TRIP DETAILS

Dream Safari: The Itinerary

This trip includes 12 days & 11 nights

DAY 1 - SEPT 6TH: CAPE TOWN

Arrive at any time. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure. Meet your Cape Town tour representative at the hotel - please have a look at the information board in the hotel for the meeting time. Your rep will go through your tour details, help you with booking optional activities, and be your contact person for the next few days.

Accommodation: The Portswood Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 2 - SEPT 7TH: CAPE TOWN

Begin the day with an exploration of vibrant Cape Town, wandering through the multicultural Bo-Kaap neighborhood. Then stop and smell the flowers on a tour specially designed for National Geographic travellers. Visit Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, led by an expert who will talk about the history of the gardens, its exhibits and a behind the scenes look at the mother beds. The garden is administered by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) who have received funding from National Geographic and the site has been named one of the Top 10 gardens in the world by National Geographic Traveler.

Later, stop by Boulders Beach to see the resident population of African penguins, and continue to the Cape Point lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope, the southwesternmost point in Africa.

Accommodation: The Portswood Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 3 - SEPT 8TH: CAPE TOWN

Enjoy a day of leisure in Cape Town, choosing from a variety of optional activities. Hop on a cable car to the summit, taking in extraordinary views of the city and the Atlantic seaboard. Or explore the Cape Winelands, visiting the historical city of Stellenbosch, touring wine estates with expert guides, and indulging in a variety of tastings and pairings.

There is something for everyone in Cape Town. Visit Table Mountain, walk the V&A Waterfront or embark on a wine tour in and around Stellenbosch. For the adventurous, opt to go, abseiling. Wander through the city centre, which has some of the oldest buildings and gardens in South Africa. Check out the Cultural Historical Museum, Planetarium, and many other museums and theatres.

Accommodation: The Portswood Hotel (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 4 - SEPT 9TH: CAPE TOWN/JOHANNESBURG

Fly to Johannesburg, then take a guided tour of Soweto township. Soweto was an important center of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement and home to its leader, Nelson Mandela. Visit the Mandela House Museum and learn about this painful chapter in the country’s history. In the evening, enjoy a traditional South African dinner with your fellow travellers.

Traditional South Africa Braai (Barbecue) - Enjoy a spread of grilled meats, vegetables, homemade salads, and the opportunity to taste some of the South African flavours after your welcome meeting.

Accommodation: Southern Sun Rosebank (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

DAY 5 - SEPT 10TH: JOHANNESBURG/GREATER KRUGER AREA

Set out towards Kruger National Park via the magnificent Panorama Route, one of the world’s most picturesque drives. Make stops at the dramatic Blyde River Canyon and Bourke's Luck Potholes, and take in panoramic views of the forest-covered valley from the God's Window viewpoint. Continue to our lodge near Kruger National park, savour a delicious South African Dinner in this picturesque location.

Accommodation: Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

DAY 6 - SEPT 11TH: KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Rise early and climb aboard an open jeep for a full-day safari in Kruger National Park—home to an extraordinary array of large mammals. Spot elephants, lions, giraffes, and perhaps elusive leopards as we explore this breathtaking wilderness of savanna and scrubland. Return to our lodge in the evening, where you can take some time to relax and enjoy the nocturnal sounds of the bush.

At over 19,000 sq km (7,500 sq mi), South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most impressive animal reserves in the world. With 147 species, Kruger has more species of large mammals than any other park on the continent.

Accommodation: Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

DAY 7 - GREATER KRUGER AREA/KARONGWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Travel to the Karongwe Private Game Reserve, a pristine wildlife sanctuary located in the Greater Kruger area. Meet with a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Cheetah Metapopulation Project—a program funded in part by National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative—and learn about efforts to protect the region’s cheetahs and other carnivores. The researcher then joins us for a wildlife-viewing excursion through the reserve.

For the next two days, enjoy ranger-led morning and evening wildlife safari drives in an open safari vehicle in Karongwe Nature Reserve, searching for Africa's famed Big Five. With over 9,000 hectares (22,240 acres) of supreme African bushveld, Karongwe Private Game Reserve is home to many creatures, and our safari drives provide several opportunities for wildlife viewing.

We use various accommodations within the reserve (the location is based on availability). During your time here, you will either stay in lodge rooms or very comfortable permanent tents (both of equal quality and with similar amenities).

Carnivore Conservation Experience - Meet with a researcher from the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Cheetah Metapopulation Project, a project managed by National Geographic grantee Vincent van der Merwe. A member of Vincent's team will give a talk about cheetahs in South Africa and the important research CMP is doing. We will also discuss conservation within parks and reserves in South Africa and National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative. You will then be accompanied by the researcher on a wildlife safari drive to give you more insight into cheetahs and other carnivores.

Accommodation: Karongwe Private Game Reserve - Lodges (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

DAY 8 - SEPT 13TH: KARONGWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Spend the day exploring Karongwe on morning and afternoon safaris with our local guides. Search for Africa's famed "big five" as we drive through the shrublands of the bushveld. Back at camp, relax on deck or take a walk around the grounds.

Wake up before the sun (around 5am) and sip your morning coffee before heading out on a morning wildlife safari drive. Return to the lodge for brunch and some leisure time. Converse on the deck, walk the grounds and gardens, and enjoy high tea. Following tea, it's time for a late afternoon safari drive. After spotting tons of wildlife, it’s time to return to camp and freshen up before dinner, a traditional braai.

Boma Braai - At Karongwe, the Boma dinner will indulge your taste buds with South African cuisine, while you enjoy the African wilderness. Take part in a culinary journey that reflects South Africa’s rich cultural and culinary heritage, all from an enclosed outdoor area, lit by lanterns and a warming fire. You’ll taste your way through traditional dishes including braaied meats (Barbeque), potjiekos (traditional pot stew), and a malva pudding (traditional dessert); all made from local ingredients. Both your stomach and your heart will be full from this cultural immersion, nature connection, social interaction, and delicious meal.

Accommodation: Karongwe Private Game Reserve - Lodges (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

DAY 9 - SEPT 14TH: KARONGWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE/JOHANNESBURG

Embark on one last safari this morning, keeping a lookout for Karongwe’s iconic inhabitants. Then head back to the city, where you’ll enjoy dinner in our lodge.

Accommodation: Southern Sun Rosebank (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

DAY 10 - SEPT 15TH: JOHANNESBURG/VICTORIA FALLS

Catch a flight to the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, named after one of the most powerful waterfalls on Earth. Visit a nearby village and go grocery shopping in the bustling market. Then sit down with a local family for dinner, helping your hosts prepare a traditional Zimbabwean meal using the ingredients you picked out, and hear stories about local life and culture.

The mist off Victoria Falls can rise to a height of more than 400m (1312 ft). Local tribes used to call the falls Mosi-o-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders.” Explorer and missionary David Livingstone renamed the falls after Queen Victoria when he first saw them in 1855.

Zimbabwean Family Dinner

Flatter Ncube is the head of her family which includes two sisters and numerous children. She’s the youngest of a family of 10 and, now in her early 40s, lives in the village she was raised in near Victoria Falls. There she takes care of her extended family on their homestead, which she and they have been proudly building by hand, brick by brick, for years. Flatter’s story highlights that life isn’t easy in Africa, but despite its challenges, there is much love and laughter and a strong sense of family here.

Visit Flatter’s homestead in her rural village; meet her and some of her family, and walk with some of them throughout the property, among the fruit and vegetable plants the family grows for consumption. (They even plant hot chillies among the vegetables to discourage nosy elephants.) Then help the family prepare a traditional Zimbabwean dinner, which we'll all eat together outside on the property, weather permitting. Ingredients for the meal will have been hand-selected earlier in the day, at the bustling and friendly local village market.

This experience offers great insight into typical African life, and ultimately reinforce how we all really want and need the same things in life: a stable home full of love, a good education, and plenty of opportunity for our children.

Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge - Deluxe (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast | Dinner

DAY 11 - SEPT 16TH: VICTORIA FALLS

Set out for a tour of magnificent Victoria Falls. Scottish explorer David Livingstone named them after Britain’s Queen Victoria, while their older, indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the smoke that thunders.” Opt for a scenic sunset cruise on the Zambezi River; and much more.

If you have an activity planned for this morning, we will reschedule your Falls tour for this afternoon, or tomorrow morning before departure. Please note if you wish to partake in both the Full Day Chobe National Park and the River Cruise optional activities, they cannot both be done on the same day.

Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge - Deluxe (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 12 - SEPT 17TH: VICTORIA FALLS

Depart at any time.

If you opted to go on the Chobe National Park Full Day Excursion then your visit to Victoria Falls will happen on the final morning of tour. Please book any onward travel no earlier than 11AM.

Meals included: Breakfast