Cape Town to Gorillas and Game
Cape Town
Cape Agulhas
Knysna
The Garden Route
Oudtshoorn
Outeniqua Mountains
Addo National Park
Maun
Victoria Falls
Lake Malawi
Kande Beach resort
Mikumi National Park
Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean
Masai Mara National Reserve
Rift Valley
Equator crossing
Kampala
Bujagali Falls on the River Nile
Lake Victoria
Lake Naivasha
Transport whilst on tour
Cooking and camping equipment – tents and mattresses on board
Campsite fees
Services of professional crew
The main sites listed in the trip dossier
Food – 2 meals a day whilst traveling (breakfast and dinner)
International flight transfers and taxes
Pre and Post tour Accommodation (can be arranged at time of booking)
Lunches & meals out in town
Items listed in ‘Optional activities’ section
Items of a personal nature & spending money
Travel Insurance and Visas
Local Tour Payment
Included in the Trip Price & Local Payment - The tour cost and local payment includes transport in a fully equipped expedition vehicle, road taxes and tolls, services of the driver-leader, use of camping and cooking equipment, campsite fees, entrance to gameparks as specified and two meals a day while on the truck. So in towns or places where the vehicle will be parked up, although the kitchen will be available for you to cook with, food during this time will not come out of the Local Payment. Generally at lunchtimes we eat at small cafes or restaurants where you can try cheap and tasty local food. If no local food is available we eat on the truck.
Local Payment - Payable in £ English Pounds Sterling cash but you can pay in $US dollars or Euros cash at the current cross exchange rate on date of departure, check with the driver for the rate. Please pay this to the driver on departure. Travellers cheques, cards, Scottish Pounds or other forms of payment are not accepted.
Not included in the Trip Price and Local Payment - The price does not include flights, visas, side trips, lunches and meals out. There are a number of optional side trips that you can choose from and pay for on the route.
Optional activities and side trips are paid for en-route. Please see the OPTIONAL ACTIVITY PAGE for a full list of what is available en-route
We see the gorillas in either; Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo. The Gorilla Permits are payable on the spot and can only be paid in US dollars cash. The cost of the permit is approx: $500 payable directly to the park authorities. There is also a small charge to get up to the gorilla viewing area. The price of the gorilla permits often changes without notice. Seeing the gorillas may involve you having to get extra visas on the borders, this changes with each trip and each different place or country we see them.
The options for seeing these parks are either (1) an overnight trip to Ngorongoro Crater or (2) a two night trip to both Serengeti Park and Ngorongoro Crater. The Serengeti can only be reached by twice passing through Ngorongoro Crater. To do this trip we arrange to hire 4x4 vehicles from Arusha to the parks and back. While in the region it is well worth seeing both parks; they are the best wildlife parks in the world. The side trip is a bit expensive, though most of the charges goes towards park entrance fees and therefore to park upkeep and anti poaching. The Tanzanian Park Authority continually changes or raises their entry fees with short notice so prices can increase.
There are times when we will have some long drives in order to cover big distances, but on most days that we travel, we only move for half the day. The African landscape and people you pass are never boring and most find it hard to put their head down and read whilst on the road, for fear of missing something. Most evenings we pull into camp and you and your tent partner will put up your tent, then either relax with a cool drink, or get involved in a local activity. Breakfast is usually cereal, toast, tea, and coffee, with the occasional cooked breakfast. Lunch, if we eat on the truck is cold.
Camping
Tents are provided and all have sewn in floors and mosquito netting. You will need to bring a sleeping bag & sleep sheet. Get a cheap mosquito net in Africa if you want to sleep outside of your tent. If you start your trip in Nairobi or South Africa you can buy camping gear at the local department stores. All campsites have good ablution facilities & bars, and some have restaurants, shops and internet facilities. About half the campsites have upgrades to hut or cabins for an extra charge.
Participation
Participation
is essential. A successful and smooth tour depends very much on
everyone taking part in the duties that arise i.e. cooking, vehicle
cleaning and food shopping. With this in mind your crew will organize
groups on a rotating roster. The most successful tours are those where
everyone becomes involved as much as possible. These are not luxury
tours, so join in! In the end the more you put in the more you get out.
Spending Money
For side trips and visas you need $US cash. Not having enough US$ cash is normally the biggest spending money problem people face on the trip. The problem is that though cash is handy, you could lose it. For general spending £10 - £30 ($15-$45) a day is a good start excluding side trips. This depends on how much you drink, eat out and the souvenirs you buy. The safest way to bring money is 1/3 cash in US$, 1/3 Travellers cheques in either US$ or £ English Sterling (but not Scottish) or Euros and 1/3 in money on your credit card.
Travellers cheques are accepted in Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana & Zambia) but harder to change in East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania & Malawi)
Credit cards - bring at least two credit/debit cards as one might be rejected by the cash machine. Tell your bank before you travel to stop them blocking your card. In East and Southern Africa ATM machines are available about every three days. Visa credit and debit cards are better than MasterCard/American Express/ Maestro/Cirrus for acceptability.
Security in General - Take a money belt that fits under your shirt. Do not wear a bum bag around your waist, or a money belt that hangs from your neck. In certain problem areas a passenger roster will be drawn up to guard the vehicle during the day. Don’t take non essential items of value. If you lose your passport or travellers cheques it is not always possible for the expedition to wait for you. We take no responsibility for such or for any belongings
On most borders you can change excess left over currency for the next country's money.
Money Gram and Western Union - If you’re concerned about carrying cash and knowing the pain travelers cheques are to cash get someone to MoneyGram or Western Union funds to you as you travel on your trips. On their websites are the locations of their offices in Africa. MoneyGram International - moneygram.com or Western Union - westernunion.com
Side trips & optional excursions - Are paid for on the spot. All side trip prices are approximate and can change without notice.
Group Size
The average number of passengers on an Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18,
with a maximum of 30 and minimum of 8.
We can book pre tour accommodation at our departure hotel/hostel for you if you provide us with your arrival details. You will need to pay for your room upon arrival. Post tour accommodation can be booked en-route with the help of your crew.
This tour departs from the Ashanti Lodge:
11 Hof Street, Gardens
8001, Cape Town
South Africa,
el: (+27-21) 423 8721
http://www.ashanti.co.za
If you would like to stay at the Ashanti Lodge, please
book on line through the above link.
Room Rates
Dorm Bed - R140 to R150 per night
Single Room - R3500 to R400 per night
Twin/Double Room - R510 to R550 per night
Triple Room - R765 to R825 per night
En-suite - R600 to R700 per night
*Prices are subject to change
If you arrive at the airport or bus station between 8.30am and 4pm they offer a free pick-up service (subject to availability). It is not a "meet-and-greet" service but all you have to do is call them on 021 423 8721 when you arrive and they will send their driver out to collect you. If you are arriving outside of those hours, then let them know your flight details and they will arrange for the Backpacker Bus to collect you (costs vary).
Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with 5 clear pages, 20 for the Trans Africa. If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com
AFRICA – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – visas are required by most nationalities, but for most these can be obtained on entry. Or if preferred you can get them from your local embassy before you travel. Botswana, Namibia and South Africa – visas are not required by most passport holders.
TRANS AFRICA – Visas needed for most countries. These we normally get on route.
For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ . For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com