African Insight (South)-Accommodated Trip Notes

Trip Overview

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An unforgettable 7-day adventure safari from Livingstone to Pretoria is ideal for jampacked and varied wildlife experiences. Explore some of the best attractions in Southern Africa, including the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa, Matobo National Park, Zimbabwe, and the Victoria Falls in Zambia.

Duration : 7 Days

Destination : Africa

Start/Ends in : Livingstone / Pretoria

Group Size : 5-15 Pax

Age Req. : 18+

Trip Theme : Adventure, Discovery

Hotels : Camping

Departs : All Year Around

Intended Itinerary


It is our intention to adhere to the route described below but a certain amount of flexibility is built into the tour and on occasion it may be necessary or desirable to make alterations to the published itinerary. Please therefore treat the following as a guide only.

This is a participation tour and travels together with the camping counterpart.

Your tour ends in Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital. Close enough to Johannesburg to almost be considered a suburb, Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City, with purple blossoms covering the streets in October each year. Pretoria boasts many sights of interest – such as the 10m bronze statue of Nelson Mandela standing at the historic Union Buildings. Various cultural sites, shops, bars and restaurants are within an easy walk of our recommended hotel (and tour end point).

How do I get to the airport from Pretoria? Simple. Book a transfer with Travel Talk to take you directly to Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International. Journey time is about 45 minutes depending on traffic. We particularly recommend a pre-booked transfer if you are departing late. Alternatively, there is a regular low-cost train service called the Gautrain which runs from Pretoria to OR Tambo International and Johannesburg. If the train interests you, email or ask Travel Talk for more information. The description below assumes you have purchased the optional Adventure Pass for the tour.

Duration: 7 Days
Countries visited: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Tour Preparation

BOOKING INFORMATION

When you make a confirmed booking for your tour you will be sent pre-departure information and related documents. Once you have paid in full you will receive a Travel Voucher giving full details of your joining point. Livingstone (LVI) and Johannesburg (JNB) nearby Pretoria are well served by a variety of airlines. Your agent can advise on flights to and from the start and finish of your tour.

JOINING INFORMATION

This tour starts in Livingstone. The pre-departure meeting is held at 18:00 on the evening prior to departure. The tour ends
in Johannesburg on Day 07.

Meeting Point:

Tour meeting point in Livingstone:

Address: The Victoria Falls Waterfront Sichango Road Livingstone

Contact details: Tel. + 260 3 320 606/7/8

E-mail: [email protected]

Tour start time: Day 1 – Day of leisure

Finishing Point:

Tour endpoint in Pretoria:

Address: Court Classique Suite Hotel

743 Francis Baard Street Pretoria, 0007

Contact details: Tel. +27 (0) 12 344 4420

E-mail: [email protected]

Tour end time: Late afternoon/early evening on Day 7.

Adventure Pass :

Paid in the currency listed in the brochure or on the website (usually US dollars in clean, un-torn post-2008 edition notes) directly to your Tour Leader in Africa at the beginning of the tour, or pre-paid by arrangement, the Adventure Pass of this tour covers the following.

Matobo National Park √

Luggage

Please try to keep your luggage to a minimum, bearing in mind that most airlines impose a 20kg limit. It should be brought in a soft holdall or rucksack along with a smaller day bag. You will need to bring a mixture of lightweight clothing and warm clothing for the evenings and early morning game drives. We recommended you pack a small torch or headlamp, mosquito spray, and a money pouch/ belt that can be easily hidden. Please try to avoid bringing unnecessary valuables and use your hotel safe to store the bulk of your money, passport, and airline tickets. A power bank is useful for recharging electronic devices.

Itinerary

Please note that the itinerary may be subject to small changes depending on the conditions during the tour. Alternative accommodation of similar standards may be used depending on the group size and hotel availability.

Winter

This safari starts in Livingstone, Zambia at the Waterfront Resort camp, situated on the banks of the Zambezi River a few kilometres from Livingstone. It’s an ideal spot to relax – have coffee on the deck watching one of Africa’s great rivers glide past or take the opportunity if you wish to enjoy the various activities and excursions typically available in the Victoria Falls area. Please plan to spend a day or so here before the tour begins. Optional activities include white water rafting, bungee jumping, abseiling, gorge swinging, canoeing, horse riding, scenic flights (by microlight, helicopter or small plane) and – a definite ‘must!’ – A visit to the Victoria Falls themselves. A visit to the national park is included in your tour – be sure not to miss it – at over a mile wide and some 100 metres deep the Falls at high water form the largest curtain of falling water in the world with spray visible from 20 kilometres away (hence the local name Mosi oa Tunya, or ‘Smoke that Thunders’). At low water the Zambezi dries so much that it is possible to walk out onto the river bed itself!

N.B: For the sake of practicality, meals in Livingstone/Victoria Falls area are restricted to breakfasts. This allows you to take on half day or full day activities (some of which include lunch) without having to be back for group mealtimes. The Waterfront camp restaurant overlooks the Zambezi River and offers a good selection of reasonably priced meals and snacks throughout the day (allow US$15-$30 per meal). Relax and enjoy at your own leisure. Alternatively, take a taxi into Livingstone to try local fare.

Accommodation : Victoria Falls Waterfront (or similar) – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : No

WIFI: Yes

Optional Activities :

Bungee Jumping — US$160
Full Day Abseil — US$190
Mosi Oa Tunya National Park Game Walk — US$110
Chief Mukumi Village Tour — US$50
Gorge Swing — US$95
Zambezi Jet Boat & Cable Car from — US$120
Half Day Canoe — US$110
Zambezi Sunset Cruise —US$75
Full Day White-water Rafting — US$160
Helicopter/Microlight Flights from — US$185
Half Day Fishing — US$145
Bridge Tour — US$65

Departing Livingstone, we cross the border to Zimbabwe, pass through Victoria Falls town, and head to Bulawayo, a pleasant city with broad tree-lined avenues and wide-open spaces. Our campsite is located just outside the city center. Once we settle in and camp is set, the rest of the afternoon is yours to explore the surroundings at leisure.

Accommodation : Burke’s Paradise – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

WIFI : No

Optional Activities: No

Matobo National Park is located a short distance outside Bulawayo and knowledgeable guides will take us to this very impressive park. The wind-sculptured Matobo Hills are the site of numerous Bushman paintings and the area holds a special cultural and spiritual importance to the indigenous people here. The reserve has the largest concentration of Black and White Rhino in Africa and, provided conditions are right, our guides will lead us on foot to some of the more concealed places in search of these magnificent animals. The park also has the densest population of leopard and black eagle in the world and we keep our eyes peeled high and low for these creatures. The hills are also home to the grave site of Cecil John Rhodes who chose this as his burial place owing to the intense natural beauty and startling views from the hills. His grave can be visited at World’s View – a place of continual debate owing to his involvement in claiming the land and its people for Queen & Country in colonial times.

Accommodation : Burke’s Paradise – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

WIFI : No

Optional Activities: Upgrade to full day tour including historical tour and village tour US$45

Leaving Bulawayo, we continue south to the border at Beitbridge. Completing formalities, we cross the Limpopo River -the second largest in South Africa and an important water source for this arid region. The Limpopo also acts as a natural boundary between South Africa and its neighbours Botswana and Zimbabwe, before it flows through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. We continue to Tshipise, a town situated in the northern Limpopo province. Our campsite is located at Forever Resorts at the foot of one of Limpopo’s rolling koppies set adjacent the Honnet Nature Reserve. There is hot springs in the area which are surrounded by dense woodland comprising of Mopani, Red Bushwillow, Jakkalsbessie trees – and the third largest Baobab tree in South Africa.

Accommodation : Forever Resorts – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

WIFI : No

Optional Activities: No

From Tshipise, we head for southern Africa’s premier game reserve, the Kruger National Park. Fences between the National Park and surrounding private reserves were removed several years ago to form the Greater Kruger, an area of some 24,000 sq km. Wildlife is free to roam the whole enormous area and it has become incredibly diverse in both fauna and flora. From the dwarf mongoose to the ‘Big Five’, almost every major African mammal (148 species) is present. There is also prolific birdlife (over 505 species) and over 330 varieties of trees.
We spend two nights within the Kruger area, enjoy Shangaan tribal dancing and singing on our first night and take a full day game drive in the National Park itself to spot as many animals as possible the next day!

Accommodation : Hotel Numbi (or similar) – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

WIFI : No

Optional Activities : No

Waking early, we board our 4×4 game viewing vehicles with a resident guide for an intense but rewarding day in Kruger National Park. The impressive atmosphere of the park enables you to see why it is held in such high esteem amongst visitors from all over the world. We game drive in the morning and afternoon in search for the abundance of wildlife including the ‘Big 5’ – Rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion together with a high density of other mammals and diverse bird species such as eagles, hornbills, vultures and bee eaters. We break during the middle of the day to enjoy the peace of the rest camp and wait out the hottest part of the day (when wildlife is usually less active). We then continue our game drive through the park exiting in the late afternoon and continue to our accommodation for the night.

Accommodation: Hotel Numbi (or similar) – Twin share accommodation with en-suite facilities

Meals Included : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

WIFI : No

Optional Activities : Kruger Night Game Drive US$75

We leave the Kruger behind and make our way to South Africa’s administrative hub of Pretoria, where our tour ends late afternoon / early evening on Day 7 (we recommend that you plan to stay that evening in Pretoria)

Accomodation : No

Meals Included : Breakfast

WIFI: No

Optional Activities : No

Inclusions & Exclusions

The tour price covers the following services:

Accomodation : 6 Nights twin share accommodation with ensuite facilities

Meals : 6 Breakfasts, 5 Lunchs, 5 Dinners

Transportation : Fully equipped safari vehicle, All road tolls and vehicle taxes, All ground transportation

Highlights : Kruger NP, Full Day Open Vehicle Game Drive with Resident Guide,  Shangaan Cultural Evening, Matobo National Park

Activities : Open Vehicle Game Drive and Wilderness, Walk with Resident Guide, Mosi Oa Tunya NP, Victoria Falls Visit

What is NOT included in the tour price?

  • Adventure Pass activities
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals not stated above
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Tips & gestures
  • Airport transfers
  • Optional activities
  • NB Lunch & Dinner in Livingstone

Accommodation

Twin-share accommodation with facilities (6 nights) some camps may have a bar or swimming pool. In most cases, rooms are en suite but from time to time some rooms may be shared facilities where en-suite is indicated.

PRE/POST TOUR ACCOMMODATION

This tour departs Livingstone; we strongly recommend that you plan to arrive before the tour starts to fully benefit the activities and sights in this region. We would be happy to book pre-tour accommodation and transfers for you – please call or email us (or speak to your agent) with your arrival details and accommodation requirements. However please book early to avoid disappointment and the risk of having to find more expensive (or less convenient) lodgings.

If time allows, we also suggest planning a night or two extra (after your tour) to make the most of Pretoria and the surrounding area.

See below for a guide to extra accommodation costs. These prices are a guide line only and are subject to change so please check with Travel Talk for current prices.

Transport

24-seater, self-contained, custom-built vehicle with on-board tables, plug sockets, freezer, water tank, library, safety features, and 70-liter individual lockers and 4 x 4 safari vehicles. Travel times indicated are approximate and do not include stops en-route

Game Park Visits

To maximize the quality of game driving and to comply with local authority rulings, some of our National Park visits and game viewing is carried out using services provided by local African ground handlers. As well as enhancing our experience using local guides and smaller vehicles it also allows us to contribute at a ‘grassroots’ level to local economies from which local people benefit.

Travel Advice, Visas & Insurance

The table below indicates the visas required for travel to the countries on this tour but should be treated as a guide only. At least one month prior to travel seek confirmation from embassies or a visa specialist, that these requirements are still current. For UK citizens the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) offers free up-to-date travel info: www.fco.gov.uk.

This information is provided as a guidance, we strongly advise that you check with the consulate or embassy as this information can change. Please note, visa costs can change at any time and with little notice depending on the political climate of the region. It is your responsibility to make sure that all the required travel documents are ready when travelling.

Travel Advice

We are closely monitoring the latest travel updates to Morocco and follow the advice of the UK Foreign Office (FCDO). For the latest travel advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/morocco

We recommend all travellers to check their Government National Travel Advisory prior to their departure:

Australia – https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/

Canada – https://travel.gc.ca/

New Zealand – https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/

USA – https://travel.state.gov/

Travel Insurance

All passengers travelling with Travel Talk are required to have personal travel insurance before participating in any of our tours. Your guide will collect your travel insurance details on the first day of your trip. It is your responsibility to make sure you have an adequate and suitable travel insurance for you in place, you may read more at https://www.traveltalktours.com/travel-insurance

Health & Safety

The health and safety of our passengers, staff and communities visited is of utmost priority. As we monitor and comply with the official advice from the UK Foreign Office, as well as World Health Organization and government authorities regularly, we have implemented several policies and precautions on our tours for your wellbeing. You may find our Safe Travels Protocols at https://www.traveltalktours.com/safe-travels

Travel Talk Adventures has received the Safe Travels stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which allows travellers to recognise companies around the world that have adopted health and hygiene global standardised protocols – so consumers canexperience ‘Safe Travels’.

Please make sure to regularly check your Government’s travel advice before travelling and be well-informed of any requirements. Your tour guide will also notify you of the regulations and protocols to follow throughout your trip with us.

Please note that if any traveller is unable to complete the itinerary or possess a potential risk to themselves and/or the rest of the group, we reserve the right to remove them from all or part of a trip.

Please consult with your doctor for the latest medical travel information and any vaccinations you may need. We recommend that you bring any personal medical requirements and medications with you as these may be difficult to obtain while on tour.

VACCINATIONS

The table below indicates the vaccinations suggested for travel on this tour but should be treated as a guide only. You should seek professional medical advice from your GP or clinic at least six weeks prior to departure. Please note some areas visited are malarial. We recommend you speak to your doctor or travel clinic about appropriate anti-malarial tablets.

C = Compulsory, R = Recommended, * = If travelling from infected countries a certificate of proof may be required. NB: To be used as a guide only.

Please see your GP or travel clinic for up-to-date medical advice. Alternatively, contact TravelTalk for any queries or advice regarding vaccination requirements.

Weather

The best time to visit Africa is from September to December, when the dry and warm weather across the continent offers the ideal conditions for safari trips in the southwest, sightseeing in the Cape region, and adventures in East Africa. 

It is also the best time for game viewing in the wilderness areas stretching from west to east. Southern Africa’s majestic animal migrations take place during these months, creating fascinating views of wildlife for the best photographic experience. 

Your chances of witnessing animal births are high, especially in Southern Africa’s national parks. Trips to Africa from September to December have a lot to offer if you wish to witness the incredible wildlife diversity and the intriguing local life.

Check out our weather guide for the best time to visit Africa.

Money Matters

PERSONAL EXPENSES

Naturally, you will require extra money for your own personal spending on the tour, for Activities and Excursions, snacks, drinks, souvenirs, tips, and items of a personal nature. Everybody has different spending habits but as a guideline, we suggest you budget US$15-30 per day. Most spending will be in US$ cash and South Africa Rand (for incidental expenses along the way, optional activities, most additional accommodation before/after the trip) but it’s a good idea to bring along some extra US$ cash for any international airport taxes or visas.

Spending money is best carried as cash in either US dollars(US Dollars in clean, un-torn, post 2008 edition notes), South African Rand, Sterling or Euro which can be exchanged on arrival and as you travel. Your guide will give general guidance
about spending during the tour.

Currencies are as follows: Zambia – Zambian Kwacha; Zimbabwe – US Dollars; South Africa – Rand

ATM machines are found throughout Livingstone and in South Africa. Please note they are sometimes unreliable and only dispense local currency.

Credit cards can be used to pay for larger optional activities although there may be a fee for their use.

TIPPING

As in many areas where tourism is an important contributor to the economy it has become customary to offer a small gratuity to local staff at the end of the tour if service has been of a high standard. Naturally, this always remains at your discretion.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND EXCURSIONS

To give you maximum flexibility on the tour we offer a number of optional activities on the tour. To help budget, approximate prices are listed below in US$ unless otherwise stated. All prices are subject to change and availability.

Essentials to Bring & Internet

-Face mask/cover and hand sanitiser enough for your personal use throughout the trip – See more at https://www.traveltalktours.com/safe-travels/

-Travel Documents: Passport, Visa (if required), flight or transport ticket (and photocopies)

-Travel Talk Tour Voucher (printed or digital)Travel Insurance Policy (and photocopy)

-Personal medical kit and medicine

-Money (cash, credit card, travellers’ cheques)

-Power Adapter

-Reusable water bottle

-Ear plugs and eye mask

-Sun protection – hat, sunglasses, sunscreen

-Comfortable, closed walking shoes

-Wind/water proof jacket

-Warm clothes, hat, and gloves for cold weather

-Sandals, swimwear, shorts for warm weather

Solo Travellers

We have many solo travellers joining our tours. Solo travellers will be roomed with another traveller of the same gender. If you would like a private solo room, please contact us. You may see out solo travels page for more details.

Rules to Follow

We are committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. We do not tolerate any form of violence (physical or verbal), bullying or harassment involving customers, partners, Travel Talk staff or locals. Sexual relationships between a tour leader and a passenger are forbidden.

We will not tolerate any illegal activity, including but not limited to: use and possession of illegal drugs, trespassing, and disrupting public order. If you consume alcohol, please ensure that you drink responsibly and follow the local laws and regulations.

You must follow the advice of your tour leader and local officials regarding health and safety measures. We operate all tours under Safe Travels protocols for the wellbeing of our passengers, staff and communities visited. Please ensure that you have read the https://www.traveltalktours.com/safe-travels/ and are fully prepared for your trip.

If someone is acting inappropriately regarding these matters, please notify your tour leader immediately or contact us on the emergency contact number provided below.

Your tour leader has the right to remove from the group anyone not abiding by these rules, with no right of compensation or refund. See more at https://www.traveltalktours.com/booking-terms/

Please remember that our travellers come from different parts of the world and will have various needs and preferences. Be understanding and patient with your fellow travellers, and always strive to be on time.

Responsible Travel

We strongly believe that you get the most out of a journey by respecting the culture and people of the places you visit. On our tours, we try to travel in a way that benefits the communities we pass through and minimizes the negative impact on the environment. This can be from ensuring the campsites and accommodation we use are clean when we leave and dressing respectfully in conservative areas to getting involved with local charity projects. We ask that you are open to this when you travel with us. Being proactive in responsible travel helps develop cross-cultural understanding and friendships with the local people and will greatly enhance your experience in Africa.

Read more at https://www.traveltalktours.com/responsible-travel/

Open until midnight

+44 20 809 995 96
[email protected]

Monday - Friday: 09:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
W. Europe