THE BEST OF SOUTHERN AFRICA TOUR
DAY 1- DEPART NEW YORK CITY
Depart on your
international flight from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt. Dinner and breakfast are
served.
DAY 2- TO WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
Arrive into
Frankfurt, Germany in the morning. A hotel room nearby the airport will be
available for the day. Tonight board your Air Namibia flight to Windhoek.
DAY 3- WINDHOEK
Early morning arrival where
you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Windhoek is the capital and
cultural heart of Namibia and be surprised by a taste of Germany as in 1884 it
became a German protectorate called South West Africa, and then a German Colony
in 1890. Enjoy a full day of leisure where you will witness the colonial
heritage in the city's German architecture. Overnight at the Safari Hotel.
DAY 4- TO NAMIB DESERT
Enjoy a morning at
leisure before being picked up by your driver. Travel via Spreetshoogte Pass as
the land drops off a dramatic escarpment with spectacular views of the Namib
Desert. Continue through Solitare a very small settlement in the middle of the
desert. Arrive at your Soft Adventure Camp located on open plains with granite
hills as a backdrop. This private reserve has a nearby borehole where springbok
and oryx often come to drink. Each of the 15 units is built on a diamond shaped
stance. The chalet is based on a fixed structure with canvas partitions. It is
spacious and offers all comforts of a nice contemporary hotel room. Each of the
rooms have en-suite facilities (shower and toilet) and with their own private
verandah in order to enjoy the beautiful sunsets of the Namib Desert.
Enjoy the next two nights at the Namib Naukluft Lodge.(B, D)
DAY 5- TO NAMIB DESERT
Arise very early
this morning and board your 4x4 vehicle to drive to Sesriem and the Sossusviei
Park's gate before sunrise. Enjoy this unique desert scenery with some of the
highest dunes in the world. Climb one of the over1,000 feet dunes and you will
be overwhelmed by the picturesque scenery and the fauna and flora of the desert.
Continue to the rugged Sesriem Canyon before returning to the lodge for lunch.
This afternoon you have various options such as a drive to “marble mountain” or
you can walk the Zebra Trail by either hiring a guide or just take along a radio
phone and walk on your own.(B, L, D)
DAY 6- TO CAPE
TOWN
Depart this morning and travel over the Remhoogte Pass, the
view jolts you wide awake, it is like a vision, a mirage in the desert as you
descend into the town of Windhoek. This afternoon board your flight to the
beautiful coastal city of Cape Town. Upon arrival you will be met and
transferred to your hotel for the next three nights at the centrally located
Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge. Your hotel is just minutes away from restaurants,
pubs, theatres and shops. It is ideally positioned in the heart of Cape Town's
V&A Waterfront development.(B)
DAY 7- CAPE TOWN
Cape Town is best enjoyed
based on your individual pace and interest. For the next few days, we have
arranged for you to utilize a 2-day pass on the popular Hop-On Hop-Off Double
Decker bus. Today utilize the Red Line Pass, where you can board a few minutes'
walk from your hotel. Wear your headphone and listen to the colorful history and
points of interest that Cape Town has to offer. Some stops you may wish to
get-off and spend quality time would include the District Six Museum, South
African Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center and the Iziko Slave Lodge. One
highlight stop is the Table Mountain Cableway where you may wish to consider
purchasing a ticket for the ride to the top of the mountain.(B)
DAY 8- CAPE TOWN
The outskirts of Cape Town
is a delight to visit, with its rugged beauty as today utilize your Blue Line
Pass. Of interest is the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. You may also
want to visit an “informal settlement”, despite the poverty, you will encounter
people who could not be friendlier, where you will be enlightened about the
social problems and their hopes for the future. Enjoy a magnificent coastal
drive to Cape Point and visit Mariner's Wharf with excellent shopping and
dining. You may want to consider taking a harbor boat cruise. On the Blue Line
you can also visit the World of Birds in Houtbaai.(B)
DAY 9- VICTORIA FALLS
This morning you will
be transferred to the Cape Town airport for your flight to Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe via Windhoek. Arrive in the afternoon and transfer to the Ilala Lodge
ideally situated and one of the closest hotel to Victoria Falls as well as the
Vic Falls town center. Wild animals often graze on the hotel lawns with the
spray of the falls in the background. You may want to take a sneak peak of the
Falls, as it is a short ten minute walk from your Lodge.(B, D)
DAY 10- VICTORIA FALLS
After breakfast
enjoy a guided tour of one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World-Victoria
Falls.While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world,
it is claimed to be the largest. This is based on the width of 5,604 feet and a
height of 354 feet, which forms the largest sheet of falling water in the world.
This afternoon enjoy an afternoon at leisure as there are numerous optional
activities for your individual pursuits. A sunset cruise on the Zambezi River,
to see a variety of game, helicopter flight seeing over Victoria Falls, Jet
boating, horseback riding and even elephant riding.(B, D)
DAY 11- TO CHOBE NATIONAL PARK
Overland
travel to the country of Botswana, to the Chobe Safari Lodge situated Kasane on
the banks of the Chobe River. After settling in, this afternoon cruise on the
Chobe River, which is one of the finest game viewing experiences in Africa. With
over 80,000 elephants in the park you will view them quite frequently during the
cruise. In addition be on the lookout for Hippo, Buffalo, Crocodile and a
variety of water birds. (B, D)
DAY 12- TO WINDHOEK/FRANKFURT
A fond
farewell to your Southern Africa vacation finds you early this morning on a
Safari Game Drive into Chobe National Park to view the abundant elephant and
other big game species up close. Exit the Park for your short transfer to
Victoria Falls airport for your early afternoon flight to Windhoek and onward
connection for your overnight flight to Frankfurt.(B)
DAY 13- TO NEW YORK CITY
Arrive early this
morning into Frankfurt for your onward connection to New York City, arriving at
JFK in the early afternoon.