Cape Town to Windhoek

Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included. Departure Transfer:

• Cape Town – Cape Town International Airport
• Travel Time: 1 Hour
• You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.

Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting: 1 Hour

Meet your Cape Town G Adventures 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 hotel)

Begin the day with an exploration of vibrant Cape Town, wandering through the multicultural Bo-Kaap neighborhood. Then enjoy an exclusive guided tour of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, named by National Geographic Travel as one of the world’s 10 most magnificent gardens. 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. Transport: Private Vehicle Cape Town

• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
• Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Kirstenbosch Entrance fees
• Stop and smell the flowers on a tour specially designed for National Geographic travelers. 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) which has received funding from National Geographic and the site has been named one of the Top 10 Gardens in the world by National Geographic Traveler.

Guided Cape Town Orientation Tour and Excursion to Cape Point.

Travel Time: 7 hours

Enjoy a guided orientation tour of vibrant Cape Town. Continue on to Cape Point to enjoy a stunning vista and visit the penguins at Boulders Beach.

Accommodation:

The Portswood Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast

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, visit the historical city of Stellenbosch, tour wine estates with expert guides, and indulge 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. If you are interested in visiting Robben Island - you must book it directly with the museum on their website before travel: http://www.robben-island.org.za Due to high demand, it is common that this tour can be sold out over one month in advance.

• Free Time in Cape Town: Full Day. Enjoy a day of your leisure in this cosmopolitan and charming city.

Accommodation:

The Portswood Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast

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 braai (barbecue) with your fellow travellers.

• Traveling from Cape Town – to Johannesburg.
• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
• Soweto Tour: Tour Time 1 - 2 hours

Take a guided tour of bustling Soweto and learn more about its important history. The residential area was created under apartheid and played a significant role in bringing the issues of segregation to the forefront. The anti-apartheid movement was launched here by its most famous resident, Nelson Mandela.

• Your Foodie Moment: 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:

Kopanong Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

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. Today is a very long driving day; however, we will make many stops along the way at sites along the Panorama Route.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Traveling from Johannesburg – Nelspruit
• Travel Time: 7 - 8 hours 30m - 500km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
• Panorama Route Scenic Drive

Enjoy a scenic drive along the famed Panorama Route. You’ll see magnificent mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, and waterfalls. There will also be stops at Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, and God's Window.

Accommodation:

Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

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. Kruger National Park Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive - Full day Kruger National Park: 6 -7 hours Hop in a 4x4 safari vehicle and get yourself one step closer to the surrounding nature. Be ready to spot elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, zebras, and many other species in this impressive South African national park.

Accommodation:

Umbhaba Eco Lodge (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

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). Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers who will share their vast experience of the African bush. On some occasions, if space is unavailable, we may need to change accommodations or even use a different private reserve. In such a case, be assured we will choose other lodges or comfort camps (of equal quality) within the Greater Kruger area.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Nelspruit – Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• Travel time: 3 hours
• Distance: 150km

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle. Your Journeys Highlight Moment: 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 lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

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.

• Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
• Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• Departure: 3h05:00
• Jump into a safari 4x4 and keep your eyes open for fantastic wildlife encounters. Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers; both will share their vast experience of the African bush.
• Free Time
• Karongwe Private Game Reserve
• Afternoon
• Relax and enjoy some down time between wildlife safari drives.

Accommodation:

Karongwe Private Game Reserve - Lodges (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

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 family run lodge. Karongwe Private Reserve Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive Karongwe Private Game Reserve Time: 3h05:00 Morning Jump into a safari 4x4 and keep your eyes open for fantastic wildlife encounters. Wildlife safari drives are conducted with qualified wildlife rangers and local expert trackers; both will share their vast experience of the African bush.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Karongwe Private Game Reserve – Johannesburg
• Travel time: 7 hours
• Distance: 500km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Accommodation:

Kopanong Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Fly to Windhoek and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy free time to explore the Namibian capital this afternoon.

Travel:

• Travel from: Oliver Reginald Tambo International – Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport
• Travel time: 2 hours
• Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

Accommodation:

Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast

Set off from the Namibian capital towards Sesriem, the gateway to jaw-dropping Namib-Naukluft National Park. Drive past red-hued desertscapes, stark camel thorn trees, and dramatic curved dunes while keeping an eye out for the astonishing creatures that call these arid lands home—the oryx, springbok, jackal, hyena, and more. Settle in to our lodge and relax poolside, watching a fiery crimson sunset over the desert. Enjoy postcard perfect desert scenery around Sesriem and Sossusvlei - vast desertscapes of reds and orange, stark camel thorn trees and towering dunes with dramatic curved ridges. Also keep an eye out for the surprising amount of wildlife that call this area home such as oryx, springbok, jackal, ground squirrel and hyena.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Travel from: Windhoek – to Sesriem
• Travel Time: 5h-6h
• Distance: 340km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Accommodation:

Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Embark on a thrilling excursion into one of Africa’s largest national parks. Explore the Namib desert, the oldest desert in the world; and venture to the massive dunes at Sossusvlei and the white clay pan of Deadvlei. Capture dramatic images of dead camel thorn trees against a backdrop of orange dunes and a crisp blue sky. Then visit the Sesriem Canyon, a natural gorge carved out by the Tsauchab River over millions of years.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Sesriem
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
• 4x4: Namibia Desert Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.

Destinations:

Sossusvlei Dunes Visit

• This area is famous for its high, red sand dunes. This clay and salt pan is surrounded by the dunes, making it a spectacularly beautiful sight with a remote and isolated feel.

Sesriem Canyon Visit

• Enjoy a short stop at Sesriem Canyon, a small canyon typical of the area. The Tsauchab River flows through the canyon every five to ten years, and this creates the nearby salt and clay pan of Sossusvlei.

Accommodation:

Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Continue by road through changing desert landscapes towards the coastal city of Swakopmund. Look out for roaming zebra, kudu, springbok, and oryx on the way, and take a break in the quirky town of Solitaire before heading into the countryside. Here, we meet a local for a 4x4 drive through the desert, learning about the survival strategies of bushmen who lived in this inhospitable area thousands of years ago. We also search for the smaller wildlife that has managed to survive here, such as snakes, geckos, spiders, and an array of insects.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Travel from: Sesriem – to Swakopmund
• Travel time: 7 - 8 hours
• Distance: 375km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Living Desert Tour

• Swakopmund
• Travel time: 2 hours
• Hop into a 4x4 vehicle and set out into the desert. An expert guide will point out signs of animal life and emphasize survival in the harsh desert landscape for both humans and animals.

Accommodation:

Hansa Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch

Enjoy a free morning in Swakopmund, getting a taste of the town’s unique Afro-German culture; or opt for sandboarding in the Namib desert. This afternoon, take a tour of Mondesa township with a local guide, learning about its people and history. Visit the local market for an introduction to traditional foods such as wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried sardines or kapenta. Stop by an arts and crafts shop; chat with the locals; and round off the day with dinner and a performance at a cozy family-run establishment. Explore the town's unique mix of German and African culture and opt to visit curio shops, the museum and restaurants. Optional activities include sandboarding. Free Time Swakopmund - Half Day Enjoy a free morning in the historic coastal town of Swakopmund. Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Mondesa Township Walk Visit the community of Mondesa Township with an expert resident guide. Learn about its daily life, history and traditions through an immersive experience with the welcoming people that live here. Visit its lively market for an introduction to traditional foods like wild spinach, mopane worms, and dried kapenta fish. Also visit an arts-and-crafts shop that helps train the township’s youth in traditional crafts. Drop by a shebeen (tavern) to enjoy a favourite drink, and meet some local residents. Finally, continue on to a nearby family run establishment for dinner and local entertainment.

Accommodation:

Hansa Hotel (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Make your way to Twyfelfontein—Namibia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site—to see some of Africa’s largest concentrations of petroglyphs. Marvel at these remarkable engravings, carved by prehistoric hunter-gatherers and depicting rhinos, elephants, and ostriches, as well as human and animal footprints. Then continue to our lodge on the heart of the Damaraland area. Enjoy some free time to swim in the pool or admire a colourful sunset from the deck.

Travel (First Destination):

• Private Vehicle
• Travel from: Swakopmund – to Twyfelfontein
• Travel Time: 5h-6h
• Distance: 350km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
• Prehistoric Rock Engravings Guided Tour - 1 hour

Step back in time to see prehistoric rock engravings made during the early Stone Age. Their exact origin is uncertain, but these works depicting animals and hunters are probably the work of Bushmen or Nama artists estimated to have lived near Twyfelfontein at least 5,000 years ago. Marvel at the more than 2,500 rock carvings and paintings and understand why this is Namibia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Travel (Second Destination):

• Private Vehicle
• Travel from: Twyfelfontein – to Damaraland
• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Distance: 120km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Accommodation:

Damara Mopane Lodge (or similar lodge)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Enjoy a relaxed morning at our lodge and explore the rich sandstone treasure of Damaraland. In the afternoon, travel towards Etosha National Park, arguably Namibia’s most spectacular wildlife sanctuary. Settle into our lodge, located outside of the park. Free Time Damaraland Morning: Enjoy a free morning at the lodge, and opt for a self-guided walk in the property.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Damaraland – Etosha National Park
• Travel Time: 2 -3 hours
• Distance: 208km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Accommodation:

Taleni Etosha Village (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

Spend a full day on safari in Etosha National Park, where open grasslands converge on a massive salt pan. Etosha harbours some of the largest populations of lions, elephants, and other endangered species, so keep your camera on the ready as you explore in your open vehicle. Enjoy lunch at one of the park’s rest areas, where you can also take a swim; and sit back and watch all manner of creatures—including hundreds of species of birds—flock to the nearby watering hole. After the vast desert, Etosha National Park, offers a contrast of wide open grasslands, a massive salt pan that covers 4731km² and tall camel thorn trees intermixed with Mopani trees. With a combination of natural waterholes, and diverse vegetation, wildlife flock to the park. Some of the largest elephants in Africa can be found in areas of thicker vegetation, as well as leopards. Lions, giraffes, ostrichs and many antelope species can be found in the grasslands, while birders will love the salt pans which attract flamingos in the rainy season. More than 340 bird species have been counted in Etosha National Park including the European bee-eater, the kori bustard and numerous migratory birds.

Travel:

• Etosha Open Vehicle Wildlife Safari Drive
• Etosha National Park
• Travel Time: 7 - 8 hours
• Set off in an open 4x4 safari vehicle with a naturalist guide in search of the stunning wildlife in the park. Wildlife often come to the many watering holes to drink, so keep your eyes peeled for many animals on the move.

Accommodation:

Taleni Etosha Village (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Dinner

After breakfast, visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a global research and education center founded by National Geographic Grantee Dr Laurie Marker. Tour the facility to learn about the important conservation and community outreach work they do to protect the world’s fastest land animal, and enjoy a talk by one of the researchers. Then head out on a drive through the grounds to meet some of the center’s rescued and rehabilitated cheetahs. Continue to Windhoek for our final evening.

Travel:

• Private Vehicle
• Travel from Etosha National Park – to Windhoek
• Travel Time: 5 - 6 Hours
• Distance: 415km
• Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
• Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Cheetah Conservation Experience

The Cheetah Conservation Fund is a global field research and education facility founded by Dr. Laurie Marker whose research has been supported by National Geographic. Tour the centre and learn about the important conservation and community outreach work they perform as one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. One of the program’s researchers will give us a lecture before we head out on a cheetah drive to view some of these incredible creatures up close in their natural habitat. Conclude the experience by sitting down as a group for lunch on the veranda that overlooks the magnificent Waterberg Plateau.

Accommodation:

Windhoek Country Club Resort (or similar hotel)

Meals included:

Breakfast | Lunch

Departure Day

Depart at any time. Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.

Meals included:

Breakfast