Week 1 – 2: Turkey

Start in Istanbul, Turkey with its olive groves and sweet baklava.  Why not get to Istanbul on the original Orient Express train from London?
Our first stop is ANZAC’s Gallipoli to pay our respects to the fallen heroes of the expeditionary force. We cross to Asia by ferry to the wooden horse at Troy and to Selcuk and the limestone curtain of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Ephesus. Then to Olympus to visit the Chimera Eternal flame and the Turquoise Coast at Kas. Heading into Cappadocia we visit the fairy tale land carved by the weather into the volcanic ash. Try a Turkish bath and some belly dancing whilst you’re here.

Week 3 – 4: Jordan & Syria

We head into Syria at Bab el Howa or “Gate of the Winds” and descend on to the plains to Aleppo with its ancient markets and buildings. Here we see crusader castles and the myriad of things to buy in the many souks of Damascus – the oldest city in the world. We cross the border to Jordan and a quick dip in the Dead Sea before heading up to Petra the ancient rock city and into Wadi Rum and memories from "Lawrence of Arabia". We take a ferry to the Sinai Desert, Egypt

Week 5 – 7: Egypt - Cairo - Pyramids & Sphinx

On the Sinai Peninsular at Dahab we have a few days to relax on the beach of the Red Sea. This is one of the best places to go scuba diving in the world. We cross the Suez Canal to Cairo where we spent a few days to look at the great pyramids in Giza and the immense collections of the Cairo Museum with treasures and chariots and golden masks thousands of years old Luxor, we visit Karnak Temple the Colossi of Memnon & Valley of the Kings & Tutankhamen's Tomb on donkeys. In Aswan we visit the High Dam &Philae Island Temple. Most take a felucca sailing boat on the river for a few days and also go to see the Temples of Abu Simbel. We take the ferry crossing Lake Nasserto Wadi Halfa in to the desert of Sudan

Week 8 – 9: Sudan

From Wadi Halfa we cross the sandy Nubian and Bayuda Deserts stopping at time forgotten friendly villages on the Nile. We visit the Pharonic Pyramids of Meroe in an un-spoilt, seldom visited desert setting. Khartoum where the Blue & White Nile join watch dervish dancing or even join in the Nubian wrestling - safer just to watch. We follow the Blue Nile toGedaref and Ethiopia.
Week 10 – 12: Ethiopia
Tissisat Falls is the source of the Blue Nile. We visit Gondar; a city of castles and churches.  You can take Landrovers to visit the Simien Mountains where you can horse trek and see grazing Gelada Baboons. Take boats to visit Bahir Dar Monasteries on islands on Lake Tana the source of the Blue Nile, with hippos and crocs at the outflow of the river. We briefly visit the capitol Addis Ababa and follow the Rift Valley Lakes south to Kenya.

Week 13: Kenya - Getting to Nairobi and a few days layover before setting off for Uganda

We continue south into the "Northern Frontier District" of Kenya, a restricted area; semi arid with a spectacular diversity of people, wild game on the road side and a pleasant dry climate We visit Samburu Park. We stop at the base of Mount Kenya before reaching Nairobi. Time to re stock the truck and get all the washing done ready for the next leg of the Journey which will be taking us up to the gorillas and South Africa. Some people take the train down to Mombasa and the coast for a few days on the beach; time permitting.

Week 14 – 16: Uganda, Kenya

Leaving Nairobi we pass the dramatic landscape of theRift Crossing the border at Malaba we drive through rain forests and tea and sugar plantations to Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Crossing the equator we camp on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi, the deepest crater lake in Uganda. We climb through lush terraced hills to Kisoro, from here we trek the mountain gorilla. We meander back to Lake Bunyonyi to relax, canoe, mountain bike and swim.

In the modern bustling city of Kampala then Crossing the Owen Falls dam we arrive at Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Spend an action-filled day white water rafting down the Nile, bungee jump, fish on Lake Victoria, take a guided village walk; or give up a day of your holiday to volunteer for the local community education project.

Returning to Kenya and Nakuru Town, the capital of the Rift Valley Province, we stay at Kembu Camp a working farm. We spend a full day at Lake Nakuru, viewing game in a park famous for its soda lake surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of pink flamingoes. We move on to camp on the shores of Lake Naivasha where hippos come to graze in the evenings.
Close by is Hell's Gate National Park and Elsamere, once the home of Joy Adamson and Elsa the lion of 'Born Free' fame. We visit Masai Mara one of the best gameparks in East Africa From here we return to Nairobi with the chance to feast at the renowned Carnivore Game Restaurant.

Week 17 – 18: Tanzania

From Kenyawe cross the Athi Plains to Tanzania, passing gazelle, giraffe and troops of baboons on our way to Arusha. In Arusha we hire Landrovers to visit Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti National Park, which has the heaviest concentration of plains game found all over East Africa.

Heading inland we pass Africa’s highest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro. At Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast, we can cross to Zanzibar Island. Here is the old stone capital of the Omani Sultanate and away from the town are stunning beaches, and World Heritage Listed buildings, forests and ruins. You can take a spice tour of the island, go diving, swimming with dolphins or visit remote islands by the traditional dhow boats.
Heading south we pass through Mikumi National Park where we see giraffe and pygmy elephants grazing along the roadside.

Week 19 - 20: Malawi, Zambia

Crossing the border into Malawi, we soon reach the shores of its huge lake. The campsites and small resorts along Lake Malawi offer sandy beaches, swimming and snorkeling, water skiing and walking in the surrounding countryside. You will also find markets selling beautifully carved Malawi chairs, tables and other souvenirs.

Entering Zambia, we reach the Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi River plunges 100 metres down a mile wide chasm, creating one of the most incredible natural wonders of the world. The local name for the Falls is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' which means 'the smoke that thunders' and you'll soon find out why. When the river is in full flow, the falling water causes a huge roar and sends a cloud of spray up to 500 metres into the air.

We stay near Livingstone beside the Zambezi and above Victoria Falls, for a few days, as there is so much to see and do. Adventure activities abound - you can bungee jump, white water raft and go game-viewing on horse back. More sedate excursions include canoeing, light aircraft or helicopter flights over the falls, and the sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Of course, the falls themselves are the main attraction and you can walk through the rain forest along the cliff opposite for an excellent view.

Week 21 – 23 and two days: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa

We spend a night by the banks of the Chobe River in Kasane. Here hippo, buffalo and crocodiles share the river bank. Take a sunset cruise on the river or an afternoon game drive through the park, and see some of Africa's largest elephants and big cats.

We travel along the edge of the Kalahari Desert toMaun. A small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta, and the starting point for the Mokoro trip - a traditional dugout canoe your transport into the Delta. In the waterways are hippos and elephants drinking on the shore. The overnight stay is a great wilderness experience.

In Namibia is Etosha Pan National Park, a salt the pan with large numbers of wildlife. We spend the evenings by the floodlit water holes at the park's campsites.

At Kamanjab Cheetah Farm you can scratch the big cats behind the ears before watching them catch their evening meal. We visit the White Lady 2,000 year old rock paintings at Brandberg Mountain. Swakopmund seaside resort; horse-riding, sand boarding on the dunes, deep sea fishing in the Atlantic or scenic flights over the coast.

Namib Naukluft Park in the Namibian Desert - thousand foot high sand dunes. It can be hard work climbing to the top but the view is worth all the effort as the dunes stretch before you into the distance and change colour in the setting sun. Nearby is the kilometer long Sesriem Canyon. Fish River Canyon; 160km long and 550m deep; trek along the rim and watch the setting sun.

Orange River forms the border with South Africa. You can spend the afternoon canoeing on the river. We arrive in Stellenbosch, the centre of one of the Cape's many wine routes. Cape Town is the end of the trip.

Tour Note: All tours are flexible. Expeditions can sometimes be effected by local climatic conditions, politics or anything else unexpected so please treat this information as a guideline only. Your African Trails leader will devise the best possible route for the particular season, conditions. Please note that while we pace the tour with plenty of active days Africa is not a small continent and there will occasionally be long drive days to get to the next point of interest.