Your holiday starts at the group hotel near Johannesburg Airport. Airport transfers to the group hotel are provided. The rest of the day is yours to either relax or explore Johannesburg. We can arrange half-day tours of Soweto or Maropeng Cradle of Humankind.

We depart on our expedition by driving in a south-westerly direction from Johannesburg early in the morning. The aim today is to get to our campsite in the area north of the town of Kuruman, which is still in South Africa. The majority of our driving today will be on tarmac roads. We get a feel for how vast the country is today, with great open expanses of countryside.

The essence of this holiday is expedition style. We want to visit unusual destinations as a small group of like-minded travellers. Our highly experienced guide will know the operations of the tour, how to get over the borders, do the meal planning, be apt in first aid, keep the vehicle moving and the various other key elements of guiding. There are several days driving in the vehicles. We book the special permits and campsites, but have a flexible itinerary during the days to take us where the best adventures and wildlife is at that time. Therefore the nature of this holiday becomes an exploration rather than a set tour itinerary. The itinerary that we have below is a flavour of what we can expect.

Approximately 6 hrs driving.

Our destination today is the remote Mabuasehube area in the east of the park. The area was integrated into Gemsbok National Park and then the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in 2000, which is one of the few parks in Africa which straddle country borders. The Botswana section of the park is remarkably wild and remote, full of shrub and wide-open savannah, and semi-desert sand dunes and star-crammed skies. Few visitors find their way here and it is vast (almost as big as Switzerland). We have an early start as we travel to the South Africa / Botswana border, the road starts to turn into gravel and then 4WD sand track as we approach the park.

This area of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park comprises a series of exceptionally large pans (depressions which can hold water after rains), which are the main focus of the reserve.
Each pan is different. The floor of Mabuasehube pan is bare clay that is rich in salts, and this attracts animals that come to lick the surface for the essential minerals. Other areas are shrubby grassland, which antelope graze on, accompanied, of course, by predators.

To maintain the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park's pure wilderness experience, there are strict limits as to the number of vehicles that can travel the wilderness trails. We will of course have this special permit.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

880km, approximately 12h00 actual driving time spread over these 2 days (day 2 & 3) plus border crossing. Mostly on tarmac but turning to gravel and then 4WD sand track as we approach the park.

One of the highlights here in this park is the incredible sense of solitude. Usually any wildlife that you see we will be the only vehicle watching. It is also a superb spot for wildlife photography. All of the major predators can be seen, including the many lion as well as cheetah, leopard, brown hyena, bat-eared fox, lynx, and silver fox. Small mammals, like the Cape fox, aardwolf and black-footed cat are seen at the pans in the evenings.

This immense wilderness (37 000 sq kms) is shared by both South Africa and Botswana as a protected area, and is jointly managed. The entire park is completely unfenced, allowing for wildlife to move freely along the ancient migration routes so necessary for their survival in the desert.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

We wild camp whilst in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The campsites here on the Botswanan side are very simple and are unfenced. All of our equipment including all our food and water we take with us. We camp around the various pans, and some areas are situated on slight promontories, with almost unimpeded outlooks, thus making for good game viewing right from your camp-side chair! It truly is a mesmerizing adventure being here in this vast African scenery with wildlife potentially hiding in the grasses all around.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

Today we drive north to the Khutse Game Reserve, situated on the southern boundary of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. We will camp en route, with our location depending on the progress made today. The glory of this expedition is that it's not a problem if we get behind schedule if we are watching some lions or cheetah!

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

Khutse is typical Kalahari landscape - rolling grasslands, dry river beds, fossil sand dunes and small pans. There is plentiful wildlife here, with the desert-adapted species in abundance. These include springbok, gemsbok (oryx), giraffe, wildebeest, hartebeest & kudu. These antelope are of course preyed upon by the large lion population, leopard and cheetah.

We have 2 nights inside the Khutse Game Reserve to explore this out of the way game reserve on morning and afternoon game drives. We will camp wild in unfenced campsites where there is a very good chance of being visited by some of the nocturnal animals.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

500km, approximately 9h30 actual driving time spread over 2 days, some sand track 4WD and some tarmac.

The sand tracks around the game reserve wind around the watering holes and pans. Our 4WD vehicle and guide negotiate these expertly whilst keeping an eye on the surrounding area for wildlife. This game reserve is again, a lesser visited site (especially during the week) and has little in regards to infrastructure. We must ensure our water tanks are full as well as our cool boxes!

Giraffe can be seen, as they gracefully walk in the distance or munching the highest tree shoots. In the early season (April to July) the area is green, in contrast to the drier weather in September to December.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

The name 'Kalahari' conjures up images of wide-open grassy plans, dry river beds, hardy wildlife and of course the famed black-maned Kalahari Lions. You will not be disappointed! The Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is the largest, most remotely situated reserve in Southern Africa, and the second-largest wildlife reserve in the world, encompassing 52 800 sq kms (about three times the size of Wales). Nothing prepares you for the immensity of this reserve or its wild, mysterious beauty. There is an impression of unending space, and having the entire reserve to yourself.

Our first night is planned to be spent at Xade campsite. But don't be fooled by the name, as it is just a sandy spot under a big tree with a fire pit…with not much else for some distance! As before we bring all of our kit for the camping and can rig up a bucket shower (with water warmed by the fire or the sun).

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

We journey through the Kalahari from south to north over a 4 day period camping wild en-route and staying in areas that offer good game viewing. The roads are sandy and heavy going, so be prepared for some long travelling days, but this is more than worthwhile because of the amazing environment that we are travelling through.

Legend says that once Kalahari sand gets into your shoes, you'll be drawn back again and again. We are in world of gently undulating sand ridges, and broken only by the occasional flat-topped acacia trees, it is romantic and intense in its beauty.

Tonight and tomorrow night we plan to spend at the remote Phokoje campsite (again a sandy clearing near some trees). We might have a Scops Owl or Eagle Owl at night near our camp wondering what we are doing.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

It is likely that we will see some of the many lion in this park. The lions here at the Kalahari black-maned lion. They often lounge around during the heat of the day and are more active at night or in the coolness of the mornings. The beautiful and striking cheetah are also seen on a regular bases, as they are in one of the highest concentrations here in the whole of southern Africa. The more aloof leopard is also present in smaller numbers and sightings. Elephant need too much water for this dry environment so are not a usual visitor. After the rains (around April) the landscape is green and wildlife come to graze and drink. In the later months the landscape dries out and we can spot the wildlife congregating near the waterholes.

We will spend time watching the herds of wildebeest, springbok and gemsbok make their way across the sands. They are also joined by our gangly friend the giraffe moving through or hiding behind one of the flat-topped acacia trees.
Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

Today we move to Deception Valley. This part of the Kalahari is dry and the mirage on the pans gives you the impression that it's full of water, but the majority of the time is it just an illusion, deceiving many over the years. The wooded dunes here support wildlife all year around. After the rains there is a large concentration of herbivories eating the sweet new grasses.

The endangered wild African dog have also been seen here. These are a rare occurrence these days, and a special moment if you see them. They are can reach amazing speeds of more than 44 miles per hour at top sprint. It is also likely that we'll see brown hyena, black-backed jackals, Cape fox and the gorgeous looking bat-eared fox.

Many birds, including the large secretary bird and ostrich are found here which are always amusing to spend time watching.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

Our last day in this unique untouched wilderness. The reserve was established in 1961 as a place for the San people to live their hunting/gathering lifestyle. Only in the 90s did the park open on a restricted bases to tourism. There has been little construction in regards to lodges or roads within the park, leaving it as an incredibly wild place…and it's vast. With magical sunrises and sunsets you will leave feeling enchanted by this remote African wilderness.

Approximate time on game vehicle safaris 4-5 hours.

380km approximately 19 hours spread over 5 days, but with game viewing stops expect to spend long hours in the vehicle.

As our expedition draws to a close we have one more excitement before our return normal lives. We depart the Kalahari and drive through some wide open spaces on our way to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. This community wildlife project, was established in 1992 to assist the plight of dwindling rhino populations and restore an area formerly teeming with wildlife to its previous natural state. Once we have arrived, we head out into the sanctuary on a game drive hoping to spot white or endangered black Rhino. With a number of lush waterholes, Khama supplies the perfect habitat for rhinos to breed. Whilst the focal point of this visit is the rhinos, 230 species of birdlife and towers of giraffe all flourish within this rich environment. Staying in our here provides the perfect finale to our Africa safari holiday.

Approximate actual drive time: 7-8 hours (380km)

Making our final border crossing of our safari adventure, we cross back into South Africa and return to Johannesburg. Your holiday ends in the early evening at the accommodation with a drop off at Johannesburg Airport.

Approximate actual drive time: 7-8 hours by minibus on tarmac (650km). The border is usually quite quick and with a lunch stop en-route, we expect a 9h00 transit day.