Grand Adventurer - Overland Trip

Accommodation

Camping based trip

Kitty Notes

2 meals per day (on average), all accommodation & transport and some activities - contact us for full details.

Itineraries (Nairobi - Johannesburg)

Our trip begins with a short drive north from Nairobi into Africa\'s greatest natural feature, The Great Rift Valley. Our journey takes us into the valley where we visit Lake Naivasha. We camp near the lakeshore where Hippos sometimes feed at night! Here you can also walk to Elsamere, the house of Joy Adamson of Elsa the Lion and Born Free fame, and enjoy a film of her life - and cream teas! You can also hire mountain bikes and cycle or walk through Hells Gate National Park - the only game reserve in Kenya in which you are allowed to walk. Or for a less active but equably enjoyable game viewing experience visit the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. Both offer excellent scenery & opportunities to spot hyrax, abundant bird & plant life along with several types of gazelle, impala and eland.From here a mountainous drive through the spectacular Nandi Hills brings us to our next stop at Eldoret. The following morning, we cross into Uganda and continue onto Kampala, the capital, where we have a free day to spend in local cafes and nightspots, there is also the opportunity to spend the day visiting a local Chimpanzee Sanctuary and rehabilitation centre on one of the islands on Lake Victoria. We then continue west through patches of forest and green fertile countryside and pass a number of small towns and villages along the way where we can see local crafts people at work. We usually have a lunch stop at one of the roadside stalls selling fresh rotisserie meat and vegetables. We also stop at the spot where our route crosses the equator.

Next is the Virunga range of volcanic mountains and the rainforests on these mountain slopes are home to several families of Mountain Gorillas. Getting up close to these amazing creatures is a truly humbling experience and one of the highlights of the trip. We will visit the gorillas in either Uganda or Rwanda. If we view them from Uganda there is the opportunity to paddle out onto Lake Bunyoni in canoes and visit some of the nearby islands or hire mountain bikes to visit nearby villages & schools. From Rwanda there is also the chance to visit the genocide museum in Kigali, which is a moving and interesting experience.

We then return to Kampala and camp near Jinja. We spend the following three nights at Bujagali Falls, just downstream from the source of the Nile. This is a spectacular area, and a superb place to go whitewater rafting. We can also go quad biking or visit a local school. Ending the first stage of our tour and our travel in Uganda, we re-enter Kenya and travel to Lake Nakuru National Park. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake and our game drives here allow us to see its world famous flock of almost a million Pink Flamingos, as well as a wide variety of wildlife including, Black Rhino, Hippo, Lion, Leopard, Hyena and Giraffe. Note: Departures in August & September will visit the Maasai Mara Game Reserve instead of Lake Nakuru Nat. Park giving the opportunity to view the amazing spectacle of the Wildebeest migration.

A half-day drive brings us back to Nairobi for a day, where we visit a Giraffe Centre and where there is also an option to visit an Elephant Orphanage, before continuing south towards Tanzania we stop at the town of Arusha from where we use a local safari company to guide us through Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Parks. On the crater floor you can spend the day viewing wildlife including Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, White Rhino, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile and Pink Flamingos. From here you can choose to go into the Serengeti for a day, where vast herds of Wildebeest roam the plains. There is also the option, for those who wish to visit a local Maasai Village and learn about their culture and way of life.It\'s a one-day drive to Dar Es Salaam, passing a number of small towns and villages along the way and, if we are lucky, we may see the towering peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. We camp for about 4 nights in a campsite on a beautiful Indian Ocean beach. From here most people take the ferry out to Zanzibar for the full four days and venture into the narrow bustling streets of Stone Town and its exotic spice markets, old slave forts and dungeons. There is also time to relax on Zanzibar\'s famous white beaches.

After Zanzibar we begin our journey through the interesting and often mountainous hinterland of Tanzania. We pass through the peaceful national park of Mikumi where it is possible to see Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope from the roadside. Passing rivers and small waterfalls we enter Malawi, which is dominated by its huge fresh water lake. We spend several days at small laid back campsites on the edge of the lake. Most people choose to relax on the sandy beaches or try their hand at snorkelling or windsurfing as we follow the lakeshore south. Leaving the lake we continue to Blantyre in the south of the country, where we stop for two nights and organise our Mozambique visas.

From Blantyre we cross the border and begin the next stretch of our travel in Mozambique. We follow the infamous \'Tete Corridor\' which was well known in the days of Mozambique\'s long running civil war as the \'Gun Run\'. Thankfully these days things are a lot different! We enter Zimbabwe and travel to Gweru where we visit a privately run horse and game ranch where you can go game viewing on elephant and horseback. There is also the chance to go walking with lion cubs which is always a great highlight.

From Gweru we travel to The Great Zimbabwe Ruins, once the greatest medieval city in Sub-Saharan Africa and from where the name Zimbabwe is derived, literally meaning \'house of stone\'. Next we head for Bulawayo where you have the option of leaving the truck for a day and use a local safari company to venture into Motobo National Park, where you may well see the elusive Black Rhino amongst hordes of other game. There is also the opportunity to visit Cecil Rhodes\'s grave and Ancient Rock Paintings before catching an old style sleeper train (if available) to rejoin the truck at one of the adventure playgrounds of the world - Victoria Falls.

For some Mosi oa Tunya \'The Smoke That Thunders\' is the highlight of their trip. There is something here for everyone, from grade 5 white water rafting and canoe trips, the Flight of Angels or a Sunset Cruise, to one of the world\'s highest commercial Bungee Jumps, plus jet boating, gorge swings, abseiling and a whole lot more!After your adrenaline has been spent we head into Botswana and Chobe National Park is our first stop, where it is possible to take a cruise on the Chobe River - a less intrusive way to view its wildlife, particularly its hordes of elephants. From here we then organise our trip into the Okavango Delta. You will have the chance to go on a Mokoro (dug out canoe) and explore the extensive waterways of this unique desert wetland as well as take several game walks where Elephants, Crocodile and Hippo are often seen.

Heading west, we cross into Namibia and travel towards Etosha National Park, recognised as one of the world\'s greatest wildlife viewing areas and where we can game watch by night at one of the floodlit watering holes. From Etosha we visit a local Cheetah Park before continuing on to the Brandenberg Mountains in Demaraland and the Skeleton Coast. We then visit either the stunning Spitzkoppe Rock formations or the world famous Cape Cross Seal Colony where thousands of these mammals - and their accompanying odour pervade the coastline, before making our way to Swakopmund where we spend three days. You now have the choice of a load of activities to indulge in, including quad biking, dune sledding, deep sea fishing for shark and other game fish, horse riding and a desert flight.

A one day drive takes us to the Namib-Naukluft Park, a vast expanse of desert which contains some of the highest sand dunes in the world. At Sossusvlei we stop and explore the area and the dunes. Continuing south we enter the semi-desert, until we arrive at one of Africa\'s most sensational natural features, Fish River Canyon. We camp next to this massive gorge for two days, where you can hike and soak up the sun and fabulous scenery. A couple of hours drive away we cross the Orange River and enter South Africa. Near Stellenbosch we visit one of the historic Cape Wineries before reaching the exciting and vibrant city of Cape Town.Those on the 73 day trip finish here in Cape Town.

There is plenty to here in Cape Town and we spend three days here to experience some of them. From taking a cable car up Table Mountain to abseiling down it, shark diving (in cages), a day trip to Robben Island, Whale watching, winery tours, great shopping and nightlife plus a whole lot more!!We then head for the most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas. Here the warm Indian Ocean and the cooler Atlantic Ocean meet, and from August to November Southern Right and Humpback Whales maybe spotted along the coast. From Cape Agulhas we travel inland and camp for the first night close to the picturesque town of Swellendam, one of South Africa\'s oldest settlements with tree lines streets and white washed Cape Dutch homesteads. Then its through the Outeniqua Mountains to the Little Karoo. We visit the Cango Caves recognised as amongst the worlds finest network of Calcite caves. The bizarre formations of Stalagmites and Stalactites represent over a million years of slow formation. We also visit an Ostrich farm to learn more about the worlds largest bird. The Ostrich has been around for 8 million years and a feather was actually discovered in King Tutankhamuns tomb. 97% of the worlds population of Ostrichs lives in the Karoo and here we will have the opportunity to ride one!

We spend two days winding our way along South Africa\'s famous Garden Route and there is a wealth of things to see and do. We travel through the popular resort of Knysna, located on a tranquil lagoon that is protected from the sea by two enourmous cliffs known as \'the heads\'. We visit the Tsitsikamma Forest, where you will be able to hike along the coast and view the crashing waves at the mouth of the scenic Storms River, and maybe spot dolphins and whales in the ocean. Optional excursions in this region include mountain biking, black water tubing, and the mother of all bungee jumps at Bloakrans Bridge - the biggest jump in the world at 216 metres.From the Garden Route we continue along the coast and stop at South Africa\'s surfing mecca, Jeffrey\'s Bay, home to the international surfing championships and world renowned supertubes. In the afternoon we reach Addo Elephant National Park which has recently been extended to include part of the coast and is now home to the BIG 7 - lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, buffalo, whale and shark! On our game drive we hope to spot some of the many elephant that the park is famous for, which are the most southerly population in Africa. We then drive to the beautiful and remote Wild Coast, an area of rolling grasslands stretching from East London to KwaZulu Natal. Once a former black homeland during the days of Apartheid, the inhabitants are mainly Xhosa people who herd their goats and cattle across the endless pastureland and live in rural settlements of brightly painted kraals. Previously neglected by tourism, it is isolated and wild with great coastal scenery and swathes of long empty beaches. Along the rocky coastline are the skeletons of sunken ships, which bear testament to a region that has sunk more ships than anywhere else in Africa. We enjoy 2 nights next to the Indian Ocean, and lazily explore the shell strewn beaches, lagoons and forests.

From the Wild Coast we have a long day\'s drive north and out of South Africa into the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Often referred to as \'the kingdom in the sky\'. This little country is completely surrounded by South Africa and is covered by mountains from 1000m to 3000m high. The scenery here is tremendous and the mountain air crisp and fresh and we will see Lesotho\'s horsemen dressed in their blankets and gumboots trotting around the hillsides. We spend two nights at Malealea Lodge, Lesotho\'s most famous countryside retreat tucked up high in the mountains. Here there are isolated waterfalls, cool rock pools ideal for swimming, and peaceful hikes in the surrounding hills. This is also a great place to try pony trekking, even if you have never been on a horse before, and the best way to enjoy the scenery is from a sure footed Lesotho pony. Today we drive through the lowlands of Lesotho and visit Thabo Bosiu with a local guide (time & weather permitting). This mountain stonghold was the home of Chief Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation. We continue through Lesotho\'s tiny capital Maseru, and re-enter South Africa near Fouriesburg. We spend the night camping in the Golden Gate National Park on the edge of the Drakensburg Mountains. This is an area of massive sandstone rock formations and the park gets its name from the green grasslands, caves and cliffs set against a backdrop of golden rocks that are illuminated to their best at sunset. During the summer months the grasslands are full of wild flowers.Continuing into KwaZulu Natal we enter the Drakensburg Mountains where we spend the next couple of days exploring the Royal Natal National Park, a dramatic region of the Drakensburg beneath the famous Amphitheatre - a massive wall of rock with over 4kms of sheer cliff face. Here you will have the opportunity to climb to the Tugela Falls, a hike that includes an ascent by chain ladder, to view the Tugela River as it plunges over the edge of the amphitheatre wall dropping some 800 metres below. The Drakensburg Mountains are known by the Zulu as the \'barrier of spears, and are today a UNESCO world heritage sight for their outstanding natural beauty. Johannesburg was built on the gold rush, and has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in the world. We arrive here in the afternoon and our final night is in a backpackers lodge. Although Jo\'burg is changing slowly many of the old apartheid divisions still exist, especially in the urban spread where poorer areas are home to the black population and the richer suburbs home to mainly white people. There is plenty to do and see in Jo\'burg. A \'must do\' activity is a tour of Soweto, where in this sprawling township, modern African culture is at its most vibrant and intense and you can visit one of the local shabeens (pubs), talk to local families and drop into the former home of Nelson Mandela. You can also visit the powerful apartheid museum, take a tour down a 700ft goldmine at Gold Reef City or visit South African breweries.There is also the option of a 3 day safari to the Kruger National Park it covers about 24,000 sq km, larger than some countries, with a huge variety of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species as well as the BIG 5 - leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. You explore on game drives during the day and camp at the park\'s rest camps where there is the opportunity to join an optional night game drive with the Kruger\'s rangers with a spot light to view the shyer nocturnal creatures. If you are lucky you may spot leopard! Most meals, all accomodation, entrance fees and transport is provided.