Southern Africa - 35 days

Drifters Price: £610.00

RRP: £650.00

Trip Code: AFTSA

Local Payment: £195.00

We leave the camp at 8am on the first day of the trip. We recommend you arrive in Nairobi at least the day before, however if you're there with a few days to spare there's lots to see and do around the city. Close to the camp is the National Museum, there are markets in and around Nairobi or you can venture further afield to Karen Blixen's house, Langata Giraffe Centre or even Nairobi National Park for a first glimpse of African wildlife.

WEEK ONE

We head south to Namanga and cross the border to Tanzania. We arrive in Arusha where you can take a side trip to the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. The trip is camping for two nights in the parks amidst the animals. If you choose not to visit the park you can wander the markets in Arusha town.

This area is the home of the Masaai and we will undoubtedly come across tribesmen and women selling their distinctive beaded jewellery or inviting you to take photographs, for a small fee.

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 TWO

From Dar es Salaam you can take the ferry to Zanzibar Island. Here is the old stone capital of the Omani Sultanate, sandy beaches, spice tours, snorkelling, diving and trips to other nearby islands.  Zanzibar is a fascinating place to visit and you can stay for 3 or 4 days to take it all in. South through Tanzania, our route takes us through Mikumi National Park where we may well see giraffe or elephant grazing along the roadside.

WEEK THREE

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.

In Blantyre, the economic 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 FOUR -

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 in Zimbabwe 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 FIVE

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.

After this we leave the truck where a transfer takes us to the last night of the trip in the City of Johannesburg.  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 this was written in good faith as the time of printing our route may vary at any time due to weather, political or road conditions.

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