Cape Town to Cairo 23 Weeks - Game parks and sites

Botswana - Chobe Park

In Botswana on the Chobe River Its the home to 50,000 elephants as well as being a watering hole for giraffe, sable, cape buffalo, lion warthog hippo, kudu, hyena and fish eagle. You can take a cruise along the river with excellent game viewing and enjoying the sunset on the Chobe River or a guided game drive. We camp beside the river

Kenya - Nairobi, Elsamere Conservation Centre

The old home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of 'Born Free' fame.  Take afternoon tea on the lake shore with black and white colobus monkeys swinging through the thorn trees above.

Kenya - Naivasha, Green Crater Lake

In Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, a small placid jade green lake set amongst acacia tress in a small volcanic crater. Nature walks great for bird spotting, with Colobus monkeys and Flamingoes.

Kenya - Hell's Gate National Park

One of the few parks you can walk or cycle through, no lions here but you can see giraffe and antelope many wild animals but superb volcanic scenery. There a geothermal power plant on the edge of the park which you can see up close.

Uganda - Jinja, Lake Victoria, Murchison Falls, Owen Falls Dam, Nile River

Jinja, Uganda overlooks Lake Victoria, one of the largest lakes in the world. The White Nile flows north from the lake towards Egypt. Owen Falls Dam blocks the river below which are the Owen Falls. On and around the river you can; white water raft, canoe, horse ride, bungee jump, jet boat, quad bike and help with local community projects.

Malawi - Kande Beach

Lake Malawi; it’s is a special beach resort orientated to budget beach activities. Snorkel around Kande Island. If you’re feeling fit, swim the 800 meters out. If you want to take it a bit easier, rent a paddle boat or canoe. If you’re up for an all day cooking job, bargain with the locals for a pig and spit roast it. SCUBA Dive the freshwater lake. Lake Malawi is home to countless beautiful, endemic fishes. PADI certifications also available here. Horseback ride through forests and villages with Kande Horses. All skill levels are catered to. Take your horse for a swim in the lake with you after a 2 to 4 hour ride. Have a drum circle with the local boys and get exposed to a little Malawian culture. Shop the wood carvings market or take a village tour

Uganda - Lake Bunyonyi

The lake in the west of Uganda is our base while groups are off trekking to the mountain gorillas. It’s a highland mountain lake in quiet surroundings were you can row around the lake, swim and bird watch.

Kenya - Lake Naivasha

We camp by this large freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley. You can take boats out on the lake to see hippos relaxing in groups in the water and the hundreds of different types of birds. The hippos come out of the lake in the evening and graze around the shore into the night. Around the lake are a few side trips you can take.

Kenya - Lake Nakuru

A large shallow lake surrounded by a park on the edge of Nakuru town. The big three here are pink flamingoes – sometimes millions of them, rhino and tree sleeping lions. Also living in and around the lake are; pelicans, cormorants, leopards, baboons, giraffe, waterbuck, rock hyrax and birdlife.

Kenya - Nairobi, Langata Giraffe Centre

Here you can hand feed giraffes while you stand head high with the giraffes. It’s a side trip in Nairobi with a entry fee of $7 plus a charge for giraffe food.

Tanzania - Mikumi National Park

On the Great North Road, in southern Tanzania. Its covered by savannah woodland. As we follow the highway through the park we often see elephants and antelopes.

Uganda or Rwanda - Mountain Gorillas

There are less than 800 mountain gorillas in the wild, we see the biggest primate in either; Uganda, DR Congo or Rwanda. Trekking to see them is expensive however well worth it according to everyone when they return from sitting beside the wooly giants. There are four parks you can visit the gorillas in three different countries. Three of the parks form a super park meeting on the borders of the three countries.
Uganda - Mgahinga Gorilla National Park  
Rwanda - Volcanoes National Park 
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is the fourth park and separate to the other parks. Most of the gorillas live in Bwindi, which is where we try to see them. The parks are covered in rainforest and thick bamboo. Aside from the gorillas other animals you might see while trekking to the gorillas are colobus monkeys but the thick forest makes game spotting hard. The trek to gorillas can take; if you’re lucky less than an hour up to all day long. The trekking is done with ranger guides who follow the gorillas from their previous night’s nests. (They do build nests in trees or on the ground every night to sleep in). Once you reach the gorillas you sit with them for an hour while they normally feed or relax a short distance from you. There are a number of rules to follow when you’re around the gorillas which the guides show you how to follow.

Botswana - Okavango Delta

Maun is a small town on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. It’s starting point for the Mokoro (dugout canoe) trip into the Delta. As you glide through the waterways, you will see a fantastic array of wetland wildlife, birds in particular. You will come across hippos in the water and elephants drinking from the shore. You can go on a walking safari to look for giraffe, buffalo and rare antelope – the overnight stay is a great wilderness. We bush camp and cook over open fires. Toilet facilities consist of specially dug hole behind some bushes. After returning to Maun you can take the scenic flight over the Delta. See the extra wildlife that you didn’t realize were so close to camp.

Kenya - Nairobi, Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage

Stand with baby elephants and rhinos which have been rescued from the wild; normally their mothers have been poached. Now they are fed from a bottle. It’s a side trip in Nairobi with a entry fee of $5. You can pay more, and foster an orphaned elephant.

Zimbabwe & Zambia - Victoria Falls

The Zambezi River drops 100 metres over a mile wide chasm creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. When the river is in full flow, the water roars and sends a cloud of spray 500 metres into the air.
Victoria Falls is on the border of Zimbabwe (Victoria Town) and Zambia (Livingstone).  Adventure activities here are; bungee jumping, white water rafting, game-viewing on horseback, canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the falls and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi, walk with lion cubs.

Tanzania - Zanzibar Archipelago Unguja Island

You can take two a hour ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar Islands for a few days.
Stone Town a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old slave market , the spice growing areas, Jozani Forest with Red Colobus Monkeys and in the evening visit the seafood cafes and have dinner on the wharf.
Africa House - Enjoy cocktails and maybe a water pipe as you watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean from the balcony of this historic hotel. Zanzibar Stone Town!
Night Market - Browse the stalls for seafood and sugar cane juice. Definitely have a Zanzibar Pizza made while you wait.
Spice Tour - Tour historic Stone Town and the slave chambers. Visit the local market as well as spice plantations. Have a traditional meal in a local’s home. Add the Jozani Forest to the day’s activities and see the endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys.
Night Market - Browse the stalls for seafood and sugar cane juice. Definitely have a Zanzibar Pizza made while you wait.
Snorkeling - Take a dhow out to the reef that lies off a private island. Snorkel the reef and then sail back to a secluded beach for a fresh fish meal before returning to Nungwe.
SCUBA Diving - If you’re a certified diver, visit one of the dive centers and check out the dive sites. If you’re interested in learning, start your dive course here
Deep Sea or Reef Fishing - Hire local to take you reef fishing in a dhow or go with a professional outfit for deep sea fishing.
Visit one of two natural aquariums. Feed the resident sea turtles and even swim with them during high tide.
Sunbathe and relax on the beach. Catch up on your diary or book. Swim in the warm waters. Just watch out for sea urchins.
Beach Bars -  Start early or spend a late night at one of the beach bars.

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

The local people, the Chagga, don't even have a name for the whole massif, only Kipoo (now known as Kibo) for the familiar snowy peak that stands imperious, overseer of the continent, the summit of Africa.

The highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres

Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates

The ascent of the slopes is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tropics to the Arctic. Even before you cross the national park boundary, the cultivated foot slopes give way to forest; elephant, leopard, buffalo and other small antelope and primates. Higher still is the moorland zone, where a cover of giant heather is studded with giant lobelias.

Above 4,000m, alpine desert supports little life other than mosses and lichen. Then, finally, the vegetation gives way to a winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.

South Africa & Namibia - Orange River

The river forms the border with South Africa. You can spend the afternoon canoeing on the river.

Tanzania - Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater

Arusha is Tanzania’s safari hub. From here, you can take the trip to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Serengeti plains are the Africa of the movies. Immense herds of zebra and wildebeest migrate here to and from Kenya’s Masai Mara. Leopards and lions are often spotted. All the big five can be found in the park. That is, if luck is with you. Your campsite is rustic offering the rare opportunity to fall asleep (or lay nervous and sleepless awake) to the sounds of lions or hyenas. Breakfast and box lunches are provided during the day and dinner is prepared for you by your cook at night.  After game driving in the park, you’ll head out, past Masai villages and Olduvai Gorge, to the Ngorongoro Crater. The next morning, you’ll wake up early and do a game drive in the unique ecosystem of the crater where there are plenty of lions, black rhino, and elephant.

Kenya - Mount Kenya

One of the most beautiful free standing mountains in the world, surrounded by forests and dotted with glaciers. The locals believe it’s the house of god; surrounding village homes all have their front door facing the mountain so god can come directly into their home.  The peaks are a technical climb to reach the summit, but you can trek across the mountain in a few days. From the upper peaks you can see Mount Kilimanjaro 400 kilometres south, in Tanzania.

Uganda & Ethiopia & Sudan & Egypt - River Nile, White & Blue Nile

The River Nile is the longest river in the world, flowing from Lake Victoria in East Africa north to the Mediterranean Sea and drains 10% of Africa.  Most of Egypt and the new country of Sudan live off and by this river. The source of a majority of the rivers water is from Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert oases with cool water surrounded by palms, stretches of sand as big as a small country, old forts, camel trains following centuries old trading routes with a night sky undiluted by city lights. 

Tanzania - Karatu

Karatu is a colourful bustling town and the gateway to the Ngorongoro Highlands. It's a fun place to visit to practice your bartering for souvenirs. Dusty but absolutely delightful, the main street is wide and always vibrant with people in brightly coloured clothes chatting, laughing and going about their daily activities. Outside Karatu, rolling hills merge into the Ngorongoro Highlands. Here, mountainsides are covered in thick forest and cultivated areas are filled with farms and coffee plantations with villages scattered in between. Waterfalls tumble over rocks, sunbirds flit from flower to flower and elephant and buffalo follow ancient paths through the vegetation to rivers to drink and to mineral rich caves to extract salt