NORTHERN ZIMBABWE
7 Day 4x4 Tag-along Tour
From £2795 per person
15
days
SAFARI, BEACH AND ADVENTURE THROUGH REMOTE ZIMBABWE, MOZAMBIQUE AND SOUTH AFRICA
Go off-the-beaten-track along Southern Africa’s East side with a self-drive expedition across its varied terrain in the most robust and off-road worthy 4x4 vehicles available. See its diverse marine and land-going wildlife on safari in the region's most secluded parks and pristine coastline, including Gonarezhou and the Bazaruto archipelago. Sit around the campfire, listening to the sounds of the bush at night and gazing at the brightness of the stars.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS EXPEDITION
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* This is a chance to go off-the-beaten-track. Self-drive through some of the more remote and in-accessible parts of Southern Africa experiencing the regions iconic scenery and cultural heritage whilst developing and putting your skills to the test over pristine 4x4 terrain. This is not an overland tour where 20 people are bussed between main attractions on the cheap, nor is it an exclusive tour between luxury lodges keeping you veiled from the African way of life. All you need is a full and valid driving licence. Your group leader is a qualified off-road operator and will be on-hand to coach you though the more challenging elements of the journey.
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* See the rich and varied populations of wildlife on safari in Kruger, Limpopo, Savé and Gonarezhou Parks, offering you the chance to see almost all the species of wildlife in Southern Africa including the “Big Five” (Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino). Make sure you bring a camera and a pair of binoculars!
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* Camp out in the wild in Gonarezhou National Park, of one Zimbabwe’s most remote and scenic parks. Coincidentally the name “Gonarezhou” translates as ‘place of the elephants’, expect to see a lot of them!
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* Visit the Great Zimbabwe ruins, the largest stone structure built south of the Sahara. It was the base for a succession of rulers between 1100 and 1500 AD, and is the site after which modern day Zimbabwe is named.
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* Visit the Savé Conservancy, one of the largest private game reserves in Africa. The conservancy is made up of privately owned, government owned and community owned properties brought together under a constitution to preserve and manage animal populations. It has been instrumental providing refuge and rehabilitating endangered species like the black rhino since its inception.
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* Visit Vilanculos and the Bazaruto archipelago a marine National Park that boasts sensational beaches, magnificent scenery, and is home to the largest population of Dugong in Mozambique. The area is the country’s premier destination for diving, wind surfing (both optional activities) and general beach life.
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IS THIS EXPEDITION RIGHT FOR YOU?
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* Parts of this trip will involve camping (on the roof of your vehicle) in remote locations with no fence between you and the wild. For most travellers the experience of listening to the sounds of the bush so close at night or the exhilaration of an elephant walking through camp proves to be the highlight of their trip. You will have a phased introduction, starting with fenced camps to first become comfortable in your surroundings.
* The best game viewing is early in the morning and it is best practice to leave as much contingency daylight ahead of you to get to the next camp, so expect some long driving days and many early starts. The excitement of seeing your first lion will make the early start worth it.
* This is a participatory trip, so you will be helping out with purchasing provisions, camp set-up, cooking and cleaning. Team spirit and making new friends are all part of the experience.
* Some camps may not have showers or proper toilets, so you will need to use the water tanks on the vehicles to wash and may need to use a “bush toilet”, a small price to pay to be truly in the wild.
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* Whilst our vehicles are maintained to the highest standard and guaranteed to be a maximum of 3 years old, the wear and tear from rough terrain may result in delays from breakdowns. We operate a no vehicle gets left behind policy.
* “This is Africa!” Expect to find a river in flood or a route no longer passable. There may be instances where your leader will have to change plans at the last minute. This is all part of the adventure, but rest assured contingency is built into the trip to get you to the final destination on time.
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DETAILED SCHEDULE
DAY 1 - JOHANNESBURG
We start at 12.30pm in the hotel reception with a welcome meeting. Here we will collect your driving licence and travel insurance details, as well as complete all rental agreements and permissions forms to take your vehicle across borders. Following this we collect our vehicles and spend the afternoon going through pre-expedition checks and vehicle familiarisation on features such as diff-lock, winch, low range gear transmission, fridges, roof tents and auxiliary battery use. We will also cover the theory on driving around animals, as well as in sand and through water, all of which you will get to put into practice over the coming two weeks.
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Accommodation provided: hotel
Meals included: none
Activities included: Vehicle familiarisation and training
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DAY 2 - KRUGER
Having completed all necessary vehicle administration the day before, we’ll be free to set off early to Kruger, and arrive in time for an afternoon game-drive. Kruger, South Africa’s most iconic game park, has a great density of wildlife, good road network and secure lodge facilities. Perfect for relaxing after a long journey and acclimatising to the bush.
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Accommodation provided: lodge
Meals included: none (the camp restaurant will have a wide range of meals available, and the shop will offer BBQ and snacking essentials)
Activities included: safari
Optional activities: guided walk, night drive
DAY 3 - KRUGER
Many people will have been traveling for a while so you will have the option of a self-drive safari through the park or to relax at camp.
Accommodation provided: lodge
Meals included: none (the camp restaurant has a wide range of meals available, and the shop offers BBQ and snacking essentials)
Activities included: safari
Optional activities: guided walk, night drive
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DAY 4 - KRUGER
Set off early to make the most of the morning game viewing as we head North through Kruger to get closer to the Giriyondo border crossing. This will be our first evening camping.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari
DAY 5 - LIMPOPO
Cross into Mozambique early and make our way to camp. The Limpopo National Park is a large expanse of bush, accessible only with decent 4x4 vehicles, making it one of the more remote parts of the country. While all the animals found in neighbouring Kruger are present, their density is lower, and the exciting thing about this section of the trip is the 4x4 trails and vast expanse of pristine bush. Expect all the ingredients that make for exciting off-roading including river crossings, sand, mud and challenging climbs and descents.
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Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail
DAY 6 - LIMPOPO
We gradually make our way further North West, visiting the Shingwedzi cliffs en-route. Our camp for the night takes us closer to the Limpopo river, which we will aim to wade across the following day.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail
DAYS 7, 8, 9 - GONAREZHOU
We start day 7 crossing the Limpopo River at Mapai to head north to the Zimbabwe border, and into the remote and stunning Gonarezhou National Park. Gonarezhou translates as the place of the elephants and you can expect to see a lot of them there. The park offers a combination of remoteness, low visitor numbers, great 4x4 trails and good density of animals giving you the feeling of wildness, exclusivity, and freedom to explore over the next two days.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail
DAY 10 - GREAT ZIMBABWE RUINS
We set off early to maximise our chances of seeing game on the two hour drive out of Gonarezhou. Our camp on the shore of Lake Mutirikwe will be the base from which we visit the Great Zimbabwe Ruins. The ruins are the largest stone structure built south of the Sahara. They were the base for a succession of rulers between 1100 and 1500 AD, and the site is what modern day Zimbabwe is named after.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail, Great Zimbabwe tour
DAY 11 - SAVÉ CONSERVANCY
The Savé Conservancy is one of the largest private game reserves in Africa. It is made up of privately owned, government owned and community owned properties brought together under a constitution to preserve and manage animal populations. It has been instrumental providing refuge and rehabilitating endangered species like the black rhino since its inception. All animals in the conservancy are wild.
We will spend some time traveling round Savé to understand the efforts being made by local residents to protect and preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe, as well as doing some game viewing.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail
DAY 12 - CHIRINDA FOREST
We set off in the morning on our last land safari of the trip as we head out of Savé to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. The bush gets thicker and more mountainous, as we approach the Chirinda Forest Reserve; Africa’s most southerly rainforest. The giant trees in this ancient forest are estimated to be 600 to 1000 years old. Its an ideal place to spend the night before crossing the border the next day.
Accommodation provided: campsite
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: safari, off-road trail
DAY 13 - VILANCULOS
Today we cross back into Mozambique and drive down to the country’s top coastal destination: Vilankulos. Enjoy the sweeping views of the escarpment as we descend from the mountains, and the luxury of a hot shower and sit down meal awaiting us at our lodge on arrival in Vilankulos.
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Accommodation provided: lodge
Meals included: breakfast, travel snacks, dinner
Activities included: none
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DAY 14 - VILANCULOS
After packing down our vehicles and readying them for return to the depot, we depart on a boat tour of the Bazaruto archipelago; a marine National Park that boasts sensational beaches, magnificent scenery, and home to the largest population of Dugong in Mozambique.
We will conclude our final evening with having dinner out together, overlooking the Indian ocean.
Accommodation provided: lodge
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Activities included: boat tour of the Bazaruto archipelago (subject to favourable weather conditions)
Optional activities: diving, kite surfing
DAY 15 - VILANCULOS
Breakfast will be served as usual. If you are staying on in Vilankulos there are a wide range of activities to do in the area including boat safaris, horse back safaris, wind and kite surfing, fishing, diving or just relaxing beach side. And, further down the coast are a range of Mozambican destinations including Tofo beach and Maputo, which are worth visiting if you can spare the time.
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Accommodation provided: none
Meals included: breakfast
Activities included: none
Optional activities: diving, kite surfing, wind surfing, sea safari, fishing
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HOW PRICING IS CALCULATED
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The cost to book a vehicle is
£3795
per person based on 2 people sharing the vehicle,
with an additional person supplement of
£1198
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for each extra passenger
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For single travellers there are a few spaces at
£2795
each, available in the guide vehicles.
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WHAT IS INCLUDED:
Fully equipped vehicle (including bedding, tents, chairs, kitchen equipment)
All accommodation (1 hotel night, 4 lodge nights, 9 campsite nights)
11 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 11 dinners
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Fuel for the whole trip
All National Parks fees
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WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:
Meals in areas where there are restaurants readily available
The cost of optional activities
Visa fees
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Flights
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SUMMARY:
START:
Johannesburg, South Africa
FINISH:
Vilankulos, Mozambique
DESTINATIONS:
South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe
MINIMUM DRIVER AGE:
23
MINIMUM PARTICIPANT AGE:
15
EXPEDITION SIZE:
Minimum 2 vehicles,
maximum 4 vehicles
PEOPLE PER VEHICLE:
Minimum 2, maximum 4
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SCHEDULE
Day 1 - Johannesburg
Day 2 - Kruger
Day 3 - Kruger
Day 4 - Kruger
Day 5 - Limpopo
Day 6 - Limpopo
Day 7 - Gonarezhou
Day 8 - Gonarezhou
Day 9 - Gonarezhou
Day 10 - Great Zimbabwe Ruins
Day 11 - Savé Conservancy
Day 12 - Chirinda Forest
Day 13 - Vilanculos
Day 14 - Vilanculos
Day 15 - Vilanculos
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