Luxury Safari - Kalahari, Zambezi and Lake Malawi ULZA03

Personal Highlights:

• Waking up in your luxury tent in the Kalahari to find a Mercat curled up on the bed for warmth
• Traveling our to the salt pans and stopping to listen to a silence so intense that you can actually hear the blood flowing in your ears
• A delightful al fresco dinner with wine on the banks of the mighty Zambezi
• A sunset cruise on a custom made dhow on Lake Malawi

Day 1 Depart USA

Your adventure begins as you depart the USA bound for South Africa and arrive in Johannesburg the following evening.

Day 2 Arrival in Johannesburg

Upon your afternoon arrival in Johannesburg, you will be met and personally escorted to your hotel, Fairlawns, which is situated in close proximity to the airport. This spectacular boutique hotel will offer a classic and elegant welcome to South Africa. After check in, enjoy dinner followed by a good night's sleep.

Day 3 Flight to Maun and to Jack’s Camp

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for the commercial flight to Maun in Botswana, "Gateway to the Okavango Delta". You will be met by your pilot and escorted to your aircraft for the flight to Jack's Camp. After a short flight, you land at Jack's camp, named for the owner's eccentric father, a reformed crocodile hunter and genuine character. The camp has been described as one of the most romantic on earth. Situated on the edge of the Kalahari Desert the camp is pitched on a low grassland knoll amongst an oasis of dignified desert palms and Kalahari Acacia trees. This evening you will drive out through the verdant grasslands to the edge of the pans which were, 10,000 years ago, one of the world's largest lakes but now a vast salt plain stretching to the horizon. All the guides are fully qualified Zoologist/Biologists most doing field work for their PhD and they will explain how the Makgadikgadi Pans were formed. You then return to camp for dinner in the elegant mess tent, a designated national museum of Botswana.

Day 4 "Timor" and Friends

You set off in the morning to visit some of the Kalahari's sexiest Meercats (‘suricate' to science-minded people and Timor to Lion King fans) As evidenced by the success of "Meerkat Manor" these animals are the comedians of Africa and you get the opportunity to get up close and personal with these captivating creatures. On chilly mornings it is not unknown to have a Meercat snuggle up to you for warmth or, in the absence of a termite mound or tree use one's head as a sentry lookout post. By spending time with these incredibly social, superbly adapted animals, you will be able to see how they interact with each other and their environment. In the afternoon you visit a remote cattle ranch to learn about the traditional culture of the Batswana people. Close by is the famous Chapman's Baobab which is acknowledged to be the largest tree in Africa. It was the campsite of early explorers like Livingstone and Selous when they pioneered the area. Tonight another elegant dinner.

Day 5 The Makgadikgadi Pans

You awake early this morning in your 1940's style tent awed by the contrast between your environment and the outside environment. Today, you are going into the harshest of environments and yet you are in your room with Persian rugs underfoot, cool cotton sheets, mahogany and brass campaign style furniture and even a choice of private indoor or outdoor showers. After breakfast, you head off for a full day trip to the Makgadikgadi Pans where the silence can be so intense that you can hear the blood flowing in your ears. You enjoy a lavish picnic lunch under the shade of a grove of trees while viewing the spectacle of the last surviving Zebra and Wildebeest migration in Southern Africa spread out on the plains before you.

Day 6 Fly to Livingston

After breakfast you are taken to the airport where you fly to Livingston which is in Zambia not far from the border with Zimbabwe and close to Victoria Falls. Upon arrival you are met by your guide and driven the short distance to your luxury lodge located on a bend in the Zambezi River. After a chance to relax you go out on an evening game drive in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. The park gets its name from the local language which describes Victoria Falls as "Smoke that Thunders" because of the noise and the spray created by the falls. The park has elephant, impala, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, zebra in large numbers and an exciting array of birds, including some Southern African specials like Peters Finfoot. It even has white rhino – the only place in Zambia where they can be seen. After the drive and sundowners you return to the lodge for a delicious dinner with wine.

Day 7 Victoria Falls and a Cruise on the Zambezi River

In the morning you will meet your guide for the short drive to the world famous Victoria Falls, where your guide will provide an informative walking tour of the Falls. First described to Europe by explorer David Livingstone, the falls make a constant roar and are accompanied by a cloud of brilliant spray where the mile wide Upper Zambezi falls 300 feet into the Lower Zambezi. Rainbows constantly form and collapse in the tropical sunlight over the waterfall. The river is bordered by ebony groves and mopane forest. After your exploration of the falls you return to the lodge for lunch and a chance to relax. In the late afternoon you board a boat for a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. A cruise is a great way to spend a few hours before drifting back to the lodge, a warm shower and delicious dinner. The boats are specially designed and the guide will take you through a series of grade 2 rapids, guaranteed to get exciting, and a little wet before eventually finding a spot to beach for a break or a sunset cocktail! The combination of Zambezi spray on your face and delicious white wine on the tongue makes for a memorable afternoon sunset cruise. Sipping on a cocktail while watching the sunset over the majestic Zambezi River is truly a once in a lifetime experience!

Day 8 An Eco Friendly Camp in South Luangwa

Today you will board your aircraft for the flight to Mfuwe and the vast South Luangwa National Park, home to probably the highest concentration of hippos in the world, as well as lions, leopards and elephants. You will be staying at a camp that leaves no footprint if dismantled but offers luxurious tented accommodations where you have a chance to relax before taking an evening game drive. Game viewing at South Luangwa is considered to be some of the best in the world. It is a notably good place to see leopards, particularly in the dry season when they have less cover in which to hide. Guests have the particular privilege of being able to go on night game drives when it is possible to see all sorts of animals that are seldom seen by day - like leopard, hyena and bush baby. Plains game, such as antelope and zebra, are not scared by the lights so guests are able to get very close to animals for fabulous photographs. The early evening is the best possible time to see diurnal animals and a little later is the best time for nocturnal wildlife, so a game drive combined with sundowners gives guests the best of both worlds.

Day 9 A Walking Safari in South Luangwa

After breakfast you have the opportunity to see Africa as it should be see, on foot. There are wonderful opportunities in the area for walking safaris. Walks are conducted by a professional guide and an armed parks scout. It is on foot that the guides can show you some of the most fascinating signs of the bush, many of which are hard to spot from a vehicle. Out in the bush, you can follow animal tracks along sandy paths. It's not just the big animals that are fascinating – termites, dung beetles and chameleons all have their stories to tell too. The park hosts many herds of the endemic Thornicroft giraffe which can always be found in the prolific Mopane woodland on the valley. After lunch and a chance to relax you can take an evening game drive or just stay at the camp enjoying the sunset. This evening sit outside under the stars and enjoy superb food, good wine and companionship from your fellow guests.

Day 10 Driving to Malawi

After breakfast you will meet your guide for the drive to the country of Malawi which is a small land locked country surrounded by Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique. Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa, with friendly people, dazzling scenery, game parks, sandy beaches and a great abundance of marine and birdlife. The country is dominated by Lake Malawi, Africa's third largest lake, which runs along part of the Great Rift Valley. Described by David Livingstone as the "Lake of Stars"; Lake Malawi is almost 400 miles long and home to more than a thousand species of fish. You enjoy some of the scenery as you drive to the Lake arriving in the early afternoon in time for lunch. Your destination is Pumulani, which means "rest well" in the local Chichewa language, and is located on the protected shores of the Nankumba Peninsula. Surrounding you is Lake Malawi National Park, a World Heritage Site since 1984. In the afternoon you can relax on the beach, take a swim in the Lake or in the Lodge's infinity pool. In the evening, dinner under the stars.

Day 11 Exploring Above and Below Lake Malawi

Some people's impression of a lake is one with murky water and muddy bottoms but not Lake Malawi. The waters are crystal clear with sandy bottom and large boulders much like the Caribbean but with fresh water. The fish are also a delight with thousands of varieties of Cichlids with colorful plumage. You can view the fish by snorkeling or scuba diving. If you feel more at home on the surface try kayaking, waterskiing of sailing in a dinghy. Take time for a light lunch and a chilled glass of wine followed by a siesta under a shade tree in the garden. In the evening board the Lodge's custom made dhow for a romantic sunset cruise on the lake.

Day 12 Meeting the Locals

In the morning, take a trip into the local village to interact with the locals and learn more about village life. You'll find the people genuinely friendly and interested to learn more about your home. After a visit to the village, return to the Lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, take a bird watching tour along the lake keeping an eye out for fish eagles or take a mountain bike for a spin. In the evening, cocktails at sunset set up this evening's dinner.

Day 13 Return to USA

In the morning you are transferred to Llongwe airport to catch your connecting flight to the United States.

Day 14 Arrival in USA

You arrive back in the USA today.

Available Year Round