An immersive tour of Southern Africa including gorillas and game drives
Witness vast landscapes, natural wonders, towns rich in cultural traditions and modern cities humming with life on this epic journey through Africa. This 64-day odyssey takes you from cosmopolitan Cape Town to the bustling streets of Nairobi, travelling through immense canyons, verdant mountains, gorgeous beaches and beautiful villages along the way. Encounter the sweeping beauty of the Serengeti, meet the San people, have close encounters with mountain gorillas and be warmed by Malawi. Camp on balmy beaches in Tanzania, trek through steamy rainforest and see cheeky chimps at play in Uganda. With unforgettable inclusions plus plenty of freedom, this adventure was designed for curious travellers with a strong independent streak.
Gorilla permits included! Seek out the rare mountain gorilla on a trek through Uganda’s steamy forests and spend an unforgettable hour in their presence.
Go on safaris in iconic spots like Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti savanna, the Okavango Delta and the Masai Mara.
A local leader and crew, plus plenty of time in villages and small towns, means you’ll have the opportunity to meet heaps of locals from all walks of life.
Chill out on the northern beaches of Zanzibar, enjoying white sand and the sparkling blue waters of the Indian Ocean.
Travel for good! Visit community-based projects that empower women, promote economic freedom and protect wildlife.
This is an overland trip. That means you’ll be travelling with a group in a purpose-built vehicle, visiting remote communities, setting up your own tent, occasionally roughing it in the bush and getting the best possible chance to spot the Big Five. While the trucks don’t have air conditioning, they do have sliding windows which let in the breeze and make it even easier to take spectacular snaps of the local wildlife. For more info on this style of travel, see our Africa overland page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/africa/overland
We use mokoros (small dugout canoes) to pass through the shallow waterways of the Okavango Delta to get to our campsite for the night.
At Usambara Mountains the group will do an easy hike to the beautiful Irente viewpoint.
Camp in the Serengeti National Park itself without fences between you and the animals. Your leader will brief you on the safety measures the group will need to take for the two nights spent in the park.
Conditions during the gorilla trek can be muddy and uncomfortable. But the sheer thrill in coming across a habituated group of gorillas, dominated by a great male silverback, outweighs any difficulty. You need to be prepared and fit enough to walk up to 4 hours – up and down hills. A top tip is to pack some gardening gloves to assist in any up-hill climbs. See https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/gorilla-trekking for more information.
As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.
Trip departures are unavailable.
There are currently no scheduled departures on our Africa Encompassed Northbound trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.
1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Day 7 to 9 (Chalet) and Day 17(Camping with facilities) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2.This trip requires a higher non-refundable deposit (AUD 1000, USD 1000, EUR 800, NZD 1250, GBP 650, CAD 1000, ZAR 8000, CHF 900) in order to secure the included gorilla permit. Please note that we will need to confirm the availability of a gorilla permit if you are booking within 45 days of the departure date. The additional deposit paid at time of booking will be credited to the final balance of your booking.
3. Optional sunrise balloon rides in the Serengeti National Park and Masai Mara National Reserve are possible on this itinerary. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited and we recommend you book in advance. Please inquire when booking your trip to secure spot for this optional activity.
4. This trip is a combination of UXOF, YXOS, YXON, YXOQ and YXOG our most popular itineraries. As such the make up of your group and your leader may change on days 22, 38, 41 and 49.
5. The Zanzibar portion of your itinerary may have more than 22 passengers as we have a few tours that overlap in Zanzibar.
6. This trip finishes upon arrival in Nairobi on Day 64. Please do not book any flights until after 10 pm on this evening.
7. Our operator has advised that customers with the J&J vaccine and no booster may have difficulty crossing the border into Botswana (and potentially Zimbabwe) without a negative test result. This information conflicts with various government travel advice websites. We recommend you check with your local consulate before travel to ensure you have the most up to date information.
Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.
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