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Ethiopia & South Africa Safari (25 days)25 days duration
On arrival in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, you are met and taken to your city hotel for a two night stay.
After breakfast you will undertake a very interesting city and surrounding area tour starting with a visit to Mount Entoto where the churches of Mariam and the Archangel Raguel are located. It also affords a panoramic view of the capital and surrounding countryside. This is followed by a visit to the National Archaeological Museum, which houses the 3.5 million-year-old bones of ''Lucy" as well as many other interesting exhibits.
At the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, once the Genete Palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, you can view exhibits of clothing from different regions, along with artefacts, household utensils and paintings reflecting the history and culture of the country. This will be followed by a visit to Menelik's Mausoleum, where Etege Taitu and Queen Zauditu are buried.
Your final stop is the Mercato, the largest market area in Africa, where virtually every possible commodity is on sale, from livestock to computers. (BL)
This morning you will fly to Gondar where you set off north to Debark by road. In Debark you visit the Simien Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which presents perhaps the most dramatic scenery in Africa.
Great volcanic plugs, formed 40 million years ago, have over the aeons eroded into fantastic crags, pinnacles and flat topped mountains (''the chess pieces of the Gods'', one writer describes them) tower over precipitous gorges, river valleys and plains stretching all the way to Eritrea. There are many peaks over 4,000 metres, and Ras Dashen at 4,620 metres is the highest in the country and the fourth highest in Africa. Here you should see the endemic Gelada or ''Bleeding Heart Baboon'' and if you are very lucky, the Walia Ibex and the Simien Wolf. The park is also famous for its Afro-Alpine flora, meadows and grasslands punctuated by Giant Lobelia and flowering Red Hot Pokers. (BLD)
Today you return to Gondar with a visit to the former Felasha or Bait Israel Village at Wolleka on the way.
Gondar was the Imperial Capital from the 17th to 19th Centuries. Here you visit the Royal Enclosure or Fasil Gibbi, which gives you an idea of what it must have been like in its hey day. Within the compound are the castles of the various Gondarene Emperors along with a banquet hall, stables and churches. You also visit the Bath of King Fasilides, where at Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany) a nearby river is diverted to fill an area the size of a small swimming pool! Here worshippers plunge into the cold water in a re-enactment of Christ's baptism in the River Jordan. Although most of Gondar's churches were destroyed in the 1880's, one very fine example survived, Debre Berhan Selassie, with its walls and ceiling completely covered in murals. The angels' faces on the ceiling of the church have become a common motif in Ethiopian Design. Gondar is the perfect place for experiencing Ethiopian tradition of Azmari Music, where a couple of wandering minstrels entertain their listeners with songs about life, the world and their audience. (BLD)
This morning you are taken to the airport for your flight to Lalibela, where on arrival, you will be met and transferred to your guesthouse for two nights. At the end of the 12th and start of the 13th Centuries, King Lalibela of the Zaghwe Dynasty built a series of rock hewn churches - the ''New Jerusalem'' as he called it - now rightly acknowledged to be one of the Wonders of the World.
After checking in to your guesthouse you will visit the churches which are divided into two groups, the division being the River Yordanos or River Jordan. (BLD)
After breakfast you set off by mule or on foot to the Church of Ashetun Mariam. Enroute you pass through villages and there are wonderful views of the surrounding countryside from the top of the mountain where the church is located. You return to the guesthouse for lunch before heading off by road to the cave church of Yemrehane Christos, built by the king of the same name before the reign of King Lalibela. The church is constructed inside a cave, in Axumite Style, similar to the church at Debre Damo, with alternating levels of wood and stone.
You return to your guesthouse in Lalibela for the night. (BLD)
Today you fly to Axum, your home for two nights. From around 200 BC to 700 AD, Axum was the seat of an Empire which extended across the Red Sea to Arabia, traded with India and China, minted it's own coinage and had its own alphabet and notational system and was considered in the 4th Century to be one of the four great powers of the ancient world.
After lunch you start your tour of this fascinating area with a visit to the museum and stelae followed by a visit to the Caslte of King Kalab, passing Mai Shum (Bath of the Queen of Sheba) on the way. On your return to town you will see the Tomb of King Basen, visit the small museum inside the church grounds and end the day with a visit to the site known locally as ''Queen of Sheba's Palace''. (BLD)
Today you will undertake a tour to Yeha, Ethiopia's first city where settlement dates back more than 2,800 years. Here you visit the remains of a temple dedicated to Ilmuqeh, the Moon God, next to which is the church of Abune Aftse, one of the "9 Saints" who did much to spread Christianity in Ethiopia.
During today's drive you come to the top of a hill where you will be confronted by the dramatic mountain backdrop of the ''Teeth of Adua'', the striking mountain scenery where in 1896 King Menelik II defeated the invading Italian Forces. Afterwards you return to your hotel in Axum for the night. (BLD)
This morning you are taken to the airport for your return flight to Addis Ababa, where you are taken to your hotel for the night. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B)
You are returned to the airport this morning for your flight to Johannesburg in South Africa. After clearing customs and immigration you connect with your flight to Cape Town.
You are met on arrival at Cape Town Airport and transferred to your hotel for three nights' accommodation.
Today is at leisure. We recommend the following tours which are optional and at extra cost. (B)
1st Option: This morning you enjoy a city tour taking in all the highlights of Cape Town, which include the Castle of Good Hope from 1666, the Malay Quarter and the magnificent Table Mountain. Here you ascend to the top (weather permitting) by revolving cable car, where you are able to marvel at the birds-eye view of the city and its beaches far below. After descending from the mountain you return to your hotel.
2nd Option: You may wish to proceed to the harbour where you can board a ferry to Robben Island, formerly a political prison and now a museum and a National Monument. Here you view what was once Nelson Mandela's maximum-security prison cell during his 18 years of incarceration.
Today is at leisure. We recommend the following tour which is optional and at extra cost. (B)
Option: Today's pleasant tour begins with a scenic drive along the Atlantic Coast, with its glorious views of the Twelve Apostles, part of the Table Mountain Range; the fishing village of Hout Bay, one of Cape Town's best-kept secrets; and then on to Cape Point in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. You then continue along the False Bay Coastline and returning to Cape Town by way of Simon's Town where you visit the Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach, Fishoek fishing village and the Muizenberg Mountain. Before your return, you stop at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens for a short walking tour of these beautiful gardens. The final leg of the tour takes you part the University of Cape Town, Rhodes Memorial and the Groote Schuur Hospital where the world's first successful human heart transplant was performed in 1967.
After breakfast, travel through the 'Little Karoo' and Montagu, a picturesque and historic spa town. En route, stop off inthe town of Barrydale, where you have the opportunity to visit a local farm school, interact with the children and teachers, spending time with them in the classroom learning more about the local farming community, before continuing to Oudtshoorn, the "ostrich feather capital" and centre of the world's Ostrich farming industry. (BD)
This morning you visit an Ostrich Farm for a guided tour, before visiting the spectacular limestone caverns of the Cango Caves, one of the world's great natural wonders, sculpted by nature through the ages. In the afternoon you continue to Knysna, known as the oyster box of South Africa, nestling on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the Garden Route. (B)
After a leisurely breakfast you enjoy a lagoon cruise to the Featherbed Nature Reserve, where you can take a trailer ride to the top of the Western Head to enjoy panoramic views of the town and lagoon, returning for lunch under the milkwood trees.
The afternoon is at leisure to further explore this charming town set around a natural harbour lagoon. (BL)
Head eastwards along the Garden Route, which follows the Indian Ocean coastline and is bordered inland by soaring mountain ranges and indigenous forests, to Port Elizabeth, known as the "friendly city". Arrive at your hotel in the late afternoon. (BD)
After breakfast, transfer to Port Elizabeth airport for the short northward flight to Durban, where you will be met by your representative and transferred to your hotel (flight not included in tour cost). Durban offers a long golden beach and a fascinating mix of cultures, from the downtown Zulu rickshaws, temples, mosques and the oriental bazaar to modern shopping malls.
The remainder of the day is yours to explore the city or relax at your hotel. (B)
Today is at leisure. We recommend the following tour which is optional and at extra cost. (B)
Option: This morning you undertake a City Sightseeing Tour which is a good introduction to the city.
After breakfast, travel past sugar cane fields, Eucalyptus plantations and Zulu Kraals to Zululand. Visit a traditional Zulu village to experience to local culture, dancing and enjoy a delicious ethnic lunch. Overnight in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi region. (BL)
Travel to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, which contains an immense diversity of fauna and flora and is particularly famous for its conservation of black and white rhino. Enjoy a morning game drive in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve before continuing to Swaziland, an independent Kingdom within the borders of South Africa, known for its lovely scenery, crafts and colourful indigenous culture.
In the afternoon the opportunity exists to visit a Swazi candle factory, where you can watch Swazi wax artists make beautiful candles. (B)
After breakfast travel to the Ngwenya glass factory, where visitors can watch talented glass blowers create a range of enchanting Africa animals, birds and fish, as well as tableware made from 100% recycled glass that is collected by the children of Swaziland. Continue north through Swaziland, before re-entering South Africa. Travel to your hotel situated outside the Kruger National Park, one of the world's greatest national parks, home to a stunning array of wildlife.
In the afternoon we depart on our Community visit to the Amazing Grace Children's Centre for a tour and a brief look into the lives of the children that are living there. This visit offers you the opportunity to understand more about the rural communities and their lifestyles and to interact with them in a secure and optimistic environment.
Return to your hotel where night open-vehicle game drives are available (optional and at own expense). (B)
The day begins with early morning coffee or tea, followed by an open-vehicle game drive through the Kruger National Park with pre-packed breakfast. The park offers some good game viewing and wildlife opportunities and the visitor will soon appreciate the challenges of managing this unique reserve. Search for the "Big Five" - Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and Elephant - as well as prolific birdlife and numerous other game.
Return to the hotel to relax for the afternoon. Later afternoon or night open-vehicle game drives are available (optional and at own expense). (B)
This morning continue your journey through Mpumalanga Province, known as "Paradise Country". You drive along the spectacular "Panorama Route", offering views of amazing scenery including the 26 kilometre-long Blyde River Canyon and historic God's Window, a breathtaking view (weather permitting) of the edge of the escarpment taking in the Kruger National Park.
Continue to your hotel for overnight. (B)
After a leisurely breakfast depart wild and scenic Mpumalanga and travel to Johannesburg, the largest and most populous city in South Africa. It is also the source of a large-scale gold and diamond trade, due to its location on the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills. The trendy northern suburb Sandton, with its shopping malls, bars and restaurants and colourful African markets is where your hotel is situated. (B)
This morning you are taken to Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport where your tour comes to an end. (B)
Please note: At all of the places visited outside of Addis Ababa, the best hotels are used but they are fairly basic and would be considered as two-star, except in Addis Ababa. The meals offered are also fairly basic outside of Addis Ababa. Itinerary may vary due to road conditions in the areas being visited.
Inca Tours does not own any of the hotels, lodges or service providers utilised in making up the tours. As a result Inca Tours is only acting as an agent for the operators and as such does not accept responsibility for any negligence, omissions, errors or differences in standard experienced by passengers when utilising the operators' products or services. Please Note: for full booking terms and conditions please see the back of our booking form.
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