Kenya to Cape Town Grand Adventurer

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Itinerary:

Kenya and Uganda

In Nairobi we jump on our expedition truck and head into the Great Rift Valley, camping at Lake Naivasha.  Here you can visit Elsamere, the home of Joy Adamson of Elsa the lion and Born Free fame. You can also visit Hells Gate National Park and spot game by foot or bicycle!  Continuing westwards through the spectacular Nandi Hills, we cross into Uganda and continue on to Kampala where we can hang out in local cafes and markets or visit a Chimpanzee sanctuary on Lake Victoria.  Leaving the capital we cross the Equator and reach the Virunga range of volcanic mountains.

The rainforests on these mountain slopes are home to several families of Mountain Gorillas.  We arrange the gorilla trek in either Uganda or Rwanda.  In small groups, accompanied by a tracker and park ranger, you can trek into the rainforest and spend an hour watching these amazing animals (optional - gorilla trekking permit not included in the price).

For a different buzz you can go white water rafting and quad biking at Bujagali Falls, the source of the Nile!  Returning to Kenya, we drive through tea plantations to Lake Nakuru National Park, renowned for its flock of almost a million Pink Flamingoes.  A few hours’ drive brings us back to Nairobi where we visit Langata Giraffe centre and you will also have the opportunity to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.

Tanzania and Malawi

Heading south into Tanzania, we use a local safari company to guide us through the Ngorongoro Crater where you can see elephant, lion, cheetah, white rhino, antelope, crocodile and hippo.  If that's not enough you can also spend a day in the Serengeti where vast herds of wildebeest roam the plains.  At nearby Arusha you can visit a local Masai Village and learn about their culture and way of life.

It's a day's drive to Dar es Salaam from where you can take the ferry to Zanzibar Island for a few days and venture into the narrow, bustling streets, spice markets, slave forts or relax on beautiful white beaches. Returning to Dar we continue south through Tanzania's hinterland, driving through Mikumi National Park and arriving in Malawi, dominated by its huge fresh-water lake. We spend several days at laid-back campsites on the edge of the lake and you can chill out on the beach, go snorkelling or windsurfing.

Zimbabwe and Botswana

Transiting through Mozambique, we arrive in Zimbabwe and make our way to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.  We will either visit Chimanimani National Park or Vumba Gardens, where you have the opportunity to take a hike through the mountain wilderness area or to the nearby Bridal Veil Falls. (Chimanimani NP or Vumba Gardens visit is for Grand Adventurer trips departing Nairobi from May 2012).  From there we head to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and on to Gweru where we stay at a private horse and game ranch.  Here you can go game viewing on elephant or horseback and even walk with lion cubs!  On to Matobo National Park where you can go on a walking safari to look for the elusive Black Rhino before catching an old colonial-style sleeper train (if available) to rejoin the truck at Africa's great adventure playground, Victoria Falls. There's something for everyone here - white water rafting the Zambezi, canoeing amongst the wildlife, flying over the Falls, bungee jumping and booze cruising!

Crossing the border to Botswana, we spend a day in Chobe National Park with its large herds of elephants before continuing to the renowned Okavango Delta.  Here you have the chance to explore the extensive waterways of this unique desert wetland by mokoro (dug-out canoe) and take game walks to track elephant, buffalo, crocodile and hippo.

Namibia and South Africa
Heading west, we enter Namibia and drive to Etosha National Park, where you can watch game by night at one of the floodlit watering holes.  We visit a local Cheetah Park Sanctuary before travelling through the Brandenberg Mountains to the Skeleton Coast.  We stop at the famous Cape Cross Seal Colony and on to Swakopmund for quad biking, dune sledding, deep sea fishing, horse riding, flights over the desert or dune buggying!

At Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert we find the highest sand dunes in the world and you can climb to the top of one for a spectacular desert sunrise.  Continuing south we arrive at Fish River Canyon where stop for a couple of hours to take in the amazing scenery.  A couple of hours drive away we cross the Orange River and enter South Africa.

After 75 days overlanding through Africa, Cape Town is the end of our trip.

Travel is in our fully equipped expedition truck and it's camping all the way.  Each day is different - sometimes we may spend the whole day driving from one place to the next, sometimes we spend 2 or 3 days in one place eg Victoria Falls, so you have time to bungee, white water raft, horse-ride etc!  All these kinds of activities are optional.

We provide cooking equipment, eating utensils and tents, all you need is your sleeping gear and personal stuff.  The Oasis truck is fitted with comfortable coach seats and tarpaulin sides that roll up so you can see the wildlife and awesome landscapes.  And then there's the 'beach', a raised area at the front with mattresses and an open top so you can sit up and get a panoramic view of Africa or relax and top up your tan!

Everyone in the group mucks in with shopping for food at local markets and stores, cooking over the camp fire and cleaning the truck.  The trip is led by two Oasis crew, a tour leader and driver and they'll help you get the most out of your trip. Don't worry about joining the trip on your own, many do and you may well make friends for life.

Our users say...

"Thanks for a fantastic trip - The Grand Adventurer with Cade & Boyo was an experience I'll never forget. Before the trip I was worried about the food we might get. But (our Tour Leader) Cade's Lasagne was one of the best meals I've ever had, let alone cooked on a camp fire. And having sat in the cab with Boyo (our driver) I never once worried about the driving or breaking down - he was always taking care of his beloved truck.  I'll be looking into another of your trips for next year and desperately begging my bosses to let me have another 3 months off work again!" - Darren, New Malden