Iconic Africa: Journey Across Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia & Kenya

After arriving at the hotel and checking in, take some time to freshen up and relax before our welcome dinner.

At the hotel, we’ll have an a la carte welcome dinner including a welcome drink, coffee, tea, and bottled water.

Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We are fortunate to have as our Group Leader a knowledgeable expert who will also serve as our primary lecturer for most of the program. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Taken at the hotel, breakfast will be an expansive buffet featuring a variety of cold cereals, fresh fruit, cold meats and cheeses, pastries and hot items such as bacon, sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms. Omelets, eggs and waffles will be cooked on demand. Fruit juices, coffee, tea, milk and water will be provided.

We will check out of the hotel and board the minibus, transferring to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo airport for our commercial flight to Maun, Botswana.

Snack in flight and snacks provided in camp upon arrival.

Upon an early afternoon arrival in Maun, we will clear Botswana border formalities. After immigration, we will be escorted to our small aircraft charter for the flight into the Khwai Concession's dirt airstrip. Our flight path will include a scenic pass over the Okavango Delta, a World Heritage Site, so we may appreciate the scope of the Delta with its myriad of waterways and channels. From the airstrip, we will board our open-air, 4x4 safari vehicles for our drive through typical Botswana woodlands to our campsite; we will likely see wildlife along the way. Upon arrival at our private mobile tented camp, we will settle in. Afterward, we will board our 4x4 safari vehicles for the first game drive of the program. Game drives throughout the program will be conducted in open-air safari vehicles, each vehicle with its own local safari specialist who provides insight on the flora and fauna seen. Located on the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta, the Khwai River area abounds with wildlife. It is particularly well-known for its predators, especially one of the most endangered carnivores in Africa, the wild dog. Lion and leopard are commonly found, as well as herds of buffalo, elephant and hippo. Game in Khwai is abundant and varied, and includes tsessebe, lechwe, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, sable and giraffe. We will return to camp at dusk with time to freshen up before dinner.

Our camp cook will prepare appetizers and a dinner feast that we will enjoy in the open air under the stars. Dinners at camp will be buffets with a starter, main entree with side dishes, and a dessert; bottled water, soft drinks and local brand alcohol will be included.

Following dinner, we will have the opportunity to join together around a campfire.

Served prior to the early morning game drive, breakfasts in camp will be buffets with cold cereals, bread, fresh fruit and rusks (South African style biscotti); coffee/tea, fruit juice and bottled water will be provided.

Searching for plains game and other species, we will take a morning game drive through a large variety of different vegetation types, down winding tracks, through mopane forests and across lush grasslands. The scenic beauty of the area adds to our experience of Botswana’s verdant Garden of Eden, the Okavango Delta. We will return to camp mid-morning, for a chance to freshen up and rest during the heat of the day.

Camp lunches will be buffets with a mix of hot and cold breakfast and lunch items, such as salad, egg dishes, sausage, cold meats and cheeses, and pasta dishes, with dessert. Bottled water, soft drinks and local brand alcohol will be included.

During afternoon tea time, our Group Leader will give an Overview of Botswana. Afterward, we will embark on a game drive, where lion and leopard, and herds of buffalo, elephant and hippo are commonly found. We will return to camp just after dusk.

In camp under the stars.

If the skies are clear tonight, we will discover the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere.

In camp.

This morning, we will head out on a game drive to search for wild dog and other endangered carnivores. We will return to camp mid-morning and have a few hours at leisure to rest, read, freshen up and relax in the heat of the day.

In camp.

During our afternoon tea-time lecture, we will learn about the Okavango Delta's hydrology and geology from our Group Leader, and how it has changed over time. Afterward, we will take one last afternoon game drive in Khwai, keeping our eyes open for tsessebe, lechwe, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, elephant, sable and giraffe. We will return to camp just after dusk.

In camp.

At leisure.

In camp.

After breakfast, we will transfer to a nearby dirt airstrip with game viewing en-route. We will take a small aircraft charter flight from the airstrip to the town of Kasane, the gateway to Chobe National Park. Upon arrival in Kasane, we will be met and driven in a minibus a short distance to the jetty for our late morning boat safari. We will explore the Chobe River by motorboat with a local safari expert, where we may come face to face with the elephant, buffalo and other wildlife that gather on the banks of the river to drink and bathe. We'll find ourselves immersed in the unique environment, viewing numerous birds including sacred ibis, blue heron, goliath heron, saddle-billed storks, marabou storks and little egrets. Chobe National Park remains one of Africa’s prime game-viewing areas. Here, one finds all of the “Big Five,” except for rhino. 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: 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 many species of antelope find safety in this huge national park. Chobe is one of Africa’s most pristine ecosystems and greatest wildlife refuges. At the conclusion of our boat safari, we be taken to a local lodge for lunch.

We will enjoy an expansive buffet lunch at a lodge near Chobe National Park, with numerous salad, main dish and dessert options. Bottled water will be provided, with other beverages available for purchase.

Following lunch, we will transfer to the Kazungula border to clear Zimbabwe immigration formalities. Then, our transfer will continue on to Victoria Falls, where we will see the waterfall on the Zimbabwean side. Upon our entrance to the park, we will walk along the path with commentary from the Group Leader about the formation of the falls, as well as the local flora and birdlife seen. Since the waterfall spans the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, it is visible from both countries, but the majority of the water falls on the Zimbabwean side. Viewing the Falls from this side offers numerous overlooks and truly gives us a feeling for the full majesty of this natural wonder. What we call Victoria Falls is known as Mosi oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) in the language of the Lozi people. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and a World Heritage Site, this is also considered the largest and most spectacular waterfall anywhere with a height of 360 feet (108 meters) and a width of 5,603 feet (1,708 meters), awesome in size and power as the Zambezi River rushes over an abrupt chasm. Its English name was given by Scottish explorer David Livingstone, the first European known to have visited here in 1855, in honor of Queen Victoria. Afterward, we will be driven a short distance to our lodge, where we will check-in and settle into our rooms.

At the lodge, we will have a 3-course, set menu dinner, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

At leisure.

Breakfast at the lodge will be a buffet with a selection of cereals, pastries, fruit and yogurt; hot breakfast items cooked to order. Coffee, tea, fruit juices, milk and water will be provided.

Following breakfast, we will gather with our Group Leader at the lodge for an Overview of Zimbabwe. Then, boarding our minibus, we will transfer to the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, where we will learn about how the Trust’s local conservation efforts are making a major impact in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). The Trust has four main areas of operation: Rescue and Rehabilitation; Wildlife Research; Wildlife Disease and Forensics Laboratory; and Community Outreach. In the company of a local expert, our hour-long visit will incorporate an overview of the Trust and its facilities, including the wildlife rehabilitation area. Then, we will reboard our minibus and drive back into town to visit two community projects in Victoria Falls; visits to these projects are done on a non-commercialized, authentic and interactive basis with a view to a genuine and meaningful interaction. Here, we will have the chance to meet members of the community and see how they live. From the village, we will transfer to our lunch venue.

At a restaurant with scenic views of Victoria Falls, we’ll enjoy a set menu, 2-course plated meal with bottled water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Free Time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in the town of Victoria Falls. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. In the early evening, we will regroup at the lodge for our transfer to the dinner venue.

At a local restaurant in Victoria Falls, we will have a buffet meal featuring traditional Zimbabwean dishes, plus water, tea and coffee. As we interact with our hosts, we’ll learn a bit about life and cooking traditions in this part of Zimbabwe. Other beverages are available for purchase.

At leisure.

Lodge buffet.

Following breakfast, we will be joined at the lodge by a noted local historian to discuss the story of Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone. Dr. Livingstone first visited Victoria Falls over 150 years ago and his journeys laid the groundwork for the Colonial era that followed. Upon conclusion of the lecture, we will board our minibus and transfer over the Zambian border via the stunning bridge that spans the Batoka Gorge just downstream from the Falls. After clearing immigration, we will transfer to the Livingstone Airport and depart on a private charter flight to the Royal Airstrip, located on the edge of the Lower Zambezi National Park.

Snacks upon arrival at the lodge.

Upon an early afternoon arrival at the airstrip, we will be met by our local safari specialists and driven in open-air, 4x4 safari vehicles to Royal Zambezi Lodge. We will have time to settle into our rooms before afternoon tea is served. Following tea, we will embark on a boat safari on the Zambezi River, searching for elephant, hippo, buffalo, crocodile, waterbuck and the myriad of kingfishers, herons and wading birds fishing for their suppers. The Zambezi River forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, so as we float along we will be able to view Mana Pools National Park on the Zimbabwean side of the river, a World Heritage Site. Sundowner drinks and snacks will be served as we witness one of Africa’s beautiful sunsets, then we will return to the lodge with time to freshen up before dinner.

Taken at the lodge, dinner will be a 3-course, set menu meal. Water, coffee, tea will be included with additional beverages available for purchase.

At leisure.

Early morning cereal, toast and fruit will be served at the lodge.

This morning, we will divide to participate in a guided bush walk with our safari expert and an armed guard, or go on a game drive in the Lower Zambezi National Park with a safari expert. During the bush walk, our local expert will provide insight into tracking, local flora, and any wildlife seen, as well as pointing out the smaller residents in the bush. We will return to the lodge mid-morning to freshen up and relax.

Brunch at the lodge will consist of a full cooked breakfast with choices of bacon, sausages, poached eggs, mushrooms, tomato and baked beans. Water, fruit juice, coffee and tea will be provided, with additional beverages available for purchase.

At the lodge, lunch will be a 2-course, set menu meal. Water, coffee, tea will be included with additional beverages available for purchase.

During the heat of mid-day, we will have a chance to enjoy the lodge's amenities, or view game from the private deck of our suite as the animals come to drink from the river. During afternoon tea, our Group Leader will give us an overview of Zambia. Afterward, we'll embark on a day-into-night game drive, where leopard, hyena, porcupine, civet, genet and honey badger are commonly sighted. After dark, our local safari expert will use a spotlight to find animals in the bush. We will return to the lodge in the late evening, just before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

Early morning continental breakfast at the lodge.

Again this morning, we will divide and have the choice of a game drive or a bush walk with our safari specialist and armed guard that will emphasize spoor, vegetation, birds, insects and bush lore. We will return to the lodge mid-morning, after the safari activity.

Lodge meal.

At the lodge.

The heat of the day will be spent at the lodge, at leisure. Over tea, our Group Leader will give a lecture on elephant social structure and behavior. This afternoon we will have our choice of safari activity to participate in, including a game drive, boat safari, fishing or bush walk. All activities will return to the lodge in the late afternoon, with time to freshen up before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

At the lodge.

We will board our motorboats for the cruise up the Zambezi River to the Chiawa community. Wildlife may be spotted along the river’s banks en-route. Upon arrival in Chiawa, we will disembark the boats and climb aboard vehicles for visits to the local school, clinic and various other projects in the community. We will be shown around the school and learn about the school’s projects, as well as have the opportunity to interact with the children when school is in session. Our participation in this Road Scholar program helps fund the school and projects we will visit.

A traditional lunch taken in the village.

Our visit to the Chiawa community will continue. Mid-afternoon, we will reboard our boats for the cruise back downriver to the lodge, watching for elephant, hippo and buffalo along the way. We will arrive back at the lodge with time to relax before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

Lodge meal.

We will have time to relax and pack our bags before checking out of the lodge for a mid-morning transfer to the nearby airstrip, where we will board our small aircraft flight to Lusaka. In Lusaka, we will be driven to a nearby resort for lunch.

Expansive buffet featuring local and international dishes.

After lunch, we will gather with our Group Leader for an Overview on Kenya. We will also have a chance to take a walk around the resort's grounds or use the swimming pool if desired. In the late afternoon, we will be driven back to the Lusaka airport to board our evening commercial flight to Nairobi.

In flight meal.

Our flight will arrive Nairobi in the late evening. We will clear Kenyan immigration formalities before being transferred to the hotel for check-in.

Early morning breakfast at the hotel.

We will have an early start to the morning, transferring to the Nairobi Wilson Airport for our short, scheduled flight to Amboseli National Park. Our local safari experts will greet us at the Amboseli airstrip, as we embark on a game drive in the national park. We will search for the numerous elephant herds for which the park is known, including the "super tuskers" that are prevalent in the area. Our local experts will explain why elephants in Amboseli grow larger tusks than elephants in other parts of Africa. Lying in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, a World Heritage Site, Amboseli National Park's name comes from a Maasai word meaning "salty dust." The relatively small park is one of the best places in Africa to view elephant. Encompassing four different habitats (rocky, dried-up lake bed rich in minerals; savannah; acacia woodlands; and wetlands), the park is also home to plentiful wildlife other than elephants, including: lion, cheetah, black-backed jackal, hyena, zebra, hippo, Thomson's gazelle, and olive baboons. Birdlife is prolific, with over 600 species having been recorded in the park! Mid-morning, we will arrive at the lodge, where we will be joined by a representative from Big Life Foundation, a local conservation organization, for a talk on human/wildlife conflict in the area. Then, we will check-in and settle into our rooms before lunch is served.

Expansive buffet at the lodge. Bottled water, coffee, tea included, other beverages available for purchase.

Following lunch, our guest from the Big Life Foundation will give a talk on traditional Maasai culture and how it is changing due to modern influences. Following afternoon tea, we will climb aboard our safari vehicles for a late afternoon drive in the park, exploring different areas not seen this morning. We will return to the lodge at dusk with time to freshen up before dinner.

Plentiful buffet featuring numerous options for all three courses. Bottled water, coffee, tea included; additional beverages available for purchase.

At leisure.

Buffet at the lodge.

We will embark on game drive in Amboseli, exploring parts of the park not yet seen. We will return to the lodge mid-morning with some time at leisure prior to lunch.

Lodge buffet.

The early afternoon will be at leisure to rest and relax at the lodge. In the late afternoon, we will head out on a game drive. If nature's elements allow, we may find the quintessential Amboseli photograph of elephants with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. We will return to the lodge at dusk, with time to freshen up before dinner.

Buffet at the lodge.

At leisure.

Lodge buffet.

We will embark on an early morning game drive in the park, seeking out wildlife not yet seen. As we drive by the wetlands area within the park, we are sure to find numerous bird species including yellow-billed stork, African spoonbill, saddle-billed stork, goliath heron, and African jacana. We will return to the lodge in the late morning.

Lodge meal.

Early afternoon will be at leisure to enjoy the lodge's amenities, read, journal and relax. In the late afternoon, we will climb aboard our safari vehicles for the last game drive in Amboseli, returning to the lodge at dusk.

Buffet meal at the lodge.

At leisure.

Lodge buffet.

Following breakfast, we will be driven the short distance to the Amboseli airstrip, for our short, scheduled flight to Nairobi's Wilson Airport. In Nairobi, we will connect to the scheduled flight to the Masai Mara, landing in the late morning. Our local safari experts will meet us at the airstrip for the transfer to camp. We will have the opportunity to settle into our rooms before lunch.

Lunch in camp will be a plated, set menu meal. Bottled water, coffee, tea included; additional beverages available for purchase.

We will have the early afternoon at leisure to rest, relax and enjoy the camp's amenities. In the late afternoon, we will join our local safari experts on a game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve. In the Masai Mara, possibly the most famous of Kenya’s game reserves, we will find a stunning landscape of wide, green-gold savannahs spotted with thorn trees and packed with an astonishing amount of wildlife. Here, large herds of grazing plains game occur in abundance, roaming the savannahs that are bounded by the Ngama Hills to the east and the Siria Escarpment to the west. Located at the northern end of the Great Migration, the Mara typically witnesses the large herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope that trek north from the Serengeti in Tanzania in search of food (note: seasonality plays a large part in how much game will be present in the reserve; generally, the large herds reach the Mara by September, and start south again by November). Following these plentiful herds of game are the famous black-maned lions of the Mara, as well as cheetah and leopard. We will return to the lodge at dusk, with time to freshen up before dinner.

Plated, set menu dinner in camp. Bottled water, coffee, tea included; additional beverages available for purchase.

At leisure.

Buffet of cold breakfast items such as cereals, yogurt, pastry and fresh fruit, with hot items such as eggs, sausage, bacon, tomato and toast cooked to order. Coffee, tea, fruit juice and water included.

With our local safari experts, we will explore the Mara on an extended game drive, allowing us to access parts of the Reserve farther away from camp. Wildlife we may find includes: cheetah, lion, hyena, elephant, topi, giraffe, buffalo and zebra.

Picnic lunch with bottled water, taken in a scenic location.

Our extended game drive will continue, arriving back in camp mid-afternoon. We will have some time at leisure following our return. In the early evening, our Group Leader will give a lecture on the geologic formation of the Great Rift Valley.

Camp meal.

At leisure.

In camp.

We will explore more of the Mara on a game drive with commentary from our local safari experts.

Camp meal.

The early afternoon will be at leisure to rest, relax, read and journal in camp. After teatime, we will head out on our last safari drive of the program, exploring different areas of the Mara and seeking out the plentiful birdlife in the area including: secretary bird, Bateleur eagle, emerald-spotted wood dove, and bare-faced go-away bird. We will return to the lodge at dusk.

Farewell dinner in camp with new Road Scholar friends.

At leisure.

Camp buffet.

We will check out of the lodge then board our safari vehicles for a game drive transfer to the airstrip, where we board a scheduled flight to Nairobi.

At a local restaurant in Nairobi.

Following lunch, we will be driven to the Giraffe Centre, which has been in existence since 1979 when its founders, Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, rescued two highly-endangered baby Rothschild giraffes from a heavily poached area of western Kenya. These two giraffes thrived and have produced several generations of giraffe. Here we will be afforded a unique, up-close encounter with these unusual animals as our Group Leader provides information on giraffe behavior; we will also be able to feed the giraffes from our hands. Then, we will continue on to the Karen Blixen Museum. Karen Blixen (1885-1962), also known by her pseudonym, Isak Dinesen, was a Danish writer famous for her memoir, Out of Africa, and for several works of fiction, including Seven Gothic Tales (1934) and Winter's Tales (1942). The 1985 movie version of her memoir drew world-wide attention to her novels, and the Karen Blixen Museum now commemorates her life and work. The museum, located on the coffee farm where she lived from 1914 to 1931, encompasses her house and grounds; we will take a walk back through time and experience life as Karen lived it as we explore the museum with our Group Leader. In the late afternoon, we will transfer to the Four Points by Sheraton hotel, where we will have access to day rooms until our late evening flight departures. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

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