Arrive at any time and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a traditional South African braai (barbecue) for dinner tonight.
Transport: You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.
Activity: Enjoy a spread of grilled meats, vegetables, homemade salads, and the opportunity to taste some of the South African flavours after your welcome meeting.
Activity: The adventure begins tonight. Feel free to explore before your welcome meeting, but make sure you're back in time to meet the group. Check for the meeting time on the welcome note at the hotel. After introductions, your CEO will review the details of your tour. Please note that normal check-in times apply at our start hotels, but you can usually store your luggage for the day if you arrive early.
Accommodation: aha Kopanong Hotel (or similar)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Activity: 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: Relax and enjoy some down time between wildlife safari drives.
Accommodation: Karongwe Private Game Reserve - Lodges (or similar)

Meals:   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 lodge.
Activity: 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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation: aha Kopanong Hotel (or similar)

Meals:   Breakfast   Dinner

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

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation: Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Transport: Roads? Where this rough-and-ready vehicle's going, we don't need roads.
Activity: 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.
Activity: 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: Supplier Driver - Sossusvlei Lodge (or similar)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Free Time: Enjoy a free morning in the historic coastal town of Swakopmund.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Activity: 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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation: Damara Mopane Lodge (or similar)

Meals:   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: Enjoy a free morning at the lodge, and opt for a self-guided walk in the property.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation: Taleni Etosha Village (or similar)

Meals:   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.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   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.
Transport: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Activity: 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)

Meals:   Breakfast   Lunch

Catch a flight to the town of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, named after one of the most powerful waterfalls on Earth. Visit a nearby village and go grocery shopping in the bustling market. Then sit down with a local family for dinner, helping your hosts prepare a traditional Zimbabwean meal using the ingredients you picked out, and hear stories about local life and culture.
Transport: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Activity: Flatter Ncube is the head of her family which includes two sisters and numerous children. She's the youngest of a family of 10 and, now in her early 40s, lives in the village she was raised in near Victoria Falls. There she takes care of her extended family on their homestead, which she and they have been proudly building by hand, brick by brick, for years. Flatter's story highlights that life isn't easy in Africa, but despite its challenges, there is much love and laughter and a strong sense of family here. Visit Flatter's homestead in her rural village; meet her and some of her family, and walk with some of them throughout the property, among the fruit and vegetable plants the family grows for consumption. (They even plant hot chillies among the vegetables to discourage nosy elephants.) Then help the family prepare a traditional Zimbabwean dinner, which we'll all eat together outside on the property, weather permitting. Ingredients for the meal will have been hand-selected earlier in the day, at the bustling and friendly local village market. This experience offers great insight into typical African life, and ultimately reinforce how we all really want and need the same things in life: a stable home full of love, a good education, and plenty of opportunity for our children.
Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge - Deluxe (or similar)

Meals:   Breakfast   Dinner

Set out for a tour of magnificent Victoria Falls. Scottish explorer David Livingstone named them after Britain's Queen Victoria, while their older, indigenous name is Mosi-oa-Tunya—"the smoke that thunders." Opt for a scenic sunset cruise on the Zambezi River; or take a day trip to wildlife-rich Chobe National Park.
Activity: Join a knowledgeable guide for an unforgettable experience at Victoria Falls. Explore the rainforest and learn about the geology, history, and local legends of this world wonder. After your immersion, get up close to the falls and discover the beauty of "the smoke that thunders." Be sure to have your camera ready!
Accommodation: Explorers Village Lodge - Deluxe (or similar)

Meals:   Breakfast

Depart at any time.
Activity: Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with any onward travel arrangements you require.

Meals:   Breakfast