AFRICA 2008 PRIVATE JET
ITINERARY:
March 12, 2008
Depart U.S.A.
Depart on individual overnight flights to London.
March 13
London, U.K.
Meet fellow travelers, lecturers, and expedition staff at
our deluxe hotel for a welcome reception and dinner. Four
Seasons Hotel, London
March 14 & 15
Mali
Aboard a brightly painted pirogue, we explore the waterways
of Mopti, which teem with a colorful profusion of traders in the
river markets. Choose from two intriguing options. Follow a
jumble of narrow streets to explore Djenné’s mudbrick mosques
and houses, then visit the remote Saharan outpost of Timbuktu in
the afternoon. Or travel through the rolling Mali countryside to
remote Dogon villages of multi-story mud and stone houses built
into sheer cliffs. Back at our Mopti hotel, enjoy a festive
dinner and experience authentic African culture as you shop for
local art at a special poolside market. Kanaga Hotel, Mopti
March 16 & 17
Togo & Benin
Enter the birthplace of vodun (voodoo) in Togo. In a village
near the capital of Lomé we visit an extraordinary fetish market
filled with elaborate statues as well as herbs, skulls, and
animal parts used to prepare traditional medicines. Aboard our
private jet we take a day trip to Togo’s rarely-visited north to
see the fortified adobe castlehomes of Tamberma villagers, who
honor us with traditional dances. We cross into Benin to visit
the Somba people, whose daily lives have changed little since
the Middle Ages. Truly off the beaten path, we have a rare
chance for cultural exchange with members of both tribes. Mecure
Sarakawa Hotel, Lomé
March 18 & 19
Namibia
Namibia harbors a wealth of beauty and history, from the
colonial charm of Swakopmund to the hundreds of flamingos in the
lagoon of Walvis Bay. Customize your time here any way you
choose. Cruise Walvis Bay, often escorted by dolphins and
pelicans, to discover the haunts of Cape Fur seals and catch
sight of endemic birdlife; take a sightseeing flight over the
great red dunes of the Namib desert; traverse the lunar hills
and valleys carved by the Swakop River on a geologist-guided
exploration and a search for the fascinating Welwitschia
mirabilis, an endemic plant that can live for up to 2,000 years.
Swakopmund Hotel
March 20 & 21
Cape Town, South Africa
Dominated by 3,000-foot-high Table Mountain and situated at the
southern tip of the continent, Cape Town occupies one of the
most spectacular natural settings in theworld. You may choose to
take a scenic helicopter flight along the coast to Cape Point to
explore the dramatic landscape where two oceans meet, and visit
an African penguin colony to walk among the nearly 3,000 birds
on the shores of the South Atlantic. Or visit the fascinating
museum on Robben Island, infamous as the prison where Nelson
Mandela was held for 18 years, and ride the cable car to the
summit of Table Mountain for an unsurpassed view of the city. As
another option, travel into South Africa’s world-famous wine
country and sample vintages at several wineries. Whatever your
choice, you’ll enjoy famous South African hospitality. Mt.
Nelson Hotel, Cape Town
March 22, 23 & 24
Madagascar
There’s nowhere quite like Madagascar. Choose to visit remote
Anjajavy with its beautiful beaches, deep-sea fishing, and water
sports, where you see Coquerel’s sifaka and brown lemurs, baobab
trees, unique birds, chameleons, geckos, and frogs. Or trek
through the rugged eastern mountain rainforest to see Malagasy
wildlife and hear the eerie sound of the Indri, the largest
lemur, in Perinet Reserve. Your third option is to explore
Berenty Reserve with its profusion of lemurs in the southern
spiny desert, taking guided night walks that reveal the tiny
mouse lemur, as well as birds, carnivorous plants, and reptiles.
Antananarivo Hilton; Anjajavy l’Hotel, Vakona Forest Reserve, or
Gite de Berenty Lodge
March 25 & 26
Victoria Falls, Zambia
Here on the Zambian border, the mile-wide Zambezi River plunges
350 feet into a narrow chasm, creating one of the world’s most
magnificent sights. On arrival take a sunset cruise on the
Zambezi River. The following day, choose to take a “Flight of
the Angels” for a bird’s-eye perspective. Or visit a nearby
Zambian village to experience daily life. The afternoon brings
further options when you may embark upon a river safari, try a
game drive or, water levels permitting, venture out to
Livingstone Island from where the famous explorer first sighted
the falls. Royal Livingstone Hotel
March 27 & 28
Serengeti Plain, Tanzania
Each year with the coming of the rains, millions of
wildebeests and zebras gather on the Serengeti Plain to calve
and begin their 500-mile seasonal migration north in search of
new grazing lands. Vast herds are stalked by lions, cheetahs,
leopards, and hyenas. Our time here is filled with game drives
to search out and photograph the abundant wildlife on the
Serengeti. We also anticipate seeing elephants, hippos,
giraffes, buffaloes, gazelles, and many other species. Serengeti
Sopa Lodge
March 29, 30 & 31
Wildlife of Uganda or Rwanda
Discover the charms of this green, biologically diverse region
of Africa on your choice of small group activities. Go on safari
in Queen Elizabeth National Park to see hundreds of hippos as
well as pelicans, kingfishers, cormorants, and saddlebill
storks. The park encompasses thousands of square miles of
untouched wilderness, from low-lying riverine all the way to the
otherworldly Mountains of the Moon. Or choose to trek through
the rain forest in search of magnificent mountain gorillas in
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Rwanda’s
Parc National des Volcans. The very fit travelers who choose
this strenuous option will stay in basic, comfortable eco-lodges
and spend their days exploring the lovely, mountainous terrain.
Kampala Serena Hotel; Mweya Lodge, Gorilla’s Nest Lodge or
Virunga Lodge (Rwanda)
April 1 & 2
Imperial City of Fez, Morocco
One of the largest living medieval cities in the world, the
vast medina of Old Fez is enclosed within magnificent gates and
walls. Labyrinthine streets reveal a rich visual fabric of
mosques, medrasas (Islamic seminaries), palaces, and fountains.
Depending on your interests, your guided walk through the medina
might include the 9th-century Karaouine Mosque and University;
fascinating traditional tanneries; the shrine of Fez’s founder,
Sultan Moulay Idriss II; a traditional pottery co-op; or the
Borj-Nord weapons museum near the ramparts of the 15th-century
fort. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez
April 3
Return to London
After breakfast, depart Fez for London on the last leg of
our private jet journey. Arriving in the afternoon, transfer to
our deluxe hotel, where we enjoy dinner and overnight. Four
Seasons Hotel
April 4
Depart London for Home
Following breakfast at the hotel, return home on regularly
scheduled commercial flights.
Itinerary and prices are subject to change
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