Afternoon: Depart the U.S. on an overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Afternoon: Arrive Johannesburg where you clear Customs and are met and transferred 20 minutes to the Courtyard Hotel. Enjoy the complimentary beverages and snacks offered in the main lounge of the hotel.

Dinner: In the hotel's dining area.

Evening: Orientation session and group introductions following dinner.

Lodging: Courtyard Hotel Eastgate

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: You leave the hotel for a tour of Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship), the largest black residential area in South Africa. This “city within a city” consists of 50 suburbs, or sections, and essentially acts as a labor reservoir for the greater metropolitan area of the Witwatersrand. In many ways, the story of Soweto is the story of South Africa. The tour route takes you to all the major points of interest, such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Baragwanath taxi rank, Freedom Square and Hector Peterson Memorial. Your group leader gives an overview of South Africa, including the country’s political history.

Lunch: At a local restaurant in Soweto.

Afternoon: After lunch, transfer to the southern edge of Johannesburg where you visit the award winning and internationally acclaimed Apartheid Museum; you walk through the museum with a local guide. This beautiful museum gives a balanced account of 20th century South Africa. It recounts the political upheavals beginning in the last century and moves on to the transition from a racist state into the new era of hope and freedom as a democracy. Transfer back to the hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Lodging: Courtyard Hotel Eastgate

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: The beginner bush skills course consists of walking in the bush, on potentially uneven ground. The pace and distance covered during the course are gentle, however, and are dictated by the group's abilities. If you are unable to participate, you have the option of remaining at the lodge to enjoy the scenery.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After breakfast, transfer to the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre which has gained international recognition for bringing the cheetah back from the brink of extinction through its captive breeding programs. Take a tour with one of the center’s enthusiastic researchers who provides insight into the long term conservation of the African cheetah. In addition, you learn about the other efforts that the center is making toward the conservation and reintroduction of wild dogs, brown hyena, antelope and Cape vultures.

Lunch: Picnic lunch at the center.

Afternoon: After lunch, transfer out to Plumari Game Reserve. After arriving, you embark on a beginner bush skills course within the Reserve. The hands-on, interactive course is designed to give you a basic understanding of the African bush, and the skills needed to survive in it. During the gentle walk in the bush, you discuss and experience: how to navigate by day or night; survival skills such as walking techniques and use of terrain; how to interact with dangerous and/or useful animals such as snakes, insects, birds, fish, etc; how to track animals; useful plants and herbs; location and procurement of potable water and edible food; basic first aid; medical dangers such as malaria and bilharzia (schistosomiasis); communication skills needed for survival in the bush; equipment one needs in the bush; and what materials occur naturally in the bush that one can use to survive. The course is designed with safety at the forefront; at no time are you put into dangerous situations, nor do you come into contact with dangerous animals. Plumari Game Reserve sits beneath the Magaliesberg mountain range near Johannesburg, providing an awe-inspiring wilderness setting nearly 12 square miles in size. Here you find a pristine African bushveld with an abundance of wildlife including the Big Five (leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant, lion), as well as hippo, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, and wildebeest, to name a few. There are also over 350 species of bird resident to this area. While here you go on game drive field trips to track wildlife and take bush walks in search of the smaller species.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Lodging: Askari Game Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: This morning you embark on an interpretive game drive in search of the Big Five and other game. Your local guides provide insight into the animals and birds spotted during the drive.

Lunch: At the lodge.

Afternoon: Your group leader gives an introduction to predators. Afterward, take a game drive in search of game not spotted this morning.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Lodging: Askari Game Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: This morning you are led by a local ranger on an interactive and interpretive experience with trained elephants. You view the elephants up close and are able to touch and feed them, while the ranger discusses elephant behavior and social structure.

Lunch: At the lodge.

Afternoon: This afternoon you have the choice of taking a game drive or going on a bush walk with interpretation of animal tracks, plants and insects.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Lodging: Askari Game Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: Transfer to the Johannesburg International Airport and depart on your commercial flight to Kasane, Botswana.

Lunch: On board the flight.

Afternoon: Upon arrival in Kasane, you are transferred in game-viewing vehicles, doing a game drive en-route, to your mobile tented camp within Chobe National Park. Game drives here are taken in open-air safari vehicles in the early morning and late afternoons, moving through the plains searching for predators and other game. Chobe National Park remains one of Africa's prime game-viewing areas. Here one finds all of the "Big Five" except rhino. Rare antelope also inhabit the region. This is elephant country, home to the largest population of elephants in the world; many of these great grey giants can be seen at this time of year. (Note that seasonality makes a big difference in how much game you will see. If it's dry you will see larger herds; if it has recently rained the animals will be more dispersed.) The park forms part of Botswana's northern-most border and is a contrast of desert aridity and flood plains. The Chobe region is best known for its vast magnificent river and floodplains filled with grazing herds of big game. Buffalo, sable, lion, leopard, hippo, hyena, and thousands of antelope all find safety in this huge national park. This is one of Africa's most pristine ecosystems and greatest wildlife refuges. After settling in, your group leader gives an overview of the history and culture of Botswana.

Dinner: In camp under the stars.

Lodging: Mobile Tented Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In camp.

Morning: Depart on an early-morning game drive within Chobe National Park in search of any lion or leopard kills made during the night. Return to camp and have the mid-day at leisure.

Lunch: In camp.

Afternoon: Discussion on the immense birdlife in the area. This afternoon you explore the Chobe River by motorboat where you may come face to face with the elephant and buffalo that gather on the banks of the Chobe River. The Chobe is one of the few rivers in the world that can flow in either direction depending on the seasonal floods! Immerse yourself in the unique Delta environment viewing numerous birds including sacred ibis, blue heron, goliath heron, saddle-billed storks, marabou storks and little egrets.

Dinner: In camp under the stars.

Evening: Campfire following dinner. Your group leader points out constellations of the Southern Hemisphere.

Lodging: Mobile Tented Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In camp.

Morning: Interpretive game drive; keep track of wildlife seen so far with your fun checklist.

Lunch: In camp.

Afternoon: Mid-day at leisure. Your group leader gives a lecture on termites and their effect on the Okavango Delta. Game drive in search of wildlife that has eluded you so far.

Dinner: In camp under the stars.

Lodging: Mobile Tented Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: In camp.

Morning: Say goodbye to your safari hosts and transfer by game-viewing vehicle back to Kasane; there is the possibility of seeing game en-route. From there, transfer by coach to the Kazangula border where you take a five-minute boat ride across the Zambezi River to Zambia. After you clear Zambian customs/immigration, a vehicle meets you for the transfer to Livingstone and Thorntree Lodge.

Lunch: At the lodge.

Afternoon: Free time to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Before dinner, your group leader gives an overview on the history and culture of Zambia.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Lodging: Thorntree River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: Transfer to nearby Tongabezi Trust School, commonly known as Tujatane, where you learn about daily life in Zambia and have an opportunity to meet local students and teachers. There will be an opportunity for each generation to interact, whether through conversation or games. Afterward, take a guided tour of Livingstone town, a classic colonial town of former Northern Rhodesia. You visit the Livingstone Museum to learn about David Livingstone’s explorations and discoveries. Displays include letters, notes and other artifacts that belonged to David Livingstone. Visit the local market to see how Zambians subsist and learn about local industry. A visit to a superb crafts market introduces you to artisans and provides an opportunity to learn how the crafts are made and marketed.

Lunch: At the lodge.

Afternoon: Your group leader gives a lecture on Dr. David Livingstone's explorations and discovery of Victoria Falls.

Dinner: At the lodge.

Lodging: Thorntree River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: Visit the Mukuni Village, gaining cultural insight by learning how these locals truly live. You learn the deep history of this village and of the surrounding area as shared by a local guide. You have an opportunity to interact with villagers as they invite you into their homestead. Learn the methods in which these traditional huts are made and decorated. Finish at the chief’s residence where the royal family’s history and village politics are explained. Before departing, meet with wood carvers and other artisans at the local market. End the morning with a visit to the famed Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Victoria Falls is where the Zambezi River opens out into an extravaganza of roaring, spray-tumbled water, known to the locals as “Mosi oa Tunya” (the smoke that thunders). Few sights are as awe-inspiring as this when the ground rumbles with the forces of the water. Enjoy the footpaths through the rainforest on the way to the viewpoints.

Lunch: At the lodge.

Afternoon: Transfer to the waterfront for your private sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River. Search for game on the banks of the river as you enjoy a spectacular African sunset.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at the lodge.

Lodging: Thorntree River Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the lodge.

Morning: Transfer to the Livingstone Airport for your commercial flight to Johannesburg International Airport.

Lunch: On board the flight.

Afternoon: Upon arrival in Johannesburg, connect to your international flight back to the U.S. or ongoing travel.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning: Early morning arrivals back in the U.S.