session for dinner. An alternative suggestion for the evening is to be transferred earlier to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge to enjoy a 'sundowner' drink at their unique outdoor bar that overlooks a waterhole.

Day 19: Victoria Falls

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Accommodation: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge or similar, Vic Falls

Activities:

• Our adventure comes to an end on Day 19 after a morning visit to magnificent Victoria Falls, which was named by the famous Dr David Livingstone. These magnificent falls are considered one of the natural wonders of the world and, when in full flow, form the largest sheet of falling water.

Additional nights' accommodation can be booked in advance in order to spend more time in this exquisite area. Our local guide can help you to organise any of the optional activities available.

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Your Trip

Extend your holiday

Many of our trips have extensions which can easily be added to the end of your existing itinerary:

PFCX - Cape Town Extension
PFVX - Vic Falls Extension

What's Included

Not Included

Optional Extras

We have chosen some great optional activities to enhance your travel experience. You will need to cover any additional costs yourself. For group trips, speak to your leader if you are interested in any of the following:

• Swakopmund - Dolphin cruise
  NA$450
• Victoria Falls - Entry to the falls
  US$30
• Victoria Falls - Full-day white water rafting
  US$140pp (+US$10 for park fees to be paid at check in point)
• Victoria Falls - Half-day elephant back safari
  US$120

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Important Information

Sometimes the going on this trip is quite tough, the distances covered fairly large and some of the roads and tracks are not exactly smooth, or free from dust, but the rewards are exceptional. We endeavour to make things as comfortable as possible, by travelling in a custom-built safari vehicle with large windows for exceptional game viewing and staying in local guesthouses, lodges and hotels.

About this Information

The information provided here is given in good faith and has been compiled with all reasonable care. However, things change and some of the information may become out of date. Please keep this in mind when you read it and check with us if you want to be sure about something. The document was correct at time of printing, but you can check online for the most up to date version.  If you have any queries, please contact your travel agent or our staff in Australia. We are here to help you!

Last Updated

18 December 2012

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