Although South Africa is the best known and most visited of the southern African countries, there are actually six (or sometimes seven) other nations that make up what is commonly referred to as southern Africa. Without celebrity adoptions or rock star appearances, these countries are often left out of the limelight when in fact they have much to offer the tourist and adventure seeker.
Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique and Lesotho (sometimes Zambia is also included in this list) are all unique and distinctive African destinations with natural attractions, an abundance of wildlife, rugged and spectacular coastlines (for those that aren't land-locked) and rich local cultures. Whereas it may be easier to find travel deals in South Africa, here is a small glimpse of what is available in other parts of Southern Africa.
Gap Adventures (tel. 800/708-7761; www.gapadventures.com) provides a variety of different land-only Southern Africa tour options. Their nine-day "Botswana Delta and Falls" trip is priced from a super low $550 per person plus $200 local payment. The next trip with availability departs on February 10, 2007 (tours before that date are sold out) and then monthly throughout 2007 (except June 2007 when there are two departures). The tour price includes eight nights' camping accommodations, eight breakfasts, six lunches and dinners, transportation by overland safari vehicles and an expert guide. The tour departs from Windhoek and visits the Kalahari Desert, Maun, the Okavango Delta (via dugout canoe), remote islands in the Delta, Gweta, Chobe National Park, Victoria Falls and the Zambesi Gorge (Zambia).
The Namibia "Cape and Dunes Experience" is an 11-day trip from Cape Town in South Africa to Windhoek. Visit Gariep River, Fish River Canyon, the Namib Desert, Sossusvlei, Damaraland, Etosha, Swakopmund and Twyfelfontein. The trip is priced at $795 per person plus $200 land payment and the next available departure is January 30, 2007, with monthly departures throughout the year (and two in January). This cost includes game drives in Etosha, eight nights' camping and two nights' lodge accommodations, ten breakfasts and lunches, eight dinners, safari vehicle transportation and a certified guide.
Lesotho is a tiny land-locked kingdom totally surrounded by South Africa and well worth a side trip for a few days, or even a quick cross-border visit. EcoAfrica (www.ecoafrica.com) has a two-day Drakensberg Mountains trip that includes one nights' accommodations in a three-star hotel/lodge, breakfast and dinner and exploring the country in four-wheel drive vehicles. The trip is priced from $450 per person based on double occupancy with a minimum of two people required for the tour to take place. The tour starts in Durban and then travels via the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Pietermaritzburg and the Natal Midlands to the central Berg area. Then ascend the Sani Pass into the Kingdom of Lesotho, visit a Sotho village and enjoy lunch at the highest pub in Africa, returning to Durban via the Natal Midlands. Children under 12 years of age pay 50% of the adult rate. Maximum group size is 14 people.
South-Africa based Southern Eagle Travel and Tours (tel. +27/12807-4868; www.southern-eagle.com) has a selection of tours to Namibia. Their seven-day "Sands of Silence" camping tour of Namibia journeys to the second largest canyon on earth, where participants get to experience magical sand formations, the highest sand dunes in the world, the oldest living desert plant and spectacular lunar-like landscapes. The tour departs from Windhoek two to three times per month (on a Wednesday) throughout the year and is priced at $1,715 per person, which includes six nights of camping at three different locations, all meals and touring by private vehicle. Visit Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground, Fish River Canyon, Orange River, a prisoner of war camp, Kolmanskop, Luderitz and surrounds, Duwisib Castle, Sossusvlei, Sesriem gorge, Welwitschia Plains and the Moon Landscape. The tour ends in Swakopmund.
Leopard Tours (www.leopardtourssa.co.za) offers a six-day "Swaziland and St Lucia Tour' which commences in Pretoria, South Africa. The land-only trip is priced at $895 (6,900 Rand) per person based on double occupancy excluding tax. The tour features five-nights accommodation (including one at the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary), four breakfasts, transportation and touring by private vehicle and a professional tour guide. Highlights include visiting small towns of the Mpumalanga Province, crossing over to Swaziland at the Oshoek border post, the capital Â? Mbabane, the Swaziland mountains and Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. The tour then goes back to South Africa and St Lucia, where participants can take a boat cruise on the estuary, go to the beach, go on a Zulu cultural tour at the cultural village, go whale watching or shop at local craft markets in the town.Mozambique both sounds and is exotic. Colonial Maputo and its offshore white-sand island resorts in the Indian Ocean are fast becoming a vacation hot spot for South Africans and international tourists. Although Portuguese is spoken here, locals are welcoming and will at least try to understand English.
Acacia Adventure Holidays (www.acacia-africa.com) is a U.K. based company that offers an eight-day "Bush and Beach Footprints" that features visits to world famous Kruger National Park (Mpumalanga private game reserve) in South Africa, Crocodile River, Maputo and Inhaca Island in Mozambique. The tour is priced from $2,419 land-only and includes entrance fees, accommodation, meals as per itinerary (seven breakfasts and dinners and two lunches), road tolls and taxes, services of professional tour guide, intra-tour flights and other transport, and lodging in two-person walk-in tents, lodges and hotels. The tour starts and finishes in Johannesburg with a minimum group size of two and a maximum of eight. Â
Their 14-day "Delta and Dunes" tour is priced at $2,168 per person. Starting in Windhoek, the trip takes you to giant sand dunes, the seaside, wildlife watching and through vast wilderness areas on a comprehensive tour of Namibia and Botswana. Visit Ghanzi, Okavango Delta, Mahango Game Reserve, Rundu, Etosha Namutoni, Etosha National Park (known for its rhino and elephant populations), Damaraland, Twyfelfontein, Swakopmund, Namib-Naukluft National Park, the Skeleton Coast (home to Cape Cross Seal colonies, the giant dunes at Sossusvlei and Sesriem. The trip includes transportation in four-wheel drive vehicle, 13 nights' accommodations in tents and lodges, meals as per itinerary (eight breakfasts and dinners and nine lunches), entrance fees and the services of a qualified guide. Minimum group size is two, maximum is 12 and children aged 12 and older are welcome.
Ultimate Africa (tel. 800/461-0682; www.ultimateafrica.com) has a selection of what it calls "value" tours. Their nine-day "Ultimate Zimbabwe Value" tour can depart on any date and is priced from $2,850 per person plus international airfare. The tour starts in Johannesburg and ends at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Highlights include day and night wildlife viewing drives in open vehicles, walks, boat and canoe excursions, optional sleep outs, sundowner boat cruise and a private Victoria Falls tour. The trip price includes breakfast daily, all meals while camping, eight nights' accommodations (one at the Airport Holiday Inn Garden Court in Johannesburg, three nights camping at Ruckomechi Camp at Mana Pools, three nights camping at Makalolo Plains Tented Camp in Hwange and one night at Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls), transportation and guide services.
They also offer a wide choice of group wilderness safari tours through Botswana and Namibia including:
- Botswana - Green Desert Expedition Â? eight-days camping/lodges from $2,450, no single supplement
- Botswana - Migration Routes � nine-days, camping/lodges from $3,050, no single supplement
- Namibia Mountain Bike Safari � six-days, camping/ permanent camps from $2,975
- Namibia - Desert Rhino and Elephant Expedition � eight-days, camping/ permanent camps/lodges from $2,750
Although you may choose to venture to these more exotic and remote countries, there's a good chance that you will need to fly via South Africa as direct intercontinental flights from the U.S. are few and far between, unless you fly via Europe or the Middle East. Airfares to South Africa are never cheap, but ultimately if you are considering an African adventure, you already know that there really are no bargains to be had.
TravelSpark (tel. 866/856-6161: www.travelspark.com) is a U.S.-based Southern Africa travel specialist. They offer the following flights from South African Airways:
Daily non-stop flights operating from Washington, D.C. to Jo-burg and one direct flight (fuel stop in Dakar) daily from New York to Jo-burg
- Low season - ($975 + fuel surcharge of $152) - $1,127 (valid for travel between now and December 8, 2006 and January 9 to March 31, 2007. Subject to availability.
- Shoulder season - ($1200 + fuel surcharge of $152) - $1,352 (for travel between December 24, 2006 and January 8, 2007 and between April 1 and May 31, 2007.
- Peak season - ($1555 + fuel surcharge of $152) - $1,707 (for travel between December 9 and 23, 2006 and between June 1 and August 20 2007.
All fares are subject to availability. Fares do not included government taxes and fees of approx $80-$95. All fares are to Johannesburg with one free roundtrip add-on within Southern Africa available to one following points: Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Livingstone in Zambia, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe or Windhoek in Namibia.
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