Experiences

INCLUDED IN PRICE Johannesburg: City & Soweto Tour

Two of our most popular tours, WJSO Johannesburg & Soweto orientation and WASO Apartheid Museum & Soweto, are combined to give visitors one full day to experience South Africa’s commercial and financial capital – Johannesburg – the City of Gold, known amongst locals as Egoli, Jozi or Jo’burg.

Our tour route covers all the major points of interest, from Sandton in the north to Soweto in the south:

• The suburbs of Sandton, Rosebank and Houghton (drive past Nelson Mandela’s home)
• Braamfontein, home to the Constitutional Court of South Africa,
• The downtown area, City Hall, Diagonal Street, Newtown, Nelson Mandela Bridge
• The Carlton Centre, see the city from the “Top of Africa” enclosed viewing deck on the 50th floor
• Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital
• Regina Mundi Catholic church
• Hector Pieterson Memorial
• Vilakazi Street – Nelson Mandela’s former home and Bishop Desmond Tutu’s home
• Lunch stop at a local tavern – optional, can be arranged in advance
• The Apartheid Museum

This tour provides a great opportunity to take a closer look at South Africa’s turbulent past by combining a drive through Soweto with a visit to the Apartheid Museum, regarded as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th-century South Africa, at the heart of which is the story of apartheid. The Museum opened its doors in 2001, and here visitors can embark on a historical voyage of discovery, a personal exploration of the past that examines apartheid right up to the first democratic elections held in 1994. The tour of the museum lasts approximately two hours.

INCLUDED IN PRICE Johannesburg: Cradle of Humankind Tour

The Cradle of Humankind is about 45 km north-west of Johannesburg. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 because of the area’s incomparable contribution to our understanding of the origins and development of humankind over more than 4 million years. The world-famous Sterkfontein Caves are home to the most prolific evidence of human origins and offer a cave tour which tells the story of hominin evolution. The Sterkfontein Caves are the most famous of the 13 excavated fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind.

In 1947, Dr. Robert Broom extracted a well-preserved fossil skull, “Mrs. Ples”, estimated to be around 2.3 million years old. More recently, in 1997, Professor Ron Clarke discovered “Little Foot”, an almost complete hominin skeleton aged at about 3.5 million years. Observe scientists examining fossil finds, take a guided tour of the caves and explore the interactive exhibits at the Maropeng visitor facility.

INCLUDED IN PRICE Okavango Delta: Daily Safari Activities at Camp Okavango

There are twice-daily safari activities at Desert & Delta camps in the Okavango. Game viewing is conducted in a mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe) and in a power boat with a professional game ranger.

The annually flooded grasslands of the Okavango Delta are locally referred to as ‘melapo’ and offer seasonal viewing of elephant, giraffe, impala, sable antelope, kudu, zebra, common waterbuck and reedbuck, tsessebe, wildebeest, red lechwe and Cape buffalo. Encounters with hippo and crocodile are common in the waterways. Predators include the African Wild Dog, several resident prides of lion, leopard, cheetah and the African wildcat.

The birding in the Okavango is as varied as it is exceptional all year round. In the summer, many migrant species are present. Pel’s Fishing Owl is regularly seen, with other specials including Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret, Chirping Cisticola, Little Bee-eater, Fan-tailed Widowbird and possibly Rosy-throated Longclaw.

Walks can be arranged on nearby islands. Fishing with a limited supply of basic equipment is on offer seasonally, on a catch-and-release basis.

INCLUDED IN PRICE Chobe National Park: Daily Safari Activities at Chobe Game Lodge

Chobe’s wildlife roams in abundance and diversity, and it is home to the largest concentration of elephants in Africa. During the dry season, these large herds, as well as vast herds of buffalo, congregate along the fertile flood plains of the Chobe River where they come to drink, bathe and play. Sightings of lion, African wild dog, puku, red lechwe, sable, giraffe and roan antelope are frequently reported in the area.

As this is a water-based lodge, guests have a choice of aquatic activities. River excursions in small, easily manoeuvrable boats are ideal for close encounters with the wild visitors to the river’s edge. Fishing is also a popular pastime; our catch-and-release fishing trips for Bream or Tiger Fish are a firm favourite with guests of all ages. Those wishing to experience some of the local Namibian traditions will enjoy a cultural village visit to one of the surrounding communities, where one can observe the ancient heritage of the local people.

SUGGESTED Victoria Falls: View The Falls

As you approach the Falls and hear the water pounding and witness the vapour rising, you quickly understand why local tribesmen called the Falls “Mosi-oa-Tunya” (the smoke that thunders) and why the explorer David Livingstone exclaimed that a scene “so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight”. The great columns of spray rising from the tumultuous falls can be seen from 80 kilometres away on a clear day. If you are lucky enough to be there at full moon, a “moonbow” can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow.

Because the Victoria Falls fall into a chasm, rather than falling down an escarpment, it is possible to walk along the opposite side of the chasm, at the same height as the top of the Falls. From the unique walking trails, the magnificence and glory of the Falls are head-on and only about 60 metres (200 feet) away. The spray falls on the trails like soft rain, feeding the lush vegetation.

SUGGESTED Victoria Falls: Sunset Boat Trip on the Zambezi River

Follow in the footsteps of David Livingstone and travel up the Zambezi River above the Falls. There are several companies offering boat trips on the Zambezi River. Especially recommended is an evening sundowner boat cruise or a dinner cruise. As the afternoon fades into twilight, animals come down to the river to drink as you go by.

SUGGESTED Victoria Falls: Adventure Activities

Victoria Falls is the unchallenged adventure capital of Africa, with more than 50 activities available. Here is our selection of the best:

Tiger fishing:
Spend a half day on the Zambezi River fishing for one of the great freshwater game fish – The Tigerfish. These powerful, swift predators are truly thrilling to catch.

Canoeing:
Paddle slowly down the Zambezi River in a canoe with some of the best wildlife guides in Africa and enjoy the beauty, peace and wildlife of this unique place. Explore islands and waterways and learn about the birds and animals you come across along the route.

Flight of Angels Helicopter Flip over the Falls:
At ground level, you can feel the enormous power of the Victoria Falls as tremendous volumes of water pound into the chasm below. But it is only when you take to the air that you can take in the whole panorama and enormity of this mighty spectacle.

Bungee Jumping:
Bungee jump off the 111 metre high railway bridge into the Zambezi gorge, stopping just metres from the rushing water of the Zambezi River. This is a wild jump! There are two bungee options: A single jump on your own or a tandem jump with a partner.

White Water Rafting:
White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River is acclaimed as the best one-day white water rafting trip available in the world. There are different options for rafting depending on the time of year and the level of water in the river.

Jet Boat Extreme:
Speedboats powered by huge jet engines shoot down the rapids below the Victoria Falls at 100 km an hour. Enjoy a thrilling half hour spent “flying” over the water.

SUGGESTED Swakopmund & Sossusvlei: Adventure Activities

Swakopmund:
Sandwiched between Atlantic rollers and the Namib Desert, Swakopmund is one of those great traveller way stations along the African road. At once Namibia’s adventure capital and a surreal colonial remnant, part destination in its own right and part launch pad for an exploration of the Skeleton Coast and Namib Desert, this is a city with as much personality as it has sea frontage.

The Walvis Bay Lagoon is the main reason for visiting the town, the bird life on the lagoon is plentiful, including flamingoes, pelicans and many small waders. The Raft restaurant deserves a special mention; it is built on stilts in the lagoon and reached by a short bridge. This is a pleasant place to enjoy a meal, completely surrounded by water, while entertainment is provided by the birds, jellyfish, fish and even the occasional seal.

Sossusvlei:
Known as ‘The Living Desert,’ the dunes of the Namib abound with desert-adapted critters such as beetles, spiders, lizards, gerbils and golden moles, all of which leave their telltale tracks in the fine, golden sand. The plains and dry watercourses are home to the magnificently horned oryx, agile springbok, Burchell’s zebra, regal ostrich and stately giraffe, as well as predators that include elusive leopard, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal and Cape and bat-eared fox, with over 114 bird species curiously looking down from the desert skies. Admire the infinite buttermilk, pumpkin and sienna hues splashed across the desert sky at sunset before returning to the lodge in the late evening for a stargazing adventure that will transport you to a mystical and ethereal world.

Each evening, you will be invited to join resident astronomers as they unlock the mysteries of Namibia’s skies in the lodge’s state-of-the-art observatory, complete with a Meade LX200R 12-inch telescope. The observatory presents the ideal place to gaze in awe at the wonders of the clear desert sky as resident astronomers point out the brightest and most beautiful constellations, the vast Milky Way and distant, mysterious planets.