The Big Overlander Northbound - 41 days
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Overview
Highlights
- South Africa: Set off from Cape Town and enjoy optional wine tasting in the Cederberg region
- Namibia: Take in Fish River Canyon, climb Dune 45 in the Namib Desert, game drive in Etosha National Park and explore Windhoek
- Botswana: Enjoy an overnight excursion into the Okavango Delta, cruise the Chobe River and head on safari in Chobe National Park
- Zambia: See mighty Victoria Falls, search for wildlife in South Luangwa National Park and stop in the border town of Chipata
- Malawi: Explore several different points of Lake Malawi, which covers 20% of the country. Swim, visit local villages, play volleyball and opt for a day hike to a waterfall
- Zanzibar: Spend four nights on tropical Zanzibar Island, exploring historic Stone Town and soaking up some sun on the northern beaches
- Tanzania: Visit the coastal cities of Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo, and discover the wildlife of Mikumi National Park, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater
- Kenya: End your tour in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and opt to book post-tour accommodation to further explore
What's this trip about?
Details
Destinations
Attractions
Trip includes
- 40 breakfasts, 31 lunches & 30 dinners
- 33 nights camping in 2-person dome tents, 2 nights in dorm accommodation in Swakopmund, 1 night permanent tented camp in the Okavango Delta & 4 nights simple twin share accommodation in Zanzibar (please refer to the trip notes for details)
- Escorted by a licensed 2-person crew
- Transportation in a 24-seater overland truck with camping and cooking equipment
- Cape Town Township Tour
- Sesriem & Fish River Canyon visit
- Sossusvlei shuttle, guided walk and Dune 45 excursion
- Spitzkoppe excursion to see Bushmen paintings
- Etosha National Park game drives
- Kalahari Bushman Walk
- Okavango Delta excursion including mokoro and walking safari
- Chobe River boat cruise and Chobe National Park game drive in a purpose-built safari vehicle with a resident guide
- Mosi Oa Tunya National Park, Victoria Falls visit
- South Luangwa National Park game drive in a purpose-built safari vehicle with a resident guide
- Zanzibar return ferry ticket
- Maasai Village Walk with a resident guide
- Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater excursion in a purpose built safari vehicle and game drives with a resident guide
- Sleeping mattress (you will need to bring your own sleeping bag)
- All road tolls and vehicle taxes
Itinerary
Cape Town - Cederberg. Our African adventure begins today with a tour of the Cape Flats, to the east of the city. Visiting a local township, we'll meet local people and discover some of the community projects in the area. Then it's time to climb aboard our overland tr...
Cederberg - Orange River (Namibia). Continuing north, we pass through drier, rockier territory until we reach the Namibian border, crossing at Vioolsdrift. Tonight's campsite is beside the Gariep (AKA Orange) River, which marks the border between South Africa and Nami...
Orange River - Fish River Canyon. There is time for the optional canoe safari this morning, if we didn't have time yesterday. Then we drive north to Fish River Canyon, second only in size to the Grand Canyon in the USA. More than 500 metres deep and scarring the land ...
Fish River Canyon - Namib-Naukluft National Park. We have a long drive today as we journey to the edge of Namib-Naukluft National Park, which protects great swathes of the Namib Desert and the Naukluft mountains. We'll camp on the edge of the park, ready to explore tomorrow.
Namib-Naukluft National Park - Solitaire. It's time to explore the Namib Desert! Our first stop is mighty Dune 45, one of the tallest sand dunes in the region. It's a dazzling sight, and the reward for climbing to the top is incredible views over the surrounding area....
Solitaire - Swakopmund. On day 6 we drive to Swakopmund, a German colonial town located on Namibia's famous Skeleton Coast. We'll be staying in simple dormitory accommodation in Swakopmund, rather than camping. The rest of day 6 and the following day are free for y...
Swakopmund - Spitzkoppe. Leaving coastal Swakopmund, we head into the Damaraland region and our destination - Spitzkoppe. At this mountain peak, you can see incredibly well-preserved bushmen paintings and spectacular rock formations reaching 1800 metres above sea leve...
Spitzkoppe - Etosha National Park. The next two days will be spent exploring Namibia's iconic Etosha National Park. This 20,000 square kilometre reserve is dominated by a salt pan, which floods seasonally but is also home to a select few watering holes all year round....
Etosha National Park - Windhoek. Today we arrive in Namibia's charming capital. Windhoek is a tiny capital by global standards, with a population of just 470,000 people. It has lots of German architecture, a reminder of Namibia's early colonial past. Our camp is locat...
Windhoek - Gobabis. Say goodbye to Windhoek as we travel east to the city of Gobabis, near the Botswanan border. Today we meet some of the local San Bushmen. The San culture is one of the oldest surviving cultures in Southern Africa and we'll enjoy a bush walk and lea...
Gobabis - Maun (Botswana). Today sees us travelling to Maun in Botswana, our base for exploring the famed Okavango Delta. If time allows, there is the opportunity for you to take a scenic flight over the delta - if we haven't got time today then this opportunity will be offered on day 15 instead.
Maun - Okavango Delta - Maun. On day 14 we enjoy our overnight excursion in specialized safari vehicles into the Okavango Delta. The delta is a natural wetland spread out over more than 1.6 million hectares, home to an incredible diversity of life. Reaching the mokoro...
Maun - Nata region. Today's drive takes us through a wildlife corridor between the desolate Nxai and Magkadigkadi pans. We'll stop en route to admire some of the region's towering baobab trees and arrive at our unfenced campsite in the afternoon. If you're lucky, you could see all sorts of wildlife, including elephants and antelope, come right up to camp.
Nata Region - Kasane. We make the journey to Kasane in Botswana's north. Kasane is the gateway to Chobe National Park and we'll enjoy a cruise on the Chobe River today. Chobe is home to huge herds of elephants, which we may be able to see down at the water's edge. Other species to look out for include hippo, crocodiles, buffalo and the rare African fish eagle.
Kasane - Chobe National Park - Livingstone (Zambia). This morning we transfer to specialized safari vehicles for a game drive in Chobe National Park, which is home to all of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo), although rhinos are very rare here. ...
The next two days are completely free for you to explore Livingstone and join some of the optional activities available. Abseiling, bungee jumping, scenic flights over Victoria Falls, rafting on the Zambezi River and fishing trips are just some of the options - see th...
Livingstone - Lusaka. After a relaxing break in Livingstone, we get back on the road today, crossing Zambia to reach Lusaka, the country's rapidly growing capital city. The city is something of a hub in southern Africa, with four main highways running in all direction...
Lusaka - South Luangwa National Park. Day 22 is a long driving day but there are incredible views to enjoy as we travel on the Great Eastern Road through Zambia, crossing the Luangwa River to reach our campsite near the South Luangwa National Park. There's an incl...
South Luangwa National Park - Kande Beach, Lake Malawi (Malawi). Leaving Zambia behind, we cross into Malawi on day 24 and head to the shore of Lake Malawi, which covers more than one-fifth of the entire country. Our campsite is right on the shore of the lake, and you...
Kande Beach - Chitimba Beach, Lake Malawi. On day 26 we take a scenic drive through rubber plantations to the town of Mzuzu, where we pick up some supplies and visit the market before travelling on to our beach-side camp at Chitimba Beach. Spend the remains of day 26 ...
Chitimba Beach, Lake Malawi - Iringa (Tanzania). Today we have a long but scenic drive as we cross into Tanzania. Climbing through the Southern Highlands, we arrive at Kisolanza Farmhouse, a family-run working farm in a spectacular location. The farm has been managed by the Ghaui family for more than 70 years and produces organic crops and meat for the local community and Dar es Salaam.
Iringa - Mikumi National Park area. Heading east, we travel to Mikumi National Park, the fifth-largest reserve in Tanzania. Our campsite is located on the very edge of the park, and we'll enjoy an evening around the campfire. If time permits you can book an optional game drive to see some of the resident wildlife, including lion, buffalo, elephant, hippo and crocodile.
Mikumi National Park area - Dar es Salaam. Our journey to the Indian Ocean coast city of Dar es Salaam takes us through the heart of Mikumi National Park. We will probably see some wildlife on this drive, and will stop if we see anything of note, such as forest elepha...
Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar. On the morning of day 31, we take the ferry to Zanzibar, leaving our overland truck on the mainland. Evocative and exotic, Zanzibar conjures up images of idyllic, sandy, palm-fringed beaches, romantic winding cobbled alleys, and lush tropical...
Zanzibar - Dar es Salaam. There's time for one final swim or some last-minute shopping before we take the ferry back to Dar es Salaam and travel to our campsite on the coast for the evening.
Dar es Salaam - Marangu. Today we wave goodbye to the coast and head inland, past the Usambara and Pare Mountains to Marangu. This small town is nestled at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain famed for its near-permanently snow-capped peak. If the weather is clear you will be able to enjoy magnificent views of the mountain from our campsite and the surrounding area.
Marangu - Arusha. This morning we drive past the town of Moshi to Arusha, Tanzania's safari capital and our base for exploring the Serengeti and famed Ngorongoro Crater. With time to explore the town we head out to our camp just outside the city at the edge of the Mas...
Arusha - Serengeti National Park. Today we embark on our excursion to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Leaving our overland truck behind we transfer to designated safari vehicles. Entering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, we drive around the rim of the crater and...
Serengeti National Park - Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha. Game driving out of the Serengeti on day 39, we can search for any species we have not managed to spot so far. We travel back to the Ngorongoro Crater, camping on the rim of this UNESCO-listed natural caldera, one ...
Arusha - Nairobi (Kenya). Our tour ends today as we reach the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Our tour arrangements come to an end when we reach the city, though we can book post-tour accommodation for you if you would like to stay a few days to further explore Nairobi and Kenya.
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Escaping a cold London winter back in 1998, we followed the sun for a colourful adventure around the world. Discovering amazing history, interesting cultures and the jaw-dropping beauty of our planet, the friends we made along the way made our journey all the more special. Inspired to share our experiences, the seeds were sown and On The Go Tours was born.
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We know too that adventure feels better with a chilled beer poolside or a soft pillow at the end of each day and we search out comfortable hotels and boutique properties for your stay. As we love to say - travel with us and adventure in style!
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International flights and visas
- Sleeping bag - please bring your own
- Tipping - an entirely personal gesture
- Optional activities (prices listed in Trip Notes)
- Airport transfers - can be booked on request
- Local payment - $1300 paid in USD
Accommodation
18 and over. Anyone over 65 to complete a Tour Suitability Form.Maximum age 75.
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