There is something almost haunting about Africa and everyone should visit it at least once during their lives. Its sense of vastness and isolation, whilst at the same time a unique closeness to nature, leaves an indelible mark on its visitors and on this incredible three-country tour, you see some of the very best it has to offer. We see one of the finest natural wonders on the planet, the amazing Victoria Falls as well as one of its most naturally beautiful cities, Cape Town, with its surrounding Winelands, plus we visit one of the world’s finest and least visited game reserves, all set in the beautiful countries of Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.
Our tour starts in Zambia, adjacent to the spectacular Victoria Falls, or as the locals call it - ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’, the Smoke that Thunders! It may be a cliché, but the falls really do take your breath away and it is at places such as this, that visitors realise just how powerful mother-nature really is. The statistics are awesome: three times as long as Niagara and twice as high, this is the largest single body of falling water in the world! At times of peak flow, the spray rising from the abyss is too thick to even see the foot of the falls, whereas during the dry season (generally Sep-Dec) the more adventurous can walk to the edge of the vast chasm or even bathe in one of the pools next to the rim itself.
Nearby Botswana is a wild and beautiful country and remains one of the few places on earth that really is unspoilt – a true wilderness where animals are free to roam and migrate freely along their traditional routes. Botswana’s Chobe National Park, a huge reserve of over 10,500 unfenced square kilometres is renowned for having the greatest concentration of game, particularly big cats, in the whole of Southern Africa, and a safari here is a truly exceptional experience. The Chobe River, an integral part of the ecosystem, allows for superb close-up viewing of a huge variety of animal and indigenous bird species. Fish eagles are common and can often be seen swooping low over the waters, their stillness broken only by families of hippo. However, it is the world’s largest concentration of elephants, well over 100,000 of them and protected for over a hundred years, which make Chobe so exceptional. It is a moving and an almost humbling experience to see them inter-acting with each other: playing, bathing and splashing in the blue river as depicted on countless TV documentaries. You also have the opportunity to cross into Namibia or fly to the astounding wilderness of the Okavango Delta, another world-class wildlife environment.
Then for a complete contrast, it’s on to South Africa and stunning Cape Town set in a breathtaking location. Backed by ever-present blue skies and the iconic ‘Table Mountain’, fringed with white sand beaches and the nearby fertile never-ending valleys of the Winelands, it is blessed with a surfeit of world-class natural attractions. South Africa’s ‘Mother City’, it was the first settlement founded by Europeans and now it’s a lively, cosmopolitan and bustling centre, with superb restaurants and excellent shopping, especially within the tastefully restored Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Explore the Bo Kap district with its unique Cape architecture, home of jazz clubs, artisans and one of the city’s most vibrant quarters. Take the revolving cable car to the top of Table Mountain, visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for much of his life and visit the Cape of Good Hope, southernmost point on the African continent.
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