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big five explorer - 36 days
 Expedition Information
Starts in: Nairobi, Kenya (or Vic Falls)
Ends in: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (or Nairobi)
Length: 36 Days
Prices and Departures: Click Here
Current Local Payment: Yes USD $730
Meals: As indicated
Expedition Crew: 3 (Leader, Driver, Cook)
Rating: Camping & Truck expedition
This is the southbound itinerary, for details of the northbound itinerary
please refer to the Big Five Explorer - Northbound Go Guide.
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Days 1 - 9: Masai, Gorillas & Lake Bunyoni
Saturday. Welcome to Nairobi! We’ll be there to collect you at Nairobi Airport. Your first night will be spent at our pre-expedition hotel in the centre of town. West from Nairobi on day 2, we reach possibly Kenya’s most famous natural attraction - the Masai Mara National Reserve. Sitting on the Serengeti Plain, the Mara hosts the annual wildebeest migration, when millions of wildebeest plus zebra and Thomson’s gazelle stray north from neighbouring Tanzania in search of green pasture. A morning and evening game drive through the Mara gives us the chance to spot game. The Mara hosts healthy populations of elephant, lion, cheetah, giraffe, zebra and a host of hooved herbivorous animals. During our stay we can also opt to visit a local Masai tribe. The Masai, renowned for their striking colourful, checkered attire and beaded jewellery, are habitual and skilled pastoralists and a common sight in this region. |
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Free Masai Mara and Hwange NP Safari! |
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Masai Mara safari
and Hwange trip
FREE when you book this trip.
PLEASE NOTE:
Local payment is not included in the FREE offer
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Travelling north-west via Nakuru, we cross the Equator just after Kisumu and continue across the border into Uganda. Via Kampala we drive to Lake Bunyoni, the deepest Crater Lake in Africa and home to a large and varied number of beautiful birds, which is the base from which the optional Gorilla trek takes place. Whilst in Lake Bunyoni there will be plenty of time to hike, partake in water activities or just chill-out in this region of amazing beauty. Dependant on where trekking permits are available, we trek in the Magahinga or Bwindi National Parks in Uganda, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda.
Winding our way through arguably some of the most picturesque scenery in Africa, we head to the town of Kisoro where we spend the night (should we be trekking in Rwanda our overnight will be in Ruhengeri). The following morning, after packing our picnic lunch, we are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trek commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and then into the dense rain forest and on to a gorilla family. Trekking can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours and it can be quite strenuous, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. To ensure the gorillas do not get too used to the presence of humans and because they share many of our genes (and therefore able to catch our diseases), the maximum time permitted to spend with them is 1 hour. You will have plenty of time to watch their activity and to take photographs. The rangers will be able to provide you with a background to the gorilla family you are visiting. Once our hour is up, we trek back out of the rain forest and transfer back to the Lake Bunyoni campsite for some R&R before heading back to Kampala.
Days 10 - 14: Rift Valley Lakes
A little time in the big smoke - Kampala, before we continue to Jinja. Here, we can opt to white-water raft at the River Nile’s source, visit Ngamba Chimp Sanctuary on Lake Victoria or relax and meet the locals. Crossing back into Kenya, we travel to the Great Rift Valley. Created by the rifting and separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates around 35 million years ago, the Great Rift Valley runs north to south for some 8,000 km, from northern Syria to central Mozambique! The formation of the Rift Valley continues: within a few million years, eastern Africa will probably split off to form an entirely new landmass! How about that! Here, we visit Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. Lake Nakuru National Park is home to a veritable colony of wildlife. The park supports a population of black rhino, lion, leopard, zebra, antelope and giraffe not to mention millions of pink flamingos. The lake itself is a shallow soda lake. We enjoy a day of game driving here. The highest of the Rift Valley lakes, the freshwater Lake Naivasha is a sanctuary to bird life. From here, you can opt to visit Elsamere (home of Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free’ fame), Crescent Island Game Sanctuary or Hells Gate NP. Descending the Rift Valley, we continue to Nairobi, where we prepare for the next leg of our expedition.
Days 15 - 24: Tanzanian highlights
Leaving Nairobi, we cross the border into East Africa’s largest country - Tanzania. Hosting an astonishing diversity of wildlife in it’s many famous national parks, we’ll enjoy our time here. Camping in the attractive town of Arusha, which sits at the foot of verdant Mt Meru and is surrounded by many coffee estates, the town is known for being the safari gateway of the north. On a choice of optional excursions, we can visit the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Accompanied by guides in smaller all-terrain vehicles, we explore the savannah plains of the Serengeti, home to more than 3 million large mammals living in total freedom. Spot herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra. In their wake, stalk the predators - lion, cheetah and hyena. Prolific also is elephant and giraffe. Within the natural amphitheatre of Ngorongoro Crater, a vast and steep unbroken volcanic crater, you’ll see common varieties of antelope, hooved animals, black rhino and predators such as lion, cheetah and hyena, not to mention scores of fabulously pink flamingoes. Striking east, we travel in the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro via Pangani to Dar es Salaam. A ferry from Dar takes us to the spice island of Zanzibar, where we’ll spend three nights on this exotic oasis of pure cool and charm. Explore old Stone Town, engage in some waterborne frolics, perhaps chow down on some fresh seafood and relax for a few days. Please note that accommodation and meals are not included whilst in Zanzibar. For those preferring not to visit Zanzibar, you can stay at our beachside campsite in Dar Es Salaam.
Days 25 - 31: Lake Malawi
Continuing, we journey across Tanzania. We then drive through Mikumi National Park, where game such as elephant and giraffe, impervious to man or vehicle often roam the roadsides. Stopping in Iringa, we camp at the Old Farmhouse, a rustic campsite. Heading south through Baobob Valley, small towns and tea plantations we venture into neighbouring Malawi, via the border town of Songwe. Following the country’s vast lake southwards, we pitch our camp on the sandy shoreline of this remarkably huge lake at Chitimba Beach and/or Chintheche. Enjoy the optional watersports or simply relax. Watch the Malawian fishermen sorting their catch or perhaps visit one of the many local villages. Consider purchasing a magnificent carved Malawi chair. Hewn from a single chunk of wood, it’s a great buy and one of Malawi’s most common exports.
days 32 - 36: Victoria Falls
Crossing into land-locked Zambia, we stay at a pleasant campsite near the border, then drive via the capital - Lusaka. Continuing to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side, we enjoy our last few days in the adrenaline playground of Africa. Over this incredible precipice, an astonishing 550,000 cubic metres of water plummets into the Zambezi gorge every minute. During the rainy season, it can increase its volume ten-fold. The river also marks the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are optional activities aplenty here including Zambezi white water rafting, bungy jumping from 111m and flights over the Falls in a variety of airborne machines! More sedate pursuits such as golf, day trips to the local croc farm and horse riding safaris are also available. Saturday (day 36) marks the end of our expedition.
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If you’ve chosen an expedition that offers these trips FREE, congratulate yourself on an excellent choice! In order to qualify, be sure to secure your place on one or both of these trips at the same time as placing your expedition booking. You are welcome to take advantage of this free offer on the specified start day featured below, either before or after your expedition. The trips are not redeemable in any other form or at any other time, than for the periods detailed below, and is non-transferable. In event of cancellation by you, no monetary value is applicable to trips for purpose of refund. Local payment is payable by all participants in US Dollars cash on day one of the trips. 
