Johannesburg to Nairobi Overland Tours
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Price
£1895
+ Local Payment US$430
(local payment explained)
What's Included
• South Luangwa National Park• Hwange National Park
• Painted Dog Conservation Centre
• Chobe National Park game cruise
• Kruger National Park
• Khama rhino reserve
• Breakfast and dinner whilst travelling with the truck
• Some pre-prepared barbecues
• Camping whilst travelling on the truck
• Fully equipped expedition truck from Johannesburg to Nairobi incl - fridge, gas, tents, sleep mats
• Services of Absolute Crew
• Ongoing advice
• All road tolls & taxes are paid
Countries Visited
South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya
Johannesburg to Nairobi Safari Overview
From Johannesburg to Nairobi - Game cruise in Chobe National Park, game drive in Hwange and South Luangwa and the option to safari in the famous game parks of Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Four nights allocated on the tropical spice island Zanzibar Island, relax at Lake Malawi and experience the extreme sports at Victoria Falls...
Johannesburg to Nairobi Safari Add-ons
Itinerary
Days 1 - 3
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg, Kruger National park, Blyde River canyon
Optionals: Soweto tour, Apartheid Museum
Days 4 - 8
SOUTH AFRICA - BOTSWANA
Khama rhino reserve, Elephant Sands camp, Chobe National Park game cruise.
Optional:Rhino trek, night game drives in Khama reserve, game drive in Chobe National Park.
Days 9 - 12
ZIMBABWE
Guided game drives in Hwange National Park, visit to Painted Dog Conservation Centre, Victoria Falls
Optionals: Second game drive in Hwange National Park, horse rides, white water rafting, canoeing, 'Flight of the Angels' scenic flights, bungee jump, gorge swing,rap jump, flying fox, sunset cruise and many other activities based around Victoria Falls.
Days 13 - 17
ZAMBIA
Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, Chipata, South Luangwa National Park
Optional: Evening game drive in South Luangwa National Park
Days 18 - 20
MALAWI
Lake Malawi beach camp, village visits including for a traditional meal and curio markets.
Optionals:Water sports, horse riding in the Lake, school visit.
Day 21 - 23
TANZANIA
The mountains of the southern Rift Valley, camping over at The Farmhouse at Iringa, Baobab Valley, Mikumi National Park, overnight on the Indian Ocean coast.
Days 24 - 27
TANZANIA
Zanzibar Island
4 nights are allocated for the optional beach stay on Zanzibar Island. For the Zanzibar stay we can reserve accommodation for 3 nights in popular affordable beach accommodation on one of Zanzibar's best beaches, as well as a night within ancient Stone Town. All other requirements including the ferry bookings, a spice tour and transfers can also be arranged.
Optionals: Free time for the option to visit Zanzibar Island from day 24, returning to the town of Bagamoyo on day 28.
Other options to budget for include snorkelling and scuba diving on Zanzibar sweeping coral reefs, to Prison Island famous for its giant tortoise population and to Jozani Forest to see the red colobus monkeys. All accommodation and transfers including a spice tour on Zanzibar Island can be arranged ahead of time.
Day 28 - 32
TANZANIA
Bagamoyo, Arusha, with evening celebratory barbecue on our return from the game parks.
Optionals: 3 day/2 night safari: Afternoon and morning game drives in the Serengeti National Park, afternoon drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation area, morning game drives in Ngorongoro Crater.
Days 33
KENYA
Transfer to Nairobi
Please note safari itineraries are given as a guide only. A safari is a journey and true journeys in Africa unfold and are of an adventurous nature. The unexpected can arise, so do allow for this.
Feel free to give us a call about your safari plans. We look forward to your further enquiries.
Northern Star - detailed itinerary
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Budgeting Summary
Johannesburg to Nairobi Budget
The costs to consider when travelling overland are:
- Safari price £1895 and local payment $430 USD
- Optional excursions
- Personal spending money
- Visas
What's included
Your safari price and local payment covers:
OVER TWO GAME PARKS AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDING:-
South Luangwa National park
Hwange National Park
Painted Dog Conservation Centre
Chobe game cruise
Mikumi National Park
Kruger National park
Khama rhino sanctuary
NB: the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater are not inclusive of the price but an optional extra during the last days of the tour
Camping, and breakfast and dinner whilst with the truck:-
- 26 nights camping
- 24 Breakfasts and 23 dinners whilst with the truck incl pre-prepared bbq in Arusha and seafood bbq by the Indian Ocean
- A fully equipped and deiselled expedition truck/vehicle travelling from Johannesburg to Arusha including all camping and cooking gear, a fridge, gas cooker, tents, sleep mats.
- Shuttle transfer on last day into Nairobi to a hotel in the centre or to the airport
- The services of a driver and safari leader
- The ongoing advice and back up from The Absolute team
- All road tolls and taxes are paid
Optional excursions
A recommended typical budget for your optional excursions that you might pay for once in Africa would be: US$200 - US$1100
Some clients spend more, some less. The above is a typical estimate selecting from the following main choices during this tour. Do re-check your budget looking at what might tempt you. A friendly reminder as well that the below list provides an approximate guide only for the most popular excursions currently available for this tour. Excursions are operated by local operators and authorities and their pricing is out of our control (July 19)
| PAID BEFORE DEPARTURE | |
| Zanzibar including return ferry, 4 nights B&B shared accommodation, transfers from Stone Town to the beach and return, and a Spice Tour | £295 |
| PAID IN AFRICA | |
| Rhino trek | US$50 |
| Chobe National Park - game drive | US$50 |
| Helicopter flight over Victoria Falls (15 minutes) | US$150 |
| Victoria Falls National Park - Entrance and Rainforest Walk to see Victoria Falls | US$50 |
| Bungee jump at Victoria Falls | US$160 |
| Combo deal, half day adrenaline (gorge swings, zip line, flying fox) | US$158 |
| Gorge Swing - (1 jump) | US$103 |
| White water rafting The Zambezi | US$120 |
| Sunset cruise on the Zambezi | US$55 |
| Horse riding through Malawi village (1 hour) | US$35 |
| Horse riding through the village and in Lake Malawi (2 hours) | US$70 |
| Scuba diving (single dive) off Kendwa | US$65 |
| Snorkelling (3 hours) off Kendwa | US$15 |
| Jozani Forest, half day excursion to see the red colobus monkeys incl entry and transfers, from | US$40 |
| Sunset cruise, Zanzibar, from | US$30 |
| Prison Island with the aldabra tortoises | US$25 |
| 3 day/2 night excursion with game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater from | US$645 |
| ALSO TO CONSIDER DURING YOUR TOUR | |
| Balloon safari in the Serengeti | £455 |
Spending Money
You will need spending money to cover drinks, lunch and souvenirs and different small incidental costs whilst on tour such as cheap excursions costing under U$20 like a visit to the Maasai in the Serengeti.
Other costs to note are those times we dont cover meals or accommodation on the tour, as well as tipping, extra transfers and upgrades.
Be aware during the trip tour there are busy times where we dont cover meals and/or accommodation as during these sections most people are away from camp doing their own thing on different excursions. It is then impractical to cover meals or accommodation.
The times to note on the Northern Star tour are when the truck parks up for a few days at specific activity locations - Victoria Falls and Zanzibar - so please ensure you have enough money to cover meals during these times. And note as well spending money is needed to cover camping on the off-chance you chose to stay back on the overnight excursions. The overnight excursions on this tour are the Zanzibar Island break (x4 nights), and the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater safari (x2 nights)
Tipping is customary in Africa, so budget for gratuities if you wish for guides or drivers who provide good service such as on game drives or guided tours. Again it is at your discretion, but your tour leader and driver will appreciate a tip to acknowledge their hard work during your tour.
For some excursions extra transport is needed to get to the start point, and lastly some campsites en route also have simple huts or chalets on site. If you feel like a break from camping and youd like an upgrade at some point it is well worth having a little bit of money budgeted accordingly.
The recommended spending money the Northern Star is: US$660 - US$800
Visa
Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 - 9 months after your trip finishes. Ensure also that you have enough pages in your passport for each country you visit. As a guide for the Northern Star you will want to have a minimum of 7 blank pages (sides).If you have dual nationality you can only use one passport for the entire trip, but bringing both passports is a wise back up. More information can be found in the different country listings on the FCOs website (www.fco.gov.uk) under entry requirements. Do be aware it can be illegal to travel in Africa on two passports.
For this trip visas for most passport holders including British, Australian, Irish, South African, German, French, Dutch, Canadian and American passport holders can be arranged in Africa en route. This includes for entry into South Africa which for most passport holders is easily arranged upon arrival in Johannesburg's International Airport.
Note also as well visas are not normally required for Botswana for most passport holders.
Below is an estimation of current visa requirements and their costs. Visas can only be paid for in US Dollars cash. If your passport is not detailed please don't hesitate to contact us for further details of your requirements.
Be aware that visa requirements can change without prior notice. This information is given as a guide only.
Budget for all visas US$225 - US$275 depending on nationality
| VISA CHART | Kenya | Rwanda | Uganda | Tanzania | Malawi | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Botswana | Namibia | South Africa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PASSPORT | ||||||||||
| Australian | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $30 | - | - | - |
| New Zealand | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $30 | - | - | - |
| South Africa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Canadian | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $75 | - | - | - |
| American | $50 | - | - | $100 | $75 | $50 | $30 | - | - | - |
| British | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $55 | - | - | - |
| German | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $30 | - | - | - |
| Dutch | $50 | - | - | $50 | $75 | $50 | $30 | - | - | - |
| Irish | $50 | - | - | $100 | - | - | $30 | - | - | - |
Other exciting ADD-ONs
Pre and post safari please click here.
Remember you then need to budget for flights, insurance, vaccination costs and any equipment you might need such as a sleeping bag.
Any queries? Call our office on +44 (0) 208 742 0226, email us at absaf@absoluteafrica.com or skype us on skypeabsoluteafrica
Back to topBefore You Go
Johannesburg to Nairobi
Click on the link below to download the predeparture dossier for this overland trip "Northern Star" - to Nairobi.
Northern Star - pre departure packThis information has been developed over 30 years of experience overlanding in Africa.
It includes all you might need to know to prepare for this trip and more. We know many people love to plan their trip in detail and we hope you will find lots of "stuff" in here to help!
We also send out personal updates about 6 weeks before departure to all participants heading out on each departure date. This includes final confirmations of pre safari transfers and accommodation and other details relating to your specific travel arrangements so you can check all is as you need.
We recommend once booked on a Johannesburg to Nairobi trip that you periodically check back here as this information is regularly updated. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on the news area of this site.
And if you are not excited enough about heading to Africa already, check out our facebook page, listen out for our tweets and keep up to date with our blog to stay up to date with all that is happening on the road on the trucks.
Overlanding in Africa is a very different destination from your usual package holiday! You may find some information in this dossier different from what you expected. Whatever your question don't hesitate to ask. We are here to help so feel free to get back to us.
We are more than happy to advise as to what is the best plan for your particular Africa travel needs.
Give us a call, or skype or email. We look forward to planning your trip to Africa with you.
