VACATION DETAILS

The Chobe National Park, which is the second largest national park in Botswana, has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region offers a safari experience of a lifetime. The park is divided into four distinctly different eco systems: Serondela with its lush plains and dense forests in the Chobe River area in the extreme north-east; the Savuti Marsh in the west; the Linyanti Swamps in the north-west and the hot dry hinterland in between. A major feature of Chobe National Park is its elephant population currently estimated at around 120,000. The Chobe elephant are migratory, making seasonal movements from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, where they concentrate in the dry season, to the pans in the southeast of the park, to which they disperse in the rains.

Nairobi is Kenya's capital and one of Africa's most modern and fastest growing major cities. The original center retains Asian influence in its older buildings with glassy modern buildings. Visit City Market with local produce and handicrafts. Other attractions are: National Museum, displaying ethnographic, paleontological and ornithological exhibits; the Arboretum, with an excellent collection of East African flora; the University, known for its unique architecture; the excellent Kenya Railway Museum; and Nairobi's landmark, the extraordinary Kenyatta Conference Center, the country's most monumental building, visible from miles outside the city. There are casinos at Safari Park Hotel and Inter-Continental, and there's Sunday-afternoon horse-racing. Visit Karen Blixen Museum, where some action of the book and film Out of Africa took place. The beautiful forested Ngong Hills is a spiritual place for the Maasai and an excellent area for hiking and enjoying views of Nairobi and the Rift Valley. Nairobi National Park is a wildlife game reserve.

Today, the Serengeti National Park helps protect the greatest and most varied collection of terrestrial wildlife on earth, and one of the last great migratory systems still intact. The Serengeti is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania's protected areas and has come to symbolize paradise. The region encompasses Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Two World Heritage Sites and two Biosphere Reserves have been established within the region. It's unique ecosystem has inspired writers and filmakers as well as numerous photographers and scientists. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

Arusha is the safari capital of East Africa, a bustling, vibrant town with the streets filled with 4X4 game viewing vehicles criss-crossing the potholed roads. Maasai warriors in full regalia stroll the streets, mingling with tourists in crisp khaki, fresh off the plane from Europe or the United States.

For many centuries, traders from Europe, India, the Orient and Arabia were lured to these shores. It was from here explorer David Livingstone set off on his last expedition into the heart of the continent. Today, as you walk along the winding streets of the old Stone Town, lined with whitewashed coral rag houses, you can see reminders of this rich history all around you. Visit the Palace museum, former residence of the Omani Sultans, and the cathedral that now stands on the site of the notorious slave market.

Excursions

At the southern tip of Lake Malawi, this national park encompasses the bulk of the Nankhumba Peninsula, all of the Cape Maclear Peninsula and several offshore islands. In addition to boating, visitors can enjoy bird-watching and animal viewing (baboon, hippos and monkeys predominate). An underwater trail at Mitande Rocks, southwest of Thumbi Island, provides one of the best views of Lake Malawi's many freshwater fish. Most of these fish are in the cichlid family and are brightly colored and patterned. Again, it is important to be aware that bilharzia—the parasite that can cause liver damage—may be present in certain parts of the lake. The best way to explore the park is by kayak, which can be hired for a gentle paddle around the rocky coastline. 150 mi/245 km east of Lilongwe.

One of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries lies in South Luangwa National Park with all year round access to open game viewing, walking safaris, and night game drives. This park was founded in 1938 and became a wildlife sanctuary in 1972. 60 different species of mammal species and 400 different species of birds roam freely in the vast desert. Exotic vegetation and wildflowers adds discovery to this sanctuary.

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock formations and San rock art.

An ancient hole in northern Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best wildlife-viewing spots since it acts like a natural cage; the crater's depth makes for a difficult escape for some animals, but most have no need to leave, finding plenty of resources inside. For the traveler, it means not only awesome wildlife viewing, but incredible views from accommodations on the crater's rim. Descend to the crater floor in a four-wheel drive; and once there just cruise around slowly and take in the scene — on any given day see lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra, and reedbuck. The small soda lake inside the crater is also the seasonal home of thousands of flamingos.

Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania is located on an arm of the Indian Ocean. It is the country's largest city and former capital, chief seaport, and principal commercial, manufacturing, and educational centre. Rail links extend inland to Arusha in the north, to Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria, and to Zambia. Dar es Salaam's exports include coffee, sisal, cotton, and copper (from landlocked Zambia). Places of interest include Kariakoo market, the Botanical Gardens, National Central Library and the National Museum of Tanzania which has notable collections dealing with east African ethnography, archaeology, and history.

This town in Tanzania overlooks the Ruaha River and borders the dry belt of central Tanzania. However the cool breeze of the Southern Highlands seeds its already abundant agriculture. With its beautiful scenery and game parks, Iringa is the perfect destination for travelers who are looking for both wild and tame.

The main reason to visit Lusaka is to change planes or begin a trip to Livingstone or one of the game parks. The capital and largest city, Lusaka is not particularly attractive and has few sights to see: Plan to spend no more than a day there. The central city is compact. Built for colonial administrators in the 1940s, today it is woefully inadequate to serve its present population. (Services and facilities can't keep up with demand—there are occasional water and electricity shortages—and unemployment and crime rates are increasing.)

Spend your time in Lusaka at Lumburma Market and the outdoor Cultural Center, where about a dozen artisans carve wooden souvenirs and sell them. If time permits, see the National Assembly building, drive through the university area, visit the Anglican cathedral (patterned after the one in Coventry, England), the State House and the Munda Wanga Botanic and Zoological Gardens (plants, birds and a few wild animals). 220 mi/350 km northeast of Livingstone.

The town of Victoria Falls is a pleasant place, created for visitors. There are hiking routes and rental bicycles. There are also trinket shops, selling everything from cheap T-shirts to antique African musical instruments. Carvings of masks and animals are a tradition around the area (as is the bargaining required to purchase them for a reasonable price). The Victoria Falls Hotel, a short walk from the falls, still operates in full colonial splendor and should be seen even by those not staying there. Visit Crocodile Ranch and Craft Village - a fascinating glimpse into Zimbabwean culture. Visit Livingstone, just across the border in Zambia— more than just a tourist town and more character than Victoria Falls. Another appealing side trip is to Chobe National Park, in neighboring Botswana. Chobe is one of the finest game parks in the world.

The Okavango delta is one of the world’s largest inland water systems. It's headwaters start in Angola’s western highlands, with numerous tributaries joining to form the Cubango river, which then flows through Namibia (called the Kavango) and finally enters Botswana, where it is then called the Okavango. It is a unique ecosystem with large populations of African mammals, birds, and other animals and is one of the last totally unspoiled areas in Africa. This destination is perfect for camping, picture taking, walking safaris, and mokoro (canoe) excursions.

The town of Maun is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. There are shopping malls, banks, restaurants, a few hotels and some happening bars. Maun is the tourism capital of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland. It is also the headquarters of numerous safari and air-charter operations.

Ghanzi (Gantsi) is a town located in western Botswana and is known as the "Capital of the Kalahari." This farming community and Bushmen town is a popular stop for those traveling to the Okavango Delta.

Located about 250 mi/400 km north of Windhoek, Etosha Park is Namibia's best-known tourist attraction and one of the most interesting game reserves in the world because of its unusual terrain. Etosha is a combination of dried lake (salt pan) in the north and grasslands, dense brush and open plains in the south.

Etosha means “great white place,” so named because 25% of the country is covered by a huge salt basin that was an inland lake 12 million years ago.

The sun glints off the 6,500-sq-mi/16,835-sq-km salt pan—a dry, flat, shallow, silvery-white depression—providing an eerie backdrop for wild animals moving through the shimmering haze. Dust in the air adds to the mystery: Everything is slightly indistinct, and since mirages are common, we occasionally found ourselves questioning what we'd really seen. It's widely regarded to be a photographer's paradise, especially during the dry winter months, when wildlife congregates around the artificial waterholes that line the pan, allowing for excellent close-up sightings.

Etosha is home to around 100 large mammal species, among them the elephant, giraffe, zebra, leopard, cheetah, lion, kudu, spotted hyena and black-backed jackal. It is the only reserve where you are likely to see the range-restricted black-faced impala (distinguished from the normal impala by the black blaze on its face) and is also an important stronghold for black rhino.

A checklist of 340 bird species found in Etosha includes local specialties such as white-tailed shrike, and an impressive selection of raptors and ground birds such as bustards.

The prime watering holes are on the southern side of the park, but they're only full after the rainy season (December-March). The Kuvelai River, which feeds Etosha, either floods or dries up completely, vanishing into the sand.

The park is open year-round, but the best time to visit, for both climate and the best photos, is August and September. There are three camping/self-catering rest camps with facilities inside the park (Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo) and several private lodges just outside. Okaukuejo has a floodlit water hole for nocturnal viewing.

Swakopmund is a city located in the western coast of Namibia.  The town is the fourth largest in Nambia, with a population of 44,725 inhabitants.  There are so many activities and tours available to those looking to visit the city, there are attractions ranging from skydiving, desert safari tours to sandboarding and even hot air balloon adventures.  There are plenty of accommodations around town and you will find a wide range of restaurants serving one of a kind cuisine.

This breathtaking park in southern Namibia near the border with South Africa boasts a 100-mi-/160-km-long canyon (17 mi/27 km across at its widest point) reminiscent of the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Most budget travelers stay at the Al-Ais resort (pleasant hot springs), which is closed October-March because of the heat, but there are also many private midrange and upscale lodges in the area.

Camping is available in nearby Hobas, and there are accommodations in Keetmanshoop, a two-hour drive north. A four-day hiking trail is open May-August for groups of at least three people, but trips must be booked in advance. You can experience the splendid view over the canyon any time of year, but walking to the base is explicitly forbidden unless you are signed up for the full hike. Spend two nights to be sure of a full day's look at the park. 360 mi/580 km south of Windhoek.

Cape Town is southern Africa's most beautiful, most romantic and most-visited city. Few urban centers anywhere can match its setting along the Cape Peninsula spine, which slides like the mighty tail of the continent into the Atlantic Ocean. By far the most striking - and famous - of its sights is Table Mountain, frequently mantled by clouds, and rearing up from the middle of the city to provide a constantly changing vista to the suburbs below. Table Mountain is the city's solid core which divides the city into distinct zones with public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas trailing down it's lower slopes.

Excursions