Trip Itinerary

My four top destinations for a next trip to Africa are, in order, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa.

Algeria

Tour Radar notes tours from various tour companies. I would be interested in seeing historical sites including ancient Roman sites like Timgad. The British tour company Explore! has a 10-day Wonders of Ancient Algeria and the M’Zab Valley tour, starting at $3,600.

Timgad

Southern Africa Highlights

Seen on a Youtube channel the amazing Kalandula Falls in Angola.

Kalandula Falls, Angola

Ethiopia and Rwanda

ETHIOPIA

Besides the modern capital of Addis Ababa, there are a huge variety of natural and cultural sites to visit, from semi-active volcanoes (Eta Ale) to majestic valleys and jungle.

Check out Danakil Salt Lake, which is a salt lake covered with a thick layer of salt but with small pools of open water. The famous sulfur lake of Dallol at an elevation of 130m below sea level.

Being a mostly Christian country, Ethiopia has many interesting religious sites. Mariam Korkor monastery and the Abuna Yemata church in the Gheralta Mountains, located north of Dalolin the northern area of the country. To the west are the Simien Mountains, the highest elevation mountains in the country. Lalibela is an ancient site of religious structures carved out of stone.

I found most of this information on the YouTube video Top 10 Places To Visit in Ethiopia - Travel Guide by Ryan Shirley. Also check out the Visit Ethiopia official travel site. A visa is required in advance to visit the country, but can be done online. The website says that the visa can be processed in 3 days but some travel websites suggest applying 7-10 days prior to arrival date. 

RWANDA

Rwanda looks to be an interesting place to visit. A 30 tourist visa can be issued on arrival or ordered in advance online on the Irembo website.

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ACCOMMODATIONS

The Radisson Blu in Addis Ababa looks excellent and is in the downtown.

Egypt

I would likely do a short organized tour of Egypt. I am interested in seeing the Pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan. Exodus are a British tour company that have a Toronto office. Their 13-day Egypt: Alexandria to Aswan tour looks interesting, especially that, unlike other tours, they include El Alamein.. They have a Canadian office: 1-844-520-1090; canada@exodustravels.com

G Adventures have a number of Egypt tours from 8 to 17 days. The 12 day tour includes all of the sites listed above. Trafalgar have a 9 day tour that includes a 4 day river cruise on the upper Nile at Luxor but does not include Alexandria. The longer tours are around $4,000. The company Museum Tours is an American company that does exclusivity Egypt tours.

Inside Egypt is a luxury tour company specializing in Egypt with tours from 8 to 17 days, starting at $6,585 (not including single supplement). They note 5-star accommodations including the cruises.

G Adventures 8-day tour

G Adventures 12-day tour

Trafalgar 9-day tour

Exodus 13-day tour

Tour Itineraries
G Adventures		Trafalgar		Exodus
Abu Simbel Alexandria Aswān Cairo (Giza) Colossi of Memnon Karnak Kom Ombo Luxor Queen Hatshepsut's Temple Valley of the Kings		Abu Simbel (optional) Aswān Cairo (Giza) Colossi of Memnon Edfu Karnak Kom Ombo Luxor Memphis Philae Temple Queen Hatshepsut's Temple Saqqara Valley of the Kings		Alexandria El Alamein Monastery of St.Bishoy Abu Simbel (optional) Aswān Cairo (Giza) Edfu Karnak Kom Ombo Luxor Philae Temple Valley of the Kings

Cheetah Plain Private Game Reserve

 An upscale lodge located in South Africa. Website.

Best Travel Seasons

There are varying opinions on the best time to travel. Some sites seems to recommend longer travel seasons I think to push there tours over a longer period. The Travel Talk and Go2Africa seem quite good.

From Travel Talk:

Travelling in Africa in January and February
It is the green season in Southern Africa in January and February. The growing vegetation decreases your chances of spotting animals in the national parks. The rainy season is in full force in East Africa, making it an unpopular time for traveling.

Travelling in Africa between March and May
Since heavy rainfall is common across the region, March and May are not ideal months for safari trips in East Africa. The thick vegetation and high precipitation make wildlife sightings difficult. The weather in South Africa is mild and dry at this time of year. However, it may not be the best time to visit Africa, as wildlife activity is not at its finest in this season.

Travelling in Africa between June and August
The weather is comfortable for safari trips in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Southern Africa. Yet, it is not the best time for Africa tours as wildlife activities are not at their most vibrant until September.

Travelling in Africa in September and October
September and October are the best months of the spring season in East and Southern Africa. Temperatures are at comfortable levels, and the dry weather makes it the best time for safari trips in the vast wildlife areas of Namibia and Botswana.
Spotting wildlife is easy in the dry season since animals gather around the waterholes. Also, the dry grass makes wildlife sightings easier in the national parks of East Africa in these months.
The west coast is blooming with wildflowers, and East Africa hosts the Great Migration from June to October. It is the best time to visit Africa for whale spotting in the Cape. Bird flocks also start arriving in East Africa in October, creating fascinating views.
Lesotho and the Cape region are also popular destinations at this time of year, as temperatures are pleasant at 30°C and the weather is comfortably dry. Packing up for cold nights is advisable as temperatures drop below zero in the eastern regions.

Travelling in Africa in November and December
Temperatures rise, and occasional rains are seen across Southern Africa beginning in November. It is a perfect time for trips to Africa to experience the best of wildlife sightings as migrations and animal births continue.
The rains are more frequent in Uganda and Rwanda in November. December offers a brief break from the rainy season, making it an ideal time for gorilla tracking in the region.
The Cape region is wonderful at this time of year. With the holidays approaching, leisure activities in iconic cities like Cape Town and Durban offer a joyful time. 

Go2Africa has very detailed seasonal information on a variety of locations: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Victoria Falls.

Some other "Best Time to Visit" sites: Rhino Africa, Responsible Travel.

The best time to visit Tanzania (to see the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater):

By Philip Briggs
(Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Bradt guidebooks to African destinations, including the guide to Tanzania.)

The best time to visit Tanzania is during the Dry season, from June to October, when wildlife viewing is generally at its best. This is also the best time to see the wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park. The most reliable time to see the wildebeest calving is January to February. The Southern and Western circuit parks are best visited during the Dry season (June to October), unlike the more popular Northern circuit parks that can be visited year-round.

Scintilla Travel

Tours, both self-guided and guided of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia & Zimbabwe are provided by Scintilla Travel.

The problem with this tour company is that they don't list prices on their website. You enter your desired tour type and destinations and your budget range then send this to them. They will then reply, presumably, with a package (or not).

Cruises

Found on Facebook, Azamara Cruises. Based in Miami but have cruises around the world.

For Africa they have:

• South Africa Intensive, 12 day:
  Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Durban, Mossel Bay, Cape Town (Feb. 8, 2024), from $2,805; (Dec. 8, 2024), from $4,650.
• Cape Town to the Canaries, 18 day:
  Cape Town, Namibia, Saint Helena, Gambia, Senegal, Canary Islands (Feb. 20, 2024), from $4,291.
• West Africa Voyage, 18 day:
  Canary Islands, Senegal, Gambia, Saint Helena, Namibia, Cape Town (Nov. 20, 2024), from $3,804.

Cape Town to the Canaries

South Africa Intensive

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Waypoint Journeys have journeys all over the world, but I saw an ad for a Congo River cruise of either 8 or 15 days that looks impressive but needs more research.

Cape Town

Found on Tripadvisor

Wine tour to Stellenbosch & Franschhoek - including tasting & lunch. 6hrs $123

Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries. $51

The 10 Tasting of Cape Town With Locals: Private Food Walking Tour. 3hrs $137

Big-Five Safari & Breede River Valley Guided Dau trip. 6hrs $190

Cape Town Hop-On Bus Tour. 2-3hrs $22

Cape of Good Hope and Penguins Full-Day Tour From Cape Town. 6+hrs $52

Cape Town Helicopter Tour: Hopper. $196

WINE

Stellenbosch is the largest town in the wine growing area. That may make a good home base while travelling. The small towns are Paarl and Franschhoek.

Franschhoek Wine Region

The Franschhoek Wine Tram runs throughout the Franschhoek wine region, located about 70km east of Cape Town. There are five tram lines: blue, orange, pink, red & navy. Their timetable list the activities (tastings, etc.) available at each winery.

Otter's Bend Lodge, Dassenberg Rd, Franschhoek is located near start of tram line. +27 21 876 3200

La Fontaine, 21 Dirkie Uys Street, Franschhoek. +27 21 876 2112

Avondrood Guest House, 39 Huguenot Street Cnr La Cotte, Franschhoek. +27 21 876 2881

Akademie Street Boutique Hotel, 5 Akademie Street, Franschhoek. +27 82 517 0405

Le Petit Paris Guest House, 11 Akademie Street, Franschhoek. +27 72 400 5062

Fleur Du Soleil Luxury Guesthouse, 7A Van Riebeeck Street, Franschhoek. +27 60 808 8905

Chapter House Boutique Hotel, 14 Akademie Street, Franschhoek. + 27 21 876 2566

Mont Rochelle, Dassenberg Road, Franschhoek. +27 11 325 4405

La Petite Ferme, Pass Road, Franschhoek. +27 21 876 3016

Ashbourne House Guest House, 47 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek. +27 21 876 2146

 

Tripadvisor - 10 Best Hotels on Franschhoek

Cape Wine Area

Tunisia

Staying in Tunis I found two things on GetYourGuide. Stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Center, because it is only an 8 minute walk from the meeting point for a cooking class. I want to do a tour that includes Carthage and GetYourGuide has many tours that include this site.

Found on a Facebook video a review of a 3 star hotel/resort that was only $29 per night. The Bougainvollier Djerba located in the tourist zone at Djerba Midun 4116. It is located a kilometer from the Musée Lalla Hadri.

This Telegraph article highlights the island of Djerba that is a popular destination for European vacationers. There are desert tours, museums and excellent food as well as the magnificent beaches.

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Nyange Adventure

Nyange Adventures offers many tours in Tanzania concentrating on trekking tours. This seems to be a small family operation that has been in business about 10 years. They provide tours to the popular Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park, and some other parks. They have a Kilimanjaro climb and a tour of Zanzibar. Beyond Tanzania they have tours of Kenya and of Uganda for Gorilla trekking.

Ubuntu Travel

Ubuntu Travel is a luxury tour operator in Africa covering Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They list a few suggested itineraries but tours are completely customizable, so they are quite expensive. They give a rough estimate of $700-800USD per person per night.

South Africa: their 16-day tour covers Cape Town, the Cape wine district, the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, and the Bazaruto Archipelago.

Tanzania: their 9-day tour covers Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, and Masai Mara.

They also have an 18-day South Africa & Tanzania tour covering Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, Johannesburg, Kruger National Park, and Cape Town.

Rwanda: their 11-day tour covers Kigali, Nyungwe Forest, Akagera National Park, and Volcanoes National Park.

Tanzania

Zambia

Namibia

South Africa

Seychelles

Namibia

Uncovering Namibia’s best kept secret: The South
Wanderlust Magazine October 2023

Namibia’s northern wonders often hog the limelight, but the country’s lesser-known southern reaches have plenty of natural drama. Here are five of its secret gems that are well worth exploring.

1: Sossusvlei
The cloud-baiting dunes of Sossusvlei reach 325m high and are perhaps the Namib Desert at its most dramatic. These dunes have had plenty of time to grow – around 55 million years – and to truly appreciate their colossal nature you need to clamber up one.

2: Lüderitz and the Kolmanskop ghost town
Pinned between the Namib Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, the isolation that the formerly German colonial town of Lüderitz enjoys means its Art Nouveau architecture has been left alone by the 21st century. Its village-like atmosphere and historic buildings are a joy to wander. Nearby is Kolmanskop. This ghost town was built on the area’s diamond mining fortunes since the early 1900’s but was completely abandoned by the 1950s. To see this once-thriving village, which had its own theatre and bowling alley, now totally engulfed by sand is starkly surreal.

3: Tsau / Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park
For over 100 years, since the first gemstone was unearthed here, the area of Tsau //Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park was a hive of diamond-mining activity in specific areas. It was also off-limits to visitors – sperrgebiet means ‘prohibited area’ in German – and through tight security restrictions the area was left as wilderness for the most part. But that’s slowly changing. Tourism concessions are now granting long-awaited access to this pristine wilderness’ swirling rock formations and meteor craters. 

4: Oranjemund
For nearly 80 years the old mining town of Oranjemund was closed off to outsiders and managed by Namdeb, a diamond mining company. It was something of an enigma until 2017, when its secrets were spilled and its doors opened to the world. What lies within has been worth the wait. 

5: Fish River Canyon
Namibia’s south still has one more surprise up its sleeve: Fish River Canyon. This gargantuan landscape is the world’s second-largest canyon and often feels like it might be more at home on Mars. At 160km long, 27km wide and up to 550m deep, you can get a sense of its rugged expanse just by peering over its edge, but this is a phenomenon that deserves the whole hog. For that, embark on a five-day hike where you descend into the canyon’s belly and trek the riverbed to its conclusion (there’s no other way out). It’s the ultimate finale for any adventure through southern Namibia.

©2019 Wanderlust Publications Ltd., All rights reserved.

Tourhub

I found the tours below on Tourhub but noticed that Intrepid Travel is the actual tour operator (so, TourHub seems to be just a Canadian consolidator). Intrepid Travel is headquartered in Melbourne with offices in London, Toronto, and Columbo, Sri Lanka.

They have an extensive 64 day tour of southern Africa beginning in Cape Town and ending in Nairobi with multiple stops in between. The tour covers South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya. The actual tour is run by Lonely Planet and Intrepid tours.

Accommodations range from camping to hotels, broken down as follows: Camping (with facilities) (48 nights), Camping (with basic facilities) (3 nights), Camping (without facilities) (1 night), Bungalow (2 nights), Cabin (3 nights), Dormitory (2 nights), Hotel (3 nights), Hotel with shared facilities (1 night).

Travel is by Overland Vehicle, 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Ferry, Minibus, and Mokoro (a type of African canoe)

The tours start typically around the middle of the month and for every month of the year. Cost is roughly $15,000-$17,000 USD depending on the season.

They also have a 49 day tour, Cape Town to Kenya.

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64 day Tour

Included Activities

• Fish River Canyon - Canyon entrance
• Sossusvlei - 4x4 Tour
• Sesriem - Sand dunes visit
• Cape Cross Nature Reserve - Cape Cross seal colony
• Etosha National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
• Grootfontein - San Bushman cultural experience
  
• Okavango Delta - Mokoro safari
• Okavango Delta - Nature Walk
• Chobe National Park - Dawn Open Safari Vehicle Game Drive
• Victoria Falls - Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust Visit
• Masvingo - Great Zimbabwe Ruins guided visit
• Petauke - Jewellery workshop project
• South Luangwa National Park - 4x4 Dawn Game Drive
• Irente - Lushoto hike
• Irente - Local lunch
• Kisongo - Cooking class, crafts & village walk
• Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
• Serengeti National Park - 4x4 Game Drive
  
• Lake Nakuru - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
• Queen Elizabeth National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive
• Bwindi National Park - Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek
• Kericho - Tea plantation visit
• Masai Mara National Reserve - 4x4 Game Drive
• Loita Hills - Maasai Village Visit

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49 day tour

Africa Tours and Itinerary

The two main locations I'd like to visit are South Africa and Tanzania, but Namibia, Zambia and Botswana also look interesting. I want to visit South Africa, just to see it, and to see the wineries, and Tanzania for the wildlife, especially the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. I'd like to see Lake Victoria and the falls.

There are a large number of safari and other African tour guides and it's a lot of work to dig through what each provides and to look into the quality of each. A few I looked into below got negative reviews.

GAdventures of Toronto looks good; around since 1990 and has won a few awards and partners with National Geographic.

Using a travel designer like My Escapades of Toronto or Safari Consultants in the UK may be the better way to go.

I'd like to try some rail journeys, but Rovos Rail, though one of the most prestigious, is quite expensive. The Blue Train is more affordable because the trip is shorter. The Cape Town to Pretoria run is a 31 hour journey covering 994 miles (1,600km) that costs R48,655 (~$3,692) low season, R60,040 (~$4,555) high season, including single supplement, one way.* This trip can be taken in either direction.
There is also the Pretoria to Kruger National Park with return to Pretoria with one day in Kruger. Cost is R88,810 (~$6,738), including single supplement, return with one day at Kruger. They only do this trip once per year at the end of June.
(* - High Season: 01 September – 15 November. Low Season: 01 January – 31 August & 16 November – 31 December)

Blue Train route

One of the Rovos Rail trips is quite extensive: the 16-day African Trilogy tour covers South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland) and Namibia, and costs R295,000 ($22,383) with the single supplement.

African Trilogy Express 15-day tour

Rovos also has two other 12 day excursions: Namibia Safari and Southern Cross.

Namibia Safari

Southern Cross

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Approach Tours provides various excursions directed toward Canadian customers. Their 20 day "South Africa and Victoria Falls Tour" looks interesting but because of its small tour sizes (30 max) they fill up quickly. Some of the travel is by internal flights: Cape Town to Durban and Johannesburg to Victoria Falls (and back). Warning that many reviews on TripAdvisor stated that Approach Tours refused to refund any portion of the payment for the tour when they were cancelled because of COVID.

Itinerary

• Table Mountain & captivating Cape Town
• Robben Island
• Cape Peninsula, sea lions, penguins & the Kirstenbosch Garden
• The Dutch, the French & the Cape’s wine region
• 
  
• Saint Lucia Estuary & Hluhluwe Lodge
• Dumazulu & Hluhluwe game reserve safari
• Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
• Kruger National Park safari
• Private game reserve safari
• 
  
• Blyde River Canyon & road to Pretoria
• Johannesburg, past & present
• Victoria Falls Village
• Chobe National Park, boat & land safari
• Victoria Falls

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Safari Companies highly rated on Tour Radar:

• Cameleon Safaris Namibia - very reasonable prices, 3-7 day tours (4.8/5 on 71 reviews)
• Acacia Adventure Holidays - London based. 4-58 day tours (4.7/5 on 240 reviews)
• Absolute Africa - England based. 4 day to 11 week safaris (4.6/5 on 124 reviews) I am impressed with extreme detail they provide on ALL aspects of the trip: currency, visas, tipping, extra expenses, etc. Best I've seen so far.
• G Adventures - Toronto based. 1-55 days (4.8/5 on 5673 reviews)

Also check out UK travel companies Brilliant Africa and Tailor Made Africa.

Here are couple of tour companies I have seen online that need investigating. I so far have seen mixed reviews on their quality.

EF Go Ahead Tours has a number of African destination tours though almost all are country-specific. They have tours of South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana, and a Botswana-Zimbabwe tour. (And they have over 175 tours world-wide.)

CostSaverTours has tours of South Africa and a few other southern Africa countries.

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The time to visit the great migrations vary throughout the seasons in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.

Great Walking Safaris

From an article in Wanderlust Magazine, The 7 Best Walking Safaris in the World. Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe are the African safaris from this list. (Other walking safaris are in Australia, India, and Sri Lanka.) They are:

A Maasai-led walking safari through Kenya’s Chyulu Hills (Jun-Oct)

Night walking safari through the Kaokoveld Desert, Namibia (Apr-Sep)

Camp-to-camp walking safari through Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe (Jul-Oct)

Secret Safaris

From an article in Wanderlust Magazine, 13 Secret African Safaris without the Crowds.

The Savuti & Linyanti Concession, Botswana
Zakouma National Park, Chad
Mara North Conservancy, Kenya
Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi
Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
Kunene Region, Namibia
Akagera National Park, Rwanda
Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Somkhanda Game Reserve, South Africa
Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda
North Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

South Africa

There are lots of activities in South Africa from wine tours in the Cape region to wildlife experiences in places like Kruger National Park.

Trailfinders has an 18 day tour of the southern area of South Africa, starting in Cape Town and travelling east, then a side trip to Mauritius, for the reasonable price of £2,445 based on dual occupancy.

Johannesburg

There is a Hop-on, Hop-off bus to do a tour of the city. GetYourGuide has a few interesting tours in the area.

Cape Town (see my Cape Town page here)

The Table Mountain cable car would be interesting. 

Cape of Good Hope would be interesting to visit (located in Cape of Good Hope Nature Preserve).

A lot of the vineyard tours start out of Cape Town. On TripAdvisor I found the hop-on, hop-off Franschhoek vineyard tram that looks interesting. On TripAdvisor there are many vineyard tours and wildlife tours, mostly one day tours.

Zambia

Zambia looks like a great place to tour. Lots of lodges and adventure activities are available.

Zambezi River Cruise by Wild Horizons

Helicopter flight over Victoria Falls by Livingston's Adventure

The Explorer Club Africa, Livingston, besides a lodge (below), has many activities - river cruises, whitewater rafting, game drives, tours of Victoria Falls and of Livingston, and more.

ACCOMMODATION

Zambezi Sun Hotel, Livingston

The Explorer Club Africa, Livingston