Southern Africa (Guided Tour)
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` Southern Africa (Guided Tour) “Southern Africa offers Real Adventure both on and off the bike” Top Five: Victoria Falls Okavango Delta Etosha National Park Skeleton Coast Cape Town & Table Mountain Key Info Start Location: Kasane, Botswana Finish Location: Cape Town, South Africa Countries Visited: Botswana, Namibia and South Africa Duaration (nights): 20 Distance: 4,750km approx Riding Difficulty: Moderate Unpaved Roads: 30% approx. Dates: 25th Sept – 13th Oct 2017 (arrive day before and depart day after) Price PPS: €5,250 F800GSA (R1200GS - €400 supplement) €2,625 Passenger in support vehicle This is a three country tour and takes in some of the best attractions Southern Africa has to offer including; From the spectacular Victoria Falls, to the vast Okavango Delta in the Kalahari, follow big game in the Etosha National Park, climb the huge red sand dunes of the Namib Desert, travel along the desolate Skeleton Coast, descend to the depths of Fish River Canyon and to finish it all off enjoy a glass of South African Wine atop Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town. We at Overlanders have travelled far and wide and having completed a recce tour in the Autumn of 2016 are now delighted to bring you on what can only be described as an Adventure of a Lifetime in Southern Africa. This tour is an assault on the senses to say the least. This is Africa… Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Highlights Include: Victoria Falls – day trip to Victoria Falls located on the Zambezi River. Described as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World - Victoria Falls presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800’s as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as, at the height of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge, over a width of nearly two kilometers, into a gorge over one hundred meters below. Okavango Delta - Two nights at the Okavango Delta with a tour of the Delta on the rest day. Another great way to experience and appreciate the Delta is from the air – tours can be organised at hotel reception. The delta covers between 6 and 15 000 square kilometres of Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana and owes its existence to the Okavango (Kavango) River which flows from the Angolan highlands, across Namibia’s Caprivi Strip and into the harsh Kalahari Desert. Each year the Okavango River discharges approximately 11 cubic kilometres of water into the Okavango Delta. Most of this water is lost to transpiration by plants (60%) and by evaporation (36%) with only 2% percolating into the aquifer system with the remainder finally flowing into Lake Ngami. Etosha National Park - Three nights at one of Southern Africa’s most popular wildlife parks - possibly Southern Africa’s finest Game reserve - with safari on one of the rest days. See lion, elephant, rhino and any number of antelope and zebra quenching their thirst at the parks many waterholes. Skeleton Coast - The Skeleton Coast is normally associated with famous shipwrecks, and stories abound of sailors walking for hundreds of kilometres through this barren Namibian landscape in search of food and water. The name came from the bones that lined the beaches from whaling operations and seal hunts, but more than a few of the skeletons were human. The Bushmen called it The Land God Made in Anger and the Portuguese knew it as The Gates of Hell. Ever since European navigators first discovered it, ships have been wrecked on its off-shore rocks, or run aground in the blinding fog. While small boats could land, the strong surf made it impossible to launch, hence the stories of sailors walking through the murderous terrain. Sossusvlei Dunes - Sossusvlei is possibly Namibia’s most spectacular and best-known attraction. Characterized by the large red dunes that surround it, Sossusvlei is a large, white, salt and clay pan and is a great destination all year round. The dunes in this area are some of the highest in the world, reaching almost 400 meters, and provide photographic enthusiasts with wonderful images in the beautiful morning and evening light. Fish River Canyon – the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 km long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep. Table Mountain - Rest day in Cape Town at the end of the trip with optional tour of Robben Island or cable car to the top of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Included in this trip: (Please note we endeavour to provide as many inclusions as possible in an effort to make the trip easier and more transparent for the customer.) All bed & breakfast in high quality hotels and game lodges Evening meals on all riding days. Motorcycle rental option of BMW F800GSA or R1200GS including insurance which is subject to an excess of €2,400 Support Vehicle 2 days Safari Road/Border tolls Park Fees Not Included: All Flights (from circa €1,000 return) Lunch and evening meals on non-riding days Security deposit for rental bike Fuel Personal Travel Insurance Anything not listed above. Optional: Travel as a passenger in the support vehicle. Suitable for a partner or person(s) not wishing to travel by motorcycle. Price €2,625 Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Route Itinerary Day 1 – First on the agenda is a day trip (without the bikes) to the magnificent Victoria Falls where the entire Zambezi River leaps wildly into a 2km black abyss. Listen to the falls hiss and roar as they rumble and crash like thunder. At twice the height of Niagara Falls the spray created rises some 400m and can be seen up to 50km away. There are plenty of local activities available before we return to Kassane on the banks of the Chobe River for our trip departure the following morning. Day 2 – Departing Kasane (and the famous four corners – where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe ‘almost’ meet) we head south into the Chobe National Park before turning west into the Makgadikgadi National Park close to the salt flats and Central Kalahari then onwards to the Oasis at Maun – a strategic location for exploring the Okavango Delta Day 3 – Today is a rest day and an opportunity to explore the Delta by organised safari. An Okavango sunset is not to be missed and offers excellent photo opportunities. Day 4 – Leaving Maun behind us we skirt around its western edge and head north for the Mohembo border crossing into Namibia to one of the highlights of the western Caprivi, the Popa Falls. They are actually rapids rather than waterfalls. Here the Okavango River breaks through a 4 metre high rock reef in its riverbed, which stretches over more than a kilometre in width. The reef consists of dark quartzite. The rapids are particularly impressive in the dry season at lower water levels. The camp at the eastern riverbank, managed by the local San community, is exceptionally scenic. In the evenings hippos like to visit both camps. Day 5 – Today we head west to the Etosha National Park, one of the highlights of travelling Namibia. Our base for the next three nights is located just four minutes from the Von Lindequist Gate near the historical Namutoni Fort. Etosha, which was declared a game reserve by the German colonial administration back in 1907, covers an area of more than 22.000 sqkms. In its centre lies a vast saltpan surrounded by grasslands and thorn savannah, Mopane bush land in the west and dry forest in the north-east. About two million years ago, this area was an enormous lake, fed by the Kunene River. However, the lake slowly dried up when the river changed its course. The pan is just about always dry. However, in the southern parts there are numerous water-holes scattered throughout this area and supporting the life for countless game. Almost all African game species are represented in Etosha, including the "Big Five": elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. Based on an animal count done by aircraft in 2005, there are about 250 lions in the park, 300 rhinos, 3000 giraffes, 12000 zebras, 4000 wildebeests, 5500 Oryx antelopes and more than 2500 elephants. The dainty springbok are especially numerous; at least 20000 of them roam the reserve. Often they can be seen in enormous herds of several hundred animals. Phone: +353 (0)53 22415 Email: [email protected] Web: www.overlanders.ie ` Day 6 – Organised Safari in the Etosha National Park Day 7 – Rest day (or you may wish to partake in another safari) Day 8 – Leaving the Etosha behind we head south and west in search of the Skeleton Coast and to our stopover for the night in Khorixas. Day 9 – After a brief visit to the Petrified Forest (280 million year old tree trunks) we finally arrive at the Atlantic Ocean and follow the Salt Road along the Skeleton coast south to the German Colonial town of Swakopmund with a visit to the Seal Colony at Cape Cross on route. Day 10 – Heading back inland we traverse vast open landscapes on gravel roads on route to the famous Namib Desert, Dune 7 and sand dunes of Sossusvlei.