22 Day Cape Town to Vic Falls Overland Tour
Day 1: Cape Town
You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your tour leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.
With its stunning coastline, dominating mountain and modern cityscape, Cape Town is one of Africa's most appealing cities. With vineyards on its doorstep, adventure activities around every other corner and plenty of restaurants and cafes to while away the time, Cape Town is a very easy city to spend some extra time in.
We stay in a hotel situated in Cape Town's popular, lively and vibrant Kloof Street with a large variety of restaurants, coffee shops, cafe's and bars all within walking distance.
Days 2 & 3: Cape Town, Orange River
This morning we drive to the famous Cape of Good Hope as well as the nearby Cape Point where the two oceans - Atlantic and Indian - meet. Later this day we enter the Western Cape where wheat and fruit farming is abundant.
On day 3, we pass through Namaqualand, famous for its wildflowers that spring up from end July to mid September. Flowers like Daisies, Gazanias and Cinerarias are the most popular. We arrive at the beautiful Orange River, the natural border between South Africa and Namibia. It takes about an hour to exit South Africa and enter Namibia. Later we head for our camp on the banks of this river
Day 4: Fish River Canyon
This morning there is a chance for an optional canoe adventure on the beautiful Orange river - a great way to discover the beauty of this region before we head further west into the desert lands of Namibia towards Fish River Canyon. At 500m (1,640ft) deep and over 160 km (99 miles) long, Fish River Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world. There are remarkable photographic opportunities here, as we take in the sunset orange glows before heading to our campsite.
Days 5 & 6: Sesriem, Sossusvlei
Day 5 is a long driving day as we head towards the fabled dunes of Namibia. Filled with the highest sand dunes on earth, the Namib-Naukluft National Park holds some amazing sights. It's also the oldest desert in the world and we get the chance to appreciate it in all its glory on a sunrise climb to the top of one of its sand dunes.
We wake before dawn on day 6 and scramble to the top of these dunes for a dramatic sunrise view across a vast sea of sand. The colour changes are just incredible! Afterwards we jump in the back of a pickup truck for a trip to Sossusvlei (approx. 30 minutes each way). Here we meet an incredible local with a passion for the desert and all that lives in it, who is dying to show you the hidden amazing mysteries this area contains.
After an early lunch, we break our camp and begin our journey stopping at Solitaire, a unique one shop town, for refreshments. We then head off to our first bush camp of the trip in the desert.
Days 7 & 8: Swakopmund
From the desert, we continue on to the old German colonial town of Swakopmund. It's a short day drive and we hope to be in town for lunch. Swakopmund is a lovely oasis between the desert and the ocean, and there's plenty of adventure activities on offer. We have a full day here to go dune-bashing by quad bike, sand boarding or even skydiving over the town and surrounding desert. Here you can spend lively evenings in the town's many good restaurants and fun bars. Our accommodation here is in bungalows. These accommodate 6 people each and share bathroom facilities.
Days 9 & 10: Spitzkoppe
Experience the sight, sound and smell of thousands of olive-coloured seals on the shores of Cape Cross while travelling up the eerie Atlantic Coast. This is a place to get away from it all and to appreciate the stunning harsh beauty of this sparsely populated country. We hike amongst these spectacular rock formations and visit the ancient bushman paintings they hide.
We bush camp for the night in the midst of this remote region and should witness the breathtaking sunsets and sunrises as the colour of the landscapes take on remarkable oranges and reds. Our bush camp has very limited toilet facilities with a drop toilet and no shower or running water on these nights.
Days 11 & 12: Etosha National Park
Etosha is home to a wide range of Southern Africa's wildlife, including all the big carnivores and five rare or endangered species: Black Rhino, Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Black Faced Impala, Roan Antelope and the tiny Damara Dik Dik. The wildlife is prolific and Etosha has every right to proclaim itself as one of the world's most pre-eminent wildlife areas. Game viewing in the park is relatively easy due to the man-made water holes and the large sparsely vegetated pans. The bushland surrounding the pans is difficult to see through but there are enough clearings, pans and waterholes to make most visits well worthwhile. Namibia has protected its game reserves against poaching and there are large herds of elephant, antelope and other herbivores.
We stay at two different campsites in the park that overlook floodlit waterholes visited by many different species at night
Days 13 &14: San Bushmen Camp
Today we head towards our second bush camp where we spend the night near a bushmen homestead. On the way we will stop to replenish our food supply.
We have the opportunity to go out tracking and gathering with the San bushmen, to spend a night and listen to the stories and songs of these fascinating people, presented in their fascinating and unique 'clicking language'. The Bushmen are the oldest ethnic group in Namibia having inhabited Southern Africa for an estimated 20,000 years. Around 30,000 San live in Namibia, but only 2,000 of them still follow a traditional way of life. The San have a deep understanding of nature and the ecology, living in harmony with their environment. Our bush camp tonight is very basic - drop toilets and no showers.
The following morning we head off to Rundu, our launching pad for our Okavango Delta experience, aiming to arrive at lunch time (320 km, approx. 6 hours). It is a great place to relax and if there is time, to watch traditional dances, go horse riding or simply interact with the locals of the area. We camp at a beautiful & tranquil spot set in lush vegetation on the banks of the Kavango River on the border with Angola.
Days 15 & 16: Okavango Delta
We head north on a straight drive and enter Botswana. Afterwards we drive along the 'Pan Handle' (the narrowest part of the Delta that stretches south until the Delta fans out into the vast swamps of the south) to Seronga where we leave our vehicle and board the dugout styled canoes (mokoros). The polers will steer and guide us to our third bush camp on the trip.
In our small dugout styled canoes we will be poled out into the reed beds of the Delta. Each canoe takes two people and is poled along by a local tribesman through the meandering waterways. Reeds and lily pads line the streams, and birds startled by the mokoros rise out of the long grasses. Punting along, the peace of the Delta may be shattered by the deep grunting of hippos.
This intricate network of channels began life as the Okavango River in Angola. The river finishes its journey as an inland delta unlike anything else in the world and creates 16,000 sq km maze of wetlands. The Delta is formed by the Okavango River, which flows into a basin on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. The river has no outlet from the desert and spreads out into thousands of small streams to form a wilderness that is totally unspoilt. It is a wonderland of meandering clear waterways, green islands, lush plains and prolific wildlife. This ecosystem is filled with a diversity of flora and fauna that includes hippo, crocodile, elephant, and the big cats. However, it is not for the game that we come, as this cannot always be found. The Delta is about exploring one of the world's most fascinating ecosystems.
You will be in the middle of a wilderness area and on the first night out you will camp out on an island away from civilisation.
On day 16 we continue our trip around the delta and then negotiate our way to Umvuvu Camp and unite again with our truck. Our camp for the night has showers and small bar.
Day 17: Bagani Community Camp
Today we re-enter Namibia and, heading back up the Pan Handle of the Delta, we drive to Bagani.
Here we have time to relax away from the rigours of the road a little and take part in the various activities that are available at this charming place. Various boat trips, fishing or hikes are possible from Bagani. Our campsite in Bagani has flush toilets and showers.
Days 18 & 19: Chobe National Park
Bagani to Chobe National Park is quite a long drive; but it is well worth it. We re-enter Botswana at Goma border which is also the gateway to the park.
This massive park is home to an amazing array of animals, especially huge populations of elephants. Our second day here we enjoy an early morning game drive and get up close to the wildlife, hopefully spotting lions, buffaloes, birds and of course elephants. In the afternoon we take a Fish Eagle cruise down the Chobe River- in many ways being on the river is the best way to enjoy the animals of Chobe. Keep an eye out for swimming elephants, a huge variety of bird life as well as hippos wallowing and crocs sunning themselves by the water's edge.
We stay on the outskirts of Chobe near the town of Kasane in a campsite with flush toilets and showers.
Days 20 to 22: Victoria Falls, Livingstone
Moving on from the Chobe, we cross the river by ferry and enter into Zambia. It's only a short drive to the town of Livingstone, located very close to the mighty Victoria Falls. Travel time today excluding the border crossing is 100 km, approx. 3 hours.
While here we experience one of our journey's highlights- a visit to the magnificent Victoria Falls. The falls are an enormous curtain of water, about a mile wide, falling 108m into a narrow chasm below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise up an incredible 400m and the falls are an impressive raging torrent. The spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. It's no wonder the local name Mosi oa Tunya, means the 'smoke that thunders'. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below.
The remainder of our time in Livingstone is free to allow you to participate in some of the many optional activities on offer. There are various activities and excursions to choose from both on the water, on land and high above it all. Choose from white water rafting and canoeing, or go horse riding, abseiling or gorge You could also take a ride in a micro-light, helicopter or small plane for a bird's eye view of the falls.
Our camp ground is centrally located on the Zambezi River only four kilometres from the Falls, the perfect place to use as a base for the vast array of adventure activities on offer in the area. It has ablution blocks, comprising showers and toilets.
There are no activities planned for day 22 and you are able to depart at any time.
Optional excursions
- Harbour Cruises, Cape Town - from ZAR100
- Cycling, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope Cape Town - from ZAR100
- Diving, Cape Town - from ZAR450
- Hiking/Rock Climbing, Table Mountain - from ZAR600
- Abseiling and Kloofing, Cape Town - from ZAR120
- Botanic Gardens, Cape Town - admission free
- Tour of Robben Island, Cape Town - from ZAR75
- Bo-Kaap Museum, Cape Town - ZAR15
- SA National Gallery, Cape Town - US$2
- District Six Museum, Cape Town - US$2
- Table Mountain, Cape Town - from US$30
- South African Museum, Cape Town - US$15
- Canoe trip (3 hours), Orange River - US$35
- Museum, Swakopmund - US$2
- Tandem Skydive, Swakopmund - US$270
- Sand boarding, Swakopmund - US$50
- Seal & Dolphin Cruise, Swakopmund - US$60
- Parasailing, Swakopmund - US$70
- Quad Biking, Swakopmund - US$80
- Hansa Brewery Tours, Swakopmund - Admission free
- Scenic Flight, Swakopmund - US$385
- Balloon flight, Swakopmund - US$150
- Sea Kayaking, Swakopmund - US$85
- Fishing Trip, Swakopmund - US$115
- Camel Riding, Swakopmund - US$15
- Horse Riding, Swakopmund - US$65
- Scenic flight, Okavango Delta - prices vary depending on plane size, and number of passengers.
(All prices are approximate and are subject to change)
