This tour begins in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi where popular activities include feeding giraffes at the Langata Centre, learning about Kenyan tribes at the Bomas of Kenya Cultural Centre and joining a guided safari walk in Nairobi National Park which is home to healthy populations of lions, leopards, buffalo, zebra and rhinoceros.

Please note that this tour departs Nairobi the day after the trip start date so if you would like extra time here you may want to arrive a few days early.

We continue to Lake Naivasha where you have the opportunity to visit Elsamere, the home of the late Joy Adamson of Born Free fame. Close by you also have the option to cycle or walk unguided through Hell’s Gate National Park, a unique experience especially considering buffalo and leopard inhabit the park.

Our next destination is the world-famous Masai Mara, a spectacular national park teeming with giraffe, buffalo, zebra, cheetah, lion, leopards and other big game species. This is an unforgettable experience!

Our first stop in Uganda is at Jinja, the source of the Nile River, where we base ourselves near the Bujagali Falls giving you the opportunity to raft the grade 5 White Nile, go fishing for Nile perch and take a sunset booze cruise.

We continue to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where you have the opportunity to track white rhinos on foot with a local ranger.

At the Kaniyo Pabidi Ecotourism site we go chimpanzee trekking in the Budongo Forest to meet these amazing creatures at close quarters.

In Murchison Falls National Park we have a couple of days to go on game drives and take a cruise on the Nile river to spot wildlife from the water and get a good view of the spectacularly powerful Murchison Falls.

We now visit Queen Elizabeth National Park which is beautifully set amidst the lakes of the Great Rift Valley. Here we will undertake game drives in search of leopard, elephant, waterbuck, lions and Ugandan kob. We also take time to explore the far reaches of the park to discover volcanoes and salt mines.

Our last stop in Uganda is at the magical Lake Bunyonyi where it is possible to take a sunset cruise amongst the lakes 29 islands. 

We now undertake one of Africa’s most memorable experiences, gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The hike can take minutes or hours depending on where the gorillas are located on the day and once we find them we then get to spend an hour with these lovable primates.

Our first stop in Rwanda is the sleepy town of Musanze where you can visit the Karisoke Exhibit, a small museum explaining the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey who studied and protected the gorillas in the nearby Virunga massif. From here you also have the option to trek to Dian Fossey’s gravesite where she and a few of her beloved gorillas are buried. Along the way you have a chance of encountering gorillas and golden monkeys.

We continue to the attractive capital Kigali where we have the opportunity to visit the Memorial Centre, a sombre reminder of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Providing the Rwanda/Burundi is open we will now cross directly into Burundi. If the border is closed we will enter Burundi from Tanzania.

Our first stop in Burundi is the capital city of Bujumbura on the shores of Lake Tanganyika from where you can explore the quirky museums, beautiful beaches and languid villages dotted around the lake. An optional boat trip through the Rusizi National Park is often a highlight of our stay here where you can see crocodiles, hippos and numerous bird species.

From Bujumbura you also have the option to take a day trip to visit the southernmost source of the Nile River, a bumpy trip through the mountains of Burundi.

We continue to the beating heart of the nation, the Gishora Drum Sanctuary. Here the local drummers put on a display of specific rhythms mixed with combat-style dance, a true Burundian experience not to be missed!

After a couple of nights of wild camping in Western Tanzania we will arrive in Karatu, the gateway to 2 of Africa’s most iconic wildlife areas, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. From here we board 6 person 4x4 safari vehicles and have a couple of days to explore the wildlife rich gameparks where you are likely to spot the big 5 along with cheetahs, wild dogs and flamingos. This safari is one of the tour's biggest highlights!

Once you depart the Serengeti you will have the opportunity to visit a Maasai village to get an insight into their traditional way of life before meeting back up with the truck in Arusha at the Snake Park. Here you will get the chance to learn all about the reptiles that inhabit this part of Africa.

Upon departing Arusha we will pass by Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, where weather permitting we will get a good view of this immense mountain.

Our journey to the coast is broken up with a visit to the German style town of Lushoto from where you have the option to go trekking in the Lushoto and Usambara Mountains for incredible views over this dramatic region while meeting the local inhabitants of the Irente villages.

We continue to Dar es Salaam where we base ourselves at a beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean with popular activities including kayaking and snorkelling.

We now catch a ferry to Zanzibar where you have a few days to explore the winding alleys of Stone Town and  relax on the palm-fringed beaches of this idyllic paradise.

Passing through the Mikumi National Park you have the chance to spot zebras, giraffes and elephants crossing the main roads before our last stop in Tanzania at Lake Ngozi, Africa’s 2nd largest crater lake, where you will have the option to take a short hike up to the caldera for stunning views of the emerald-green lake.

Hugging the shores of Lake Malawi we camp on the golden sands of Chitimba Beach from where you also have the option of doing a short trip into the mountains to visit Livingstonia, a quaint colonial town built by Scottish missionaries in 1894.

A little further south we reach Nkhata Bay and camp on the lakeshore to enjoy the natural beauty of one of Africa’s friendliest nations. Boat trips to the beautiful islands are a popular outing and for those who want to learn how to dive this is a cheap place to do it. The lake is also home to colourful tropical fish that are found nowhere else in the world.

Our last stop here is in Malawi’s chaotic capital Lilongwe where you will get the chance to explore the sprawling city’s modern malls and sample the local fare.

The South Luangwa National park is our first stop in Zambia, an area of majestic beauty with a high concentration of animals along the banks of the Luangwa River where our camp is perfectly set up for wildlife viewing. Those wishing to venture deeper into the park have the option to join a walking safari in search of lions, leopards, buffalo and whatever else may cross your path!

On our way west we stay at the famous Bridge Camp on the banks of the beautiful Luangwa River.

Upon arrival in the Lower Zambezi area we now take 2 person canoes and spend 2 days and 2 nights paddling down the Zambezi River spotting wildlife and camping on the islands, an experience of a lifetime!

Our first stop in Zimbabwe is at Lake Kariba, one of the world’s largest artificial dams. From here you have the option to overnight in a houseboat with a great view over the hippos and crocs that inhabit the lake. Tiger fishing is also a popular activity here.

We continue to Harare where you have the chance to enjoy the capital’s fine dining, craft markets, museums and varied bars all set amidst wide avenues lined with dusty red earth and purple Jacaranda trees.

South of Harare we find the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, once the greatest mediaeval city in sub-Saharan Africa. The ancient site provides evidence that this was home to a very advanced society.

In Gweru we visit Antelope Park where you have the opportunity to meet elephants, join lions on an evening hunt and even take a morning walk with lion cubs!

In Bulawayo we visit the gravesite of Cecil John Rhodes before spending an afternoon in Matobo NP, home of balancing boulders, ancient rock art and the rare black rhino.

In Hwange National Park we have time to take a game drive through this wildlife rich gamepark in search of the Big 5 and visit the Painted Dog Conservation Project for an insight into the plight of the African Wild Dog.

Zimbabwe’s highlight is the incredible Victoria Falls where we will spend a few days allowing you time to explore the falls and take part in the adventure activities that abound including grade 5 rafting on the Zambezi River, abseiling, bungee jumping and gorge swinging.

Our first stop in this beautiful country is Chobe National Park where you have the opportunity to take a sunset cruise with a front row seat to one of Africa’s finest wildlife settings. With herds of elephants crossing rivers using their trunks as snorkels, pods of hippos wallowing in the pools and the rare puku munching on the wetland grass this is a memory that will stay with you forever.

We continue to the Makgadikgadi Pans, one of the world’s largest salt flats, where you have the opportunity to explore this fascinating landscape from the comfort of a 4x4 while looking for meerkats.

The Okavango Delta is a truly delightful wildlife rich area where you will have the option to take a trip on a mokoro (traditional dug-out canoe) through the vast waterways of the delta in search of the crocodiles, hippos and elephants that make this park so special.

We enter Namibia in the wildlife-rich Caprivi Strip, a wild area well off the tourist trail where we have a day to explore the regions abundant wildlife from our base at Ngepi Lodge.

We continue to one of Africa’s greatest wildlife viewing venues, Etosha National Park, where we spend a couple of days driving through the park's desert and bushveld landscapes in search of lion, buffalo, elephant and giraffe, plus many of Africa’s other great mammals.

After exiting the park we will then visit a traditional Himba village and get an insight into these indigenous nomads' way of life.

Near Kamanjab we will be visiting a Cheetah Park where we get to see these incredible animals up close and watch them feeding.

On our route to the coast you will have the option to visit a petrified forest with 45m long trunks and also take a guided tour around the bushman rock engravings at Twyfelfontein.

The Skeleton Coast is a desolate place and a drive through this wilderness will allow us to see an abandoned oil rig, numerous shipwrecks and a noisy seal colony.

Spitzkoppe is Namibia's ‘Matterhorn’ and the sight of these bold granite outcrops rising dramatically out of the flat surrounding plains make it an awesome spectacle.

The adventure sports capital Swakopmund is where you will have the opportunity to go deep-sea fishing, quad-biking, sand-boarding, camel riding and skydiving, or just relax on the deserted beaches and enjoy the German influenced resort towns hospitality.

We now head to the iconic towering red sand dunes of the Namib Desert at Sossusvlei where you will have the option to climb the famous Dune 45 for sunrise. The more spirited ones can attempt the climb up the much more arduous Big Daddy dune to get a view over one of the driest landscapes on earth.

Our last stop in Namibia is at the awesome Fish River Canyon National Park where you will be amazed by one of Africa’s most incredible natural rifts.

South Africa’s Western Cape coast is wine country and it is here at Highlanders Vineyard where we get a taste of SA’s famous wines and enjoy the beautiful views that make this area world-famous.

Cape Town is our last port of call on this tour. Before heading home we recommend you take time to relax and enjoy the area’s attractions such as the nearby penguin colonies, Robben Island, cage diving with sharks and the brilliant V&A Waterfront. Not to be missed is a day trip around the Stellenbosch wineries, a must-do for any wine lovers and a divine last taste of Africa!

This tour ends after breakfast on the last day of the trip so you can make your onward travel arrangements accordingly.

If you would like to extend your trip our truck continues to visit more of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique before returning to Harare in Zimbabwe so you can add on any of these countries should you wish to.

If you end in Cape Town in April we have a truck that starts a Western Trans Africa from Cape Town, South Africa to Fez, Morocco a week after this tour ends so you could add on Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco should you wish to.

We are happy to create a bespoke itinerary and price for you so please feel free to contact us to discuss all options.

If you can’t do the whole tour it may be possible to shorten your tour.  Please get in touch and if this option is available we will be happy to work out a bespoke itinerary and reduced price for you.