Overlander ...

A comprehensive safari starting in Johannesburg including the Victoria Falls, the Okavango, the Etosha National Park, Kaokoland, Damaraland, the Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei, the Richterveld, the West Coast ending in Cape Town.

The 30-day Overlander

Total distance 7,000 km
Countries visited South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia
Meals supplied 84
Accommodation Camp most of the time. B+B and cottages
Includes Accommodation, food, soft drinks, entrance fees, activities, beers and sodas limited to 5 per day, local wines limited to 2 glasses per day.
Excludes Tips, more that the quota of drinks, hard liquor.
Number of guests 1 - 9 people in 3 vehicles
Total cost:

1 Person R63, 500;

2 Persons R42, 750 p/p

3 Persons R27, 750 p/p

NB
1 We prefer to be paid in Rand seeing the volatility of the exchange rate
2 The vehicles used are luxury SUV's with air-conditioning and CD players.
3 The clients need only to bring clothes and personal medicine and toiletries.
4 Extra for the clients are bottled water, snacks or sweets, own shopping and the activities other than included in this itinerary.
5 This same route can be done at a slower pace where you, our guest can determine if you would like to stay longer in a specific area. Naturally this will increase the total price but not with much seeing the fact that all travelling costs has been covered already.
6 We can add overnight accommodation in Cape Town in a four-star rated hotel at very favourable prices. This can include supper and breakfast. We can also arrange for transport the next morning to the airport which is about 40 km out of town

This is an economy type safari and it is expected of the guests to help with the pitching of the tents, the making of beds and some cooking and cleaning. We use I tour guide to 3 guests. Prices are in South African Rand but can be paid in any accepted currency, according to the existing exchange rate.
Single supplement R26, 750 (discount for 3 or more 23%)

Complete Itinerary
Day 1
Meet at Johannesburg International Airport and depart for Pretoria immediately. Do some shopping at the Menlopark Shopping Mall. Lunch is taken here and is for your own account. After lunch do a city tour and depart for Hot Springs at Warmbad - "Bela Bela". (Total distance 180 km) Should be there by 17 00 to setup the camp and have some time to enjoy the lovely hot springs. Tonight we have our first campfire and share a real African meal.

Day 2
Depart for Ellisras for lunch (214 km). We now drive through the Waterberg mountains which is the final mountain range before entering the Kalahari Desert. We travel northwards through the magnificent Bosveld of South Africa to the border post at Martins Drift. Then into Botswana and on to the town of Palapye where we make our camp. This last section is about 200 km which makes our total for the day just over 420 km - all on good roads. We cook own supper.

Day 3
Up early and after breakfast we are on our way to Fransistown in Botswana and then on via Nata to the border post at Kazungula on the Zambian border. Our lunch is a picnic anywhere along the way. We now enter into Zambia at the famous "Big Tree" where Livingstone, the famous explorer heard for the first time about the "Smoke that Thunders". Then straight on to the town of Livingstone next to the Victoria Falls where we make our camp on the waters edge. About 720 km for the day - all on good roads.

Day 4
A leisurely day spend doing what-ever you please. Lunch is on your own cost. Supper we cook together at our campsite. We visit the majestic Victoria Falls. You are welcome to do some bungee-jumping, rafting, micro-flying, etc. There is so much to do we can not name all of it. (The activities you choose are not included in the price of the safari)

Day 5
Another lazy or exciting day spend at the Falls - the choice is yours. You can go on a chartered flight to see the Falls more fully or have an adrenaline rush going down the rapids in a rubber duck. Lunch is your own affair and supper we eat together. (The activities you choose are not included in the price of the safari)

Day 6
Up early and we pack our bags and depart for Namibia. We drive westwards along the Zambezi River to Kazungula and then on to Sesheke where we clear customs. At the town of Katima Mulilo we eat lunch and do some shopping. Then on to the Kwando River and a campsite in the Caprivi National Park. Here we make our camp at one of the secluded and very private campsites. 300 km

Day 7
A lazy morning for we are right in the middle of "the last paradise". We enjoy the sights and sounds of the African veld awakening around us in all it's magnificent splendour. After breakfast, we go on a game drive to try and find some of the biggest elephant herds in the world. We will either eat a picnic-style lunch or return to our camp to depart in another direction afterwards. Return to base by late afternoon. 150 km

Day 8
On our way to Ngepi Campsite on the Okavango River, we do some game viewing. This is only 210 km. Tonight we camp under the magnificent indigenous trees on the banks of the slow-flowing Okavango River. This area is one of the best bird-viewing areas in the world with a recorded 560 species of birds! During the afternoon, we take a flat-bottom boat to explore the Okavango. I am sure we will see some hippos and a crocodile or two!

Day 9
Another rest day spend right here at Ngepi. Perhaps it is better to say - a peaceful day for shortly after breakfast we do some game viewing in the nearby Muhango Game Park. Usually we pack a picnic and spend the entire day in this magnificent Park with some of the most exquisite animals in Africa. 80 km

Day 10
We depart early this morning for a hard 4x4 route into the Kalahari Desert. This is going to be tough even though the campsite at Kaodom is only about 180 km away - the sand is quite thick. We now enter the area known as "Bushmanland" - the traditional dwelling place of the San (Bushman) peoples. This is an un-protected campsite and hopefully we'll get a couple of jackal to visit - or perhaps even something bigger? Do not worry; you'll be safe in your comfortable rooftop tent! Lunch is a picnic and supper we cook on our own campfire.

Day 11
Another leisurely day for we only need to cover about 100 km to the next campsite in the Kaudom Game Park. Tonight we camp in the settlement of Sigaretti to listen to the singing of the San in the dark. We prepare all our meals.

Day 12
We leave quite early to reach Grootfontein by lunch time. Here we share a meal in a restaurant and do some shopping. Then on via the mining town of Tsumeb to the Etosha National Park and Namatoni campsite where we settle in for the evening. Hopefully the local pride of lions will give us a serenade during the night! 550 km

Day 13
A lazy morning for enjoy a late breakfast and break camp. We slowly made our way from watering hole to watering hole searching for animals. Shortly after lunch we should be at Halali Campsite where we make our camp. The afternoon is spend either at the nearby watering hole, or resting in the shade of the trees or around the swimming pool. Tonight we should enjoy the sounds of wild animals as we make our supper on the camp fire. 100 km

Day 14
We break camp and leave for the town of Outjo where we should be by lunch time. Here we have a meal in a restaurant and then do some shopping. By 15 00 h we should be on our way to a lodge where we'll stay for the next 2 nights. Time to do some washing and maintenance or relax around the swimming pool. Another night to enjoy a African dusk and a campfire. 230 km

Day 15
A lazy morning with a late breakfast. Afterwards you can visit the town of Outjo again for shopping or spend time on the internet. Back to "our" lodge to rest and relax around the pool. At about 16 00 h we drive down the Ugab Vallei to the "Vingerklip". The route takes us through the famous "Terrasse" - steep limestone cliffs up to the magnificent outcrop of rocks. As the sun sets, you will think yourself to be somewhere in Arizona. We return home in the dark. 200 km

Day 16
After breakfast we leave for Kamandjab and then we leave the tarred road and turn north on the C35 to Ruacana. If there is any water at the Ruacana Falls, we spend some time at the look-out point. Then on to our campsite. Tonight we'll watch the sun setting over the distant Zebra Mountains in Kaokoland. We are sitting on an amazing escarpment overlooking the Kunene River-valley with Angola to the north. 373 km

Day 17
We drive down the escarpment into the Kunene River valley and follow the river downstream to Swartbooisdrift where we have lunch at a lodge. Then on to the Epupa Falls hidden away in the most northern point of Namibia. Around our campfire, we'll enjoy the mighty roar of the waterfalls and sleep peacefully under Makalani palm trees. 265 Km

Day 18
After a lazy morning with a late breakfast/early lunch; we make our way back to Okangwati in Kaokoland and on to the Himba dwelling of Tjiposa. Here we make our camp under the Leadwood trees and the rest of the afternoon and evening we partake in the activities of the traditional Himba people. 90 km.

Day 19
Another lazy morning with a late breakfast. At the major town in Kaokoland - Opuwa, we do some shopping and have something to eat. Then on through the majestic Joubertsberge and the "Vallei van die Reuse" where many baobab trees grows. Right on top of the mountains with a 360º view, we make our camp for the night. 186 km

Day 20
We now leave the Himba Highlands to drive down one of the steepest passes in Africa into the Namib. By early afternoon we should be at Palmwag - our campsite. It is not uncommon to have desert elephants drinking from the swimming pool and giraffes peeking at your camp fire. 4x4 roads. 171 km

Day 21
After breakfast we pack and are on our way through the areas where desert rhinos and elephant are quite common to the little town of Uis. We should be here at lunch time. Now a short drive over the "Klip Namib" - a stony part of the Namib Desert to the Spitskoppen Mountains sitting majestically on the Namib Plains. 300 km

Day 22
Now we enter the "White Desert" as we drive to Hentiesbaai in the Skeleton Coast. Here we have something to eat. Then on with the "Soutpad" - a road made of gravel and salt, to Swakopmund. Here we book into a B+B where we will sleep the next 2 nights. (We prefer to sleep in a B+B seeing the bad weather often along the coast.) Swakopmund is one of the most "German" towns outside of Germany and a real tourist gem surrounded by the cold Atlantic Ocean and the Namib Desert. 180 km. Supper will be in a restaurant.

Day 23
A lazy day to relax or do as you please. You can visit the many amazing sites in the town, do shopping, go fishing or take a quad-bike into the sand dunes surrounding Swakopmund. These activities are for your own account as well as lunch. Supper we share together at our B+B.

Day 24
We get up early to pack and leave immediately after breakfast. We now drive over the desolate Welwitcia Plains towards the Kuiseb River and the "Landscape of the Moon". At Solitaire we refuel and buy some home-made bread - hopefully some "Apfelstrudel" as well. Then on to Sesriem where we make our campsite right in the Sossusvlei National Park. Tonight we enjoy a lovely campfire whilst watching the antics of the jackal that roam around freely. 345 km.

Day 25
Up long before day-break to drive the 80 km to Dooievlei. Sunrise should catch us on the dunes enjoying one of the most wonderful views in the world. After breakfast we slowly make our way back to Sesriem and break camp. Our southwards road takes us along the Rooi Rante on the Namib Rand road. In the Tiras Mountain Conservancy area we make our camp on a secluded and very unique campsite. 321 km

Day 26
A lazy morning with a late breakfast and then on through the Tiras Mountains to Aus. If we have time, we drive the 20 km westwards to try and find some desert horses. Then on towards Rosh Pinah and eventually the South African border at Sendelingsdrift. After entering the Richtersveld, we make our camp and enjoy our first campfire along the Gariep River and back in South Africa. 360 km

Day 27
Depart for the town of Alexanderbaai - this is a diamond-mining town. Then on south
along the Diamond Coast to Port Nolloth where we'll have lunch. Depending on the weather we
can either drive through Namaqualand and view some flowers or we'll follow the coast to
Kleinsee and Hondeklipbaai. If weather allows, we do some fishing or even scuba diving along
the way and if our luck prevails, we cook our own fish or crayfish for supper. Book into a cottage at Hondeklipbaai or Garies. 350 km

Day 28
Again depending on the rainfall and the weather, we visit the most famous wildflower site in the world - "Skilpad". Lunch we either have in Garies again or we have a picnic. During the afternoon, we drive further south towards Klawer where we have our headquarters on the farm "De Brug". You will be accommodated in a lovely cottage right on the banks on the Doring River. The farm is situated in the world famous Cederberge and we are the last inhabited farm before it is totally mountainous. Tonight we'll have a home-cooked meal typical of the Afrikaans tradition where the whole family joins in. 260 km

Day 29
Depart for Klawer Winery. This little winery is quickly becoming the showcase of South African red wine production and has won many an award. We then travel via dirt road to the Heerenlogement Mountain and take a short walk to visit the cave with handwritings of many famous explorers. Lunch is taken picnic style along the way. This is in the amazing Sandveld region where we have actually counted 26 species of flowers within a 50-meter walk!
We then proceed to Lambertsbaai with its famous Bird Island with thousands of birds. Spend the afternoon visiting the quaint little fishing town and walking on a breakwater to the bird island. Depart for Muisbosskerm, the most famous open-air restaurant in Africa for a dinner that you will never forget. Return to De Brug guest farm. The distance we covered is about 220 km.

Day 30
Travel via Leipoldville and the Verlorenvlei to Elandsbaai. We pass beautiful lagoons and marsh areas on the way. Then on to the quaint little settlement of Paternoster. Here, on this beautiful beach, a sailing ship belonging to the shipping line of Karl Stephan of Hamburg in Germany stranded many years ago and thus the place was named.
Today it has one of the most amazing little eateries and we enjoy a last feast together at the "Voorstrand" restaurant. The total driving time of the 350 km should not take more than 4 hours so we have plenty of time to enjoy the last bit of the West Coast. Cape Town by 18 00 in time for any departing flight.