12 Days Orient Express Safari Tour Package

Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights
Priced From: $5,750 pp.dbl.occ.
Dates: Jan - Dec

Day 2 Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa

On arrival at Johannesburg International Airport, you will be met and transferred by road to your accommodation.

A city of astonishing contrasts, a huge metropolis where opulent wealth and desperate poverty live side by side: Johannesburg is the intriguing, dynamic heart of this turbulent country. If you want to see the real South Africa - and try to understand it - Jo'burg has to be on your itinerary.

 Jo'burg, Jozi, eGoli or 'the city of gold' (never Johannesburg) is by far the largest city in South Africa. It's brash, fast-growing and often ugly, but it's got wealth, energy and a beautiful climate. If you take reasonable precautions and listen to the locals, you can enjoy it in safety.

Day 3 At Leisure, Johannesburg

Day 4 Fly Johannesburg to Okavango Delta (Via Maun)

You will be met in the reception of the hotel for your transfer to Johannesburg International Airport for your flight to Maun.  On arrival at Maun Airport, you will be met and assisted on to your small charter plane to Okavango Delta.

The Okavango is, without any doubt, the most widely known area in Botswana. The Delta is an area of tranquil, lily covered lagoons and narrow channels hemmed in by papyrus Reeds, and teeming with animal and bird life. Probably the most precious wetland in the world, The Okavango is a river delta that feeds into dry land instead of the sea. It is the only one of its kind.

The Okavango Delta is a unique oasis at the northern edge of the sands of the Kalahari Desert. Flood rain waters from the Angolan highlands are carried by the Okavango River into the delta where it spreads out creating countless waterways and lagoons over an area of approximately 10 000 square km. Papyrus and Phoenix palms flourish here on the edge of the desert, and the waters provide an ecosystem for Fish Eagles and Kingfishers, Hippopotami, Crocodiles and Tiger fish.

Days 5-7 At leisure, Okavango Delta

Enjoy your days at leisure exploring the area. The Delta offers unparalleled opportunities for bird watching, game viewing, fishing, photography, night drives and walking safaris. The Delta is most famous for its bird life, which includes more than 350 species. Eagles, Pel's Fishing Owls and Bee-eaters can be seen on a game-viewing trip, on a traditional dug-out canoe.

Day 8 Fly Okavango Delta to Chobe National Park

Today you will be assisted on to your charter flight to Chobe National Park.

The Chobe National Park is the second largest national park in Botswana and covers 10,566 square km, has one of the greatest concentrations of game found on the African continent. Its uniqueness in the abundance of wildlife and the true African nature of the region, offers a safari experience of a lifetime.

The park is divided into four distinctly different eco systems: Serondela with its lush plains and dense forests in the Chobe River area in the extreme north-east; the Savuti Marsh in the west; the Linyanti Swamps in the north-west and the hot dry hinterland in between.

A major feature of Chobe National Park is its elephant population currently estimated at around 120,000. The Chobe elephant are migratory, making seasonal movements of up to 200 km from the Chobe and Linyanti rivers, where they concentrate in the dry season, to the pans in the southeast of the park, to which they disperse in the rains.

Day 9 At leisure, Chobe National Park

Spend your day at leisure in Chobe National Park which is known for excellent for lion and other predator viewing. Depending on the time of the year, huge animal concentrations are attracted to this area. This is the heart of elephant country and you may spend many hours watching the huge herds in and around the waters of the Chobe River. Northern Chobe is renowned for its large variety of bird and animal life, beautiful scenery and magnificent sunsets.

Day 10 Fly Chobe National Park to Cape Town (Via Maun)

Today you will be transferred by small charter plane to Maun Airport, where you will connect to your flight to Cape Town.  On arrival at Cape Town Airport, you will be met and transferred to your accommodation.

Sir Francis Drake once described this area as 'the fairest Cape in all the world'. Cape Town's location is spectacular; the city is dominated by a 3 280ft-high, flat topped mountain with virtually sheer cliffs and surrounded by mountain walks, vineyards and beaches.

There is a variety of things to do and see.  Wander around the cosmopolitan Green Market Square located in center city, or sail on the harbor to gain a very different perspective on the beauty of Cape Town, enjoy a meal or shop at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront's working port; or visit Cape Town's new aquarium to see the myriad of sea life that the Cape is home to.  In Cape Town, there is something for everyone.

Day 11 Tour - Cape Peninsula full day tour

See for yourself how this spectacular southern tip of Africa became known as the ‘Fairest Cape’. The tour begins with a stroll through the famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Then drive past the pristine beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton and Llandudno - currently the hottest real estate in the world - to Hout Bay, a functioning harbour and heart of the local crayfish industry (optional Seal Island cruise, time permitting).

Drive along the breathtakingly scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive, around the Atlantic Seaboard.  After a stop for lunch (own expense), it’s on to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and its scenic viewing point.  The spectacular sea and mountain views are reason enough to make the 66km trip from Cape Town.  Amid the rocky landscape - home to mountain zebra, eland and ostriches - blooms magnificent Cape flora.

Continue along the coastline to the beautiful Boulders Beach where you can sit among a colony of penguins. Our last stop is the naval port of Simon’s Town, the country’s third oldest European settlement.

Day 12 Tour - Winelands full day tour

Escape to the beauty and tranquility of the Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch Winelands.

Our first stop is the Afrikaans Language Monument, perched on Paarl Rock, which offers sweeping views of the surrounding area.

We then continue onto wineries of well-known estates, to sample wines of merit, before visiting the Huguenot Monument and Museum in Franschhoek, to discover the origins of this world renowned wine producing region.

Lunch in one of the many fine restaurants in either Franschhoek or Stellenbosch (own expense). Don’t miss the world-famous 19th century-style general dealer in Stellenbosch’s Dorp Street - Oom Samie se Winkel.

Day 13 Fly Cape Town to USA (via Johannesburg)

Today you will be met in the lobby of your hotel and transferred to Cape Town International Airport for your departure flight to the USA via London.

Day 14 Arrive USA

Hotels

Johannesburg

• The WestCliff

• Savute Elephant Camp

• Eagle Island Camp

• Khwai River Lodge

• Mount Nelson Hotel

12/08