15 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 5 dinners

18

Eating is a big part of travelling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available in southern Africa. On this tour, we provide only a few meals for you and your group members, so as to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility in you choices. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other’s company. There is no obligation to do this though – while in the larger centres, your CEO will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip.

Your CEO prepare the meals included in the Okavango Delta, arranging to purchase the foodstuffs before our bush camping excursion begins. Breakfasts will generally be cereals, if time allows a warm breakfast may be prepared. Lunches will be light meals such as sandwiches and/or salads. All evening meals will be freshly-prepared hot meals, and will consist of a variety of continental and local dishes.

For the included meals, vegetarian meal requests and other dietary requirements need to be specified prior to arrival.

You must be 18 to travel unaccompanied on a G Adventures tour. For minors travelling with a guardian over 21 years old, the minimum age is 12.

1.This is not a physically demanding journey; however, travelling can be difficult, with long drives and poor road conditions at times. Despite this, most clients feel that the diversity of the African landscape, countries, culture and wildlife are all well worth the experience. We use a comfortable and safe air-conditioned touring vehicle for the long drives.

2. YELLOW FEVER: COUNTRY DETAIL

There is no risk of Yellow Fever transmission in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe. However, all of these countries require proof of vaccination under International Health Regulations to prevent importation of the virus. It is compulsory to show a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate if you are travelling to any of the above countries from a Yellow Fever endemic country, or have recently transited through one (12 hours or more in airport). Endemic countries include: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Venezuela.

We advise all travellers on Southern and East Africa itineraries to carry a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate regardless of their country of origin. Given the multi-country nature of these itineraries, travellers will cross borders into countries that require the certificate as a condition of entry from preceding destinations. A traveller entering the itinerary from a non-endemic country may not require the certificate to enter the first country, but will almost certainly require it by the time they cross into a subsequent one. Yellow Fever vaccinations must be administered at least 10 days prior to entry into the first country visited. Under WHO regulations (effective 11 July 2016), certificates are valid for the lifetime of the person vaccinated, there is no 10-year expiry on the certificate itself, though some border officials may be unaware of this. Travellers should carry their original International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (yellow card) at all times during the tour. Travellers without a valid certificate run the risk of being denied entry and will not be able to continue with the tour. Any additional travel expenses incurred will be at the traveller’s own account.

3. Please note that this tour combines with other G Adventures tours. As such, the staff and some travel companions on your tour may have previously been traveling together with G Adventures, prior to Day 1 of your tour. Likewise, some staff and travel companions may be continuing together on another G Adventures tour, after your trip concludes.

4. Water-wise tips when visiting Cape Town:

Cape Town is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts it has seen in over 100 years, and while we want you to have the best time possible while there, here are some tips to help reduce your water usage:

– Bring a reusable water bottle, that you can fill with Cape Town’s tasty tap water.

– Reuse your towels in the hotel, for at least two days, before getting new ones.

– Keep your laundry until you have a full load to do, rather than just doing a handful of items.

– Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, or shaving.

– Keep your showers to two minutes or less, and don’t use the bath.

– Use hand sanitizer, instead of washing hands.

5. MONEY EXCHANGE

We strongly advise that you bring ZAR or USD from your home country or exchange money before the start of the tour, to avoid delays on tour. Please see the Money Exchange section for more details.

6. DRONES

The use of drones in national parks in Southern Africa is prohibited.

7. ACCOMMODATION NOTE:

Please be aware that properties we stay in with only two stories may not have elevators installed and climbing the stairs with your luggage will be necessary.

8. PARTICIPATIVE CAMPING

An essential part of your trip is participation – from putting up your tent (while camping) or packing it away in the morning, to helping with meal preparation and cleaning up – it is all part of your adventure and when everyone puts in a little effort the trip will run smoothly. Your CEO will do all the meal planning, but we do ask the clients to help with the preparation and washing up. Team spirit is part of the fun! All camping equipment (with the exception of your sleeping bag, pillow, and towel) is supplied.

Chief Experience Officer (CEO)/driver throughout, local guides.

Hotel: Comfortable twin rooms with en suite or shared facilities.

Lodge/Chalet: Standard rooms with en-suite facilities.

Simple Cabin/Huts: Rooms are twin or single with shared facilities.

Basic Camping: Pitched tents in the Delta with very basic facilities (no shower, dig-out toilet). Tents are twin.

Camping?: Pitched tents in Etosha National Park and Solitaire Area. Tents are twin with shared ablutions.

At the campgrounds there are sites with their own shared ablution block including toilets, sinks, hot and cold showers, barbecues, kitchen facilities, and electricity. There’s a shaded veranda and swimming pool to relax in.

Camps are open to the natural environment (ie. no fences) – care must be taken, especially at night, when a torch/flashlight is recommended when walking around the camp area.

All camping equipment is supplied. Assembly and disassembly of the tents takes only 5 minutes (your CEO will show you how to erect your tent). All tents have built-in insect nets. Mattresses are also provided (approximately 4cm/1.6 in thick) and are warm and comfortable. On some nights your meals will be provided, in which your CEOs will do all the meal preparation, but we do ask our travellers to help with the preparation and washing up. On nights where meals are not provided, the campground offers a restaurant and shop, which are great places to grab a meal. The CEO will provide options for campfires and barbecues (braais) under the stars with the whole group, splitting the cost of food between everyone.

Please note that due to the high demand for accommodation in the parks, sometimes we will arrange alternative accommodation outside of the park.

You will be on the move a lot, so our advice is to pack as lightly as possible. Your baggage should be clearly labelled and restricted to one soft compact suitcase (please avoid a hard-top case), or sports bag, maximum 15kg, plus a daypack. Luggage limits on airlines are strictly enforced and space on vehicles is limited. Porters are not often available, so be prepared to carry your own bags. It is important to pack clothes for warm days and cool evenings, as well as a warm jacket for early morning wildlife safari drives. A set of smart casual clothes is also advisable. During the winter months (May to October), the temperatures can get quite cold in Namibia and Botswana. It is wise to bring plenty of layers for cool mornings and evenings. A set of smart casual clothes is also advisable.

Please be advised that if you plan to bring a drone with you, the use of drones in national parks in Southern Africa is prohibited.

Every traveller is different and therefore spending money requirements will vary. Some travellers may drink more than others while other travellers like to purchase more souvenirs than most. Please consider your own spending habits when it comes to allowing for drinks, shopping and tipping. Please also remember the following specific recommendations when planning your trip.

Taste the Cape’s coastal character as you sample regional wines in Lambert’s Bay, guided through palate notes, aroma, and food pairings. Learn how cool ocean breezes and rugged soils shape styles from nearby vineyards.

Hear stories from the Cederberg Mountains hinterland while comparing cultivars in a relaxed setting. Expect crisp whites and richly fruited reds that reflect maritime air, bright sunshine, and generations of South African winemaking craft.

Explore the !Khwa ttu San Culture and Education Centre on South Africa’s West Coast and learn about San culture and history through an engaging interpretive experience. Walk amid fynbos with views of the Atlantic as guides share language, tracking traditions, and medicinal plant knowledge.

Discover how this community-led project preserves heritage while providing training and livelihoods for San youth. Expect thoughtful storytelling, authentic artifacts, and a respectful window into one of humanity’s oldest cultures.

Set out in our touring vehicle to join a wildlife safari drive across shimmering pans and thornveld in Etosha National Park. Scan open plains for elephants, giraffes, lions, rhinos, and antelope filtering toward life-giving waterholes.

Etosha’s vast salt pan creates mirages and stark horizons perfect for big game viewing. As light softens, keep watch near illuminated waterholes where nocturnal species emerge and scenes unfold under the Namibian night.

Sit down to a farm-to-table meal with the Lusumpuko Women’s Club near Victoria Falls, where seasonal Zimbabwean dishes are prepared using time-honored techniques. A short demonstration shows how locals eat and share food.

Your visit supports a grassroots cooperative, turning culinary heritage into opportunity. Expect warm hospitality, bold flavors, and the satisfaction of a community-powered dining experience.

Step to the edge and leap from the historic bridge in a bungee jump framed by the spray of Victoria Falls. The 111-metre plunge delivers a pure shot of adrenaline above the Zambezi Gorge.

Professional operators manage harnessing and counts, leaving you to savor the rush and the view. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Stand on the rim of Fish River Canyon, Africa’s largest, and take in layer upon layer of eroded rock carved by seasonal floods. The sweeping views and silent immensity invite you to pause for photos and reflection.

Learn how tectonic forces and relentless water shaped this dramatic landscape over hundreds of millions of years. In the crisp desert air, subtle colors shift from peach to purple as light deepens across the chasm.

Wander through the surreal Quiver Tree Forest, where aloe dichotoma rise like living sculptures from granite. Hear how the San people once fashioned arrow quivers from their hollowed branches, a San quiver-making tradition still told with pride.

Nearby, explore the whimsical dolerite stacks of Giant’s Playground, a maze of balancing boulders that looks hand-arranged by giants. Watch for rock hyrax darting between stones as desert light sharpens shapes and textures.

Enter the iconic Sossusvlei Dunes, a crimson sand sea where wind-sculpted ridges tower over white clay pans. With time to explore, many choose to climb Dune 45 for far-reaching views over rippling desert.

Later, step into the cool chasm of Sesriem Canyon, carved by the Tsauchab River. Learn how rare floods shape this arid landscape and support hardy plants and wildlife adapted to extreme conditions.

In Windhoek, visit the Penduka Village Restaurant & Shop for a fresh, locally sourced lunch while discovering a women-led social enterprise empowering artisans from Katutura township and rural Namibia.

Tour the workshops to see handcrafted textiles and pottery created with traditional methods and modern design. Your visit supports training, income, and community projects, turning craftsmanship into sustainable livelihoods.

Join San guides for a Guided Bush San Walk in the Kalahari Desert, where every plant, track, and birdsong has meaning. Learn about water-finding, edible tubers, and the desert’s delicate web of life.

Hear first-hand how ancient tracking skills helped communities thrive in an unforgiving environment. The walk deepens understanding of San culture while revealing the ingenuity behind their close relationship with nature.

At Dqae Qare San Lodge & Camp, share an evening of storytelling, song, and a traditional dance around the fire. Enjoy a home-style traditional dinner prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

This Indigenous-owned lodge channels visitor revenue into education, arts, and community projects. The experience offers genuine cultural exchange, warm hospitality, and a night rich with rhythm, starlight, and San heritage.

Glide in a mokoro through Okavango Delta channels with expert polers, drifting past lilies and papyrus where herons and fish eagles hunt. On foot, a guided walking safari reveals tracks, plants, and the subtle rhythms of the floodplains.

Camp in the wild for a night of star-pricked sky and crackling fire, listening to distant grunts and calls of the bush. This immersive Delta stay blends serenity, wildlife, and authentic wilderness living.

Gather by the campfire for an intimate performance as Delta polers share traditional song and dance in the Tswana language. The rhythms and harmonies carry across the reedbeds, adding heart to your wilderness stay.

Each group brings its own repertoire and stories, offering a relaxed, authentic cultural moment that complements the day’s mokoro journeys and bush walks.

Visit Bird Island off Lambert’s Bay to witness a raucous colony of Cape gannets and cormorants swirling over the Atlantic. Boardwalks and a sheltered hide bring you close to courtship displays and sky-filled takeoffs.

This marine reserve offers superb photography and interpretation on coastal ecology. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ride the steep slipfaces outside Swakopmund as you learn to carve and sandboard the desert dunes. Guides kit you out, teach techniques, and capture the joy of fast descents on soft, sun-warmed sands.

Between runs, admire the stark meeting of desert and ocean, a signature Namibian panorama. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Take a leap with a pro instructor on a tandem skydive above the Namib’s dune sea and the Atlantic surfline. The freefall rush gives way to soaring views of rippling sands and coastal fogbanks.

Landing near Swakopmund, you’ll carry the memory of Namibia’s epic scale from a bird’s-eye perspective. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Board a light aircraft for a scenic flight over rust-red dunes, salt pans at Walvis Bay, seal colonies, and infamous shipwrecks scattered along the Skeleton Coast. The aerial perspective reveals patterns hidden at ground level.

Photographers love the shifting palettes of sand and sea under angled light. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Lift off from Maun for a helicopter flight above oxbow lagoons, hippo pools, and game trails threading the Okavango Delta. Trace elephant herds and antelope as they navigate floodplains and islands.

The sweeping views highlight how seasonal waters transform Kalahari sands into a wildlife sanctuary. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Drift the Chobe at golden hour on a relaxed sunset boat cruise, watching elephants wade, hippos surface, and crocodiles bask along reed-fringed banks. Guides position the boat for superb light and photography.

As the sun sinks, silhouettes sharpen and birds settle across the floodplain. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Set out at first light for a guided game drive in Chobe, famed for its vast elephant herds and predator action. Cool temperatures and soft light make dawn prime time for sightings and images.

Traverse riverine woodland and open plains as expert trackers seek fresh spoor and activity. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ride a 4×4 shuttle across deep sand to Deadvlei, the famous white clay pan dotted with ancient camel thorn trees. Apricot-colored dunes rise like walls, creating a stark, photogenic amphitheater.

Walk among skeletal trunks and study the interplay of shadow and light unique to this pan. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Follow a local guide along rainforest paths to multiple viewpoints of Victoria Falls, feeling the mist as you hear the thunderous cataracts. Learn how the Zambezi carved the Batoka Gorge and why spray nourishes this lush micro-climate.

From Devil’s Cataract to the Main Falls, angles shift with each stop, revealing rainbows and sheer drop-offs. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Soar above the Zambezi on the classic “Flight of Angels” helicopter, circling Victoria Falls and the snaking gorges downstream. The aerial view captures the full width of the curtain and the plume of spray rising skyward.

A pilot’s commentary highlights geology, river islands, and seasonal flow. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Tackle world-class rapids on a guided white-water rafting adventure below the Falls, paddling through the dramatic cliffs of the Batoka Gorge. Safety briefings and expert river guides keep focus and fun in balance.

Between adrenaline surges, admire volcanic walls and calmer pools. Seasonal water levels affect operations. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Meet your group and meet your CEO and fellow travellers for a relaxed orientation briefing in the heart of Cape Town. Get tips on local customs, currency, and safety, plus ideas for exploring Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, and the city’s vibrant food scene.

Use this time to ask questions, align expectations, and join a group dinner if you wish. The session sets the tone for a seamless, sociable journey through southern Africa.