Crazy Circle of Life
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Overview
Fun animal facts:
· The elephant’s closest living relative is a dassie - 70cm long, 3kg heavy and looks somewhat like a hamster.
· A honey badger will attack its opponent’s testicles before any other body part.
· A cheetah's feet don't touch the ground for more than half the time it’s running.
(Was Botswana & Zimbabwe Adventure)
Itinerary
Day 1 - Pretoria/Johannesburg
Fill in the day at Hatfield Square in Pretoria. Being close to the university means three things: Heaps of pubs, cheap food and drinks, loads of people looking for ways to avoid study.
- Arrive at any time you like and enjoy a day at your leisure
- A transfer from Johannesburg's O.R Tambo International Airport needs to be pre-booked and is strongly recommended
- There is a pre-departure meeting tonight at 6pm
Please note: If you would like to exchange any South African rand, it is advisable to do this today as there will be no time to visit banks tomorrow. The airport is an ideal place to do this with its abundance of ATMs and forex bureaus in the arrival hall.
DinnerDay 2-3 - Khama Rhino Sanctuary - Maun
Rhinos have been around for 50 million years so they're used to people gawking at them. Then it's off to Maun (pronounced ma-ooon) to stock up on hats, sunscreen and scarves (for both the morning chill and the arvo sun).
Day 2 (Approximate driving time: 7 hours excluding time spent at border; game drive times variable)
- Leaving Pretoria early we travel north to Potgietersrus and then continue northwest to the Martins Drift border post
- After exiting South Africa we cross the Limpopo River to enter Botswana before continuing on to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary at Serowe
- Camp inside the sanctuary at Mokongwo Camp, where each site is set out in the atmospheric shade of large mokongwa trees
- Take an afternoon game drive through Khama Rhino Sanctuary, guided by well trained and knowledgeable rangers who are based at the sanctuary
Day 3 (Approximate driving time: 7 hours)
- After breakfast we depart for Maun, the safari capital of northern Botswana
- Perhaps enjoy time this afternoon to explore Maun, as well as stock up on supplies
- Tonight we camp just outside Maun, which is our base to prepare for our upcoming Okavango Delta adventure
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4-6 - Okavango Delta Excursion - Maun
It's kind of like being in a gondola in Venice. Except you probably won't see hippos in Venice. Enjoy a cold beer back at camp tonight. And is it just us, or are the stars actually bigger out here?
- Enjoy a three-day/two-night excursion to the Okavango Delta
- Explore the area by mokoro (dugout canoe) and on foot
- Camping in the wild under the stars of the southern skies
- Take an optional sunset flight over the Okavango Delta in a five-seater plane - one of the best flights in Africa
Please Note: For the two nights in the Okavango Delta you will need to pack clothing and other personal items into a smaller overnight bag, as space is limited. There will be no access to showers and you will be away from the safari vehicle.
The mokoro excursion is operated through the Okavango Polers Trust, whose aim is to preserve and maintain the traditional lifestyle of the Batswana people who inhabit the delta region. This trust ensures that all members of the community are given the opportunity to become polers, which allows them to earn money through tourism. Poler and guide fees are set by the trust and additional income earned by the trust is used to assist various community projects in the area.
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 7-8 - Chobe National Park (Botswana)
(Approximate driving time: 2 hours)
Elephants are the big stars here, and don't they know it. Parading around in big groups, showing off their cute babies and tearing down enormous trees limb by limb, the bloody big show-offs.
- Travel to the campsite on the banks of the Chobe River
- Perhaps enjoy an optional sunset boat cruise
- Two days in the region allows ample opportunity to search for much of the wildlife in the Chobe National Park
- Explore the park and experience its inhabitants in open 4WD vehicles on game drives, with the help of local site guides
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 9-10 - Victoria Falls
(Approximate driving time: 2 hours excluding time spent at border)
The entrance fee is a bit steep, so make sure you've got cash on you. Once you're in, it's nice to get away from the touts and enjoy some peace and quiet. Well, except for the sound of 19 million cubic feet of water throwing itself over the edge every minute.
- Leave Botswana and cross the border into Zimbabwe (Day 9)
- Set up camp for two nights in the Victoria Falls township
- Optional activities here include whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, river boarding and game drives
- View the falls themselves and to explore the nearby craft markets and the town
- Enjoy the many restaurants and bars of Victoria Falls township
BreakfastDay 11-12 - Hwange National Park
(Approximate driving time: 3.5 hours; game drive times variable)
If you look up 'goosebumps' in the dictionary you'll find a picture of you lying in your tent listening to a pride of lions roaring to one another across the plains in the middle of the night.
- Drive to Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s premiere wildlife sanctuary, and the campsite for the next two nights
- On the morning of day 12, set off on a full day of game viewing and exploring the park in open vehicles
- Hear nocturnal creatures chattering and grunting at night
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 13-14 - Bulawayo
(Approximate driving time: 6 hours; game drive times variable)
Big Cave Camp is surrounded by huge, gravity-defying granite boulders that look like they could topple over at any minute. But don't panic, it's just one of Mother Nature's clever little tricks, and it's what makes Matobo National Park so awesome.
- Travel through large swathes of countryside to Bulawayo and then on to the nearby Big Cave Camp
- Be treated to a truly stunning view - huge granite masses sculpted by time
- Relax and take in the ambiance of the African bush
- Experience a full day game drive in Matopos National Park on day 14
- Optional activities here include a cultural rock art tour, mountain biking and bird watching
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 15 - Great Zimbabwe Ruins
(Approximate driving time: 3 hours)
Could you build a 12m high wall using stones that are 6m thick without any mortar? Didn't think so. That's what makes these 11th century ruins so unbelievable. We'll camp nearby so you can hop up early to see the sun rising over them.
- Travel south to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins at Masvingo
- Spend the afternoon exploring this impressive archaeological site that gave the country its name
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 16 - Musina
(Approximate driving time: 4 hours)
Cue some Lion King on the iPod and watch sunrise over the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. Head to South Africa for our night at Tshipise.
- Enjoy a chance to watch the sunrise over the Great Zimbabwe Ruins
- Cross the border from Zimbabwe to South Africa at Beitbridge border post
- Drive to Messina and stock up on
supplies, before reaching our campsite for the night in Tshipise
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 17-18 - Kruger National Park
(Approximate driving time: 4 hours; game drive times variable)
Elephant, giraffe, zebra, cape buffalo, antelope, white rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, hippo, honey badger, crocodile, kudu, impala, endangered Cape hunting dog...how many can you spot?
- Travel southeast from Tshipise on well-maintained roads to Kruger National Park
- Be in with a chance to spot elephant, giraffe, zebra, Cape buffalo, many antelope species and white rhino
- Perhaps even be lucky enough to see lion, leopard or the endangered Cape hunting dog
- Spend two nights in the park and embark on game drives to explore the riverbanks and bush
- Seize the opportunity to set off on a nighttime safari with a local site guide
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 19-21 - Blyde River Canyon - Pilgrim's Rest - Pretoria/Johannesburg
The Gods must've been crazy to come up with the Blyde River Canyon. It's the biggest green canyon in the world, with the second tallest tufa waterfall on earth and home to birds, fish and wildlife. You'll love it.
Day 19 (Approximate driving time: 3 hours)
- Take a final morning game drive
- Head into the Panorama Region of Blyde River Canyon - the largest green canyon in the world
- View the Bourke's Luck Potholes, a series of striking rock formations
- Enjoy views from God's Window, boasting panoramics over the lowveld and the Kruger plains
- Camp tonight at Graskop, perched on the edge of the highveld escarpment.
Day 20 (Approximate driving time: 6 hours)
- Stop in the old gold mining town of Pilgrim’s Rest, a national monument. Pilgrim's Rest was once a major gold mining town, but when the gold was finally exhausted the town was sold to the government in 1972 as a historical village.
- Spend an hour or two browsing around the shops and exploring the many quaint old buildings on the restored main street
- Our final night is spent in Pretoria in shared accommodation
Day 21
- The tour ends this morning after breakfast
Please note: A transfer to Johannesburg's O.R Tambo International Airport are available at an additional cost and may be arranged prior to travel with Geckos or through the lodge itself
Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner -
What to Know
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Map
Map Itinerary
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Dates
Trip Dates and Prices
Start Date – End Date Trip Status Price Kitty Payment Total Price 06 Jun 2013 - 26 Jun 2013 7+ Request US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 18 Jul 2013 - 07 Aug 2013 7+ Available US $2,230On Sale Sale: US $1,896 US $600 US $2,496 Book Now 08 Aug 2013 - 28 Aug 2013 7+ Available US $2,230On Sale Sale: US $1,673 US $600 US $2,273 Book Now 29 Aug 2013 - 18 Sep 2013 7+ Available US $2,230On Sale Sale: US $1,896 Promo code: 1355 US $600 US $2,496 Book Now 19 Sep 2013 - 09 Oct 2013 7+ Available US $2,230On Sale Sale: US $1,896 Promo code: 1355 US $600 US $2,496 Book Now 31 Oct 2013 - 20 Nov 2013 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 12 Dec 2013 - 01 Jan 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 09 Jan 2014 - 29 Jan 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 20 Feb 2014 - 12 Mar 2014 7+ Available US $1,965 US $600 US $2,565 Book Now 13 Mar 2014 - 02 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $1,965 US $600 US $2,565 Book Now 03 Apr 2014 - 23 Apr 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 15 May 2014 - 04 Jun 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 05 Jun 2014 - 25 Jun 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now 26 Jun 2014 - 16 Jul 2014 7+ Available US $2,230 US $600 US $2,830 Book Now Kitty payment is required in cash. It needs to be paid before the end of your trip, in the local stated above. It is generally paid on Day 1, and covers most on-ground expenses. Kitty payments calculated using exchange rates valid on 1 Jan 2012.
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