A Trip to Africa with
Alexey Zakharov *
"By the Footsteps
of the Big Five"

This day we start flying to South Africa. There are many flight options, you can choose the one that seems to you the most convenient and profitable.

On the second day of our stay in Cape Town, we will go to the Cape of Good Hope, on the way we will stop at a colony of African penguins. The road to the Cape of Good Hope runs along one of the 10 most beautiful passes in the world – Chapman Pass. After lunch, you will climb the famous Table Mountain. You can walk (about 2 hours) to a height of 1086 meters, or take the funicular. And in the evening, before dinner, we will visit the Signal Hill by car and will watch the sunset over the ocean.

Daily mileage - 150km,
Accommodation - hotel in Cape Town.

This day will be spent almost by driving the car. We will cover 700 km to the north of the country, the way will lie through scenic mountains, through high passes. And of caouse, we will stop for a wine tasting at one of the many wineries in South Africa.

Daily mileage - 690 km,
Accommodation - hotel or camping in Springbok (tent or room).

In the morning, after breakfast, we will move towards the ghost town of Kolmanskupe. This town was built on a diamond mine in the 19th century, but at the beginning of the 20th century the diamonds in the mine were exhausted and the city became abandoned. After a walk around the city (with a visit, or rather with penetration into old houses covered with desert sands), we will start toward the valley of red dunes. Sossusvlei is the heart of the Namib Desert. We will climb one of the highest dune to watch the sun creeping over the horizon.

Daily mileage - 450 km,
Accommodation - camping in the desert (tents only).

In the morning, after breakfast, we leave Swakopmund and head for Etosha Park. The road lies along the shore of Skeletons, where we can see the remains of sunken ships, skeletons of animals and fish. The name of the coast is justified! Then we will visit a colony of fur seals, numbering more than 3,000 individuals, and by the evening we will reach the Etosha National Park. We will stay on the camping site with a swimming pool, where we will allow ourselves to relax a little from the intense impressions of the past days of travel. Here, for the first time, we will organize a real safari. We will observe wild animals in their natural habitat.

Daily mileage - 475 km,
Accommodation - Camping on the territory of Etosha Park (tent or room).

In the morning after breakfast, Bushmen hunters will be waiting for us to take us hunting with them (2-3 hours), after returning from hunting, we turn off the camp and go further towards Botswana. Crossing the border from Namibia to Botswana at a very small and missing border crossing on maps. Interestingly, this border crossing only works when the sun is shining, because there is no electricity there. After crossing the border, we keep our way to the city of Maun. We have dinner there and spend the night at the hotel.

Daily mileage - 450 km,
Accommodation - hotel in Maun.

In the morning we break camp in Moremi Park, cross Chobe Park with the largest elephant population and arrive at the border crossing point from Botswana to Zimbabwe. After the border, we will head to the pearl of South Africa - Victoria Falls. There are many interesting activities waiting for us here: this is a helicopter or hang glider flight over a waterfall, a sunset cruise, a jump from a giant bungee, or a flight over a gorge, as well as the largest souvenir market, this is where we recommend you to go shopping for crafts of the local population. In the morning of the 14th day, we will cross the border to Zambia on foot to look at Victoria Falls from the other side, and to take an unforgettable swim in the Devil's Bowl at Victoria Falls. In the second half of the 14th day, a plane awaits us, which will take us, with our impressions from this unforgettable African trip, to sweet home.

Daily mileage - 350 km,
Accommodation - hotel in Victoria Falls.