An All-in-One African Adventure

After an early arrival at Kigali Airport, Rob, Shannon and their travel companions were met by a VIP guest manager who assisted them with customs and immigration clearance. A short road transfer to their overnight hotel allowed the group to relax and recover from their long flight to Africa.

After a good night’s rest, the group was taken on a morning tour of the city, where they visited the Genocide Memorial, the Gahaya Links and the local craft market for an unforgettable shopping experience. Post lunch, the group was transferred to Volcano Manor – approximately a 2.5 hours’ drive from Kigali to Ruhengeri at the foothills of the Virungas. They checked in at Volcano Manor for their two-night stay, close to the meeting point for exhilarating and much-anticipated gorilla trekking experience to see the critically endangered mountain gorillas, the largest living primates on earth.

After an early breakfast, the group departed for their second gorilla trek. With a delicious lunch behind them, they checked out and hopped on a road transfer to catch their business class flight to Jomo Kenyatta international Airport in Nairobi, Kenya for the next leg of their journey.

On arrival they were met and transferred to Mahili Mzuri where they stayed for three nights in tented suites. With an early morning pick up, the travel companions prepared for a one-hour sunrise hot air balloon flight over the magnificent Maasai Mara, followed by breakfast at a special location and a brief game drive back to camp.

Cape Town was next on Rob, Shannon and friends’ African tour, where they settled at the Westin Hotel situated in the heart of the city.

The next few days were packed with tours of the Cape Winelands, city tours, a visit to Table Mountain and even a helicopter flip for a bird’s eye view of this magnificent, cosmopolitan city. High tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel was followed by a full-day Cape Point tour, including Hout Bay, Chapmans Peak, Cape Point Nature Reserve, Funicular and Boulders Beach to see the penguins in their natural habitat. Their stay in Cape Town wasn’t complete wihtout a Street Art & Township Tour, allowing the guests to experience Cape Town authentically. The township tour of Khayelitsha and street art walking tour of Woodstock allowed the group to meet inspiring local residents and artists doing incredible things across the city. They rounded off their visit to the Cape with a full-day Whales & Hermanus Tour, spending a memorable day driving along the picture-perfect coastal route, looking out for the majestic Southern Right Whale and stopping to taste wine from the highly acclaimed Hemel en Aarde region.

With their visit to the Cape completed, the group caught business class flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg, then Livingstone Airport in Zambia where they transferred to Royal Chundu Zambezi River to overnight for two nights. Royal Chundu, the “meeting place of the Chief”, is a breathtaking lodge situated on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River and overlooking the majestic river and surrounding bushveld. Spacious suites and lounging areas masterfully blend colonial elegance and African charm, offering 10 villas on the mainland on the banks of the Zambezi and 4 private suites on the Katombora Island. Rob, Shannon and their companions visited the world-famous Victoria Falls and were treated to Big 5 game drives, with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the unspoilt surrounds during their stay.

After a luxurious stay in Zambia, the group moved on to their final destination: the Okavango Delta. Their transfer from Royal Chundu to Kasane Airport, including a border crossing, took the guests to their scheduled charter flight, landing at Xugana Airstrip. On arrival they were met and transferred to Xugana Lagoon where they stayed for their final three nights. The most spectacular permanent water site in the entire Okavango Delta, Xugana Island Lodge is situated on a wooded island abutting the lagoon. The thatched common area, comprising cocktail bar, lounge and curio shop, is still the original building put up in 1974, when Xugana became only the second tourist lodge ever built in the Okavango Delta. Mokoro trips in eco-friendly dugout canoes built to the traditional design, boat safaris to lagoons and islands and wilderness walks gave guests the chance to see the Delta wildlife such as sitatunga and lechwe antelope, crocodile and hippo, as well as the other big game that frequent the islands and riverine fringes. Bird-watching opportunities were outstanding.

After a magnificent 19-day holiday, Rob, Shannon and their friends transferred to the airstrip for their scheduled light aircraft charter flight to Maun Airstrip to begin their return journey.