Orange River to Zambezi River

DAY 1: RENDEZVOUS ORANJEMUND

Travel in your own time to Op My Stoep Lodge, which is in Oranjemund just across the Orange River from Alexander Bay.

Oranjemund is a spectacular border crossing … driving across the Orange River on a single carriageway. The Ernest Oppenheimer Bridge is the longest single lane bridge in southern Africa, connecting South Africa and Namibia.

Oranjemund is the most southwestern beacon of civilization in Namibia. This is where our expedition starts. Arrive in own time and settle in. Dinner tonight will be the first of many “lekker kuiers” around the dinner table.

Op My Stoep Guesthouse
Is situated in the Namib Desert – the oldest desert in the world – in the extreme southwest of Namibia, is also bordered by the Orange River and Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the river, thus its German name Oranjemund, meaning “Mouth of the Orange”. Oranjemund was established in 1936, following Hans Merensky's discovery of significant alluvial diamond deposits on the north bank of the Orange River and the adjacent northern coastline. Oranjemund has a mild desert climate with pleasant temperatures throughout the year, therefore making it an attraction location for year-round visits. The original building was built in 1971, but was used as the Horse-Riding Club, where all horse enthusiasts would come together to share their passion and love for the elegant four-legged animal. In 2006 the OP MY STOEP lodge was built on the old gymkhana and show jumping grounds, with the restaurant and bar having been started earlier.

Guests can check in from 14h00.

19h00 - Group members will meet our tour leader in the main dining area of the lodge.

19h30 - We kick off the tour with a delicious à la carte Dinner for the client’s own account.

O/N Op my Stoep (Oranjemund)
NO Camping options
- Standard Double/Twin Room
- Bed and Breakfast basis

DAY 2: ORANJEMUND - FISH RIVER CANYON

07h00 –09h00 Enjoy breakfast at your Guesthouse and check-out.

Depart in convoy from Op my Stoep driving through Jurassic Park landscape with glimpses of the Orange River to reach Rosh Pinah. This is your last fuel stop south of the lodge. By following back roads, we reach the western rim of the Fish River Canyon.

The five-star Fishriver Lodge's location is breathtakingly beautiful. The view that this lodge offers over the canyon will stay with you forever!

Check-in at the lodge and then enjoy the vistas of the canyon. You can explore the canyon and surrounds by foot and stand in awe of this 500-million-year-old geological wonder.

Fish River Lodge is the only lodge directly on the rim of the canyon, with 70 km of river frontage and access down to the Fish River by vehicle. The lodge and all the chalets are between 5 m and 8 m from the edge.

Please check the time of departure for the sundowner drive as this can vary from 16h00 -17h00.

15h45 - Those interested can meet at the lodge reception for a Sundowner drive.

16h00 - Enjoy a Sundowner drive at the Lodge.

19h00 - Dinner will be enjoyed at the lodge.

O/N Fish River Lodge or similar (Fish River Canyon)
NO Camping options
- Standard Twin/Double Rooms
- Dinner, Bed & Breakfast basis

DAY 3: FISH RIVER CANYON - KALAHARI

07h00-09h00 – The whole group will enjoy breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast and check-out, we drive to Keetmanshoop where there will be time to refuel. Keetmanshoop is seen as the capital of southern Namibia and is the centre of Karakul sheep farming.

From Keetmanshoop we proceed to Koës on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. You will gradually start to notice the red Kalahari sand. Our destination for the day is the Kalahari Game Lodge on the banks of the Auob River, which is dry for most part of the year. Here the landscape comprises typical Kalahari red dunes and some patches of grass. The area of the lodge was previously used for sheep and cattle farming now rehabilitated to restore it to its natural state where wildlife can roam.

15h00 Arrival at lodge.

Kalahari Game Lodge
Kalahari Game Lodge has eight luxury chalets with beautiful views of the surrounding area. For the more adventurous there are six secluded campsites situated, spaciously apart, along the dry Auob riverbed. Self-catering campsite has no electricity with private ablution facilities lighted by Solar energy and water-heating system with wood-fired donkey boiler.

Enjoy Dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Kalahari Game Lodge or similar (Close to Mata Mata border post)
- Standard Double/Twin Rooms + Campsites
- Dinner & Breakfast basis (meals is included for campers as well)

DAY 4: NORTH TO GOBABIS

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge.

We hit the road after breakfast.

Our destination for the day is Gobabis. From the lodge we follow the picturesque twee-spoor D1022 to Aranos, which is a town in the Hardap Region mostly surrounded by farms. The town was proclaimed a village in 1958 and received town status in 2010. We will have an opportunity to refuel in Aranos

From Aranos it is about 240 km, still heading north, to reach Gobabis the heart of Namibia’s cattle country. The town is the supply centre for nearly 500 farms in the area. Gobabis will also be our main supply stop. In the days to follow we will really leave civilization behind and for this reason it will be good to stock-up or refill supplies while in a large town. Our journey will take us through the Khaudum Game Park a true wilderness area where you need to be self-sufficient as far as camping gear, fuel, water, and meals are concerned.

Sandune Game Lodge
Set on 9 000 hectares in the Kalahari Forest near Gobabis and about 160 km from the Windhoek International Airport, Sandune provides the absolute best in luxury accommodation. With more than 1 000 game animals and over 20 different species, the lodge offers onsite and local activities, complimented by world-class cuisine and exceptional hospitality. Sandune allows our guests to live out their very own Safari dream in a luxury lodge. In the heart of Namibia’s cattle farming area, Sandune offers 12 spacious rooms and 4 cottages with daily cleaning services and various outdoor activities, such as hiking, game drives and horseback riding. Luxurious comforts await our guests at the lodge, with each of its rooms and cottages as cosy and as comfortable as you can imagine.

Arrive in Gobabis late afternoon and check-in at your accommodation.

Enjoy dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Sandune Game Lodge or similar (Gobabis area)
- Standard Twin/Double Rooms + Campsites
- Dinner and Breakfast basis (meals booked for campers as well)

DAY 6: TSUMKWE AND SURROUNDS

Enjoy breakfast at the lodge.

After all the hard driving the last couple of days we will have a more relaxing day. We will drive to the Dorsland Trekker Tree … a huge baobab. It keeps growing, despite having fallen. From afar it looks like more than one tree. In 1883 the Dorsland trekkers camped at the tree and carved the year into the trunk. In 1891 a detachment of German troops passed the tree and carved "1891" and the name of three people in the group "H. Gathemann", "E. Heller" and "D. Hannemann" into the tree.

The Dorsland Trek started in 1879 in the old western Transvaal. Trekkers were in search of independence and started various small treks that became collectively known as the Dorsland Trek, (“Thirstland Trek”). It followed a route through Botswana, Namibia to Angola. Several families settled at Humpata in Angola and other turned south again.

Enjoy dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Tuscin Tsumkwe Lodge (Naye-Naye Concession area)

DAY 5: GOBABIS / NAMIBIAN BUSHMANLAND

Enjoy breakfast at your lodge before your check out and depart.

Guests needs to stock up for Lunches that they will need to prepare themselves when camping in Khaudum.

Few tourists have driven the routes that we will follow today. We will drive in the vicinity where the body of Jan Joubert was found in 2006. He was well-known in Namibia as conservationist, cartographer and known as Mr 4x4.

Continuing further northwards, we enter Namibia’s Boesmanland a sparsely populated area. We will drive past and through pans and stony plains, some dunes and even woodland. Our destination for the day is Tsumkwe, a small town with about 500 inhabitants. About 2 400 San live in the area.

Tuscin Tsumkwe Lodge is basic, but our only option in this area. Campers must please be aware that the camping area can be very sandy & dusty.

Tuscin Tsumkwe Lodge
Tsumkwe, situated in the northern Kalahari in the Nyae Nyae conservancy, is an ideal adventurous starting point to reach the Zambezi (Caprivi) Region via Khaudom National Park as well as Botswana via the Dobe border post to experience the famous Okavango-Delta. Visitors with a car can also easily reach the lodge via Grootfontein. Visitors to TUCSIN Tsumkwe Lodge will not only be able to experience the ancient and unique culture of the Ju/’hoansi, but will also be contributing to the improved livelihoods of the local San community. Self-catering campsite has electrical point, waterpoint, BBQ pit, communal ablution.

Enjoy dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Tuscin Tsumkwe Lodge (Naye-Naye Concession area)
- Standard Twin/Double Rooms + Campsites
- Dinner and Breakfast basis (meals booked for campers as well)

DAY 8: KHAUDUM GAME RESERVE

This morning will be at leisure, each couple will prepare their own breakfast and lunch snack.

Day at leisure for game viewing in the park.

Our Live the Journey team will be preparing dinner for the group tonight.

O/N Khaudum Camp
- Large Campsites to share
- Dinner arranged by LTJ Staff

DAY 7: TSUMKWE - KHAUDUM

Enjoy breakfast at your Lodge.

Today we are really leaving civilization behind. For the next couple of days, you will need to be self- sufficient as far as meals (LTJ will supply dinners), water, fuel, camping gear, etc. are concerned … we are heading for the Khaudum, one of the last wilderness areas in Namibia.

*Please note that the South Gate of Khaudum Park will be open at 06H00 - 18H00. Sikeretti Campsite (MET) is closed. To enter the Khaudum Game Park from the South (Sikereti Camp) Tsumkwe. Drive North on the D3315 and the D3303 to Sikereti. From Tsumkwe to Sikereti is approximately 50km.

Park fee and entrance fee is for your own account. Clients need to settle the Park fees as they enter the Park, please have cash handy.

The following information about the Khaudum was copied from the website of the Dept of Environment, Forestry and Tourism:

Khaudum Camp, Khaudum National Park
Wilderness is indeed the Khaudum’s comparative advantage. The Park, situated in north-eastern Namibia bordering Botswana, has less than 3 000 visitors annually and there are few tracks through the deep Kalahari sand. More elephants than people are seen around the park. It is a refuge for African Wild dog and Roan antelope, Lion, Cheetah and Leopard are also found here. The Park is unfenced except along the Botswana border, so game is able to move freely between neighbouring conservancies and small-scale farms. Hence, Park staff co-operate with the conservancies in the joint management of the wildlife.

Self-catering campsite has no electricity, beautiful camp sites with 1 x ablution (toilet & shower) per campsite.

Our Live the Journey team will be preparing dinner for the group tonight.

O/N Khaudum Camp
NO lodge option. Lodge guests MUST camp for these two nights.
- Large Campsites to share
- Breakfast at Tsumkwe Lodge and Dinner arranged by Live the Journey Staff

DAY 10: MAHANGO

Enjoy breakfast at your Lodge.

Relaxation is on the menu today. Today is at leisure and you can enjoy the optional activities at the lodge or depart on a self-drive game drive in the Mahango Game Reserve (Bwabwata National Park).

Park fee and entrance fee is for your own account. Clients need to settle the Park fees as they enter the Park, please have cash handy.

The Park is small and cover an area of 245 km². The C48 bisects the park with bushland on the west and the “waterfront” road to the east. You can expect to see herds of elephant and buffalo as well as rare species like roan and sable antelope, common reedbuck, bushbuck, waterbuck and tssessebe. There are also giraffes, zebras, impalas, and kudus in the park. The main predators are lion, leopard, and hyena. The large floodplains, reed islands and wetland areas make the Mahango Park a bird’s paradise.

Optional activities:
Guests can prebook with the lodge or arrange with reception, for your own account.

* Explore the Kavango River on a mokoro or boat trip to Popa Falls.
* Fishing from a fishing boat on the Kavango River. The species range from Tiger Fish, Tilapia and Catfish depending on the time of year.

Enjoy dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Shametu River Lodge (Divundu area)

DAY 9: CAPRIVI STRIP

This morning each couple will prepare their own breakfast and lunch snack, before we start to pack up.

Break-up camp and continue north to join the B8 … then drive towards the Caprivi. The Caprivi is like a stretched-out arm with a hand that was attached to Namibia. How did this happen? The Caprivi was named after Leo von Caprivi a German Chancellor, who negotiated the land with the United Kingdom in 1890 in exchange for Zanzibar. The Germans wanted the area to have access to the Zambezi River.

The “arm” of the Caprivi consists of the Bwabwata National Park. In 2007 the Caprivi Game Reserve and Mahango Game Reserve became collectively the Bwabwata National Park.

Our destination for the day is Shametu Lodge where you will experience the tranquility of the Kavango River on your doorstep. The Kavango River is Africa’s fourth-longest river system. It starts in Angola where it is known as Rio Cubango and flows 1 600 km south into the Okavango Delta in Botswana. At Popa Falls the river drops 4 meters in a series of rapids.

Drive approximately 200km on the B8 until you reach Divundu. Turn right on the C48. Continue for approximately 7km until you see the sign to turn off to Shametu River Lodge. Turn left and continue for approximately 1km until you reach our entrance.

Shametu River Lodge
Shametu River Lodge enjoys luxurious solitude on the edge of the Okavango river with a magnificent view of the unique Popa Falls. The lodge is halfway between the major gems of Southern Africa, the Okavango Delta and the Victoria Falls, making it an ideal stopover to unwind during your journey.

Self-catering campsites have Electricity and grass, own kitchenette and ablution (shower and toilet and hand basin), however not close to the river and do not have a river view.

Check in on arrival.

15h45 - Guests should be at the lodge reception to join the afternoon sunset cruise no later than 15h45.

16h15 - Boat cruises starts at 16h15. (non-private as other guests can join if booked and depending on the final numbers more than one boat may be used so the group might be split.)

Enjoy dinner at your Lodge.

O/N Shametu River Lodge (Divundu area)
- Chalets/Tents OR Campsite
- Dinner and Breakfast Basis (meals booked for campers as well)

DAY 11: DIVUNDU / ZAMBEZI MUBALA CAMP

Enjoy breakfast at your Lodge.

It is check-out time after breakfast, with our journey taking us deeper into the Caprivi. We will follow the Trans Caprivi Highway, also known as the Golden Highway.

Today we will drive to Katima Mulilo. There will be an opportunity to refuel and then we will head to the Zambezi. This will be an 320km, estimated 3-4 hours drive through to Katima Mulilo. Forty kilometers east of Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Mubala Camp is tucked away under a canopy of green and this is where our tour will conclude on the banks of the Zambezi River.

Enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

Zambezi Mubala Camp
Formerly known as Island View, this camp provides the creature comforts for the city-slickers without taking away from the outdoors experience. Safari camping on the banks of the Zambezi River takes camping to an entirely new level. Eight safari tents (sleeping four) with en-suite bathrooms provide comfortable Zambezi homes. Guests have the option of cooking up a storm in their fully equipped kitchens, having a bite to eat at the camp’s restaurant or picking up a braai pack for a hearty barbeque. Days are spent lounging along the water, be it river or pool, with birdsong and the soft song of the Zambezi to keep you company. Hop aboard a boat trip to explore the Zambezi, try your luck at luring the elusive Tiger Fish and savour the colours of a rich red sunset over the calm surface of the water. When night falls, the stars put on one of the finest shows on the planet, and Zambezi peace wafts through the camp like a fresh and rejuvenating breeze.

16h45 - Meet for your cruise departure.

17h00-18h30 – This afternoon we will enjoy a sunset cruise on the Zambezi with refreshments included. (non-private as other hotel guests can join if booked, depending on final numbers more than one boat may be used so group might be split)

When night falls, we will have our group dinner together while the stars put on one of the finest shows on the planet and the Zambezi peace wafts through the camp like a fresh and rejuvenating breeze.

19h00 - Enjoy dinner together as a group.

O/N Zambezi Mubala Camp
- Tents + Campsites
- Dinner and Breakfast basis (meals booked for campers as well)

DAY 12: ZAMBEZI MUBALA CAMP / CHOBE RIVER CAMP

Enjoy breakfast at your Lodge.

Today we will take a drive to Chobe River Camp, this is only a 1h30 hour drive.

Enjoy Lunch at Chobe River camp.

With a possibility of a visit to the Traditional Mali Village, BUT this can only be arrange once we arrive at the lodge, so this visit is not guaranteed, unguided, experience an open-air museum to learn about the traditional way of life of the local tribe Masubia, the largest of the Sub-ethnic groups found in Eastern Caprivi: donation or entry fee is an additional cost and for your own account.

Return to your Lodge this afternoon.

Remember your Mosquito repellent, we are eating under the stars tonight.

19h00 - Enjoy dinner together as a group at your private Group table as set up under the stars at the Camping2Go area for the last time!

O/N Zambezi Mubala Camp
- Tents + Campsites
- Dinner and Breakfast basis (meals booked for campers as well)

DAY 13: CHOBE RIVER CAMP / END OF MAIN TOUR

Enjoy breakfast at your Lodge.

Guests would say their goodbyes and will check out and depart, each on their own homebound Journey.

Drive safe! We hope you have enjoyed this adventure!

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL END OF THE MAIN TOUR.

Most clients have booked their own enroute accommodation for their homebound journey to South Africa.

END OF TOUR