Southern Africa Odyssey

Acorn House
Acorn House is an upmarket B&B tucked away in the quiet suburb of Oranjezicht, (known locally as ‘Orange’). Here, the aged, narrow streets are lined with 19th-century Cape Dutch architecture, carefully restored and now housing colourful pavement cafes, art galleries and restaurants.

The Acorn House is one of Cape Town’s oldest houses. The location is dramatic, with Table Mountain providing a spectacular backdrop. It is also only a short drive from the V&A Waterfront complex and the beaches of the Atlantic seaboard, and within walking distance of several excellent restaurants.

Breakfast may be served ‘al fresco’ by the pool or indoors if the weather dictates, and is offered until noon allowing for a leisurely start to your day.

Most visitors will want to hike up Table Mountain or take the cable car to see the magnificent views from the peak. For stunning views of the ocean, head to Cape Point. From the Bay you can take a boat to Robben Island, now a world heritage site, while on the slopes of Table Mountain you’ll find the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

Cape Town's charming waterfront has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere as well as South Africa's finest restaurants. Seafood is a specialty. From Cape Town you can also drive to the fertile winelands and a number of historic towns such as Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

Maramba has a lovely riverside setting only 4kms from Victoria Falls. There is a pleasant bar area, and you can expect to meet with the other members of your group as they arrive this evening.

Maramba Lodge
Maramba Lodge is a low-key safari resort situated just outside Livingstone and within easy reach of Victoria Falls. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Maramba River (a tributary of the great Zambezi River), shaded under a copse of mahogany and mopane trees.

Maramba accommodates its guests in rustic thatched chalets, furnished with mukwa and wrought iron fittings, en-suite tiled bathrooms, and large double beds draped with mosquito nets. Each unit has a ceiling fan and internal safe, and opens onto a small patio with canvas chairs and a view over the Maramba River or to a nearby floodlit waterhole.

Your safari starts with a boat cruise on the Chobe River, providing a wonderfully relaxed introduction to Botswana! This is a chance to explore the aquatic wildlife often overlooked on a standard game drive. It’s also a great ice-breaker, allowing everyone on the safari to get to know one another in an easy setting.

After the cruise, enjoy a leisurely game drive to your campsite near Kasane, as the sun sets over the Chobe River. Expect to arrive at camp just before dark.

With its complex network of rivers, channels and floodplains, and comparatively high rainfall, the Caprivi Strip attracts a rich variety of wildlife, including large herds of buffalo and plains game as well as rarities such as wild dog and leopard. Your game drive will focus on the area around Susuwe and Bwabwata National Park.

Camping is in a designated campsite with permanent ablutions.

This afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a short bush walk, taking in the view of the Okavango rapids as they course south-east towards Botswana and the Okavango Delta.

This afternoon will see you journey through to the World Heritage Site of Tsodilo Hills and then set up camp. There will be time to visit the site’s museum and explore the walking trails around the ancient hills, which are home to thousands of traditional Bushmen paintings dating back to the 9th century AD.

Camping is in a designated site with permanent ablutions.

At the southern reaches of the Delta, you’ll swap the 4x4 for a mokoro boat and spend a leisurely day exploring the waterways of the Delta with experienced polers from the local community. Quietly drifting through papyrus swamps and reed-lined lagoons of the Delta in your dugout canoe, you’ll gain a real appreciation for this most unique environment.

In the evening you’ll set up wild camp on an island in the Delta.

The next two days will be spent in the same way, with a mix of mokoro boat and island walking safaris allowing you to explore the region in depth.

NB. On day 10, you will leave your main bag with the vehicles and carry only a small pack with your essentials to the island, as the transfer canoes cannot carry large cases.

Today you will also have the option of taking a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta, ending in Maun. This is at additional cost and the fare depends on the season (please contact us in advance). Clients taking the flight will not join vehicles for the drive back to Maun, but rather will be collected from the airport in Maun at the end of the flight, having spent the morning at leisure in the Delta.

You will set up camp in a community campsite located just outside the reserve, from where you’ll spend the next three days exploring Moremi’s vast grasslands on morning and afternoon game drives.

Moremi is considered by many to be the most exceptional area of the Delta region, where all the major habitats and eco-zones of the Okavango are conserved.

After two nights in Western Moremi, you move to a different campsite in Eastern Moremi (80km, 3 to 4 hours transfer with game drive), ensuring a good overview of the region.

You’ll spend the next three days exploring Chobe, starting in the dry and arid Savuti region, where bull elephants roam the plains, before heading north east to the Chobe River, which will provide a point of interest for your game drives and boat safaris.

Camping will be in private campsites with bush ablutions, first in the region of Savuti (day 16), then closer to the riverfront in northern Chobe (days 17 & 18). Activities will include motorboat safaris and 4x4 game drives.

The rest of your stay is at leisure. There are a huge number of activities available in and around Livingstone, from white water rafting and canoeing in the Zambezi Gorge to microlight flights over the Falls. Activities can be arranged locally or in advance.

Your tour ends on the morning of day 20. A transfer to Livingstone Airport will be included on the morning of your departure.