African Odyssey

On arrival in Cape Town, be met and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a Welcome Reception tonight.

Hotel: Southern Sun Waterfront Hotel, 3 nights

Discover the breathtaking Cape Peninsula during a full-day tour. This scenic journey takes you along Chapman’s Peak Drive to Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The most south-westerly tip of Africa, Cape Point is covered in endemic fynbos and home to bays, beaches and rolling green hills and valleys. Stop for a light lunch then watch the penguins totter along the shoreline at Boulders Beach. Continue to historic Simon’s Town for some time to wander at your leisure. Named after Simon Van Der Stel, an early governor of the Dutch settlement, who arrived in the Cape in 1679, Simon’s Town is South Africa’s third oldest settlement. Van Der Stel chose it as a safe alternative to the stormy Cape coast during winter. Tonight, back in Cape Town, partake in the art of African drumming before enjoying a delicious Welcome Dinner of Cape Malay cuisine.

Travel through the Karoo region onwards to Oudtshoorn. Arrive at your hotel for a dinner of regional produce, including ostrich.

Hotel: Surval Boutique Olive Estate

Today, discover the subterranean formations of the Cango Caves. Come face-to-face with Africa’s enormous flightless birds as you tour an ostrich farm. Enjoy the chance to feed an ostrich by hand and see examples of the bird world’s largest eggs. Then follow the curves of the Garden Route to Knysna. Straddling the southern coast of South Africa, the 300-kilometre-long Garden Route takes its name from the stunning and ecologically diverse vegetation that typifies the region. Travel through grasslands, wetlands, forests and mountainous regions, passing the numerous lagoons, lakes and rivers that dot the coastline. In Knysna, enjoy the afternoon at your leisure.

Hotel: Protea Hotel Knysna Quays, nights

Continue along the Garden Route. Visit Monkeyland Primate Reserve. Gain first-hand insight into the conservation principles adopted at this sanctuary, which is also the world’s first free roaming multi-species primate sanctuary. Later, continue along the Storms River Mouth in Tsitsikamma National Park. Then journey through the coastal reserve of Tsitsikamma Forest on the way to Port Elizabeth, one of South Africa’s largest cities. Check in to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.

Hotel: Beach Hotel

Take an included flight to Nelspruit via Johannesburg. Once you’ve touched down in Nelspruit, travel by coach to a private concession of Kruger National Park. Arrive at Shishangeni Private Lodge where you will stay for the next two nights in your own thatched chalet with a private game-viewing deck. Excitement reaches an all-time high as you head out on your first game drive through the lodge’s private concession. Experience the thrill of looking for the wildlife of Africa in one of the nation’s greatest game parks. Enjoy sundowners amidst the African bush before dinner back at your lodge.

Hotel: Shishangeni Private Lodge, 2 nights

After breakfast, transfer back to the airport for your flight to Johannesburg. With a free afternoon and evening, perhaps take advantage of our select experience. You may like to spend some time exploring Soweto, a city with a tumultuous past and a rich heritage. Visit the Regina Mundi Church, as well as Mandela House Museum to learn about the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Spend the evening relaxing, or perhaps venture out and explore the nearby shops and peruse the restaurants close by.

Hotel: Southern Sun Hyde Park

Take an included flight to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where you’ll enjoy a guided walk before being transferred to your hotel on the Zambian side of the falls. Later this evening, enjoy a delicious dinner.

Hotel: AVANI Victoria Falls Resort, 2 nights

Cross the border into Botswana and arrive later in the heart of Chobe National Park, home to the largest concentration of game in Africa. As the sun begins to set, head out on a sunset game-viewing cruise through the waterways. This is the best time of the day to see large herds of elephants, as well as a plethora of other animals that flock to the banks of the Chobe River. Later, retreat to your modern bush-style accommodation, which sits at the doorstep of where four African countries meet: Botswana; Namibia; Zimbabwe; and Zambia.

Hotel: Chobe Bush Lodge or upgrade to a suite on a Chobe Princess Safariboat, 2 nights

Day 14: Chobe National Park

Today you will embark upon an enticing game drive adventure through Chobe National Park. Here, ensure you have your camera ready as you delight in the many chances to spot Africa’s famous mammals, thanks to the park’s high density of elephant herds and lion prides. At the end of the day, return to your lodge to enjoy some down time and dinner.

Head to Livingstone once more and take an included flight to Nairobi. This evening, you’ll meet your East African Tour Director, who will provide you with an introduction to the next chapter of your incredible adventure into East Africa.

Hotel: Ole Sereni Hotel

It’s onto the next adventure as you take a short flight to Nairobi. Continue by 4WD to Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, situated on a spectacular range of hills that form the western limits of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. You will arrive just in time for lunch. You may also wish to take advantage of the lodge’s beautiful surrounds and embark on a stunning nature walk around the property. The afternoon is all about wildlife spotting, with a game drive. Afterwards, enjoy dinner at your lodge this evening.

Hotel: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, 2 nights

Bound by rocky escarpments and brimming with hordes of animals, a day of game drives at Lake Nakuru National Park offers yet another window into life in Africa’s animal kingdom. On the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, this beautiful park will leave you spellbound. This morning, look for awe-inspiring white rhinos around the soda-encrusted lake at the centre of the park. Keep your eyes locked on the grassy plains in search of zebras, buffalo and graceful Rothschild’s giraffes. If you’re lucky, you may even spot a leopard. Return to your lodge for lunch, then it’s another round of game drives to see any animals that may have been hiding in the morning. Later, return to your lodge, where a delicious dinner awaits your taste buds.

Awake to the sounds of the African bush as you prepare to journey to your next destination. Soak up the dramatic landscapes of the Great Rift Valley, which stretches from the Middle East all the way to Mozambique. Onwards, you’ll be greeted by the endless plains of the Masai Mara, a region famous for its big cat population, including leopards, lions and cheetahs. The vast open spaces provide excellent game viewing, which is why this reserve is one of the most well-regarded for wildlife in all of Africa. At certain times of the year, you may see enormous herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra travelling to and from the Serengeti in search of food during the seasonal Great Migration. Plus, you can also see the predators who follow them. This afternoon, head out on an exhilarating game drive, noticing how different these landscapes are compared to those you experienced in Southern Africa. At the end of a thrilling day of exploration, perhaps unwind with a drink before sitting down to dinner this evening at your lodge.

Hotel: Fig Tree Camp, 3 nights

Today presents the unique opportunity to experience the Masai Mara from the skies on a magical hot-air balloon ride. There is simply no better view of the vast landscapes. Enjoy breakfast while hearing the sounds of the bush as you get ready to head out on another thrilling game drive. The Masai Mara delivers those quintessential safari scenes of endless grassy plains, peppered with acacia trees and powerful predators who stalk unsuspecting prey. Thanks to your expert game driver/tracker, you’ll enjoy a remarkable morning in the wild on the prowl for wildlife. Return to the lodge for a delicious lunch before a free afternoon gives you the chance to relax and unwind.

On your final morning in the Masai Mara, transfer to the airstrip and board your scheduled flight to Nairobi. From here, you’ll board your onward flight home.