Be a witness to the first possible Hong Kong Sevens victory for the Springbok Sevens team, 2009 World Champions.

For any enquiries contact: Pieter Rossouw tel: 021 912 4090 or e-mail: hksevens@livethejourney.co.za

The partnership between Live the Journey and Makro Sport is a definite guarantee that a trip to the 2010 Hong Kong Sevens will be a sport highlight for any sport loving fanatic. Live the Journey specialises in meaningful travel experiences, while Makro Sport has been involved in arrangements to the Hong Kong Sevens for more than 10 years … the ideal travel partners to organise your trip.

Live the Journey offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel with Mike Copeland to Ethiopia. Mike is an enthusiastic traveller who welcomes and enthuses you into his world of travelling. From his home in the Fairest Cape to such remote places as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somaliland, he is always looking for new challenges, experiences and information to share with readers of his books and articles. Author of the widely read and highly acclaimed Getaway Guide – Cape to Cairo, Getaway Guide to Mozambique and the Getaway Guide to Namibia he regards himself fortunate to be able to combine his passion for travelling with the pleasure of sharing his knowledge with others. With a particular love for Ethiopia, its people and culture he has visited the country many times and can’t get enough of this undiscovered destination. He knows every corner, and has guided groups in busses, planes, 4×4’s and motorbikes. Mike is our guide – he looks forward to showing you some of the wonders of this fascinating country.
We fly with Ethiopian Airlines, which has a very extensive network covering Europe, the USA, Africa and the East, and one of the best safety records in the world. Addis Ababa, and indeed most of Ethiopia, has a pleasant climate all year round – its altitude keeping it cool at night with warm sunny days. Addis has great markets, coffee shops and nightlife, all of which we will have time to explore. The guided city tours will take us to see the oldest [3.5 million-year] hominid skeleton ever discovered, as well as other historic sites that will whet your appetite for the exciting religious, cultural, natural, political and scenic adventure that lies ahead. Ethiopia is different, unique and unlike any other country. Only in Ethiopia will you hear the ancient Amharic language spoken, experience the Old-testament orthodox Christian religion and taste weird and wonderful cuisine, which includes Njera bread and spicy raw mincemeat. The people are proud, beautiful, independent and hospitable due to the fact that the country was never colonised and never needed missionaries.
Ethiopia is a wonderful destination for bird lovers as there are numerous species. The visit to the Oma Valley will be a unique opportunity to visit a wild and wonderful wilderness. But let’s fly off to Ethiopia.
So join us, we promise you the most fascinating 16 days of your life.

This tour is going to be an expedition.  The itinerary serves as an indication of the route, but due to  road conditions and unforeseen circumstances, the day-to-day programme may be adjusted.

Sunday, 20 June 2010

Day 0: Kunene River Lodge

Plan your programme to arrive no later that 13:00 at the Shell Garage in Ruacana.   Your guide and tour leader will meet you there.  This is also a last opportunity to refuel your vehicle and fill up your jerry cans.  Proceed from there in convoy to the Kunene River Lodge.  It is a beautiful drive running parallel with the Cunene River.  The Kunene River Lodge is situated on the river bank under shady trees.

Set-up camp and enjoy this pieceful environment.
Dinner at the camp.
O/N Camping Kunene River Lodge (dinner)

(hot showers and toilets)

Monday, 21 June 2010

Day 1 : West along the Cunene

Depart from the lodge and drive in a western direction.  En route we stop at the monument that commemorates the Dorsland Trekkers.  We also briefly stop at Swartbooisdrift where the Dorsland Trekkers crossed the Cunene into Angola.

We will be following one of the most scenic 4 x 4 tracks in the world as we drive along the Cunene with hundreds of Makalani Palms along the river and passing the Zebra Mountains.

Tonight we will set-up a bush camp.

O/N Bush Camp (brunch, dinner)

no facilities – camp shower

Tuesday, 22 June – Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Day 2 – 3: To Epupa

Today we continue further along the Cunene driving through tree arches formed by the branches of huge trees. Progress is slow due to bad road conditions, but that allows plenty of time to take in this amazing scenery.

Arrive late afternoon at Epupa … a wonderful sight awaits you.  Here the waters of the Cunene plunge to 60 meters below at the main stream with the river splitting up in hundreds of small waterfalls … a sight you will never forget.

Set-up camp at one of the campsites at Epupa.

Here you will also get closer acquainted with the Himbas and learn about their ancient culture.

O/N:  Day 2 – 3:  Campsite at Epupa (brunch, dinner)

(showers and toilets)

Thursday, 24 June – Friday, 25 June 2010

Day 4 – 5: Van Zyl’s Pass

Early departure from Epupa as we will need to negotiate Van Zyl’s Pass either today or tomorrow depending on progress – the true Kaokoland awaits you.  The road to Van Zyl’s Pass is very rocky and for this reason a vehicle with high ground clearance is a requirement (also off road trailers). The pass was named after Ben van Zyl, the “Bantu” Commissioner of the Kaokoveld in 1960.  He and his right-hand man, Jeremiah, together with a team of Himba’s built various routes in the Kaokoland.

The sight across the Marienfluss from the summit of Van Zyl’s Pass is awesome.  Van Zyl’s Pass (Otjihipa mountains) ends in the Marienfluss.  This beautiful grass plain is a wonderful sight.

O/N Day 4 – 5:  Bush Camp  (brunch, dinner)
No facilities – camp shower

Saturday, 26 June 2010

Day 6: Hartmansvallei

Today we explore the beautiful landscape to the north.  We will travel to the border of the Skeleton Coast Park, see wide-open plains, sand dunes and granite “koppies”.  Our overnight stop will be close to the Skeleton Coast Park in the Hartmansvallei near the Krokodil Mountain amongst the sand dunes.

O/N Bush Camp  (brunch, dinner)
No facilities – camp shower

Sunday, 27 June 2010

Day 7: Orupembe

Today we head south through a dune landscape en route to the rugged Kaokoland.  We are entering the domain of the desert elephant.  Be on the lookout for these elephants that have adapted over time to survive in these harsh conditions.  These desert elephants are one of a group of only two desert dwelling elephants found in the world … the other in Mali.
O/N Bush Camp near Orupembe (brunch, dinner)

No facilities – camp shower

Monday, 28 June  – Tuesday 29 June 2010

Day 8 – 9: Puros

Today we will follow the dry riverbed of the Khumib River.  We cross over to the Hoariseb River with a good chance of spotting the desert elephants.  You will notice the body mass of these elephants are lesser while their feet are bigger than the rest of their species that live in better conditions else where in Africa.

You can also be on the lookout for back rhino and lion.  Our overnight stop is Puros where we will spend two nights – this is to allow us to go in search of the elephants, rhino and lion.

O/N Day 8 – 9:  Bush Camp at Puros (brunch, dinner)

Basic camp facilities – cold shower and long drops

Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Day 10: Gainas Plain

From Puros we travel south along the boarder of the Skeleton Coast Park and through the Gainas Plain. To the Huanib River.  Here we will set-up a bush camp in the dry riverbed.

O/N Bush Camp (brunch, dinner)

No facilities – camp shower

Thursday, 01 July 2010

Day 11: Huanib River

Enjoy a game drive in the Huanib River.  This is truly a game viewing paradise.  Be on the lookout for giraffe, gemsbokke and desert elephants.  The mountains are beautiful and the sunset fantastic.

We arrive at the Palmwag Lodge where we will spend our last night together.  Set-up camp and enjoy dinner

O/N Camping at Palmwag Lodge (brunch, dinner)

Shower and toilets

Friday, 02 July 2010

Day 12: End of Tour

After breakfast it is time for sad farewells.  Break-up camp and depart at own pace home.  Khorixas is about 170 km from Palmwag.

Period        : 12 days

Rate            : group of minimum 16 people:  R8950-00 per person

Date            : 20 June – 02 July 2010

Included   : brunch and dinner daily, experienced guides in own vehicles, two way radio’s for vehicles, camping fees, consession fees, entrance fees.

Excluded    : transport, fuel, camping gear, travel insurance and vehicle insurance, drinks and things of a personal nature.

Note :  To optimise your experience the number of participants will be limited.  Bookings are essential.

Join us on “The Highwayman’s Adventure Route” on deep sand tracks through the vast expanse of Southern Africa’s largest conservation area.

The 06 Feb trips commence at Khama Rhino Sanctuary, we wend our way south, camping “rough” in the bush, to where the adventure ends in Nossop. The 19 Feb trip does the reverse journey from Nossop to Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

Towards the end of summer, presuming reasonable rains have fallen in the area, the Kgalagadi is noted for its large number of resident eagles, such as the Martial, Tawny, Black Breasted, Snake and Bateleur. These are joined in February and March by the migrant raptors, the Booted Eagle and Steppe Buzzard, and the rare Lesser Spotted Eagle.

We hope to be there when the numbers of eagles will be at their highest. However, we must not forget all the other wildlife we expect to see in the harsh but magnificent Kgalagadi Trans-frontier.

Your tour leader will be an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

Three meals a day will be prepared by our experienced bush chef in his mobile kitchen, with fresh salads, potjiekos, braais and many other surprises appearing on the menu. The good old “koffie pot” will be on the fire from six till late.

Our logistics crew will pitch and take down the camps at all the overnight stops we visit. Tents, tables and chairs are provided.

This is not a very “technical” 4×4 trip, but should you experience any difficulty, the crew do have the “know how” and recovery equipment to assist with most off-road problems.

Though our bush-camps will be interesting and rustic, you will at all times be safe, the crew will spare no effort to make you comfortable, provide you with good wholesome food and, most importantly, see that you have a good time.

Bring your family, your 4×4 or Sports Utility and join us on our self-drive Trans Botswana Safari. This is in no way a “hard core” adventure and no previous 4×4 experience is required.

This is a ten night, 11-day safari that starts in central Botswana at the town of Lethlekane and ends at Kasane in the north.

During the course of our travels, we will traverse the vast sand flats, which were once the great lakes of Southern Africa, fed by an even greater river. Over millions of years, the forces of nature diverted the course of the river, changing the face of this land.

Join us on an adventure to discover the marvels of this geological intrigue as we travel from what was the deepest part of the great lake at the Makgadikgadi Pans, westwards around the south of the Okavango Delta, northward along the course of the Okavango River into the Caprivi Strip via the mysterious Tsodilo Hills, eastwards along the Chobe River and on to the mighty Zambesi at the majestic Victoria Falls.

Your logistics team will be led by an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

Three meals a day will be prepared by our experienced bush chef in his mobile kitchen, with fresh salads, potjiekos, braais and many other surprises appearing on the menu. The good old “koffie pot” will be on the fire from six till late.

Our logistics crew will pitch and take down the camps at all the overnight stops we visit. Tents, tables and chairs are provided.

This is not a very “technical” 4×4 trip, but should you experience any difficulty, the crew do have the “know how” and recovery equipment to assist with most off-road problems.

Though our bush-camps may be rustic, you will at all times be safe, the crew will spare no effort to make you comfortable, provide you with good wholesome food and, most importantly, see that you have a good time.

All the campsites visited, other than Kubu Island, will have hot showers and flush toilets.

This spectacular palm covered coastline that was off limits to us South Africans for such a long time is now once again available for us to explore and enjoy.

Starting in the magnificent Kruger Park, we travel east into the lush lowlands of Mozambique, we cross the mighty Limpopo and on to the coastal flood plains. As we travel overland, the land changes abruptly from a broad belt of savannah and woodland to a narrow, palm-studded strip of beach along the coast at Inhassoro, a small sleepy fishing village, which is directly opposite the northern side of the Bazaruto Archipelago.

Despite the brutal civil war and the floods, which ravaged this poor country. Mozambique’s sandy palm-fringed beaches and coral reefs of the Bazaruto Archipelago still qualify as one of the most beautiful places in Africa. After almost a decade of peace Mozambique is returning to its rightful place as one of the jewels of Africa.

Declared a National Park in 1971 the whole area between the mainland and the 150-fathom mark is a protected world-class conservation area.

The Archipelago boasts 180 species of birds, various endemic butterflies, freshwater crocodiles, Samango monkeys and the Suni antelope. Around 2 000 fish species also occur here. The waters surrounding the islands are home to more than 80% of all marine fish families of the Indo-Pacific – around 2 000 species including the largest fish in the world – the whale shark. The protected reefs also support dolphin, the endangered dugong, game fish, marine turtles and giant lobster. The bird life includes the Madagascar Squacco heron, Narina Trogon, Nyasa Seedcracker and Green Coucal while Lesser Flamingos visit the islands as well.

Having obtained permits to do so, we explore the tropical beaches, discovering the wonders of the coral lined coast, and with luck, we may encounter the elusive dugong.

We will enjoy the tranquillity of the beautiful beaches and go snorkelling in the crystal clear water and a day island cruise will be the ideal way to explore the stunning ocean off the islands of the Archipelago.

Your tour leader is an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

Three meals a day will be prepared by our experienced bush chef in his mobile kitchen, with fresh salads, potjiekos, braais and many other surprises appearing on the menu. The good old “koffie pot” will be on the fire from six till late.

Our logistics crew will pitch and take down the camps at the two-tented overnight stops we visit. Tents, tables and chairs are provided.

This is not a very “technical” 4×4 trip, but should you experience any difficulty, the crew do have the “know how” and recovery equipment to assist with most off-road problems.

Though our bush-camps may be rustic, you will at all times be safe, the crew will spare no effort to make you comfortable, provide you with good wholesome food and, most importantly, see that you have a good time.

Not much has changed along the banks of the Mighty Zambezi since the great hunter-explorer, Frederick Courtenay Selous wrote in his journal about his travels in this wild and beautiful country, “As I travel up this great vein of water, I feel sure that this must be the lifeblood of Southern Africa and its most powerful water mass.”

Our route takes us from Kasane in Botswana to Katima Mulilo in Namibia, where we catch our first glimpse of the Mighty Zambezi. Following the course of the Zambezi past the Sioma Falls we cross the Barotse Flood plains and on to the town of Kalabo in Western Zambia.

From Kalabo, we enter the Liuwa Plains National Park where we will encounter the second biggest wildebeest migration in Africa. At times, wildebeest and their calves can be seen in their hundreds, followed by the predators that stalk them.

Though this off-road safari will be “tough going” at times and will put your sense of adventure to the test, the rewards will far outweigh the hardships you might encounter.

Your tour leader is an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

Three meals a day will be prepared by our experienced bush chef in his mobile kitchen, with fresh salads, potjiekos, braais and many other surprises appearing on the menu. The good old “koffie pot” will be on the fire from six till late.

Our logistics crew will pitch and take down the camps at all the overnight stops we visit. Tents, tables and chairs are provided.

The route we will be negotiating will be tough at times, our tours are however never designed to be “vehicle breakers”, and should you experience any difficulty, the crew do have the “know how” and recovery equipment to assist with most off-road problems.

Though our bush-camps will be rustic and interesting, you will at all times be safe, the crew will spare no effort to make you comfortable, provide you with good wholesome food and, most importantly, see that you have a good time.

Bring your family, your 4×4 or Sports Utility and join the Team on our self-drive Zululand Safari. This is in no way a “hard core” adventure and no previous 4×4 experience is required.

Take this opportunity to drive and walk in South Africa’s oldest game reserve, and royal hunting ground of Shaka Zulu.  Frank and one of his former Zulu colleagues will enhance this experience and share anecdotes of rhino protection, game capture and Zulu history.

Accessible to only 4X4’s, Maputuland’s sand tracks meander past fresh-water inland lakes, under tropical tree canopies and to beaches lined with coral reefs.

Our accommodation on this adventure, ranges from unfenced bush lodges to chalets on the dunes in the Kosi Bay lake system

Your tour leader, is a highly skilled tour guide with extensive experience in tour guiding, 4×4 driver training and biological interpretation.  He is also an extensively trained game ranger with expert knowledge in wildlife conservation, as well as guided walks and tours.

The trusty bush chef will be close on hand to assist lodge staff with all our catering requirements.

South Africa’s premier game reserve KNP has in recent years become extensively larger as its boundaries shift into transfrontier parks and conservation areas in the form of conservancies.

Three of these areas are exclusive due to their 4×4 access only. The Makuya area in the northwest, the Letaba Ranch area in the central west and the Manyaletie area bordering the Sabi Sands.  We spend two nights in each area; in private camps with bush lodge accommodation that only sleep ten people.

This is a private safari with all the perks of luxury bush lodge accommodation, high-tech game viewing and with guided drives and walks.

Your tour leader will be an experienced nature conservationist and adventure guide. He will be in radio contact with you at all times and impart a wealth of biological, cultural, historic and four-wheel drive knowledge.

Three meals a day will be prepared by our experienced bush chef in his mobile kitchen, with fresh salads, potjiekos, braais and many other surprises appearing on the menu. The good old “koffie pot” will be on the fire from six till late.

This is not a very “technical” 4×4 trip, but should you experience any difficulty, the crew do have the “know how” and recovery equipment to assist with most off-road problems.