-
Day 1 Windhoek
Arrive in Windhoek and make your way to the hotel. Attend a pre-departure group meeting with your tour leader scheduled for the evening.
With a population of 230,000, and an altitude of 1654m, Windhoek is the capital of Namibia.
Windhoek was originally the centre of a Nama leader, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, who defeated the Herero inhabitants of the region in the mid 19th century. Windhoek became the seat of colonial rule in 1892, as the capital of the colony of South-West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika). They built a fort that eventually spanned a town that grew under its protection. During World War I, Windhoek was captured by South African troops and became a British dominion. Until the independence of Namibia was inaugurated in 1990, Windhoek was recognized as the capital of South West Africa as administered by the South African government.
The city of Windhoek was traditionally known by two names: Ai-Gams, by the Nama people, which literally refer to the hot springs that were once part of Windhoek, while the second name, Otjomuise, meaning a place of steam, was given by the Herero people. Both traditional names refer to the hot springs. -
Day 2 Kalahari (Ghanzi) (1B)
Today we continue through the eastern part of Namibia and cross into Botswana before travelling into the heart of the Kalahari. Here, we stay at a campsite close to Ghanzi, arriving in later afternoon. Opt for a “bushman walk” after getting settled.
Get a glimpse of how the San tribe adapted to the Kalahari Desert and learn some fascinating wilderness survival skills from these local bushmen. The hunter-gatherer life of the San bushmen has all but disappeared. There are few remaining who still retain the survival skills of their ancient way of life.? During the walk, your local San guides, through an interpreter, will share their rich heritage of accumulated knowledge that makes them masters of this harsh environment. The walk is a slow meander through the bushveld, for about an hour and a half, of not more than four kilometers. In the evening, opt to experience the ancient dance rituals of the San bushmen around the campfire. On special occasions this could be a healing or trance dance, which can continue all night, and is an intense spiritual experience for both participants and visitors alike.
Accommodation here is in traditional-style bushmen huts, made to similar specifications of the real thing. In each hut there are cots with mattresses, lights and mosquito nets. The campground has shared ablutions with flush toilets and note showers. There is also a gift shop and bar area. There is no internet access here.
Approximate distance: 470 km
Estimated travel time: 5 hrs -
Day 3-4 Maun/Okavango Delta (2B, 1L, 1D)
Today we travel along the northern portions of the Kalahari Desert throughout the day – this is a severely arid and barren landscapes, though completely beautiful. After arrival in Maun, the biggest town in the Okavango Delta area, you can pick up any supplies and prepare for your 2-day/1-night journey into the Okavango Delta.
NOTE: If you pre-booked the Okavango Delta Flight, you will be flying today.
Maun is the gateway to the Okavango Delta and enjoys the reputation of being Botswana’s frontier town. Today it is one of the fastest growing towns in Africa. Enjoy a walk through the peaceful hotel grounds, covering 7 hectares and stretches down to the Thamalakane River. (150 species of birds have been spotted to date within the hotel grounds and river frontage to date).
In the evening, a traditional dance group, Dikgantshwane, will perform traditional welcome dances on the poolside terrace. The performance will include an introduction, explanation and meaning of the songs performed.
Main luggage will be stored in Maun and you can travel into the delta with only a small overnight bag. The fantastic 2-day/1-night excursion into the delta begins with a drive in customized safari vehicles for about 1-2 hrs to the “dock” where we hop into a mokoro (a dug-out canoe) that takes us deep into the delta. After a 1-2 hr mokoro trip, arrive to our basic bush camp. For 1.5 days, enjoy game walks, mokoro trips (occasionally unavailable due to seasonality), birdlife and game viewing in the pristine wilderness area of the Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta. In the evenings count the shooting stars, sing with the locals or just unwind and enjoy your sundowner and sit around the campfire.?? The polers will join you around the campfire tonight and usually love to sing with and for you.
Accommodation here is a hotel with en-suite bathrooms. There is air-con, a pool and a restaurant/bar.
Approximate distance: 330 km
Estimated travel time: 5 hrs (including lunch stops) -
Day 5 Nata Area (1B,1D)
Enjoy one last sunrise in the delta before travelling back to Maun by mokoro. We stop in Maun, pick up our luggage, have lunch and continue to Nata.
Our accommodation here are chalets with en-suite bathrooms. There is a pool and restaurant/bar.
Approximate distance: 340 km
Estimated travel time: 3.5 hrs -
Day 6 Chobe Area (1B)
Travel to the area Kasane area outside the gates of Chobe National Park, home to the largest elephant population in Southern Africa. Opt to appreciate one of Botswana’s national parks and its thousands of resident elephants, crocs and hippos on a sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River. There are options here for a casual cruise to enjoy the scenery with a cocktail or a photo-safari by boat, with the opportunity to capture some great shots with instruction, a professional camera and zoom lens. You may also choose to embark on a game drive in search of lions, antelope and, of course, elephants.
We’ll arrive to Kasane around lunch time and the optional cruises start around 3 or 4pm. For anyone looking to do both a boat cruise and a game drive, we recommend the boat cruise the first afternoon and the game drive early the next morning.
Kasane is situated on the banks of the Chobe River, near its mouth. This is where the Chobe and Zambezi rivers meet, creating a border area of four countries – Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ?Chobe National Park is Botswana’s first national park and is situated along the Chobe River. It has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa and one of the world’s last remaining sizeable wilderness areas. By size, this is the third largest park (11,000 sq km) of the country, though it is definitely the most diverse and spectacular. ?The park is probably best known for its spectacular elephant population: with over 120,000 it has the highest elephant concentration of Africa.
Accommodation here has en-suite bathrooms, air-con and a restaurant/bar.
Approximate distance: 500 km
Estimated travel time: 6 hrs -
Day 7 Livingstone (1B)
Cross the Zambezi River by ferry (10 mins) to enter into Zambia and continue (1 hr) to Livingstone. This is a great base to see natural wonders and take part in some adventure activities. Get up close (and wet from the spray) while awing at the immense Victoria Falls, raft the whitewater of the mighty Zambezi and for the more adventurous, bungee jump with the Victoria Falls in view. We will be on the Zambia side of the falls. If you wish to see the falls from the Zimbabwe side, you may have to purchase a double-entry visa to Zambia and will likely need a visa to enter Zimbabwe, as well.
Our accommodation here in Livingstone is right on the waterfront, with a gorgeous setting and easy access to the activities in the area. We’ll be staying in permanent tents on the property- a cluster of 3m x 3m bow tents on raised platforms. Each tent has a small deck in the front and has 2 cot beds, electric light and fan. There are shared ablutions close by. The property offers a central dining area with sun deck overlooking the Zambezi with restaurant and bar, wifi and swimming pool.
There is a G Adventures help desk at reception designed to make any activities you want to book as easy as possible.
Approximate distance: 80 km
Estimated travel time: 3 hrs (depending on border crossing) -
Day 8 Livingstone
Depart at any time.
from $1749.00