Experience the best of Southern African game parks & last great wilderness areas in a small group expedition in extra comfort and innovative facilities, a photographer's dream!
Travel from Victoria Falls (Livingstone - Zambia) to Cape Town through some of the most beautiful landscapes and wildlife areas that Africa has to offer. With a maximum of 16 persons in our custom built full size expedition truck giving you over a metre of legroom at each seat you can sit back, relax and soak up the incredible sights and sounds from the Victoria Falls to the Okavango Delta and Namib Desert.
We provide the services of an expert photographer and digital download facility on all our overland tours, a unique feature making us stand out from the others!
Integrated photographic workshops and tutorials for those clients that have an interest in obtaining more memorable images than just snaps while on tour. As part of our crew we have a photographically knowledgeable guide who will provide these throughout the duration of your tour with us. Even if you are not a keen photographer we are sure that you will bring some sort of camera to Africa and therefore be in a position to capture memorable photos with us even with a point and shoot camera.
Photographic tips covered include: How a Camera Works: Exposure: What is exposure value? We look at how a camera captures a photograph at the correct exposure and investigate the impact of hi and low key scenes Shutter: What is shutter speed and its impact on taking photos? Using a tripod we experiment with effects gained by the use of different shutter speeds. Aperture: What is aperture and its impact on taking photos, we look at depth of field, techniques and application ISO: What and when to use? We talk about noise and low light scenes. Composition : Rule of thirds: Basic principles of composition and subject placement considerations when using a grid. Leading lines: How leading lines can be found and using them effectively in your composition. Focal points: Finding and choosing your focal point to create a photo with impact. Framing: What you should consider when framing a shot and different techniques. Point of view: Adjusting your point of view to create a different moods. Techniques : Lighting: Different lighting situations, their impact on the subject and how to tackle them. Metering: The different metering modes, how they work and how to use each one. Flash: use of fill flash and adjusting flash output. White balance: colour temperature and how to customise your white balance. Capturing a moment : Colour theory: contrasting and complimentary colours and their impact on taking photos. Story telling: more than a photo, we look at what your photo is telling the viewer using the techniques learnt on the course. Themes & moods: Looking at the emotional impact of a photograph. Types of photography: Macro the small things in life. Landscape capturing that desert landscape or dramatic sky. Wildlife Capturing the wildlife of Africa Portraiture The people we meet along the way. Travel history, culture and ambiance Gear : Lenses. Camera Bodies. Storage. Throughout the trip location specific workshops take place, focusing on night photography, abstract photography, panoramas, sunset/sunrise photos, textures, silhouettes, etc.
Tour price includes all highlights (inclusive activities worth £720), all ground transport except Zanzibar, all road tolls and vehicle taxes, camping and cooking equipment and services of 3 crew.
Local Payment - US$850 - Local Payment covers all food (3 meals a day, - provided by our now legendary Kenyan Cook) and camping fees/accommodation for the whole tour. This is payable to the tourleader at the start of the tour in US dollars only.
ITINERARY
Day 1-3 Starting at the Victoria Falls in Zambia, the Southern Cross allows you the opportunity over a few days to choose any number of adrenaline activities on offer, including a sunset cruise on the Zambezi and a chance to visit one of the seven natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls. CAMPSITE
Day 4-5 Leaving the Falls we enter Botswana and spend two nights camped on the banks of the Chobe River. We take a morning game drive into the Chobe National Park and then spend the afternoon on the river with a sunset game cruise. CAMPSITE
Day 6 The following day we head for Maun, spending the night just outside town. Relax for the afternoon or get a different perspective of the vast inland Okavango Delta waterway from a small aircraft. (flight optional) CAMPSITE
Day 7-9 We then head north to the town of Etsha where we begin our Delta experience. This is the panhandle of the Okavango region. Transfer with 4x4 truck and motorboats. CAMPSITE
Day 10 Driving north to Namibia we spend the night in a beautiful campsite on the banks of the Kavango river. CAMPSITE
Day 11-13 We head west to Etosha National Park spending the next 3 days game driving in the park. In the evenings you can sit at the floodlit water holes and watch the "nightlife". Game drive in Etosha. CAMPSITE
Day 14 After Etosha we head to a local cheetah conservation project, where you have the opportunity to interact with these special mammals. CAMPSITE
Day 15 - 16 Heading to the northern most part of Namibia on the border with Angola we spend the next two nights at Epupa Falls created by the Kunene River and visit the unique Himba people. CAMPSITE
Day17 Today our destination is a campsite near the Twyfelfontein Rock engravings, which we will also visit. CAMPSITE
Day 18 A short drive takes us to the Brandberg, Namibias highest mountain. Here we bush camp for the night. The views are spectacular, and we also walk into the mountain reserve to visit the famous white lady bushman painting. CAMPSITE
Day 19-21 Next morning we continue to the coast to visit the Cape Cross seal colony, then on to the old German town of Swakopmund where there are more adrenaline pumping activities on offer. Spend the day enjoying the activities that Swakopmund has to offer. Explore this colonial town, with its Germanic architecture. BUNGALOW ACCOMMODATION
Day 22-23 The next morning we travel to the dramatic red sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert. Arriving in the Namib Desert area we spend one night at Sesriem which is the jump off point for the Sossusvlei area. Watch the sunrise over the dunes and explore the Sossusvlei area for several hours. That afternoon we stay at a desert camp on a private farm and take a tour to see how the original San (bushmen) used to live. CAMPSITE
Day 24 - 25 Our next stop is the Fish River Canyon. We spend one night here and view the sunset while having a drink on the canyon's rim. A few hours travel the next day brings us to a lush campsite on the banks of the Orange River. Take a short canoe trip down the Orange river. CAMPSITE
Day 26 We head into South Africa today camping our final night at an operating wine farm a few hours outside of Cape Town. Spend the evening tasting wines from the Olifants River Valley region (own expense). CAMPSITE
Day 27 Arrival in Cape Town. TOUR ENDS ON ARRIVAL IN CAPE TOWN
Included highlights: Zambezi Sunset cruise Victoria Falls National Park entry Chobe National Park entry - game drive and boat cruise 3-night/4-day trip to Okavango Delta Etosha National Park entry and game drives Cheetah Conservation project Himba Tribe Twyfelfontein rock engravings Brandberg - White Lady Cape Cross Seal Colony Namib Desert - Sossusvlei dunes Transfer Guide desert Tour Fish River Canyon Park entry
Not Included: Activities at Victoria Falls. Flight over Okavango Delta. Activities at Swakopmund Orange River Canoe Wine Tasting Visas, travel insurance, vaccinations, flights, airport taxes, sleeping bag, items of a personal nature, curios and alcohol.
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This trip: Vic Falls to Cape Town - Photographic & Comfort
Rating:
rating 9/10
Comment:
Great trip for an introduction to Africa. I am not a seasoned camper, so it takes a while to get used to it. Food was great, and the people on the tour were a good mix of seasoned travellers mostly in their 30's, however one couple in their 50's fit in just perfectly.
Sometimes the trip was more about "the group" and the setup/ activities required with setting up camp each day, and not enough time doing activities. Overall, I would recommend this trip and especially the truck, as it was the most comfortable overland truck out there ( lots of legroom).
Would recommend people bring their own mosquito nets and self inflating sleeping pads, and at least $500 USD in cash, as the ATM's in Botswana and Zambia only accept Visa-linked bankcards.
2
Client:
Jo Woodcock - from United Kingdom
Trip:
This trip: Vic Falls to Cape Town - Photographic & Comfort
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
We certainly did have a very enjoyable and most memorable holiday.
There were several reasons we booked with this operator: there was a cook who was part of the crew - we didn't mind helping with meals but didn't want to be responsible for shopping and cooking, as is the case with several other companies; the truck looked amazingly spacious, compared to others, and we liked the limited size of the group - 16 max but in fact we were only a group of 11 the itinerary covered several places we particularly wanted to see, including the Okavango Delta, Etosha game park and the Namibian desert
Joe was an amazing cook, producing gourmet meals on two gas burners and a camp fire, often including puddings! (His roast pumpkin with coconut and mushroom sauce had to be experienced to be believed!) And even though we did have to help with the cooking once every four days, this mainly consisted of chopping and stirring, so was never onerous.
The truck was indeed very spacious - we had ample leg room plus a large, very deep, locker in front of us for daysacks, cameras etc. on which we could also stretch our legs. The seats were reclining coach seats and we had two large windows so were amazingly comfortable. There were also overhead hatches for game park viewing but being a small person (5' 2") I only tried this once - they're fine if you're a few inches taller than that!
Our itinerary fulfilled all our expectations and provided some unexpected treasures, e.g. the afternoon spent in a Himba village. There were also optional tours available along the way which were not hugely expensive and provided even more variety - we opted for a flight over the Okavango Delta, a dolphin cruise out of Swakopmund (during which we saw a humpback whale) and an afternoon tour of the township just outside Swakopmund, which gave us another little glimpse of a very different way of life.
So to sum up: We were extremely pleased with our Southern Cross tour. The itinerary was varied and amazingly interesting, providing us with a highlight almost every day. We loved the big blue truck which offered spacious accommodation on driving days, with personal lockers (including a safe), reclining seats and ample leg room. Tents were roomy, easy to erect and dismantle, and thick foam mats made comfortable beds.
Three ample meals were provided each day, often including a cooked breakfast, fresh fruit was always available and dinners were gourmet standard every night, always with fresh vegetables and often followed by irresistible puddings.
Our guide, as well as being extremely knowledgeable and helpful, was also an expert photographer, and ran workshops on the bus on how to take the best African photographs. I don't think I'd have returned with quite as many brilliant photographs were it not for his input. We'd happily travel with them again.
3
Client:
Charlotte DiGregory - from United States
Trip:
This trip: Vic Falls to Cape Town - Photographic & Comfort
Rating:
rating 10/10
Comment:
My experience was great.
The staff, equipment, truck, food and itinerary were the best on the road. I'm looking forward to another trip.
