Zanzibar, Victoria Falls & Kruger

This is an adventure tour involving camping and lots of participation, including setting up camp, as well as shopping, cooking and other camp duties. It’s a lot of fun, but best suited to travellers looking for a bit of a challenge. The transport is a really unique feature of this trip too, with most of our journeys undertaken in our 24-seat custom-built safari vehicle. Most of our game park visits are carried out using smaller 4x4 vehicles provided by local services so you can get up close and personal with the wildlife.

Optional Adventure Pass: We recommend that you buy our optional Adventure Pass when joining this trip. The cost of this is separate to the cost of the tour. You will need to pay the cost of your pass directly to your tour leader in Africa. The Pass covers entry to Matobo National Park and a game drive and wilderness walk while you’re there. Paying separately for the pass ensures that local suppliers benefit directly from the income.

Itinerary

The itinerary below assumes you have bought the optional Adventure Pass for this trip.

Days 1 - 3: Zanzibar Island (Tanzania). Your amazing African adventure begins with an early 7am start today as we take a ferry from Dar es Salaam to the idyllic spice island of Zanzibar. You’ll spend one night in Stone Town and two nights by the beach in the north of the island. Browse the bazaars, relax on dazzling beaches and snorkel in the sparkling ocean – it’s paradise on Earth!

Please note: We recommend that you arrive a day or more before the tour start date, due to early departure times on day 1 and a welcome meeting the night before.

Day 4: Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam. Spend the morning relaxing on the beach before we board the ferry back to the African mainland, where we’ll spend a night in a gorgeous campsite on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

Day 5: Dar es Salaam to Mikumi National Park. Drive inland to our campsite near the Mikumi National Park. Time permitting, you may have the option to go on a game drive in the park on arrival, before enjoying spending the evening round the campfire.

Day 6: Mikumi to Iringa. Today we’re headed for a remote working farm, where we’ll spend the night. Relax with a glorious hot shower then sip on hot chocolate and indulge in some chocolate brownies at the farm’s cute candlelit bar.

Day 7: Iringa to Chitimba Beach (Malawi). Travel through stunning scenery to the Songwe border post, where we’ll cross over into Malawi and spend the night in Chitimba Beach, on the shores of beautiful Lake Malawi

Day 8: Chitimba Beach. We’ve got a full day to enjoy magical Lake Malawi. Spend your time swimming and relaxing on the beach or take the 15km hike to Livinstonia, an authentic rural village some 1,500m above the lake on the Nyika Plateau.

Please note: A certain amount of flexibility is built into our time in Malawi and the crew may make alterations to the published itinerary.

Day 9: Chitimba Beach to Kande Beach. After a relaxing morning, take a scenic drive to Mzuzu, where we’ll stop for supplies before continuing to Kande Beach. Take a dip in the clear blue waters, or enjoy some of the exciting water sports that are on offer.

Day 10: Kande Beach. Today’s yours. Relax and make the most of the warm waters of the lake, as well as meeting the friendly locals on an optional guided village walk. Spend another night under the stars with your travel buddies after the sun goes down.

Day 11: Kande Beach to Chipata (Zambia). Say goodbye to Lake Malawi and cross the border into Zambia to the town of Chipata. If time allows, we’ll stop in the town centre to check out the markets, before setting up camp just outside the town.

Day 12: Chipata to Lusaka. An early start along the Great Eastern Road through lush scenery and through small villages takes us to Zambia’s capital city, Lusaka.We’ll set up camp tonight in a peaceful farm setting outside the city.

Day 13: Lusaka to Livingstone. Our destination today is the town of Livingstone, close to Victoria Falls. We’ll set up camp on the banks of the Zambezi and enjoy another night round the campfire.

Days 14 – 16: Livingstone. We’ll spend the next few days enjoying Livingstone’s surroundings, visiting the epic Victoria Falls, and trying out some incredible optional adrenaline activities, including rafting, canoeing, bungee, abseiling, gorge swinging, and elephant and horse riding.

Day 17: Livingstone to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). Cross the Victoria Falls Bridge and enter Zimbabwe, where we’ll journey to Bulawayo, a gorgeous tree-lined colonial city. We’ll set up camp on the outskirts of the city in the Matopos area, among beautiful trees and fishponds.

Day 18: Matobo National Park. We’ve got the day to explore spectacular Matobo National Park. If you’ve booked the Adventure Pass, our experienced guide will take you deep into the bush on foot, for the best places to see the park’s black and white rhino, as well as many other species.

Day 19: Bulawayo to Tshipise (South Africa). Cross the border to South Africa and continue to Tshipise town where we’ll camp close to the Honnet Nature Reserve. Check out the area’s hot springs and one of the largest Baobabs in South Africa!

Day 20: Tshipise to Hazyview. Our destination today is southern Africa’s premier game reserve, Kruger, home to almost every African mammal, including the Big 5. Tonight, we’ll immerse ourselves in local culture with a singing and dancing night hosted by local Shangaan tribesmen.

Day 21: Hazyview. Enjoy a full day’s game drive today with a resident guide. You’ll see diverse wildlife such as lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, leopard, and up to 500 species of bird. Then enjoy one last night under African skies with your new friends.

Day 22: Hazyview to Pretoria. We’ll travel our last stretch today from Kruger to the lively city of Pretoria, where our tour will end in the late afternoon/ early evening. See you next time!