Leaving Nairobi on Day One the drive south to Tanzania takes you through sweeping and often arid plains dotted with whistling thorn. We cross into Tanzania at Namanga where you are sure to be tempted by Maasai selling beaded jewellery and wooden carvings. Further on Mount Meru looms in the distance and on a lucky day snow-clad Kilimanjaro might come into view. At 5,895 metres it is Africa’s highest mountain.

We have the Departure Meeting to go through the details of life on the truck, organise the local payment and all our rosters in Arusha.

Distance: 278 kms
Est. Drive Time: +/- 7 hours including lunch stop and depending on the border
Meals: X1 Dinner

Three days are allocated to allow time for a safari into Tanzania’s world famous game parks –The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater – which most in the group usually choose to do.
Day 2: We depart early with a local guide on safari in 4×4 vehicles with a pop up roof. We travel to the Ngorongoro Gate, then transit on to Serengeti. Arriving in the Serengeti we see the famous kopjes, small hills of rocks from where lions dozing in the sun
nonchalantly oversee the surrounds, keeping an eye out for their next meal. Multi-coloured agama lizards can also be seen basking in the sun and golden jackal tussle over a kill in the grasses. The seemingly endless grasslands of the Serengeti are also the stage for the famous wildebeest migration.

On the annual migration 1.5 million wildebeest and other game, such as zebra, Thomson’s gazelle, impala and topi move on mass between Kenya’s Masai Mara, then into Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti. This mass movement is driven by the rains, and the herds’ endless search for water and good grazing.

We spend the night camped within the Serengeti with the sounds of the African bush around us. It is quite an experience to be in a tent with just the canvas between you and any wildlife that is out there.

Day 3: Game viewing is often at its best early in the day, so we rise early again to explore more of the Serengeti.
We leave the famous Serengeti plains by mid afternoon to enter more mountainous terrain. Our drive is also taking us through Maasai lands as well, and the traditional herdsmen can be seen throughout the region. En route we stop to visit a Maasai boma.

Tonight we camp near the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. We are at altitude here, so wrap up warm tonight.

Day 4: This morning we are up before sunrise to visit Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is a perfectly intact volcanic caldera and known as the ‘Noah’s ark’ of game reserves. During our morning game drives we might view the ‘big 5’, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, as well as plains game peacefully grazing including zebra, gazelle, impala and wildebeest. Hippopotamus can usually be found lolling in the pools and Lake Magadi can be rimmed with the pink of greater and lesser flamingo.

Leaving Ngorongoro we stop off, time permitting, at local markets where we can wander and buy Maasai souvenirs. We enjoy a pre-prepared barbeque to celebrate our first big game drives on our return to Arusha.

Distance, Day 2, and Day 4: 175 kms to and from the Conservation Area gate
Est. Drive Time: 3 to 4 hours
Meals, Day 2: X1 Breakfast
Meals, Day 3: None
Meals, Day 4: X1 Dinner

Optional excursions for Days 2 to 4: Three day/two night safari with game drives in both the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in open top 4×4 vehicles (incl. x2 dinners, x3 lunches, x2 breakfasts), Balloon safari, Maasai boma visit, Olduvai Gorge Museum
(Please note this visit is dependent on road conditions and time constraints. We also require advance notice prior to the tour departure).

We spend the morning in Arusha to shop and explore the town. After lunch we travel to Marangu at the foot of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Here we spend two nights and have the opportunity to explore, including the option to take a day hike to Mandara Hut, 2,700 kms from the base of the mountain. This is a beautiful walk through tropical forest and on clear days there are special views of both the Kibo and Mawenzi peaks of the mountain.

Alternatively there is the chance to do a day tour of the Marangu area to visit the village to learn more of local life, to visit a coffee plantation and a nearby waterfall.

Distance, Day 5: 120 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 5: +/- 3 hours
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

Optional excursions: Kilimanjaro day hike, Marangu day tour

We continue our journey south, travelling through lush surroundings and the stunning Usambara mountain range, before sleeping over at a coastal campsite either in Bagamoyo or in Dar es Salaam 70 kms further south. Bagamoyo itself was one of the first landing points for the Arabian slavers.

We make final preparations for the optional excursion on Zanzibar Island. The core arrangements are made well ahead of time so we are assured our groups are comfortable in the popular beach cottages to the north of the island at Kendwa and for a night in a local lodge in the traditional capital. The time is yours to relax and do as you please. The tour leader travels over to the island with the group as well to ensure that all runs smoothly.

Distance: 485 (545 if to Dar) kms
Est. Drive Time: 9 to 10 hours incl. lunch stop (11 to 12 if to Dar es Salaam)
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Optional excursion: For those who want to get to Zanzibar early there is the option of flying to Zanzibar today with an extra night at the beach. Note that this needs to be pre booked as early as possible, contact us for prices and more information to fly early to Zanzibar.

Day 8 We head to the ferry port in Dar es Salaam from where we travel to the exotic spice island of Zanzibar for four days.

On arrival we travel to Kendwa where you can enjoy white sand beaches, and swim and snorkel in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. Fishing trips and cruises in traditional dhows can be organized. Scuba diving and snorkeling to nearby reefs or further afield including to Mnemba Atoll can also be arranged from the Dive Centre near our beach cottages.

There is a wide diversity of marine life off Zanzibar. The diving is some of the best in the world, with stunning coral gardens and more than 350 fish species recorded. Sightings of dolphins and turtles are quite regular occurrences, while humpback whales and whale sharks are occasionally spotted.

You can also explore Jozani Forest and see the red colobus monkeys and Prison Island with its giant tortoise. Snorkelling is also enjoyed off Prison Island.

On the last day we spend time in the traditional capital, Stone Town. Take a spice tour to find out a little about the spice trade that dominated the island’s history, as well as the slave trade. On our final night here we can explore the colorful night market.

Distance: 60 kms Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam
Est. Drive Time: Up to 2 hours Bagamoyo to Dar es Salaam
Meals, Day 8: X1 Breakfast

Additional optional excursions whilst on Zanzibar: Stone Town City tour, snorkelling, scuba diving, Mnemba Island, Turtle Sanctuary visit, Prison Island with a visit to the Aldabra tortoise, Jozani Forest to view the red colobus monkeys

Arriving back in Dar es Salaam we rejoin the overland truck to head west to Morogoro to stay the night.

Distance: 194 kms
Est. Drive Time: 6 hours
Meals: X1 Dinner

We continue to travel west across Tanzania travelling through Mikumi National Park where roadside sightings of elephant, giraffe and antelope are common. Travelling the road through Baobab Valley we are surrounded by the iconic ‘upside down trees’ and past the Ruaha River to Iringa for our last night in Tanzania.

Distance: 310 kms
Est. Drive Time: 9 hours incl. lunch stop
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

We enter Malawi and travel south down the third largest lake in Africa, Lake Malawi, created in the chasm provided by the Rift Valley. Known as “the heart of Africa” you will be struck by the warm welcome we receive, despite Malawi being one of the poorest countries en route.

Popular beaches by the Lake are ideal locations for the camps where we stay and set beside local fishing villages. We are welcomed into these villages with the chance to visit a couple of local schools as well. This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in traditional village life. Try bartering too with local craftsmen selling beautiful carvings including the traditional Malawi chairs, and enjoy sharing in a village meal during our stay.

Lake Malawi is home to the brightly coloured and prolific mbuna cichlid fish and scuba diving or snorkelling here has been described as ‘rather like a dive into a fish tank’. Canoeing is also an option on the lake. Malawi is a spectacularly beautiful country and horse riding and trekking can be arranged too.

Kande Beach particularly is a popular stop for a party. The Malawi markets are also the markets to raid for the latest in fashion attire if the group decides on an Absolute Bad Taste Party.

Distance, Day 14: 498 kms
Distance, Day 15 or 16: 235 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 14: 12 hours Incl. lunch and fuel stop and depending on the border
Est. Drive Time, Day 15 or 16: +/- 5 hours incl. stop for shopping
Meals: X4 Breakfasts, X4 Dinners

Optional excursions: Water sports, including snorkelling, canoeing, scuba diving and pedalo hire, horse riding, village walk, wood carving lesson.

We travel to Zambia today, heading for one of the country’s treasures – South Luangwa National Park. Slightly off the beaten track, Luangwa is a stunning national park with high populations of game, including 60 different animal species and 400 different bird species.

On our full day in the park, we have time to relax by the pool and enjoy the wonderful African bush surrounds, with the chance for a game drive or walk in the morning and also in the evening. The evening drive gives you the chance to see some of Africa’s nocturnal and more elusive animals such as the leopard and genet.

Distance: 600 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 18: +/- 11 hours (depending on the border) and incl. stops for shopping and lunch
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

Included wildlife activity: X1 game drive in South Luangwa National Park
Vehicle for game drive: Open 4×4 safari vehicle

Optional excursions: Extra game drive or walk, South Luangwa National Park

We now make our way towards the capital. Upon reaching Lusaka on day 21, we have a chance to get to
internet, the bank and also stock up on supplies in a large supermarket.

Distance over 2 days: 560 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 20: +/- 6 hours incl. stop for lunch and shopping
Est. Drive Time, Day 21: +/- 6 hours
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

0ptional stay on Lake Kariba houseboats

From here we travel to Lake Kariba where we hire a houseboat for a couple of nights’ break from truck life. The man-made lake took 9 years to build, the dam wall being completed in 1959 when the plains began to flood; animals became stranded on submerging islands and Matusadona National Park launched a massive rescue exercise known as Operation Noah. Whilst cruising on the houseboat we can view elephant, buffalo, kudu, waterbuck and, if lucky, lion as they come down to drink by the water’s edge. Sunsets over the lake create a rich backdrop of colour for the stark silhouettes of the fossilised leadwood trees remaining in the lake.

The boats have bedrooms, a jacuzzi and the houseboat crew cook our meals, so this is a fun change from camping and life on the road.

Distance, Day 22: 208 kms
Drive Time, Day 22: 4 to 5 hours depending on the border and incl. photo stop Lake Kariba dam wall.
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

Optional excursion: Houseboat cruise on Lake Kariba

We drive via Chinoyi to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins – the remains of the ancient capital of the Shona people which was constructed between the 11th – 15th century. There are three main areas of ruins known as Dzimba dzamabwe (“stone houses”) from which modern-day Zimbabwe gained its name. These were formed using the dry stone technique, completely without mortar. The term “Great” distinguishes these rock constructs as different to smaller formations in the region and Great Zimbabwe are known to be the largest collection and most impressive ruins south of the Sahara.

Distance, Day 24: 249 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 24: +/- 6 hours incl. shopping stop
Distance, Day 25: 440 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 25: 9 hours incl. shopping and lunch stops
Meals: x2 Breakfasts, x2 Dinners

This morning we have a guided tour of the ruins before continuing our way to the city of Bulawayo.

Distance: 307 kms
Est. Drive Time: 3 – 4 hours
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Included Activity: Visit to Great Zimbabwe with guided tour

Here we head out for game drives and a rhino trek in Matopos National Park. The Matopos Hills have the largest concentration of raptors (birds of prey) in the world and black eagles can be seen soaring high over the dramatic ancient landscape of granite boulder stacks. The park is also home to both the endangered black and white Rhinoceros, now closely guarded in an intensive conservation program, and the magnificent sable antelope. We track rhino on foot with a professional guide, as well as look for other game. We also find out the different uses and medicinal value of the plant life in the park.

Distance: 0 kms
Est. Drive Time: 0 hours
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Included wildlife activities: Game drive and rhino trek in Matopos National Park.
Vehicle for game drive: Open 4×4 safari vehicle

Optional excursions: Extra game drives in Matopos National Park, Afternoon visit to rock paintings and Cecil Rhodes’ grave or a Ndebele Village.

Today we travel through to the mighty Victoria Falls. The roaring torrents of water and the mists from the Falls which rise meters into the air, gave rise to the local name ‘Mosi-Oa-Tunya’, ‘the smoke that thunders.”

Distance: 438 kms
Est. Drive Time: +/- 7 hours incl. stop for lunch
Meals: X1 Breakfast

At the Falls there is a large number of different adrenaline activities on offer, such as the world famous whitewater rafting on the Zambezi, the bungee jump and the gorge swing. You can take a flight over the Falls in a helicopter or microlight on a ‘Flight of the Angels’. Time can be spent in the national park overlooking the Falls. We usually meet up at night for meals in local cheap eating places.

One of our nights at The Falls is often spent together on an evening sunset cruise drifting down the Zambezi as the sun sets. Wildlife such as hippo and crocodiles can be seen in and by the water, and monkeys play in the trees by the river.

Distance: 0 kms
Drive Time: 0 hours
Meals: None

Optional excursions: Whitewater rafting, riverboard, bungee jump, gorge swing, flying fox and zip line, ‘Flight of Angels’, canoe trip, horse riding, a sundowner cruise

Today we enter Botswana and visit Chobe National Park, where we have a full day set aside to take a game drive and a game cruise. Chobe is famous for its elephant population – it is known as the world’s elephant capital! There are tens of thousands of them here in this park, however that is far from all there is to see. It has strong lion prides, and game drives regularly provide viewing of giraffe, lechwe, kudu, impala herds, buffalo and much more.

Distance: 87 kms
Est. Drive Time: 3 hours (depending on the border)
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

Optional excursion: Chobe National Park – game drives and game cruise

We leave Chobe and travel past the Makgadikgadi Pans on our way to Maun, set on the edge of the Kalahari Desert.

Distance: 666 kms
Est. Drive Time: 9 hours incl. stop for lunch
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

From Maun we organise our mokoro safari into the Okavango Delta.

The Delta is an ecosystem of lush wetlands, placid lagoons and water-lily filled channels created by the arrival of waters that fell as rain on the mountains of Angola months prior. Here on a mokoro safari we gain a sense of the remoteness and beauty of the African bush. We meander precariously and silently through the maze of waterways in the traditional canoes and camp for two nights in the wilderness. This can be a wonderful opportunity to get up close to Africa’s wild animals. During our stay we take guided game walks with professional guides. We might spot buffalo, hippo, crocodile, antelope, warthog, baboon, wildebeest,
elephant and lion. Bird life is prolific including kingfishers, ducks, marabou storks, sacred and glossy ibis, herons and egrets. The incessant chatter of birds can make an afternoon nap quite problematic during our bush camp!

Distance: 0 kms
Est. Drive Time: 0 hours
Meals: X3 Breakfasts, X3 Dinners

Optional excursions: Okavango Delta mokoro safari including X2 breakfasts and X2 dinners, flights over the Delta

We now head into Namibia and make our way towards Grootfontein where we arrive on day 38 for shopping in town and to make a cultural visit to the local Bushmen. We stop over at a nearby camp before heading the following day for Namibia’s most well known National Park, Etosha. We can stop en route to see the Hoba meteorite, the world’s largest and estimated to be at least 190 million years old!

Distance over 3 days: 1,111 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 37: +/- 13 hours (depending on the border) incl. lunch stop
Est. Drive Time, Day 38: 4 – 5 hours
Est. Drive Time, Day 39: +/- 5 hours to Etosha entrance, then afternoon game drives in Etosha
Meals: X3 Breakfasts, X3 Dinners

Optional excursions: Walk with warrior bushmen, visit women’s village, Hoba meteorite

Etosha National Park centres around the vast Etosha Pan, an extensive flat depression of 5,000 square metres of shimmering mirages and in the language of the local Owambo tribe Etosha means ‘place of dry water’. The park is home to the ‘big five’ – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. Optional evening game drives and the floodlit water holes at Okaukuejo and Halali are highlights of this park.

Distance: 0 kms
Est. Drive Time: Game drives through the day
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Included wildlife activity: Full day of game drives in Etosha National Park
Vehicle for game drives: Overland truck

Optional excursion: Evening game drive.

Leaving Etosha we travel via Outjo to the Africat Foundation which is a non-profit organization focusing on the conservation of Namibia’s predators, particularly cheetah, in their natural habitat. Here we can actively take part in this programme and learn more about these beautiful and amazing animals.

Distance: 182 kms
Est. Drive Time: 7 hours including short game drive and stops for shopping and lunch
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Included wildlife activities: Short game drive in Etosha, Africat carnivore care
Vehicle for game drive: Overland truck

As we head south we stop over to visit the Himba tribe, learning more about this interesting culture. We then travel through some of the most scenic regions of the tour the lower section of the Skeleton Coast that is often shrouded in mist. We spend a night at the amazing Spitzkoppe rock formations, camping under the stars.

We come to Cape Cross Seal Reserve, one of 16 breeding colonies for Cape Fur seals before we arrive into the seaside resort town of Swakopmund, nestled between the desert and the sea.

Distance over 2 days: 452 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 42: 5 hours
Est. Drive Time, Day 43: +/- 4.5 hours
Meals: x2 Breakfasts, X1 Dinner

Included wildlife activity: Cape Cross Seal colony visit

Optional excursion: Guided walk incl. viewing of rock paintings.

Swakopmund is the place for action and adventure sports – quad-biking, dune buggies, sandboarding, go-karting, horse riding, fishing and tandem sky diving. There are flights over the Namib Desert and the Skeleton Coast. A township tour provides insight into day to day local life.

Distance: 0 kms
Est. Drive Time: 0 hours
Meals: None

Optional excursions: Quad-biking, sandboarding, skydiving, go-karting, desert tours, open-sea fishing, seal and dolphin cruise, sea kayaking, township tours, horse riding.

We drive through to Sossusvlei in the Namib Naukluft National Park. We are now in the vast arid regions of southern Namibia. Here we can visit the Sesriem Gorge in the afternoon.

Distance: 344 kms
Est. Drive Time: 8.5 hours, Incl. lunch stop
Meals: X1 Dinner

In the morning we get up before sunrise to climb the famous Dune 45 for sunrise views. After this there is the option to go to Sossusvlei by 4×4 to visit the Dead vlei pan and see more of this harsh but beautiful landscape.

Fish River Canyon is our next highlight. It is the second largest canyon in the world, created by the rushing waters of the Fish River. We then head to our camp at Ai Ais and enjoy a soak in the hot springs in the lower reaches of the Canyon.

Distance over 2 days: 613 kms
Est. Drive Time, Day 47: +/- 5 hours
Est. Drive Time, Day 48: +/- 9 hours Incl stop at the Canyon
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X2 Dinners

Included activities: Visit to Dune 45, visit to Fish River Canyon.

Optional excursion: Visit to Sossusvlei

We stop over by the Orange River, which is fed by the Fish River. Here we can canoe or raft through some of the most rugged terrain in Southern Africa.

Distance: 179 kms
Est. Drive Time: 3 hours Incl. Shopping
Meals: X1 Breakfast, X1 Dinner

Optional excursion: Orange River canoeing

We travel down the South African west coast and into the wine lands of the Cape Province. We spent two nights in the historic town of Stellenbosch, where we can enjoy a wine tour and the other culinary delights of this culturally rich area.

Distance: 678 kms
Est. Drive Time, day 50: +/- 10 hours incl. shopping and lunch stop (depending on the border)
Est. Drive Time, day 51: 6 hours
Meals: X2 Breakfasts, X1 Dinner

Optional excursion: Wine tour

Our last day’s drive is from Stellenbosch into Cape Town. We have our last meal together and spend the night in the comfort of the Ashanti Lodge, which is nestled at the base of Table Mountain.

Cape Town is a wonderful place to relax with plenty of attractions, shopping and cocktail bars. The Travel Shop at Ashanti can assist you with all you wish to do – including white shark diving, a visit to Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned during the apartheid era and a visit to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. If you want to explore further safaris in Kruger National Park can be arranged. Or consider continuing on our Garden Route Add-On tour visiting Lesotho for pony trekking and with hikes in the Drakensberg Mountains. This follows on from our arrival in Cape Town and takes in highlights along the coastline, before finishing in Johannesburg, the ‘City of Gold’.

Distance: 53 kms
Est. Drive Time: 2 – 3 hours
Meals: X1 Dinner (contribution to the final restaurant meal)

Optional excursion: Meal out at a restaurant

Please note this itinerary is given as a guide only. A safari is a journey and true journeys unfold. They are of an adventurous nature. The unexpected can arise, so do allow for this. Feel free to give us a call about your overland safari plans. We look forward to your further enquiries.