South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana 2017
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Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana 2017 17-Day Land Tour EXTEND YOUR TRIP PRE-TRIP Botswana's Okavango Delta POST-TRIP Cape Town & the Cape of Good Hope Your Day-to-Day Itinerary OVERSEAS ADVENTURE TRAVEL Overseas Adventure Travel, founded in 1978, is America’s leading adventure travel company. The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, The Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, and others have recommended OAT trips. But our most im- pressive reviews come from our customers: Thousands of travelers have joined our trips, and 95% of them say they’d gladly travel with us again, and recommend us to their friends. INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE » International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges unless you choose to make your own air arrangements » Accommodations for 16 nights » 46 meals—daily breakfast, 15 lunches, and 15 dinners » 23 small group activities, including up to 19 game-viewing drives, boat cruises, and walks, plus park fees » Services of a local O.A.T. Trip Leader and driver-g uides » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, lodge and camp staff, driver-guides, and luggage porters » 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next O.A.T. trip—an average of $399 » O.A.T. safari duffle Itinerary subject to change. For information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-955-1925. WHAT THIS TRIP IS LIKE PACING TeRRAIN & TRANSPORTATION » 6 locations in 17 days with one 1-night » Travel on roads in poor condition that stay can cause problems for travelers with leg or back issues » Early morning game-viewing drives on safari days, rising at 5am » During game-viewing excursions, we’ll travel over bumpy, dusty terrain and » You will have transfers of up to 11 hours walk on sandy, uneven terrain at our to reach your tented camp on one day camps PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS » On game-viewing drives, we travel » Not appropriate for travelers using overland in open-sided safari vehicles wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility with bench seating and no air- aids conditioning. We also travel in motorized boats » You must be able to walk unassisted while carrying hand luggage; expect 2-4 » 3 guided walks of up to 3 hours each; and hours of physical activities on some days 3 internal flights on 50-passenger planes » You will need to access vehicles by ladder ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES without aid » We spend 12 nights in comfortable but » Not appropriate for travelers in need of basic lodges and tented camps and 4 CPAP machine nights in hotels » We reserve the right for Trip Leaders » Our lodges use generator electricity and to restrict participation, or in some lantern lighting at night, and do not have circumstances send travelers home, if air-conditioning their limitations impact the group’s » All accommodations feature private baths experience CLIMATE » The hottest months are October- February; mid-day temperatures can reach more than 100°F » Daytime temperature between May- August can be 70-80°F, and as low as 40°F at night » December-March brings heavy rain and thunderstorms Itinerary subject to change. For information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-955-1925. Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana 2017 EXTEND YOUR TRIP PRE-TRIP Botswana's Okavango Delta POST-TRIP Cape Town & the Cape of Good Hope The open plains of Kruger National Park, South Africa … the mighty power of Victoria Falls … the water- bound wonderland of Namibia’s Impalila Island. The natural gems of southern Africa are as diverse as they are abundant with wildlife. In Botswana, giraffes amble amiably in search of tender leaves while cheetah and leopard stalk their prey. Day to day, season to season, the wildlife viewing is never the same twice—but you’re always assured of memorable sights and sounds. On this safari adventure spanning four nations, every day brings new discoveries on foot, aboard safari vehicle, and by riverboat, with experienced Trip Leaders and driver-guides making sure you don’t miss a thing. And as you interact with local villagers and exchange stories with your fellow travelers, you’ll be making the memories of a lifetime. Itinerary subject to change. For information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-955-1925. DETAILED ITINERARY An important word about your adventure Our Southern Africa: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia & Botswana is designed for people who want a different kind of travel experience. We seek out unusual experiences, in out-of-the-way places where ordinary tours don’t go. Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia are developing countries, and the overall quality of travel services is not what you would find in the United States or Europe. The economy and the pace of life are quite different from what we are ac- customed to in North America. When we are forced to make variations on the itinerary, we make every attempt to use facilities that are equivalent in quality. In particular, we often change our plans in response to animal migration patterns, in order to give you the best possible wildlife viewing. It will help a great deal for you to bring to the trip an open mind, a sense of humor, flexibility, and a spirit of adventure that allows you to take the unexpected in stride. If you do, you will have a remarkable experience! DAY 1 Fly to Johannesburg, South Africa DAY 3 Fly to Kruger National Park You depart from the U.S. on an overnight This morning, you will fly to Nelspruit flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. (Mbombela). Upon arrival, we will be trans- ferred to our camp in Kruger National Park. DAY 2 Arrive Johannesburg The largest of South Africa’s parks, with a Today, arrive in Johannesburg to rest before total area of 7,500 square miles, Kruger is flying to Kruger tomorrow morning. You also one of the largest parks in the world. will be met and transferred to your hotel Bordered by the Limpopo and Crocodile for a short overnight stay. Here, you’ll be Rivers, the land spreads a stunning 200 joined by those who traveled on our op- miles at its widest point. Late this afternoon, tional Botswana’s Okavango Delta extension. we’ll get our first taste of this vast natural canvas in a game-viewing drive. Here we Itinerary subject to change. For information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-955-1925. may spot herds of elephant and buffalo, After enjoying a picnic lunch in the park, antelope, nyala, and eland, the kind of game our game-viewing drive continues in the you travel to South Africa to see. afternoon. One needn’t only scan the grasses for activity—the trees and sky are busy, Your game-viewing drives will be led by too. More than 500 species of birds are knowledgeable guides who know the best found here, including what African birders locations for viewing and are adept at help- call “The Big Six” (in answer to the famous ing you spot wildlife both near and far. mammals); the Lappet-faced vulture, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Martial eagle, Saddle-billed stork, Kori bustard, ground hornbill, and the elusive Pel’s Fishing owl are all residents of the DAY 4 Kruger National Park sprawling park. We begin our day with an early morning This evening, we return to our camp for bush-walk. dinner. After returning to camp for breakfast, we’ll Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner set off on a morning game drive. After lunch, you’ll learn about the effects of rhino poach- ing in the area from a park ranger. After, we DAY 6 Wildlife viewing in Hwange embark on our afternoon game drive where National Park, Zimbabwe perhaps you’ll see giraffes “necking”—a After breakfast, we’ll depart camp and return sport for young males showing off—or hear to Nelspruit for our flight to Livingstone, the clucking conversations of long-horned Zambia. From there, we’ll drive a short greater kudu. distance to Victoria Falls—where we will This evening, we enjoy dinner together at be met and transferred to our lodge near the camp as evening falls and we compare Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest notes on all that makes it special to travel to park. South Africa. As we pass grasslands and acacia woodlands Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner en route to our lodge, we’ll enjoy a taste of the unspoiled beauty for which Hwange is famous. Comparatively undiscovered, the DAY 5 Explore Kruger National Park bush country park is known for its herds of Today, you’ll enjoy a full-day game-viewing sable antelope, an elegant animal with large, drive in Kruger National Park. Kruger is graceful horns. home to 147 species of land mammals, the The evening is yours to spend at leisure highest number in Africa, including all of before dinner at the lodge. the “Big Five”: lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros. Thousands of zebra roam the land here as well, but no species can keep up with the impala, which number more than a million here. Itinerary subject to change. For information or reservations, call toll-free 1-800-955-1925. Please note: On Day 6 for some departures, After enjoying a packed lunch at the park, we travelers will fly from Nelspruit to Johannesburg, journey into the bush once again to continue with a connecting flight to Victoria Falls and our game-viewing drive. Perhaps we’ll spot a land transfer to Hwange National Park in elephant, buffalo, eland, wildebeest, and Zimbabwe. impala, before we return to our camp for a discussion about Hwange National Park with Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner our Trip Leader before dinner.