Northbound Explorer

Tour Itinerary 

Week 1:            Accommodation:

Leaving Johannesburg we head north up through Pretoria to Martins Drift where we cross into Botswana. Heading across the Nxai Pan, we come to Maun where we can go in the Okavango Delta for a true wilderness experience, before heading up to the Chobe National Park for game drives and a river boat cruise. Crossing the Zambezi by Ferry, we arrive in Zambia to see the mighty Victoria Falls; locally called Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke That Thunders, when the river is in full flow you will understand why.

Day 1 - Leaving Johannesburg we head to Botswana over the border to Palapye where we camp the night. This day includes the border crossing, so passports at the ready.

Day 2 – Next day on to Maun, a dusty outpost community and the centre for the Okavango Delta which is on the edges of the Kalahari Desert, to prepare for the wilderness experience to come.

Day 3 – For the trip into the Delta pack; an overnight bag, food, cooking and camping equipment and you’re off. A short truck ride to the dugout canoes, called Mokoros and you punt out into the delta along reed lined waterways. The guides find an island for the night and set up camp. For those not going into the Delta; relax by the pool, visit town or go to the crocodile farm.

Day 4 – Up early and it’s off walking with the guide, a unique chance to see game on foot; elephants, herds of grazing zebra and pods of hippos.

Day 5 – Try learning how to pole your mokoro, or try to catch a catfish, the guides make it look so easy. A last swim in the clear water before heading back to the truck and campsite for a shower and cold drinks.

Day 6 – An early start and a stunning drive through arid land. One turn to the left and the country becomes lush and forested as we approach Chobe River; a river cruise, excellent for game viewing is highly recommended.

Day 7 – Today we take the ferry across the Zambezi River into Zambia and short drive to Livingstone town by the splendid Victoria Falls.

Week 2:            Accommodation:

You can also join the trip here in Victoria Falls. We spend a few days in Livingstone, a town where you can blend in, and soak up the culture of a busy town.. There is an interesting Museum and a large curio market beside the Falls. From here we head up to Lake Kariba where you have the option of spending two nights on a houseboat. Here the chef cooks the food and we can relax and go fishing for the famous Tiger Fish. Then we spend a night in Lusaka at a game farm where zebra and giraffe walk through the campsite.

Day 8 – We spend the day at the Falls; white water rafting, Bungy jumping, gorge swings, booze cruises, fishing, good restaurants, curio markets to get you bartering.

Day 9 – A second day at the Falls.

Day 10 – We head north through sugar plantations to the capital Lusaka to shop and camp.

Day 11 – Along the Great East Road to Chipata, a full days drive.

Day 12 – A 4 hour drive on dirt roads to South Luangwa Valley on the edge of the Luangwa River, the afternoon been spent under the trees in the camp watching the animals in the park. The park is well worth the visit; recent trips have seen; wild dogs, leopards, lions, and buffalo. The road up to South Luangwa Valley is dirt and the park is part of vast swamp system, generally from January up to March as the road is flooded we can’t get in until the water recedes and the road is rebuild and graded. In these times we spend more time at the Falls and on Lake Malawi.

Day 13 – Game driving in South Luangwa Valley Park.

Day 14 – We cross the border into Malawi to the capital city Lilongwe.

Week 3:            Accommodation:

We travel up the Great North Road to Shiwa House and Kapishya Hot Springs where Sir Stuart Gore-Browne built a stylish English manor house in the heart of the Zambian bush, and we can relax in the hot springs, which produce water at a constant 40 C. From the hot springs we enter Tanzania near Mbeya, a bustling little market town before heading down into the impressive Baobab Valley. We pass Mikumi National Park and onto Dar es Salaam, where we see the Indian Ocean, before catching the ferry to Zanzibar Island.

Day 15 – A stunning drive to Lake Malawi, past the lake shore to Kande Beach Resort.

Day 16 – Kande Beach Resort A full day on the beach to do as little or as much as you want. Loads of things to do - scuba diving, horse riding, canoeing, sailing, snorkelling. The lake is home to over 500 different types of colourful Cyclid fish.

Day 17 – A short drive up the lakeshore to Chitimba Beach, on the base of Livingstonia escarpment.

Day 18 – An early start in order to get to the border with Tanzania and head up to Iringa and the Farmhouse Campsite.

Day 19 – The highway takes us through Mikumi National Park, famous for its pygmy elephants, and buffalo beside the main road. The day t ends at Dar es Salaam on a beach with the Indian Ocean lapping the shore.

Day 20 – You can take the ferry to the Spice Island of Zanzibar. First stop in Stone Town or Zanzibar City, then make your way across the island to Nungwe village on the northern Beaches – a tropical island at its best. 

Week 4:            Accommodation:

In Zanzibar we can wander through the streets of Stone Town and explore the many wonders of the town, which had electricity ahead of London before heading up to the Northern Coast for the beautiful white sandy beaches. Then back to Dar es Salaam for a night before heading north. In Arusha we hire Land rovers to visit the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.  From Arusha we then head up to Kenya, crossing the Athi Plains, where you should glimpse Mount Kilimanjaro.  We finish in Nairobi in Karen, a suburb named after Karen Blixen who first settled there.

Day 21 – Zanzibar Island

Day 22 – Zanzibar Island

Day 23 – Return to Dar es Salaam by ferry.

Day 24 – An early start thru town before the traffic starts and inland and north skirting the base of snowy Mount Kilimanjaro to Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital.

Day 25 - 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.

Day 26 - Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater

Day 27 – Return to Arusha late in the day to Snake Park Camp site

Day 28 – From Arusha we head north across Masai country to Namanga; the border of Kenya, and across the plains to the leafy suburb of Karen on the outskirts of Nairobi the end our tour.