Experience Southern Africa - 16 Days

Sawubona – welcome to South Africa! Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you arrive early, maybe visit the eye-opening Apartheid Museum to start your journey with some crucial history before meeting up with your group. After your meeting this evening, why not head out for an optional group dinner and get to know your new travel companions. Your leader can point you in the right direction with the best bar and restaurant recommendations.

Rise and shine for an early departure from Johannesburg, the 'City of Gold' – it’s time to officially set off on your African adventure! Be prepared for a long drive, but rest assured, it’s well worth it. A truly unique African experience unfolds as you enter the Greater Kruger National Park ecosystem on the journey to your campsite. In the evening, relax and have dinner with your group at your camp, located in Kruger National Park.

After breakfast, embark on a full day 4WD safari through Kruger National Park. One of the largest game reserves in Southern Africa, Kruger National Park is home to over 500 bird species, 100 species of reptile and 150 mammal species, including all your favourites from The Lion King – elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes and more! It’s home to many vulnerable species including the southern ground hornbill, the blue crane and the endangered African wild dog. You’ll spend your day game viewing, birdwatching and stopping at various waterholes and viewpoints. Your camp tonight will be within Kruger National Park.

Head to the outskirts of Kruger National Park, where you'll be lucky enough to camp for the evening with the Black Mambas at their headquarters. The Intrepid Foundation is proudly partnered with Helping Rhinos, which directly supports the work of the Black Mambas – the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit. Made up of a team of 42 young African women, the Mambas patrol 20,000 hectares of the Olifants West Nature Reserve, part of Greater Kruger National Park. Turning a traditionally male-dominated industry on its head, they’re putting their female prowess to work protecting the wildlife of Kruger National Park in an unconventional way. You'll join them on a bush walk to learn how they find and destroy snares firsthand. Later, enjoy a special dinner by lantern light, then relax by the campfire with the Black Mambas as they share stories about their path to becoming rangers and their conservation work.

Say farewell to the Black Mambas and head straight for the Botswana border as you travel towards Goo Moremi Gorge. Perennial streams have carved deep gorges into the hills at this beautiful national heritage site. Here, waterfalls cascade into deep pools surrounded by lush vegetation. The gorges are home to many birds that feed on fish and small crabs in the pools and are breeding grounds for the endangered Cape vulture. Baboons and rock rabbits live on the cliffs above the gorge and, though very elusive, leopards, hyenas and kudu can also be found here.

Today, you'll journey from Palapye to Nata. Your lodge is situated on the edge of the amazing Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Covering some 12,000 sq km, this is one of the largest salt flats in the world. When you arrive, take a 3-hour excursion in an open vehicle to explore these seemingly endless plains in the Nata Bird Sanctuary. Surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the pans are naturally dry and salty for a large part of the year. During this time, the arid landscape has an eerie feel to it as heat mirages disorientate the senses. Then, after the rains hit, it becomes a grassy refuge for migratory birds and animals.

Today you'll travel on to Victoria Falls, crossing the border into Zimbabwe. Have lunch, then continue to your permanent tent, set within a large rest camp. After settling in, you may want to set out on a highly recommended optional trip to visit Victoria Falls. Spanning about a mile wide and falling 108 m into a narrow gorge below, the spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below. Otherwise, a range of other activities are available through the local activity centre. This evening, why not join your group for dinner and celebrate the adventures you've shared.

Spend the day soaking in the sights and sounds of Victoria Falls until your next welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. Maybe explore the magnificent falls – a thundering curtain of water approximately 1.5 km wide, falling 108 m into a narrow gorge below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise to an incredible 400 m, and the falls become a raging torrent. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray, and you can see little islets in the river below. After the welcome meeting,  sit down to a traditional Zimbabwean dinner and cultural performance by a local group who celebrate and preserve African stories and values through movement, while their profits go to supporting vulnerable groups and providing free dance lessons to local youth. Dinner will feature local Zimbabwean dishes, including village-style goat stew and peanut butter rice.

Travel to Chobe National Park in Botswana this morning. You’ll stop at the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust along the way – one of The Intrepid Foundation’s projects. Here, you’ll learn about the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife, the human-wildlife conflict and the trust’s role in anti-poaching. There may also be a chance to meet any rescued or orphaned wildlife currently in their care. Chobe National Park was the first national park to be established in Botswana and is best known for its high concentration of elephants, which can often be seen swimming in the Chobe River. The river also attracts wallowing hippos, a variety of birdlife and crocodiles that like to sun themselves by the water's edge. Cheetahs and lions also come down to drink in the river, so if you’re lucky, you might spot one of the predators, too! In the late afternoon, embark on a scenic sunset cruise on the Chobe River guided by an expert local guide and look out for wildlife.

Drive to Gweta this morning, on the edge of the vast Makgadikgadi Pans, and stop for lunch. After, head out to explore the Makgadikgadi landscape, visiting some of the region’s iconic baobab trees and a local meerkat colony, where you can watch these social animals play and interact in their natural habitat. Then, venture out across the seemingly endless white salt flats in time for sundowners. Enjoy a drink as the sun sets over the pans, followed by dinner and stargazing under the dark night sky. Tonight, you’ll sleep out on the salt flats in a comfortable bedroll, surrounded by the stillness of the Makgadikgadi and an uninterrupted view of the stars.

Wake up on the Makgadikgadi Pans this morning and enjoy breakfast before making your way back to Gweta, where you’ll have time to freshen up and have a shower. Then, continue towards the Okavango Delta and into the unspoiled wilderness for another adventurous camping experience. The Okavango Delta is unlike anything else in the world – a 16,000-square-kilometre maze of waterways, green islands and lush plains, home to wildlife including hippos, crocodiles, elephants and big cats. Explore the waterways by mokoro (a traditional dugout canoe) with local ‘polers’ and learn more about this incredible ecosystem along the way. Tonight, camp on a remote island in the heart of the delta and listen as the nocturnal creatures of the African bush come to life after sunset.

It's an early start this morning as you venture out for a sunrise walk to catch a glimpse of some local elephants and maybe a few Cape buffalo. After, return to camp for breakfast and enjoy a leisurely free day to relax. You might like to go on an afternoon walk, or there’s the opportunity to go on another mokoro trip. You may notice that the mokoros of today are made with fibreglass (rather than wood) but retain their original shape – this keeps the traditional feel of the boats while reducing the amount of tree-cutting in the delta.

This morning, enjoy a relaxing morning to say goodbye to the delta. Then, it’s on to your next stop. After taking down your camp, head out on a mokoro safari on your way out of the Delta then travel by vehicle to Maun. When you arrive, you’ll have the option to take a scenic helicopter flight over Maun and the delta, seeing things from a bird's eye view.

Travel to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary this morning. On the edge of the Kalahari Desert, the Khama Rhino Sanctuary is a community-based conservation project staffed by local village residents. Built in a former hunting area to protect Botswana's only remaining populations of both black and white rhinos, the sanctuary is also home to other wildlife including zebras, giraffes, leopards, ostriches and wildebeest, all of which can be seen around the many natural waterholes. Visiting this project benefits local communities and contributes to the protection of the highly endangered white rhinoceros. In the evening, head out on a dusk game drive in an open safari vehicle with an expert local ranger to see the rhinos (this will be replaced by a dawn game drive if the group arrives at the sanctuary too late).

Cross the border into South Africa and travel on to Johannesburg - a sprawling city of remarkable contrasts. As you come into town, you'll likely see opulent mansions alongside tin-roof shacks, and verdant city parks alongside the concrete. Enjoy a relaxing evening upon arrival.

Head to Soweto and take to the streets on a bicycle. Learn about the Soweto uprising and the resistance against apartheid. It's interesting to see how the community has changed and developed into what it is today. You'll also visit a former migrant workers' hostel and stop at many other local landmarks. Your cycling adventure should finish at around 3 pm today, whereafter you will be returned to your hotel in Johannesburg. With no further activities planned, your trip comes to an end at this point.