Cape to Victoria Falls

After your flight, you transfer to your first night’s accommodation (about 30 minutes) and check in. Cape Town, the so-called ‘mother city’, is set between the Atlantic Ocean and the instantly recognisable Table Mountain. This afternoon you may chose to take the cable car up the mountain (optional) or enjoy the city’s famous beaches. Guesthouse – 2 nights

Leaving the city behind you head north to the Cedarberg Wilderness area (250km/3 and a half hours). Having set up your first camp you head out on foot to explore the rugged landscape criss-crossed with streams, waterfalls, cool pools and amazing natural rock sculptures. Camp - 1 night (BLD)

This morning there’s an opportunity to take an optional canoe excursion downstream for a couple of hours (at own expense). The drive this afternoon (300km/4 hours) takes you to the edge of Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in Africa. Often compared to the Grand Canyon, it is a 161km long, 27km wide ravine with a maximum depth of 550m. The canyon is spectacular; from the rim the gorge falls away in a sheer drop down to the meandering Fish River below. You can explore the area on foot and enjoy the splendid views of this grand, sombre and immensely powerful natural phenomenon. Camp – 1 night (BLD)

Rising well before dawn you drive in darkness to the heart of the desert to witness an incredible scene. With the first hint of daylight, the dunes flush with colour, which deepens and changes until the first rays of sun strike the quartz sand. The spectacle is breathtaking. The endless expanse of legendary 'walking dunes', sculpted by the wind, has to be seen to be believed. Far from all looking alike, dunes of different areas have distinctive shapes and characteristics. You take a walk to learn about the curious mechanics of this unstable landscape and discover the natural world living within and around it. You walk to Sossusvlei, lying at the end of an ancient river course, on a clay pan set amidst red dunes, keeping a sharp lookout for the striking gemsbok. It's well worth climbing to the top of one of the 300m high dunes (reputedly the highest on earth) for the view. Equally impressive is the silence and the tremendous sense of isolation. (BLD)

A free day allows you to try one or more of the great optional activities on offer here. For those who want an incredible spectacle and sense of perspective an overflight of the Skeleton Coast is available. The more active adrenalin seekers can try their hand at exhilarating dune boarding or Quad biking. (B)

You travel further north (170km/2 1/2 hours) towards The Brandberg. This immense island massif is home to Namibia’s highest peak, Koiningstein, at 2573m. The area is also famed for its numerous examples of Bushman rock art. You’ll take a walk up the Tsisab Ravine to see perhaps the best preserved and most intriguing of these paintings - the White Lady. Originally this image was thought to be a representation of a European woman, more recent thinking however tends to point to it being the representation of a male shaman covered in white body paint. Camp – 1 night (BLD)

You have a full day to enjoy this fantastic game-rich national park. During your stay you will take a morning game drive, before returning to camp to relax and avoid the hottest part of the day when the majority of the game also becomes inactive. As it begins to cool off you head out again and hope to add to the growing list of species spotted: elephant, giraffe, zebra, springbok, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, gemsbok, kudu, eland, plus the carnivores: lion, cheetah, possibly leopard, spotted and brown hyena, and black-backed jackal. The long bird list includes more than 320 species; from ostrich and flamingo to the rare Wahlberg's eagle, and the Klaas' cuckoo.

In the evening you can have a shower and relax with dinner under the stars. A number of Etosha’s waterholes are floodlit at night and you may have the opportunity to view some of the more elusive nocturnal species found in the park. Camp – 1 night (BLD)

You transfer to the edge of the delta (approx. 2 hours). Leaving the vehicle behind you enter the peace and quiet of the delta. You meet your guides and prepare for the journey; you have to learn how to load and balance your mokoro. These traditional dugout canoes of the delta are cut by hand from a single log. Although a mokoro looks anything but stable, in fact it is an extremely safe and reliable craft. You set off two people to a mokoro - poled by a skilled Tswana who will act as your eyes and ears until you attune to this unfamiliar watery environment. You’ll navigate the maze of creeks and narrow channels, slipping silently through the beds of reed and papyrus, past islands covered with palm trees. As you travel, you hope to see numerous birds and may encounter red lechwe or even elephant browsing in the water. Over the next few days you get used to being without the trappings of modern life, enjoying cooling swims during the heat of the day. Camp - 2 nights (BLD)

Today you pack up and pole back to the village (with more possibilities of seeing wildlife as you travel), from where you return to Maun (approx. 2 hours). Boarding your vehicle you drive (320km/4 hours) into the Kalahari Desert, camping at the outskirts of the Makgadikgadi Pans. Camp - 1 night (BL)

Today is free for you to return to the falls or to take one of the many activities offered in the area. If you feel adventurous, you can take on the river on a white water rafting trip, or take a bungee jump off the bridge spanning it. Many people choose to fly over the falls for the best aerial view - you can either try a flight by light aircraft, microlight or helicopter over the falls. The ‘Flight of the Angels’, as it is known, takes its name from a passage in Livingstone’s journal. The overwhelming force and beauty of what he had just seen inspired him to write: “on sights as beautiful as this, angels in their flight must have gazed. (B)

N.B. All activities are optional and will need to be paid for locally.  If opting for any of the more extreme activities please ensure that you are covered under your travel insurance policy.