Kenya to Vic Falls

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya.

Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1.

You can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important meeting; please ask the hotel reception where it will take place. If your flight arrives too late, we recommend that you consider arriving a day early and book a night's accommodation prior to the trip so you are able to attend. If you are going to be late please inform the hotel reception. We'll be collecting your kitty, insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting so please ensure you have all details on hand to provide to your leader.

Nairobi - which takes its name from a Maasai phrase meaning 'place of cool waters' - has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. There are plenty of good bars and restaurants, while markets and shops have most things you could want or need, as well as various arts and crafts from the region.

If you arrive early, you can head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum (author of Out of Africa) or Bomas of Kenya where traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes are displayed in an outdoor village.

Optional Activities

National Museum, Nairobi - USD14.00

Karen Blixen museum, Nairobi - USD14.00

Bomas, Nairobi - USD10.00

Carnivore restaurant, Nairobi - USD35.00

Langata Giraffe Sanctuary, Nairobi - KES700.00

Nairobi National Park safari walk, Nairobi - USD20.00

Meals Included

1 Breakfast

Accommodation

Hotel (1 nt)

Set off early, heading for the border with Tanzania. Spend some time in Arusha, the safari capital of Tanzania, before heading to our campsite in the village of Mto Wa Mbu (400 km, approx 8-10 hrs).

Situated at the base of Mt Meru, Arusha is the safari capital of Tanzania and there's plenty to see and do. There are lots of good bars and restaurants. Markets and shops have most things you could want or need alongside various arts and crafts from the region.

A small village community, Mto Wa Mbu offers an excellent way to get a close-up look at life in an African town away from the main tourist trail.

Stay at a campsite with flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Wake up very early and leave our truck behind, putting our camping and personal gear into (6-person) jeeps and heading out for our two-day excursion.

From Mto Wa Mbu, we descend to the floor of the famous Ngorongoro Crater and make the most of our safari here - we spend between four and five hours exploring this area.

A huge, perfectly intact volcanic crater, Ngorongoro is home to some 30,000 animals including endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. The crater floor offers excellent game viewing all year round and the photographic opportunities here are unrivalled.

Departing the crater in the afternoon, we head for the gates of the Serengeti and arrive at our camp in the early evening.

The wide, open plains of the Serengeti - green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season, and home to thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators - are perhaps the quintessential image of Africa. Flat and rolling with long grasses and dotted with acacia trees, the plains get their name from the Maasai word Siringitu - 'the place where the land moves on forever'.

Game viewing in the Serengeti is amazing and as you camp out at night, don't be surprised to hear lions in the distance as you recount your wildlife sightings from the day. In normal circumstances, we would expect to see the Big Five during our stay in the Serengeti.

For an unforgettable experience, you might like to do an optional sunrise balloon ride over the Serengeti. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see 'Important Notes'), you'll be picked up and driven to the launch site where you receive a safety briefing from your pilot and help inflate the balloon. You'll then float over the Serengeti as the sun comes up gaining an overview of the immensity of the Serengeti, seeing the abundance of wildlife in their early morning activity and sometimes descending to tree height for amazing wildlife photography opportunities. Upon landing, you'll be treated to a five-star bush breakfast before being returned to your accommodation.

You'll notice many Maasai villages in the region of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. While it's of course fascinating to visit different cultures, past experience has shown that these villages exist primarily as tourism businesses offering somewhat contrived performances of their traditional ways. You'll be charged an entry fee of approx US$20 and the Maasai will try very hard to sell souvenirs to you. While many clients still enjoy the experience, others have found it artificial and uncomfortable. We recommend our travellers bypass this activity as our Kenyan colleagues observe that it negatively impacts the Maasai culture and travellers' perception of this culture.

Included Activities

Game drives

Optional Activities

Balloon ride, Serengeti National Park - USD500.00

Meals Included

2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (2 nts)

Leave the Serengeti and travel back to Mto Wa Mbu.

Join the local community with a guided stroll around the farming areas - including visits to a kindergarten, milling machine, local homes and farmlands. This is a great way to have fun and find out more about the life of the locals. You'll also have the chance to look around the town and visit the local market. You may wish to indulge in a spot of shopping - wood carvings and local artworks are the specialities of this area.

Stay at a campsite with flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

Included Activities

Village walk  market

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Back on board our truck, climb high onto the slopes of Kilimanjaro to the village of Marangu, via Moshi (270 km, approx 5-7 hrs).

Camp in the grounds of the Marangu Hotel, a beautiful turn-of-the-century farmhouse set in 12 acres of delightful tropical gardens. Upgrades are available on request and the hotel also has a great bar and pool.

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Leaving the mountains behind, it's a long travel day heading further south towards the coastal city of Dar es Salaam (560 km, approx 10-13 hrs).

Once in Dar es Salaam, set up camp on a balmy beach outside of the city.

The camp is on the grounds of a hotel and has flush toilets and showers. Feel free to jump in the ocean and have a swim.

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Catch a ferry to the 'Spice Island' of Zanzibar (approx 90 mins).

Enjoy a tour of the inland plantations where Zanzibar's famous spices grow. First, discover the sights of old Stone Town, where you will hear a history of the slave market and delight in a local meal. Next, you will drive to the spice plantations where you'll receive a guided tour and the opportunity to touch, smell and taste various spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and ginger, as well as teas made with these spices. At the end of the day there will also be an opportunity to buy some of the locally grown spices.

The old part of Zanzibar's main city is known as Stone Town. The best way to see this exotic port town is on foot, exploring the bazaars, shops, mosques, palaces, courtyards and myriad intricate alleyways. When the sun is setting, why not enjoy a sundowner from a bar overlooking the seafront before trying one of the island's local seafood curries at one of the town's many restaurants.

Our first night is spent in the exotic port town of Stone Town in a basic inn with double/twin-share rooms.

On our second and third days here, head to the northern beaches and enjoy white sand and sparkling blue sea - the Indian Ocean at its best. Try snorkelling and diving, eat sumptuous seafood or simply relax in a hammock underneath a coconut tree with a good book.

Our accommodation in Zanzibar is in twin-share rooms.

Included Activities

Spice tour

Optional Activities

Dhow trip, Zanzibar - USD40.00

Scuba diving, Zanzibar - USD80.00

Snorkelling, Zanzibar - USD40.00

Prison island tour, Zanzibar - USD25.00

Accommodation

Bungalow (2 nts), Hotel (1 nt)

Reboard the ferry and return to the beach outside Dar es Salaam.

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Travel further south through Mikumi National Park (550 km, approx 10-11 hrs).

Situated at the foot of the thickly wooded Uluguru Mountains, Mikumi National Park is home to large herds of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions and leopards. It's Tanzania's third largest national park.

Although we don't take an off-road safari into the depths of the park, a good selection of the wildlife that resides in Mikumi can usually be seen on our way through to the southern Tanzanian highland town of Iringa.

Set up camp on the grounds of a farmhouse on the outskirts of this pleasant settlement.

Enter Malawi, the 'warm heart of Africa', on the way to our campsite at Chitimba (510 km, approx 10-12 hrs).

Malawi is dominated by its lake, which covers almost a fifth of the country and provides a livelihood for many Malawian people. Fishermen, canoe and net makers, and fish traders all ply their trade on Lake Malawi. A common sight is of a fisherman in his bwato (a dugout canoe made from a hollowed tree trunk) fishing on the still lake at the break of day.

Set up camp on the northern shores of Lake Malawi.

Meals Included

2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (2 nts)

Travel from Chitimba to Kande Beach on the shore of Lake Malawi (230 km, approx 6 hrs).

Get away from the commercialism and crowds and enjoy a few days on the lake's more peaceful beaches. As well as chilling on the beach and participating in the many optional water activities on offer, make sure you take the opportunity to meet some local Malawians, easily some of the friendliest people in Africa.

Our campsite at Kande Beach is right on the shore of Lake Malawi.

Optional Activities

Guided village walks, Lake Malawi - USD10.00

Horse riding, Lake Malawi - USD50.00

Scuba diving, Lake Malawi - USD75.00

Meals Included

2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (2 nts)

Our next two days will vary depending on the local conditions and border crossings. With approximately 800 km to cover - along with two border crossings to negotiate - we travel across into Mozambique, down the Tete Corridor and into Zimbabwe.

Our first stop is Lilongwe (350 km, approx 7 hrs).

Lilongwe is the political capital of Malawi with a population of just under a million people. Situated on the Lilongwe River, it's a great place to soak up some Malawian culture with lots of coffee shops, bars and restaurants.

Our campground in Lilongwe has shared facilities.

The following day we will aim for the small town of Nyamapanda in northern Zimbabwe (550 km, approx 9 hrs).

Located right on the border with Mozambique, Nyamapanda is a tiny town of less than 1000 inhabitants - a perfect introduction to Zimbabwean culture.

Meals Included

2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (2 nts)

Travel on to Harare (230 km, approx 4 hrs - depending on where we spend the night before).

Harare is Zimbabwe's capital city and also its largest.

The afternoon is free to explore the city on your own or relax at our campground. There is plenty to see and do, you might want to head to the National Gallery, the museum, the botanical gardens or simply wander the city centre and explore the shops and markets.

Optional Activities

National Archives, Harare - USD3.00

National Botanical Gardens, Harare - USD5.00

National Gallery, Harare - USD1.00

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Take a short drive to Masvingo (320 km, approx 5-6 hrs).

Masvingo is the oldest colonial settlement in Zimbabwe and the perfect base to explore the Great Zimbabwe Ruins.

Great Zimbabwe is the national monument the country is named after. A Unesco World Heritage site, the ruined city was first constructed in the 11th century and is thought to be a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch.

Spend the afternoon exploring the ruins.

Our campground in Masvingo has shared facilities.

Included Activities

Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Travel to Bulawayo (360 km, approx 5-6 hrs).

Known locally as the 'City of Kings', Bulawayo is Zimbabwe's second largest city and has a very interesting historical past.

The afternoon is free to explore the city, giving you plenty of opportunity to browse local markets, chat with a local or perhaps find a game of football or rugby to watch.

Get up early and venture out to explore the Matobo National Park.

Home to a large population of black and white rhinoceros that can be tracked on foot, Matobo National Park is also the site of the grave of Cecil John Rhodes, the founder of Rhodesia and the De Beers diamond company. The Matobo area has great spiritual and cultural significance to the local people and there are many sites within the park where important ceremonies still take place.

In Bulawayo, stay in a campground with shared facilities - upgrades are available.

Included Activities

Guided walking safari

Optional Activities

Natural History Museum, Bulawayo - USD10.00

Railway Museum, Bulawayo - USD2.00

Meals Included

2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (2 nts)

Head to Hwange National Park (360 km, approx 5-6 hrs).

Hwange National Park became the royal hunting grounds of the Ndebele warrior-king Mzilikazi in the early 19th century and was set aside as a national park in 1929. Today, Hwange boasts a tremendous selection of wildlife with over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 bird species. The elephants of Hwange are world famous and the park's elephant population is one of the largest in Africa.

Explore the park in open 4x4 vehicles.

Stay within the park at one of its campgrounds with shared facilities.

Included Activities

Game drive

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)

Travel to Victoria Falls (190 km, approx 3-4 hrs).

Stop en route to visit the Painted Dog Conservation Group for an insight into the plight of the African wild dog - we should arrive in time for lunch.

Visit the magnificent Victoria Falls.

The Victoria Falls are an enormous curtain of water, about a mile wide, falling 108 m into a narrow gorge below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise up an incredible 400 m and the falls are an impressive raging torrent. The spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. It's no wonder that the local name Mosi oa Tunya means the 'smoke that thunders'. In the dry season, the view of the falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below.

Our campground is centrally located in the town of Victoria Falls, the perfect place to use as a base for the vast array of activities on offer in the area. Upgraded accommodation is available, please ask at reception.

Tonight we will share a final dinner together.

You're free to depart any time on Day 24 as there are no activities planned. Check out time is 10am.

Responsible Travel Note:

During your visit to the Victoria Falls area you may notice businesses offering an optional 'Walk with the Lions' experience. We recommend that Intrepid travellers bypass this activity as it is contrary to Intrepid's Responsible Travel guideline stating that we 'actively discourage the participation of Intrepid groups in activities which exploit animals - wild or domestic.' Professional wildlife conservation organisations, including Born Free and the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA), advise that habituating lions to humans can shorten their life and may result in lion-human conflict issues. While there is some merit in the argument that the money that you pay for the activity goes towards lion research, we feel that the negative impacts on the lions' rehabilitation far outweigh this.

Included Activities

Visit Victoria Falls

Optional Activities

Abseiling, Victoria Falls - USD55.00

Bungee jumping, Victoria Falls - USD120.00

Canoe trail, Victoria Falls - USD115.00

Canoe trail (half day), Victoria Falls - USD100.00

Flying fox, Victoria Falls - USD30.00

Gorge swing, Victoria Falls - USD70.00

Helicopter flight (15 mins), Victoria Falls - USD130.00

Helicopter flight (25 mins), Victoria Falls - USD260.00

Horseback safari, Victoria Falls - USD75.00

Microlight (15 mins), Victoria Falls - USD120.00

Microlight (25 mins), Victoria Falls - USD240.00

Rafting & river boarding combo (half day), Victoria Falls - USD155.00

Wine Route canoe trail, Victoria Falls - USD55.00

Jet boat, Victoria Falls - USD95.00

Village & township tour, Victoria Falls - USD50.00

Meals Included

1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Accommodation

Camping (with facilities) (1 nt)