Tour - 23 4 X 4 Safari

South Africa - Botswana - Zimbabwe

Johannesburg - Pretoria - Francistown - Maun - Okavango Delta - Moremi Game Reserve - Chobe National Park - Victoria Falls - Matopos Park - Limpopo - Johannesburg - Soweto - Gold Reef City

     DAY 1 Arrival in Johannesburg, transfer to the hotel, a short rest. Transfer to Pretoria - sightseeing of the city centre with its historical Church Square, the old Parliament building, the Palace of Justice and Paul Kruger's statue. Afterwards we drive past the City Hall and Melrose House. We will also stop at the Union Buildings - the headquarters of the South African government, situated on top of the hill, surrounded by beautiful gardens and offering panoramic view of Pretoria.
Return to Johannesburg. Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

     DAY 2 Early morning departure for Botswana. Crossing the border on Limpopo River, that snakes through the dry land and drive through the Eastern, fertile, rural area of the country to Francistown. This town combines elements of the old and the new and is one of the oldest towns in Botswana and site of Southern Africa's first gold rush. It manages to maintain its character despite being Botswana's second largest urban centre and the "Capital of the North". Born as a gold mining town at the confluence of the Tati and Inchwe rivers, the city and its environs still host major mining interests, along with a variety of other industries, from slaughterhouses to knitwear factories.
Dinner. Overnight at the hotel.

     DAY 3 Drive through Makgadikgadi Pans. The shimmering salt pans of Makgadikgadi and Nxai are believed to be the largest in the world and most of the time appear as glaring, white and endless plains. When the rain comes, you see a dramatic change as the pans come to life with frantically feeding water birds and great herds of game.
Upon arrival in Maun we fly to the Oddballs Camp in Okavango Delta, the greatest jewel in Botswana's tourist crown.
The Okavango Delta is a shifting web of crystal-clear channels, lagoons, sweeping floodplains and palm-studded islands. This magical world is a home to over 450 birds and 1,000 plant species, crocodile, hippo, elephant, buffalo - in fact the full spectrum of African big-game and several species of antelope that are amongst the world's rarest. The Okavango has earned its reputation as one of the world's premier wilderness areas.
Dinner in such surroundings and overnight in stationary tents is a magnificent experience, especially as one can listen to the game stumbling around.

     DAY 4 Full day trail in traditional mokoro canoes through the waterways that stretch out far over the plains and a walk on one of the islands where we have lunch. This trip gives the opportunity to see the Okavango at eye level with it's lush scenery under the cobalt blue sky.
Dinner. Overnight in the tents at Oddballs Camp.

     DAY 5 Flight from Oddballs Camp to Maun and drive to the Moremi Reserve. Moremi covers some 4,871 sq km, on the Eastern section of the Okavango Delta. It is often described as one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Africa; it combines mopane woodland and acacia forests, floodplains and lagoons.
The area sustains permanent population of game and provides some of the best game viewing in the area. Huge herds of antelope, elephants and buffalo can be found alongside the giraffe and red lechwe. Lions are virtually guaranteed and there are plenty of leopard and cheetah. Also the bird watching is superb with waders, kingfishers and darters in the waterways and huge eagles and other birds of prey flying above. One will be taken by beauty of this paradise that weaves its enchantment through hot days and star-filled nights.
Dinner. Overnight in the tents.

     DAY 6 Full day photographic safari in the Moremi Reserve will be an unforgettable experience as the area boats the most diverse natural wilderness in all Africa.
Dinner. Overnight in the tents.

     DAY 7 Drive through the reserve of the Savuti Channel towards Chobe National Park. The Savuti Channel is a legendary wildlife safari region, best known for its large number of African predators. The area we driving through promises sightings of endangered wild dog, which is said to be the most efficient hunter in Africa. Large concentrations of lion follow the annual zebra migration; leopard and cheetah are to be seen. Savuti is also famous for its elephants that roam great distances for the best fodder.
It is difficult to imagine that this harsh dry landscape was once submerged beneath an enormous inland sea. The channel itself is a mystery in that sometimes it flows but is mostly dry and the Hippo-filled River becomes a wide open grassland. Driving through Savuti Channel.
Dinning and overnight in the tents at close with wild animals is the best ever experience of the African wilderness.

     DAY 8 Full day of watching the animals in the Chobe National Park. The park and the riverbanks there have some of the densest concentrations of elephants, zebras and lions anywhere in Africa. The animal migrations provide a fascinating spectacle. The wide Chobe River is the lifeblood of the area and feeds adjacent flood plains much loved by the elephant.
In the evening one will see famous elephant's baths in the Chobe River that provides its nightly spectacle of a classic red globe sunset sinking slowly into the mercury surface. One should make sure to have enough film in a camera at this time of day, as every sunset photo is a stunner! With a little bit of luck elephants can be spotted when they are swimming back to the Chobe National Park in the afternoon from grazing on the lush squelchy grass plains. Seeing only the tip of an elephant trunk as it paddles underwater, then watching this enormous animals emerge from the river, is definitely a wonderful sight.
There is always something amazing to look at while cruising up and down the Chobe River including plenty of vociferous hippos, silent beady-eyed crocodiles and the soaring fish egles crying out the distinctive sound of Africa and over 450 species of birds that have been identified in the region.
The reserve has a wide range of habitats including the mysterious Savuti River that flows and dries out over the ages leaving the geologists scratching their heads! This incredible experience of the Chobe Park will be concluded by dinner and overnight in tents.

     DAY 9 Crossing the border with Zimbabwe. Visit to Victoria Falls that is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and greatest natural spectacles. Declared a World Heritage Site, the falls - and much of the town of the same name - constitute a 23,4km˛ national park, which neighbours onto the 573km˛ Zambezi National Park.
We will view the falls - the stuff of legends, romance and myth - on Zimbabwean side. The local people called this magical place, where mighty Zambezi plunges into a mile-wide ravine, Mosi-oa-Tunya - the "Smoke that Thunders". The spray billowing up from a series of magnificent cataracts, some over 100m high, can be seen 70 km away. The thundering energy of the Falls stays in vivid contrast to the tranquillity of the surrounding wilderness.
Walk on the paths through rain forest, which grows in the arc of the spray, to dozens of view points - each one better then the last, will give incredible opportunity to take magnificent pictures. Visit to the African art market will calm emotions after that experience. Shortly before the dusk we board the houseboat for a cruise to watch one of the most unforgettable sunsets in the world.
Afterwards dinner in boma restaurant as well as traditional dances show and overnight at the hotel/guest house.

     DAY 10 Day for optional activities. Most of the activities depend on a choice of the group members and are not included in the price of the tour. One of the most popular attractions is the white water rafting over the gorges of mighty Zambezi below the falls. The white water rapids offer Grade 5 rapids most of the way. It requires some physical fitness and good team work to survive the pass through the rough waters of the river.
Another hi-adrenaline attraction is a bungi jump from the famous steel bridge joining both sides of Zambezi River on Zimbabwean and Zambian site. One of the highest and most interesting jumps .of its kind in the world. For the less extreme but equally adventurous we have a micro light flight over the stormy waters of the falls and more comfortable helicopter flights. Both giving the most incredible views of the full 1700 meters of the Victoria Falls.
Other activities include: horse and elephant back safaris, jet boating, tandem kayaking, abseil, gorge swing and flying fox. Evening dinner at the boma restaurant with traditional, lively African dances and songs.
Overnight at the hotel/guest house.

     DAY 11 Drive to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) that is the second largest city in the country with a very laid-back air befitting an oasis town on the edge of the Kalahari. Wide tree-lined streets and suburban lawns belie the fact that Botswana is just over the border.
We will visit here the Matopos Park with the Cecil Rhodes' tomb and San (bushman) painted caves. The Matopos area contains some of the most majestic granite scenery in the world, and has great cultural and religious significance. The beauty of the Matopos is that it offers a wide variety of activities to the visitor.
The Matopos Hills comprise an extraordinary collection of huge bare granite hills with gravity-defying boulders scattered all over the countryside to create a quite unique and rather mysterious landscape. The most spectacular areas are within the Matopos National Park. The local Matabele people call it Malindidzimu (the place of ancestor spirits). The national park is famous for its outstanding views, wildlife (especially the Black Eagle) and as the chosen burial place of Cecil Rhodes who named his favourite spot.
Dinner. Overnight at the guest house.

     DAY 12 Crossing the border with South Africa on the Limpopo River and late evening arrival in Johannesburg. Dinner.
Overnight at the hotel.

     DAY 13 Touring the city and drive through Soweto. Famous or notorious, starting about 15 km away from the centre of Johannesburg is home to estimated two million people. Originally there were only temporary living quarters for the mine workers, before Soweto was declared a ghetto for the black population of Johannesburg by the infamous "Urban Areas Act" in 1923.
In the afternoon visit to Gold Reef City - replica of old Johannesburg from the time of "gold rush". The complex consists of numerous museums, restaurants and old buildings in Victorian and Edwardian style. Apart from various shops and entertainment areas (theme park, casino, and African dancing show), a gold pour, an old mint (with modern jewellery) and descent into a gold mine can be experienced.
Transfer to the airport and departure.

Minimum number of participants: 7 people. Safari is organized on the full participation basis: driving the cars, setting up the tents, cleaning and preparing the meals in the camps.

The price includes:
- airport transfers
- transport in air-conditioned cars
- accommodation in tents, hotels, guest houses in double rooms
- breakfasts and dinners
- lunch in Okavango Delta
- entrance fees to the reserves and visited places
- services of a tour guide

The price excludes:
- air tickets to Johannesburg
- lunches (except for one lunch in Okavango Delta)
- cold and alcoholic beverages during the trip
- entry fees to the parks and visited places
- insurance
- visa fees
- optional excursions and activities

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