Southern Africa explorer
| country: | Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique |
| departures: | 2008: 3 Jul |
| price: | From £2445 + £50 donation (6 weeks) excluding flights. Includes all activities, training, food, accommodation and in-country transport. We can help arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A six week expedition through five countries; Swaziland, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia exploring Southern Africa's hidden highlights.
You will be trekking in the mountains of Swaziland, learning to scuba dive alongside Whale Sharks and Manta Rays in the blue waters off Mozambique's coast, river tubing, canyoning and bridge swinging in South Africa, canoeing into the depths of the Okavango Delta and heading off on safari for the Big Five in Botswana's world famous Game parks. The ultimate finale is to finish off with a bungi jump or microlight over the immense Victoria Falls in Zambia.
Your group will be sized between 8-16 plus 2 leaders. The age range varies between 18-35! Regardless of age, everyone has one thing in common – an enthusiasm to experience the real Africa, spend time out in the African Bush and to make a positive impact on the local communities through responsible travel.
During the expedition we use a combination of well-equipped hostels, tents and thatched beach huts! Obviously, for the safari sections of the expedition you will be camping out in the wild – often this can be very basic, for example in the Okavango Delta you will be using a pit a latrine and cooking over an open fire! You will share a tent with 2 other people, whereas in the hostels dorm rooms and bunk beds are the norm.
Meals are either cooked by you and your team for each other, or traditional food that you will eat every now and then when invited to someone’s house or are staying with local communities.
Our expedition takes place during the dry season (April to September) when the weather tends to be cool and dry. It’s not unusual to experience a drizzle early in morning, which then gets burnt off as the sun rises higher in the sky. Most of the time the weather will be hot, around 15-20 degrees, cooling down at night! As you move into Botswana and Zambia the weather will get hotter and hotter. You’ll need to take plenty of sunscreen!
You will be trekking in the mountains of Swaziland, learning to scuba dive alongside Whale Sharks and Manta Rays in the blue waters off Mozambique's coast, river tubing, canyoning and bridge swinging in South Africa, canoeing into the depths of the Okavango Delta and heading off on safari for the Big Five in Botswana's world famous Game parks. The ultimate finale is to finish off with a bungi jump or microlight over the immense Victoria Falls in Zambia.
Your group will be sized between 8-16 plus 2 leaders. The age range varies between 18-35! Regardless of age, everyone has one thing in common – an enthusiasm to experience the real Africa, spend time out in the African Bush and to make a positive impact on the local communities through responsible travel.
During the expedition we use a combination of well-equipped hostels, tents and thatched beach huts! Obviously, for the safari sections of the expedition you will be camping out in the wild – often this can be very basic, for example in the Okavango Delta you will be using a pit a latrine and cooking over an open fire! You will share a tent with 2 other people, whereas in the hostels dorm rooms and bunk beds are the norm.
Meals are either cooked by you and your team for each other, or traditional food that you will eat every now and then when invited to someone’s house or are staying with local communities.
Our expedition takes place during the dry season (April to September) when the weather tends to be cool and dry. It’s not unusual to experience a drizzle early in morning, which then gets burnt off as the sun rises higher in the sky. Most of the time the weather will be hot, around 15-20 degrees, cooling down at night! As you move into Botswana and Zambia the weather will get hotter and hotter. You’ll need to take plenty of sunscreen!
day-by-day itinerary
| Days 1-4: | Mlilwane Nature Reserve, Swaziland, orientation days. Talks on extra health & safety, cultural differences and group rules. Detailed preparation for the trek including route planning and food purchasing in Mbabane, the Capital of Swaziland. Activities to include options of mountain biking, caving, horse riding. | |
| Days 5-7: | Malolotja Nature Reserve, Swaziland, trek. 4 days trekking in beautiful Malolotja Nature Reserve, wild camping and swimming below waterfalls. All food and equipment carried by students. Wildlife you’ll see includes zebra, black wildebeest, blesbok, eland and extensive bird life. | |
| Days 8-9: | Shewula Community Reserve,Swaziland, community reserve. A chance to visit one of Quest’s project sites. Spend time with a local Swazi community, visit a Sangoma, the local Shebeen, taste traditional food and try beating the local football team! | |
| Days 10-11: | Maputo, Capital of Mozambique. Transfer to mozambique by Bus. Free day to explore vibrant Maputo and see some of the interesting museums and markets. | |
| Days 12-20: | Tofu Beach, Mozambique, dive course. Day travel up the spectacular coast of Mozambique. 5 day PADI Open Water dive course. 2 free days for extra diving, surfing or sunbathing! Eat local cuisine, explore the nearby villages and live in thatched huts near the beach. Return to Maputo. | |
| Days 21-24: | Sabie, South Africa, adventure activities. Arrive in Sabie by luxury coach. Three days of action-packed adventure - tubing through amazing river gorges, trekking, potholing, abseiling and rope swings. | |
| Days 25-27: | Pretoria, Capital of South Africa. Visit the fascinating Apartheid Museum, stock up on supplies and an opportunity to arrange onward travel, change flight dates etc. A chance to experience the Pretoria nightlife! | |
| Days 28-30: | Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana. 4x4’s take the team out to the Makgadikgadi salt pans with talks on history and geographical orientation. See the huge ancient Baobab trees and amazing birdlife. PLEASE NOTE: at this time of year this activity is weather dependent | |
| Days 31-35: | Okavango Delta, Botswana, Mokoro safari. Meet local mokoro polers for 2 days punting through the swamps in dug out canoes and two nights wild camping. Sleep always interrupted by honking hippos – an incredible experience!! Return to Maun and a free afternoon to relax and prep for the 3-day 4x4 safari. | |
| Days 36-38: | Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana, wildlife safari. Game drive to Chobe in small private safari vehicles. Two nights of wild camping in tents. The chance to see lion, herds of elephant and possibly the elusive leopard. | |
| Days 39-40: | Kasane, Botswana, river safari. River cruise on Chobe River in the afternoon to see the herds of elephants drinking & swimming. | |
| Days 41-42: | Livingstone, Zambia, Victoria Falls. Visit the spectacular Victoria Falls, Zambian Side, in the afternoon on the first day. Bungi jumping or micro lighting included. One free day for sightseeing and other activities. Kit-check and leader’s debrief. Time to organise onward travel and get advice from leaders. Last Night Party on the edge of the River Zambezi. | |
| Day 43: | Livingstone, Zambia, end of expedition. Students free to go travelling off in small groups or get a bus up to Lusaka & fly home. | |
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our expeditions travel to areas of astounding natural beauty and visit inspiring local communities across Africa. It is essential that for every location that hosts a team the impact on the local people and environment is carefully considered.
We are able to ensure that our impact is positive by ensuring that we buy local (at a fair price), use locally run operators, and visit locally run social projects, such as Shewula Mountain Camp, Swaziland where over 5 years our teams have built several classrooms, water tanks and supported many other community run initiatives.  We also work hard to minimise our environmental footprint by adpting a zero-litter policy, managing waste and water use and recommending environmentally friendly products to all our expedition team members. Through briefing and training all staff and team members we ensure that all teams are able to act responsibly and in a culturally appropriate manner before, during and after an our expeditions. Join us and see how travel can enrich not only you but the world around you. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |