Enaja Safaris and Tours
Botswana and Zimbabwe
2012
I am going to Botswana and Zimbabwe again! After one of the best trips to Africa I’ve ever had, I can’t wait to go back to this area. Come join me in August for a magical, exciting, game- and adventure-filled safari.
Space is very limited due to the exclusivity of the camps and experiences available on this safari!
We will relax while cruising on the Zambezi River and watching game from our spacious cabins. Then we’ll head to Stanley Camp, one of Botswana’s premier camps. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is next, giving us access to the amazing falls and activities around them. Finally we’ll visit two of Zimbabwe’s best parks – Hwange and Matopo. This is an exceptional opportunity to travel to some of my favorite places and meet some of my friends.
Trip Overview
(Click on a day-link in the list below to go directly to detailed descriptions of the accommodations and activities for that day, or simply scroll down to read about this exciting trip in its entirety.)
Days 2-4: Zambezi Queen/Luxury Cruise on the Zambezi River
Days 5-7: Stanley’s Camp/Okavango Delta
Days 8-10: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge/Victoria Falls town and Activities
Days 11-13: Ivory Camp/Hwange National Park
Days 14-15: Amalinda Camp/Matopo National Park
Days 16-17: Depart for and Arrival Home
Full Descriptions
(Morning departure to arrive Johannesburg early the next morning)
- As an option, you can overnight in Johannesburg and fly to Kasane the next morning.
- Day 2: Arrive Johannesburg early morning and connect to the flight to Kasane where we are met by the Zambezi Queen staff for the short transfer to the boat.
- Day 3: At leisure for game-viewing and relaxing.
- Day 4: At leisure for game-viewing and other activities.
Zambezi Queen
The Zambezi Queen is an elegant and luxurious ship that provides fantastic service to its passengers. The first and second levels incorporate 14 cabins (all of which have private balconies), while the top deck consists of the dining room, a lounge (including a wood burning fireplace), a bar, a library, and a sunbathing area complete with private pool. The entire boat (including the top deck and living and dining areas) has mosquito screening. From smaller boats, we will enjoy up-close and personal game viewing, fish for tiger and bream, and revel in the amazing number of bird species present in the area. We can also arrange for half-day land-based game drives, visit a local village, or even take light aircraft for aerial game viewing.
- Day 5: The Zambezi Queen staff arranges the transfer to Kasane Airport where we connect to a light-aircraft transfer to Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp.
- Day 6: Day at leisure to enjoy the many camp activities.
- Day 7: Another day to enjoy game viewing and other activities.
Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp
Stanley’s is located on the tip of Chief’s Island and borders the famous Moremi Game Reserve. The camp is set in an amphitheater of ebony and sausage trees and sits amidst 260,000 acres of wild African bush. Activities include day and night game drives, mokoro trips and walking safaris. Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp also offers the opportunity to spend a day interacting in the bush with their private herd of habituated elephants. (This activity, however, must be booked in advance, and is at an additional cost.) Guest accommodation consists of 8 well-appointed safari tents with antique furniture and oriental carpets. The communal area on a raised deck offers extensive views over the surrounding floodplains.
Let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in the elephant encounter.
- Day 8: After a leisurely breakfast, we transfer to the airstrip and fly to Kasane. On arrival we transfer to the light-aircraft flight to Victoria Falls. (If weather permits, we’ll do a flyover of the Falls.) After obtaining our double-entry Zimbabwe visas ($45) and checking into our rooms at the Lodge, the rest of the day is at leisure.
- Day 9: A full day at leisure to enjoy the Victoria Falls and other activities in the area. (See list of activities below.)
- Day 10: A full day at leisure to enjoy activities, relaxing, shopping.
In addition to a tour of Victoria Falls, three activities of your choice are
included; and as options, you can add as many activities as time permits (at extra cost).
ALL ACTIVITIES MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE.
Victoria Falls
Follow the footsteps of the great explorer, David Livingstone, to the very edge of the awesome gorge that forms the world-famous Victoria Falls. This 1688-meter long rent in the earth’s surface (where thundering waters leap over the edge to the tumbled black rocks nearly 100 meters below) sends up great clouds of mist forming endless jeweled rainbows, before drifting gently down to nourish the luxuriant rain forest below. Locally named “Mosi o Tunya” (the Smoke that Thunders), the Victoria Falls are completely unspoiled. Only well-kept gorge-side paths mark humans’ intrusion into one of the world’s greatest wonders.
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
Set high on a natural plateau bordering the Zambezi National Park, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been voted “Best Safari Lodge” in Zimbabwe for 11 consecutive years and listed on Conde Nast Travelers’ Gold List. Providing the luxury accommodation one would expect from a 5-star lodge, each of the 72 rooms has digital safes, phones, remote control air conditioning, hairdryers, fans, mosquito nets, extensive range of customized toiletries, complimentary tea and coffee making facilities, and extra length beds. Enjoy uninterrupted views of spectacular African sunsets and year-round game at the on-site waterhole and from the hide located only 15 feet from the waterhole. Days are filled with optional activities including walking with lions in a private game reserve, horseback riding, steam train trips, game drives, elephant back game rides, night drives, and so much more. After a full day of activities, treat yourself with a visit to the spa, relax in the pool, have a sundowner cocktail, and enjoy traditional dancing before dining in one of the award-winning restaurants. With wireless internet available throughout the lodge, you can stay in touch with family back home. Take the complimentary hourly shuttle service to the Victoria Falls town center for “retail therapy” at a variety of shops and curio markets. At one of the casinos, you might even win enough to pay for your purchases!
Activities in Victoria Falls:
- Horseback riding
- Helicopter ride over the Falls
- Micro-lighting over the Falls
- Walking with the Lions
- Elephant-back safari
- Private canoeing on the Zambezi with wine
- Cocktail Sundowner Cruise on the Zambezi
- Whitewater rafting
- Bungee jumping from Zambezi Bridge
- Zip Line over the Zambezi
- Breakfast, lunch, or high tea on Livingston Island
- Day 11: After breakfast, we depart from the hotel in Ivory’s private vehicle. This is an approximately 2.5-hour drive on all tarmac roads. The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the camp, take advantage of some activities, go on a game drive, and/or watch game at the waterhole.
- Day 12: A day at leisure for game watching, drives, and other activities. If we’re lucky, we’ll find the President’s herd of elephants.
- Day 13: A day at leisure to enjoy Ivory’s animals.
Hwange National Park
Hwange National Park, close to the edge of the Kalahari Desert, is one of Africa’s finest havens for wildlife and is home to vast herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, and a very large concentration of giraffes. It is the only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers and its population of African Wild Dogs is thought to be of one of the largest surviving groups in Africa. The landscape includes desert sand to sparse woodland, as well as grasslands and granite outcrops. Due to the lack of water, human-made waterholes were introduced to sustain the animals through the dry season. To travel through Hwange National Park today is to see what much of the interior of Africa might have been like more than 150 years ago.
Ivory Lodge
Known as the ‘place of the elephants,’ the small, intimate Ivory Lodge is built in the treetops of the giant mystical teak forests that offer diverse habitats attracting a variety of wildlife and bird life. Each of the six luxurious suites sits on an elevated platform with sweeping views of the floodlit waterhole. The main buildings are set around the deep blue swimming pool, and there’s a hide next to the waterhole for incredible close-ups of the big five that frequent the pan. This truly is “big game” country with lions, elephants, leopards, and buffaloes seen regularly from camp and in the park. During the seasonal migration, huge elephant herds are attracted by Ivory Camp’s waterhole, and it is not unusual to have lumbering giants drift around our stilted platforms, their tusks glinting in salute to the sanctuary of shade offered by the massive trees. The professional guides are among the most highly trained and qualified in Africa. They become our personal safari companions as we walk with them on the camp’s property and in the park. It’s not all about the big game though; the guides show us much, much more.
President’s Herd
Ivory Lodge is fortunate to be within the home range of the unique clan of elephants known as The Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe. This is Zimbabwe’s flagship herd: over 300 wild, free-roaming elephants that were, unusually, habituated by the famous Alan Elliot to the presence of game-drive vehicles. The Ivory Pan is one of their particularly favorite playgrounds. We will try to encounter these trusting giants to experience the special magic of being amongst extraordinarily calm, wild elephants in unfenced wilderness areas.
- Day 14: This morning, after an early breakfast, we depart by private vehicle for Amalinda. We’ll briefly stop at a roadside market and in Bulawayo to visit the Bulawayo Club. After lunch at Amalinda, the rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the spa, game-viewing, or other camp activities.
- Day 15: Day at leisure to enjoy game drives, rhino tracking, viewing some of the Bushmen’s ancient cave paintings, and other camp activities.
Bulawayo Club
Civic leaders and successful businessmen, miners, and ranchers among the settler community founded the Club in 1895. In 1934, Prince George (later George VI) laid the foundation stone of the present building. Materials and fittings, from the roof tiles to the lights and faucets, were imported from overseas since they were deemed the best available at the time. Extensive use of mahogany in the construction created a style and feel that is still present today. Visitors to the Club walk in the steps of the giants of early settler history, including Cecil Rhodes, Dr. Jameson, Johann Collenbrander and their colleagues. The heritage of the Club is evident everywhere. Originally women were not allowed across the front threshold so a side entrance and staircase leading to the first floor still remains. While remaining connected to its past, the Club has adapted to worldwide trends among similar institutions and become more egalitarian.
Matapo National Park
The Matapo National Park contains some of the most majestic granite scenery in the world and has great cultural and religious significance. Formed over 2 billion years ago, the Matopo Hills are comprised of an extraordinary collection of huge bare granite hills with gravity-defying balancing boulders scattered around the countryside, creating a unique and rather mysterious landscape. The founder of the Ndebele nation gave the area its name, meaning “Bald Heads,” and the local Matabele people call it “the place of ancestor spirits.” The national park is famous for its outstanding views, 2000-year-old San (bushman) cave paintings, and as the chosen burial place of Cecil Rhodes who named his favorite spot there “World View.” Game found throughout the area includes white rhino, leopard, and Africa’s largest concentration of leopard and Verreaux’s (black) eagles. Because there are no lions or elephants, you can walk freely and even track rhino on foot.
Camp Amalinda
Camp Amalinda’s charm leaves an indelible impression on every visitor. Each of its ten individually thatched rooms is set into the huge granite boulders and has en-suite facilities. The lounge and entertainment area is tucked away into a bushman shelter with a panoramic view of the Matobo Hills, and the swimming pool/bar overlooks the waterhole. Mammal and bird species are prolific and include the highest concentration of leopards and black eagles in the world. There are many fascinating activities at Amalinda, including game viewing (by vehicle and on foot), bird watching, visiting the numerous Bushman caves to see the ancient cave paintings, tracking black and white rhinos with experienced trackers, visiting Cecil John Rhodes’ grave and a nearby village, school, and traditional healer. We can even arrange walking, horseback riding, rappelling, and/or rock climbing in the Matobo Hills. After a full day, relax in the thatched-roof, fully equipped health center and spa, or enjoy a sundowner cocktail while watching the magical sunset.
- Day 16: We transfer to Bulawayo for the noon (approximate time) flight to Johannesburg where we connect to the evening flight back to the US.
Day 17: Arrive Home
- Flight from Johannesburg to Kasane
- Transfer from Kasane Airport
- 3-night Zambezi Queen cruise
- All meals
- All soft drinks, water, tea, coffee
- Wine and beer with meals/game viewing
- Water-based game drives on tenders
- Cultural tour of a local village
- ½ day game drive in Chobe Park
- Tiger and bream fishing in season
- Flight to Stanley Camp
- 3 nights full board Stanley Camp
- Laundry
- All beverages except premium brands
- All activities as stated in the itinerary
- Air transfer to Victoria Falls
- 3 nights Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
- Breakfast (other meals excluded)
- Guided tour of Victoria Falls
- One adventure activity per day
- Private road transfer from Victoria Falls to Ivory
- 3 nights full board Ivory Camp
- Private road transfer from Ivory to Amalinda
- 2 nights full board Amalinda
- Game drives
- Game walks
- Road transfer Amalinda to Bulawayo airport
- Flight from Bulawayo to Johannesburg
- All park fees
- Government taxes
Excluded:
- International airfare
- Lunch/dinner at Victoria Falls
- Victoria Falls
- Lunch/dinner last day
- Visas
- Gratuities to drivers/guides
- Personal items, shopping, telephone calls
- Beverages, except where indicated
- Additional activities in Victoria Falls
For more information, pricing, and deposit/payment guidelines, please contact Ena at ena@enaja.com