24 Day Vic Falls to Kenya (UXOAC)

Muli shani! Welcome to Zambia.

You can arrive at any time on day 1 as there are no activities planned until the important welcome meeting tonight at 6pm. Your leader will leave a note at reception telling you where this important meeting will take place. Please ask a member of reception for this information. After the group meeting there is the option of joining the group for dinner.

At this meeting, your leader will collect your kitty money. Please bring USD notes/bills printed after 2003 in large denominations.

The following morning we head off for one of our journey's highlights - a visit to the magnificent Victoria Falls. The Falls are an enormous curtain of water, about a mile wide, falling 108m into a narrow chasm below. In the wet season, the spray created can rise up an incredible 400m and the Falls are an impressive raging torrent. The spray from the falls can sometimes be seen from kilometres away. It's no wonder the local name Mosi oa Tunya, means the "smoke that thunders". In the dry season, the view of the Falls is unobstructed by spray and it's possible to see little islets in the river below.

The remainder of our time in Livingstone is free to allow you to participate in some of the many optional activities on offer. There are various activities and excursions to choose from both on the water, on land and high above it all. Choose from white water rafting and canoeing, or go horse riding, abseiling or gorge swinging. You could also take a ride in a micro-light, helicopter or small plane for a bird's eye view of the falls.

Our camp ground is centrally located on the Zambezi River only four kilometres from the Falls, the perfect place to use as a base for the vast array of adventure activities on offer in the area. It has clean ablution blocks, comprising hot and cold showers and toilets.

Meal plan: Day 1 & 2 - Meals not included

From Livingstone, we continue our journey through Zambia to Malawi - the 'warm heart' of Africa - with a couple of long travel days. Our first stop is our campsite, just outside of Zambia's busy capital, Lusaka. Distance driven today is approximately 500kms which will take around 7-8 hours including our lunch break.

Tonight we camp at a site with flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

The following day we continue to make our way through the heartland of Zambia to the border with Malawi. We spend a final night in Zambia before crossing the border into Malawi. The distance driven from Lusaka to the border area is approximately 620km which will take around 8 hours.

Tonight's camp at Chipata also has flush toilets and hot/cold showers.

Meal plan: Day 3 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 4 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Part of what makes travelling with Intrepid special is that we get you off the well beaten beach track and give you the opportunity to meet the people of Africa. Today we drive from Chipata, 433km (about 8 hours) to reach Luwawa Forest.

Luwawa Forest is in the Viphya Mountains of Malawi at about 1200m above sea level. The forest has claim to be the largest man-made forest in Africa and is made up of conifers and native trees of Malawi. There are many options to choose from here - mountain biking, canoeing, fishing or taking forest walks.

We will enjoy a village community visit with the option of overnighting in the village or you may choose to return to our lodge.

Here we stay in the Luwawa Forest Lodge, situated at 1650m above sea level, nestled in amongst the wooded mountain side, in one of the most tranquil and beautiful scenic locations in the north of Malawi.

Meal plan: Day 5 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Today we travel for approximately 4 hours (180km) from our lodge to Chinteche beach on Lake Malawi.

Malawi is dominated by Lake Malawi which covers almost a fifth of the country. The lake provides a source of livelihood for many of the Malawian people. Fishermen, fish traders, canoe and net makers all ply their trade, and a common sight is that of a fisherman in his bwato (dugout canoe made from a hollowed out tree trunk), fishing on the still lake at the break of day.

We head away from the commercialism and crowds and enjoy a few days on the lake's more peaceful beaches. As well as chilling on the beach and participating in the many optional water activites on offer, make sure you take the opportunity to meet some local Malawians, easily some of the friendliest in Africa.

Our campsite is right on the shore of Lake Malawi, at Chinteche beach.

Meal plan: Day 6 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 7 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Today we head towards the Tanzania border. The travel time to Chitimba is approximately 5 hours (230km).

In Chitimba we overnight at a campsite with hot/cold showers and flush toilets.

The following day is a long travel day (524km, approx. 9 hours) as we enter Tanzania and the southern highland town of Iringa where we set up camp on the grounds of a farmhouse on the outskirts of this pleasant settlement.

Meal plan: Day 8 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 9 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Heading for Dar es Salaam on the coast we travel through Mikumi National Park. The journey today is 562km which will take approximately 13 hours of drive time.

Situated at the foot of the thickly wooded Uluguru Mountains, Mikumi is home to large herds of elephant, buffalo and giraffe, together with lions and leopards. It is Tanzania's third largest national park and we spend a couple of hours travelling through the park on the main route to and from Southern Tanzania. Although we will not make an off road safari into the depth of the park, we usually see a good selection of the wildlife that resides in the park.

Once in Dar es Salaam, we set up camp on a balmy beach just outside of the city centre and spend day 11 relaxing, enjoying our beachside campground.

Meal plan: Day 10 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 11 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

This morning we travel back to Dar es Salaam port and catch a local ferry to the spice Island of Zanzibar. The ferry is quite comfortable with airline type seats and toilets are available. The journey time is around 90 minutes.

When we reach Zanzibar we must clear customs and immigration after which we will make our way to our hotel in Stone Town.

The best way to see Stone Town is on foot exploring the bazaars, shops, mosques, palaces, courtyards and myriad intricate alleyways. When the sun is setting, why not enjoy a sundowner from a bar overlooking the seafront, before trying one of the Island's local seafood curries for dinner at one of the town's many restaurants.

The famous spices are grown in plantations outside of Stone Town and on day 12 enroute to the northern beaches, we head out on a spice tour. After enjoying a local meal, we drive to the spice plantations where you will receive a guided tour and the opportunity to touch, smell and taste various spices such as cinnamon, vanilla and ginger, and teas made with these spices. At the end of the day there will also be an opportunity to buy some of the locally grown spices.

On our second and third days here we head to the northern beaches and enjoy white sand and sparkling blue sea - the Indian Ocean at its best. Try snorkelling and diving, eat sumptuous seafood, or simply relax in a hammock underneath a coconut tree with a good book.

Our accommodation on these nights is in simple twin share rooms with ensuites.

Meal plan: Day 12 - Breakfast

Meal plan: Day 13 - No melas included

Meal plan: Day 14 - No meals included

On day 15 we return to camp once again at our palm fringed beach on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam.

Meal plan: Day 15 - Dinner

After all that beach time, it's time to get off the well beaten track and head into the remote Tanzanian Mountains. We drive about 8 hours (380km) from Dar es Salaam.

We have a two night stop in the beautiful Usambara Mountains to explore this lovely unspoilt area of Tanzania. Unlike the coast and the north, very few tourists visit this area and so it has a freshness that can be hard to find elsewhere. The mountains are located in the north east of Tanzania between Kilimanjaro and the Indian Ocean and overlook the vast Masai steppe. They are wonderfully lush and green and the area has been dubbed the Galapagos of the plant world. The forests stretch across the mountains and are ideal for easy hikes and guided walks.

As beautiful as the place is, its real jewels are the local peoples and villages. The area has a reputation for gentle hospitality and we will visit some of the small communities. From our base we will organise a short day's walking trip out to the beautiful Irente viewpoint. On our way back we'll visit a local village cultural and ecological project based at Irente farm where we will have a picnic lunch.

We base ourselves at the old German colony of Lushoto where we camp in the grounds of the earliest hotels in Africa.

Meal plan: Day 16 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Meal plan: Day 17 - Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

The travel distance from Lushoto to Marangu is 265km which will take around 6 hours.

We climb even higher onto the slopes of Kilimanjaro to reach the village of Marangu. We set up camp before heading off to visit with the team at the Village Education Project.

Beginning with a walking tour of Mshiri Village, the base for the Village Education Project, we can witness the day-to-day life of the Chagga people, long established as crop-growers on the fertile slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. We visit their homes, walk around the shamba (farm), visit the primary school as well as the other institutions where local young people are taught various skills. We have the opportunity to sample the local Chagga food, which is very filling. We also visit nearby waterfalls and stop to admire the view of the plains below.

We climb even higher onto the slopes of Kilimanjaro to reach the village of Marangu where we set up camp.

We head to our campsite at the village of Karatu. We travel a total of 200km which will be a driving time of about 3 hours today.

Today we are up very early, leaving our truck behind, putting our camping and personal gear into 6 person jeeps and heading out for our three day excursion.

Our basic program is to arrive into the Serengeti in the afternoon of day 20 and game drive all the way to our camp. We'll be driving about 8 hours total. The following day we enjoy a full day game drive before we arrive in the Ngorongoro area in the late afternoon.

The wide open plains of the Serengeti, green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season and home to thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators, is perhaps the quintessential image of Africa. Flat and rolling with long grasses the plains get its name from the Masai word siringitu, "the place where the land moves on forever". Game viewing in the Serengeti is amazing and as you camp out at night, don't be surprised to hear lions in the distance as you recount your amazing sightings during the day. The Serengeti Plains usually live up to everyone's expectations. The classic East African scenery of rolling grasslands is dotted with Acacia trees. In normal circumstances we would expect to see the Big 5 during our stay in the Serengeti.

An optional balloon ride over the Serengeti at sunrise is an unforgettable experience. If you have pre-booked this activity (please see Important Notes) you will be picked up and driven to the launch site, receive a safety briefing from your pilot and will help inflate the balloon. You then glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height providing amazing wildlife photography opportunities, sometimes ascending to get an overview of the enormity of the Serengeti and the teeming herds of early morning wild life movements. Upon landing and before being returned to your accommodation you'll be treated to a five star bush breakfast!

The bush camps where we stay are very simple but are located in the middle of the plains, surrounded by animals and the nocturnal noises - something to experience.

We are up with the sun as we descend onto the floor of the famous Ngorongoro Crater. We make the most of our safari in the crater, spending betwen four and five hours exploring this area, sometimes called the "Garden of Eden". There is an excellent chance of spotting many of the Big Five as well as many, many other species.

Departing the Crater we return to Karatu for an evening relaxing at the campsite's bar reliving our safari experience.

We participate in a local community village program. A local guide will take you on a leisurely stroll around the farming areas visiting a kindergarten, milling machine, church, local homes, and farmlands. A great way to have fun and find out more about life of the locals!

Today we set off early, heading for the border with Kenya. We travel 393km which will take approximately 8 hours including border crossings.

We expect to arrive back in Nairobi around 4pm in the afternoon. Please do not book international flights before 9pm tonight. No accommodation is provided for tonight but we are able to arrange this for you. Please enquire at time of booking.