8 weeks participation overland camping safari, starting in Kenya and ending in South Africa and includes the opportunity to visit the gorillas and the mighty Victoria Falls.
Leaving Nairobi we descend into the Great Rift Valley and stop for a couple of nights at Lake Naivasha, well known for its hippo population that come ashore every night to graze. Close by is Hell's Gate National Park where you can hire bikes to take you around the park and see the herds of zebra, buffalo and antelope. There is some spectacular scenery here, red cliffs, grassy plains and rock towers made of hardened lava, the remains of ancient volcanoes. Also on the lake is Elsamere, once the home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of 'Born Free' fame. Elsamere is now the centre of the Born Free Foundation and you can find out more about their work, see the rare colobus monkeys and take afternoon tea in the gardens.
We travel west out of the rift valley towards Uganda . Before leaving Kenya we stop at the town of Kisumu on Lake Victoria . In its heyday it was a bustling port, nowadays Kisumu is much quieter and a pleasant, laid back town to visit.
Travelling past Lake Victoria , we enter Uganda . Jinja is at the source of the River Nile and we can watch it begin its 4000 mile journey north from Lake Victoria through the Owen Falls Dam. Further upriver at Bujagali Falls you can go whitewater rafting on the White Nile's tumultuous rapids or, if you're after a more relaxing time, just sit back and watch the local fishermen glide by in their dug-out canoes.
Week Two Passing through Uganda's capital, Kampala , we head to the west of the country. This hilly region is characterised by terraced fields on steep slopes and we drive slowly up and downhill along the winding gravel roads. As the landscape changes from agriculture to forest, we reach the habitat of the mountain gorilla on the edge of the Ruwenzori Mountains .
In groups of 6 to 8 people with two guides we trek deep into the forest to find one of the gorilla families. The trek is an experience in itself, following your guides as they cut a path through the thick vegetation. The guides track the gorillas almost every day but even so, sometimes it can take several hours to find them. You will be rewarded though by the sight of these human-like giants playing with their young, feeding, grooming and staring curiously back at you. We spend an hour observing these amazing animals - remember to bring plenty of camera film.
As the groups going to the gorillas are small, it takes a couple of days for everyone to do the trek. Whilst others are searching for the great apes, you can take walks around the surrounding countryside or just chill out with a beer and a book. Leaving the slopes of the Ruwenzoris behind, we return to the farmers and their fields. We stop at Lake Bunyoni where local men in their dug-out canoes glide out of the morning mists.
Week Three Kampala is a lively city with plenty of places to eat out or have a beer and the open-air nightclubs are an experience not to be missed.
Back in Kenya we stop at Kembu Camp; a working farm in the old settlers area of Kenya From the camp we visit Lake Nakuru National Park which has the largest herd of black rhino in East Africa , over a million pink flamingos and more than 400 other bird species. 'Nakuru" means 'place of the waterbuck' in Swahili and these antelope abound in the park as well as impala, buffalo and warthog.
We spend two days visiting the Masai Mara Game Park , camping on the edge of the park with frequent forays into the park to spot the wealth of wildlife in this Eden on the plains. The sweeping plains evoke a picture of East Africa that most people hold in their minds and they are rarely disappointed when confronted with the real thing. We are likely to see amongst others, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, buffalo, elephant and of course the big cats - lion, cheetah and if we're lucky, leopard.
En route back to Nairobi we stop at lookouts with some amazing views over the Great Rift Valley.
This nights accommodation doesn't come out of the kitty, so you can choose where you'd like to stay
Week Four Into Tanzania we arrive in Arusha where you take a trip to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, you can wander the markets or take a boat out on to Lake Duluti.
A day's drive from Arusha brings us to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast. Over the centuries trade between Africa and Arabia has resulted in the blending of Arabs and Africans into a beautiful Swahili (coastal) culture with wooden sailing dhows crossing the ocean, coconut plantations and fishing villages with mosques on the beaches.
Week Five South through Tanzania, our route takes us through Mikumi National Park where we may well see giraffe or elephant grazing along the roadside. Crossing the border into Malawi, we soon reach the shores of its huge lake. The campsites and small resorts along Lake Malawi offer sandy beaches, swimming and snorkelling, water skiing or walking in the surrounding countryside. You will also find markets selling beautifully carved Malawi chairs, tables and other souvenirs.
Week Six In Blantyre the capital of Malawi we get visas for the next leg. We enter Mozambique and spend a the day driving through the bush, passing villages, mud huts and small children who wave at us as they tend their herds of cows and goats.
In Zimbabwe we visit the modern capital Harare, then on to Gweru and the Antelope Park. Here is the only place in the world you can walk with lion cubs, also you can swim with elephants and play polo cross.
In Bulawayo town there is Rhodes Matopos National Park, here you can walk near wild white rhino, see bushman rock paintings and see the fantastic view Rhodes grave, the founder of modern Zimbabwe.
Week Seven Finally we reach the Victoria Falls where the Zambezi River plunges 100 metres down a mile wide chasm, creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. The local name for the Falls is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' which means 'the smoke that thunders' and you'll soon find out why. When the river is in full flow, the falling water causes a huge roar and sends a cloud of spray up to 500 metres into the air.
We stay in Victoria Falls Town above the Falls, where there is so much to see and do. Adventure activities abound - you can bungee jump, white water raft, take a Microlite flight above the falls, sky-dive and go game-viewing on horse back. More sedate excursions include canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the Falls, and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Of course, the Victoria Falls themselves are the main attraction and you can walk through the rain forest along the cliff opposite for an excellent view.
Week Eight We cross into Botswana. We travel along the edge of the Kalahari Desert to Maun, a small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta. Maun is also the starting point for the mokoro trip. A mokoro is a traditional dugout canoe and your transport into the Delta. As you glide through the waterways, you will see a fantastic array of wetland wildlife, birds in particular and you are also likely to come across hippos or elephants taking a drink from the shore. You can go on a walking safari to look for giraffe, buffalo and rare antelope such as the sessebe. This overnight stay is a great wilderness experience.
Leaving the Delta behind we head south and cross the border to South Africa. Johannesburg is our final destination where we arrive on the last day of the tour. We take you to a hostel where you can book a dorm or a room, or you can arrange your own accommodation at one of the many other hostels or hotels. There are several operators who run excursions to the surrounding area and further afield to Durban and Cape Town. There is an international airport as well as flight, train and bus connections to other South African cities.
We recommend you make any onward travel arrangements for at least the day after the tour ends. Subject to availability, you can join our connecting tour through Namibia to Cape Town by changing trucks in Maun.
Africa is a very unpredictable continent and it is impossible to pre-plan anything. We do not have a fixed itinerary so please treat the information given as a guideline only. Although our brochure was written in good faith as the time of printing our route may vary at any time due to weather, political or road conditions.
[boldPrice GB £ 990 plus a local payment of GB £ 570 payable on the day of departure to the driver.
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This trip: Nairobi to Johannesburg, with Gorilla watching
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and would recommend their trips, which represented excellent value for money.
The comfy sleeping mats were brilliant, and saved us having to carry separate mats, which would have been far inferior to the thick comfy ones supplied.
The campsites visited were all friendly and welcoming and overall we enjoyed a wonderful trip.
