By Tom Sherlock
Have you often wondered about taking the trip of a lifetime to Africa to see incredible wildlife? Were you put off by the prospect of it being too expensive or too complicated to arrange?
Well, maybe its time to reconsider as there are now numerous packages available for the inexperienced traveler, featuring pre-planned tours that take the worry out of your trip planning.
South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Kenya offer unique game-viewing experiences.
And with the growing number of visitors to these places many other activities are now available including golf, spa, beach and wine tours as well as amazing gourmet experiences.
Soft adventure options in South Africa include scenic drives along the Garden Route, luxury train trips as well as sightseeing trips in Cape Town, Durban and great natural wonders, such as the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
You can choose to travel in your own group or join a group tour and share these experiences with your fellow travelers.
Why not speak to people who know the continent and are experienced in sending people to Eastern and Southern Africa. Contact Tom, our African expert, 604-734-5494 or email him at tsherlock@travelbydesign.ca to find out more.
Its time for your safari (means journey in Swahili) to begin!
DAYS 01 - 03
Lake Nakuru National Park, Game Drive, Lake Naivasha
DAYS 04 - 06
Masai Mara National Reserve, Game Drive, Nairobi
DAYS 07 - 08
Serengeti National Park & Ngorongoro Crater, Game Drives
DAYS 09
Arusha
DAYS 10
Nairobi
Included Highlights
Description:
This comprehensive three week trip begins at the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world and ends in Cape Town, one of the world's most picturesque cities. We go through some incredibly diverse landscapes - tranquil lagoons, arid and hauntingly beautiful deserts, dramatic canyons and richly fertile winelands. Highlights include a boat cruise in the Chobe National Park, camping out in the Okavango Delta, game watching in Etosha National Park and climbing giant sand dunes in Sossusvlei. There are plenty of optional activities to choose from too, from white water rafting on the Zambezi River to quad-biking through the Namib Desert.
Itinerary
DAYS 01 - 03
Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Game Drive (optional), Boat Cruise
DAYS 04 - 10
Maun, Okavango Delta (optional), Kavango River, Etosha National Park, Game Drives
DAYS 11 - 12
Cheetah Park, Spitzkoppe
DAYS 13 - 21
Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft National Park, Fish River Canyon, Orange River, Cederberg Area
Included Highlights
An early morning game drive takes you into the great grasslands of the Masai Mara. The guide stops the vehicle and turns off the engine, and you sit in the midst of the limitless plains, simply scanning the vast horizon around you. Families of elephant graze on the edge of the forest, while a cheetah scans for prey from the top of a jutting termite mound. As far as the eye can see, tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebra graze peacefully on the sweet, new grasses.
The pastel colours of dawn light up the sky as you wake in your ensuite tent in the heart of the Serengeti. Sitting in front of the tent with a steaming hot drink you watch the sun rise in the east as a chorus of birds bursts into song and hyena call in the distance as they make their way back to their dens after a night's hunt. Far off, the thundering hooves of the massed herds stir the dust as the Great Migration moves ever onward.
Swim with the Dolphins
A salt spray gently rises and the silhouette of Mnemba Island slowly recedes as the boat skims over the waves of the Indian Ocean on your way out to a new dive site. Suddenly the sleek shapes of dolphin break the bow waves and, with a shout of delight, you slip into the balmy water to swim among them. The dolphins seem to know you and welcome you back into these indescribably blue waters.
In the Namib Desert, watch the dunes constantly change colour as the sun moves across the sky. As the day draws to a close, the clear desert sky lights up with a multitude of stars. Marvel at the smoky streak of the Milky Way and the bright guiding light of the Southern Cross while you listen to an astronomer tell stories of galaxies a million miles away. The velvet blackness with its blazing diamond stars watches over you through the ample skylight as you settle into bed.
Rivers awaken a special sense of awe and wonder in Africa. In the Okavango a river that never finds the sea flows into a maze of crystal clear channels and creates an oasis in the desert. Dig your toes into the cool river sand as you sit at a table set for a bush brunch on a sandbank in the clear waters of the Delta. Drift down the upper reaches of the Zambezi River at sunset, quietly watching great herds of elephant take their evening bath.
Discover the nocturnal life of Africa on a night drive cheetah on a kill before sunset and lion hunting after sundown, wide-eyed bushbabies and shy civet cats. The unfamiliar noises of the night, from the yipping of a distant jackal to the whooping of a hyena, send a shiver of anticipation down your spine. Coming around a corner, you are unexpectedly greeted by warm smiles and what seems like a thousand lanterns. There, spread out in the semi darkness, is a bush banquet fit for a king.
Walking slowly through the bush in the cool of the earning morning, you watch the reassuring figure of your ranger and listen to his voice as he spins stories about the little things you see how a spider starts its web, why the trees are so tall, and what creatures live here and why. Local legends make you laugh and unforgettable moments like sneaking up close to a rhino on foot take your breath away.
Arrive in Cape Town, imagining the delights of the next few days a walk up Table Mountain in the early morning, a boat ride to Robben Island to remember why forgiveness is such a precious thing or drinking wine in the shade of an oak tree hundreds of years old. Meander down the coast, watching the whales at Hermanus and marvelling at the natural beauty of the Garden Route. Finally, encounter the Big Five at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, a diverse and pristine corner of the Eastern Cape.
Sitting in the middle of an Indian jungle as the afternoon shadows lengthen, your every sense is strained for an alarm call that would indicate a Bengal tiger making its way through the dense vegetation towards you. Langur monkeys, spotted deer, peacocks and jungle fowl all join you in your vigil, alert for the slightest rustle made by the king of beasts.
The hiss of the burner is the only sound as you ascend in a wicker basket beneath a large balloon. As the grey light of dawn coalesces into the colours of the bush, the land below comes to life. A lone giraffe, nibbling on the top of an acacia tree, lifts its face in puzzlement at this unaccustomed intrusion. As you drift on, you catch up with a herd of buffalo, their dark, grunting forms, carrying on their own inner rhythm as you float unnoticed in the African sky.
Wild, adventurous and wonderful. Immense concentrations of wildlife, amazing birdlife, rich and diverse culturesplaces like no where else on earth: Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Masai Mara, Serengeti plains, Murchison Falls - source of the great River Nile, the long, timeless white-sand beaches of Zanzibar East Africa, the home of safari.
Exotic, varied wildlife with almost guaranteed opportunities to see the Big 5 - Rhino, Leopard, Lion, Elephant and Cape Buffalo - plus loads of equally amazing other African creatures, awe-inspiring landscapes and a vibrant mosaic of cultures. A world of adventure and unparalleled travel possibilities await.
