Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari (2012)

You depart from the U.S. on an overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Today, arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa. You will be met and transferred to your hotel for an overnight stay.

This morning, we’ll fly to Victoria Falls, arriving early afternoon.

We meet our Trip Leader at the Victoria Falls airport, and we drive across the border to our lodge in Botswana. After a briefing on our upcoming explorations, we'll enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the lodge this evening.

The next two days are devoted to seeking out game in Chobe National Park, the second-largest (and first-established) national park in the country.

Chobe National Park is home to one of the world’s largest elephant populations—the present herd is estimated at 50,000 animals. This enormous region offers variety in both wildlife and terrain. Riverine forest, flood plains, and mopane are home to large and small game. Elephants gather around baobab trees, drawn by the water stored in their bark.

You will quickly become accustomed to the pace of most of our safari days, which follow this general pattern: After our morning game-viewing, we will spend siesta time quietly during the heat of the day, followed by teatime in the late afternoon. Next we head out for our afternoon game-viewing drive. In the evenings, just before sunset, we gather to soak in the magnificent views of the golden sun sinking behind a nearby watering hole. We then sit down to enjoy dinner together by candlelight.

During the dry season, the Chobe River attracts so much game that thousands of animals may congregate on its banks, and hippo are submerged in its waters. Some visitors have experienced the spectacular sighting of a zebra migration. Large groups of giraffe amble about the land, and hyena, cheetah, leopard, and wildebeest may also be glimpsed in this thickly populated habitat. The birdlife here is spectacular, ranging from eagles and bustards to plovers and rollers, and bee-eaters bustle near their sandbank nests. There are also water birds, such as egret, ibis, and heron, along the river.

Today, we spend the day according to our usual pattern. We explore the Chobe National Park on morning and afternoon game-viewing drives, return to the lodge in time for afternoon tea, and then, after sundown, we have dinner at our lodge.

Our safari schedule in Chobe today features a full-day game-viewing drive in Chobe National Park—which has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent and is sure to be a highlight of our safari adventure. The park’s most prominent and well-known feature, its population of elephant—one of the world’s largest. During a full day of game-viewing in the park, we’ll spot some of these magnificent elephants, in addition to buffalo, hippo, and crocodile. We will be out in our vehicles during lunchtime, so we will take along a picnic lunch.

Dinner tonight is a traditional South African braai, similar to our barbecue but more closely connected to the outdoor life, culture, and laid-back lifestyle of southern Africans. We’ll cap off the day with a relaxing sundowner with our fellow travelers.

Early this morning, we board a minibus that takes us to Kasane, Botswana. From here, we catch a light aircraft flight to our camp in Botswana.

Our lodge is a private Wilderness Tented Camp adjacent to the border of the Moremi National Park in the northern region of the Delta. Upon arrival, we enjoy a game-viewing drive en route to our camp, where we'll have a briefing about the lodge and the surrounding area.

Afterwards, you are free to relax until dinner.

We devote the next two days to in-depth exploration of the Okavango Delta. Each morning, we split into groups and choose from a variety of options for exploring the area: including a mokoro canoe ride (seasonal), or a game-viewing drive.

In the Delta, we’ll see a stunning variety of birdlife, including the vibrantly plumed lilac-breasted roller and the similarly striking pygmy goose (actually a species of duck). The elusive Pel’s fishing owl, though nocturnal, can sometimes be spotted here during the day. Hippos spend the days submerged in the Delta waters, and sitatunga and red lechwe frequent both the swamps and dry land.

While on land, we are likely to see herds of buffalo, sable antelope, kudu, and elephant.

We return to the lodge in time for lunch, and enjoy our afternoon tea before departing on our next game-viewing excursion, returning to the lodge after sundown.

Please note: Mokoro excursions are dependent on safety and water levels, which fluctuate constantly in the Delta, regardless of the season. When you arrive in the Delta, your Trip Leader will monitor conditions and advise you of whether it’s possible to explore by mokoro.

Today, we continue to explore the Okavango Delta. We'll again split into groups and explore the area by mokoro on the Delta, or enjoy a game-viewing drive in the neighboring savannah.

This morning, after an early breakfast, we fly by light aircraft from the Okavango Delta to Kasane Airport. We then travel by road and boat to Livingstone, where we'll take a light aircraft transfer to Lufupa Tented Camp in Kafue National Park this afternoon. One of Zambia’s most impressive parks, Kafue is one of the first to join an initiative to link the national parks of five African countries into what will eventually become a 108,000-square-mile park, to be known as the Kvango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (also the Okavango-Upper Zambezi TFCA).

After we settle in and enjoy afternoon tea in the cool of the shade of jackalberry trees, we enjoy our first game-viewing excursion by boat or 4x4 vehicle late this afternoon.

Kafue boasts a distinction that we’ll appreciate on our game-viewing drives: It is home to the greatest diversity of mammals in Zambia, with 55 large mammal species, including six varieties of large cat and 20 hooved species. Leopard and lion prowl the area around the Lufupa Channel in search of warthog, hartebeest, and the elegant puku, an antelope found only in Zambia and the Congo. Elephants gather here by day, while hippo venture out at twilight for a dip in the channel’s waters. Our guide will help us to spot these animals as we explore the park.

We return to camp in time for dinner. Our campsite is situated in the northern section of the park along the banks of the Kafue River, one of the three rivers nourishing the park. From the decks of our safari-style tented rooms, we can view the slow-moving river and the wildlife that it attracts. After dinner, we gather around the campfire to compare notes on the animals we saw today.

Today, we’ll enjoy two game-viewing excursions by boat or safari vehicle during the most temperate hours—early morning and late afternoon—when the wildlife is at its most active. In addition to the mammal species, Kafue boasts nearly 500 species of bird, including the yellow-billed oxpecker, trumpeter hornbill, and grey crowned crane. Along the rivers that feed the park, we might also encounter the white-backed night heron, African finfoot, or saddle-billed stork.

Between wildlife excursions, you may choose to linger at camp, enjoying Kafue River views at leisure, or elect to join our Trip Leader on a nature walk around the camp.

We gather for dinner this evening around the campfire.

Two more game-viewing excursions await you this morning and afternoon, as you explore the outer reaches of the park by boat or safari vehicle. It’s impossible to exhaust the discoveries at Kafue, one of the continent’s largest national parks—at 8,600 square miles, it is roughly the size of the entire state of New Jersey. Kafue’s habitats span riverine forests, floodplains, woodlands, and dambos (open grasslands). There will also be opportunities to fish along the banks, as well as a sundowner cruise in the afternoon

We gather for dinner and a campfire tonight, swapping memories of all we’ve encountered on our explorations in this truly stunning locale.

This morning, after an early breakfast, we enjoy a final game-viewing drive in the region during our transfer overland to the airstrip for our chartered flight to Livingstone Airport. From here, we board a minibus that takes us to Victoria Falls, the departure point for our flight (or drive) to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe's largest park.

This outstanding area of African bush country boasts plentiful wildlife—yet remains relatively "undiscovered." Our lodge here is located on a private reserve and offers unrestricted views of a watering hole, the broad, savannah grasslands, and acacia woodlands. Often, we need look no further than our windows to see a variety of species. In the early afternoon, we arrive at our lodge and have lunch.

Hwange is home to many diverse habitats, from teak forests to palm islands to vast, savannah plains. Likewise, you may behold a rich menagerie of game that can include elephant, buffalo, eland, wildebeest, impala, lion, leopard, cheetah, and more than 400 known bird species. The park is also known for its herds of sable antelope, an elegant animal with large, graceful horns.

In the late afternoon, we head out for a game-viewing drive during the hours just before and after sunset, returning to camp afterwards for dinner. Some evenings, we may even be lucky enough to dine with a view of elephants close to our camp.

This morning, we have the opportunity to enjoy a nature walk with one of our professional guides.

During this walk, you will learn about the region's flora and the intricate cycle of life in the bush. We will learn to identify which animals have passed through the area. Our expert guides may also expound on everything from how elephant dung can be used as mosquito repellent, to how the giraffe is able to eat leaves off of the thorny acacia trees.

We return to camp for brunch and then have the option of enjoying game-viewing from a platform built over a frequently trafficked watering hole. We also may attend a talk on Hwange’s history, geology and geography. We’ll take afternoon tea at the platform or back in camp.

We journey into the bush once again for our afternoon game-viewing drive before returning to our camp after sundown.

Today, we’ll take a break from game-viewing to learn more about Zimbabwe’s human residents as we enjoy a Day in the Life of a village near the park.

Our first stop is the village's elementary school (when in session), which is supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation. Some children walk as far as four miles to get here every day. We have the unique opportunity to meet the teachers and share smiles with the children.

Next, we meet a village leader, who takes us on a short tour that reveals how local people live, tend to their animals, and raise their crops. We'll then sit down with villagers over refreshments for a roundtable discussion and join in some of their typical activities, like helping to carry straw or build a hut, if circumstances permit. Before we leave the village, we'll also spend some time at the local crafts market. Also partially supported by the Foundation to benefit the local economy, this market is where artisans create and sell traditional items like soapstone statues, hand-woven baskets, and wooden walking sticks.

We return to our camp for lunch and a siesta until teatime later in the afternoon. Before teatime on these afternoons, we have the opportunity to watch game at the water hole from our lodge. From here, we get an up-close view of the wildlife as numerous species come to drink.

As on previous days, we enjoy a game-viewing drive in the afternoon and return to our camp after sunset. Our farewell evening is a special one. We are first treated to the captivating rhythms of an African drum circle. Drum circles are communal events, regardless of experience, and you will be encouraged—and tempted!—to join in with your travel companions. A Farewell Dinner follows the drumming session.

Join us this morning for an elective early morning game-viewing drive. After brunch, we drive to the airstrip and fly to Victoria Falls. Here we visit the largest curtain of water in the world—and one of the world's Seven Natural Wonders. These awe-inspiring cataracts, whose African name (Mosi-oa Tunya) means "the smoke that thunders," are nearly twice as high as Niagara, one and a half times as wide, and generate three times as much water. On a clear day, you can see the mist sprayed into the air from these crashing waters from more than 50 miles away. At peak flood times, 1.4 billion gallons of water per minute pass over its edge.

On our guided tour, we explore walking trails and lookout points—each with different views. There are five main cataracts, including the most dramatic, the Main Falls and Devil’s Cataract. The flora around the falls is naturally profuse: You’ll see ebony, fig trees, and many flowering species. The rain forest surrounding the falls is particularly lush, fed by Victoria’s perpetual spray. (It’s a good idea to wrap your camera equipment, cash, and other valuables in plastic.)

If you like, you can join an orientation walk of the town of Victoria Falls later this morning. Here, you can scoop up bargains galore in local handcrafts, such as the famous Shona stone carvings and a variety of wooden carvings. You’ll also find a selection of brilliant African textiles, malachite, basketry, and more. This is one of the places where bartering is appropriate, often expected—and can be great fun. American goods like T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baseball caps with designer logos can be good “currency” here. Please ask your Trip Leader for advice about where else it may be appropriate to barter in this manner. This evening, we’ll gather for a talk on the life of David Livingstone before dinner at our lodge.

After a full breakfast, the morning is at leisure. From Victoria Falls, we fly to Johannesburg.

Both the flight to Cape Town, for travelers continuing on the optional extension, and the flight for those returning home to the U.S., depart later in the afternoon or evening. You will arrive in the U.S. the following day.