A tour in Southern Africa in two parts, showing off the best of two countries. Participate in either or both of the Two Parts (priority given to those participating in both parts)
This is an opportunity to understand the history, the cultures, the ecology and the wildlife of southern Africa, and thereby to understand modern Southern Africa, and the sources from which it arises, geologically, politically and economically.
Please find a brief outline of the trip below, and click on each Part for the detailed itineraries.
- Brief Outline of the Trip
- Brief Notes on the Countries
- Brief Comments about the Organisers
- Dates & Pricing
Participate in either or both of the Two Parts (priority given to those participating in both parts)
Part A is a 14 day visit that includes Johannesburg, the business and financial capital of South Africa, and then takes in what is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, the Province of Kwa Zulu-Natal. Starting at the multicultural city of Durban, South Africa’s most important domestic tourist destination and the largest port in Africa, and moving on to the Drakensberg Mountains World Heritage site, and then an unique Game Lodge with its distinctive wildlife environment. From there the tour moves to the ”Mother City” of South Africa, Cape Town, another, and world renowned, World Heritage Site, and ending at the famous Cape Wine area. On a number of occasions, interesting South Africans will join us at mealtimes to talk about this unusual country in a way that allows for informal discussions with the participants.
Part B is a 6 day visit that covers three stunning and unforgettable sites in Botswana. This large, and generally arid and thinly-populated country, possesses a truly unique area – The Okavango Delta. The largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango is fed by seasonal rains from Angola that flood annually and create an extraordinary haven for wildlife. Botswana has chosen to be highly selective in its wildlife management, focused not on mass tourism, but on the development of a controlled number of up-market facilities that they believe will result in the best form of sustainable tourism for the country.
For further information and pricing, please contact Adrian at: adrian@commendablerentals.com
SOUTH AFRICA has seldom been out of the headlines in our lifetimes. This complex country (it has 11 official languages) is a First, Second and Third World Country rolled into one. It has a mix of races, tribes, religions and cultures matched by few other countries. The arrival of the dominant European culture in 1652 was to set the stage for cultural conflict for the following 350 years, not all of it based on colour, however. The Boer/Brit struggles were as significant to the history as was the Zulu domination of large numbers of black tribes. The discovery of diamonds and then gold on a scale unknown in history was the catalyst for large scale white immigration, the beginnings of industrialization and the clash between British imperial avarice and the frontier independence of the Boers. The White/Black cultural clash was more notable primarily because the numbers involved were greater, and the cultural gap was wider. The absurd impracticability of the apartheid policy was a reflection of the desperation felt by the dominant white culture in attempting to find a solution that did not involve their domination by the culture of the majority black population. Extraordinarily, cometh the hour, cometh the men. The change in political control required not only a generosity of spirit, exemplified by Nelson Mandela, but a courageous repudiation of pseudo-religious dogma among the Afrikaner people by Frederick de Klerk. South Africa today faces enormous problems, but there is a spirit in the land that perhaps reflects that the people have been to the precipice, and have turned back from it to the broad uplands of hope. We want you to experience this ambiance, but above all we want you to understand this land better, so that your brief sojourn in it will in turn make this country, with all of its problems and challenges, better understood in the world.
BOTSWANA is undoubtedly the most successful of the great number of African countries that attained their independence from colonial rule in the 1950s and 1960s. This is most likely due to a relatively homogenous and small population, a far-seeing and able first President, Sir Seretse Khama, and considerable mineral wealth, especially diamonds. Today, it is the largest gem diamond producer in the world. An arid land, originally home to the hunter/gatherer Koi and San peoples (sometimes known as Bushmen), who were overwhelmed by both white men from the south and black men from the north, it is landlocked and surrounded by Namibia on the west, Zimbabwe in the north, and South Africa in the east and south. It has a remarkable and unique exception to the general aridity – the largest inland Delta in the world – the Okavango. Created a British Protectorate in 1885 at the initiation of Cecil Rhodes, the people lobbied hard and successfully in London to avoid becoming part of the territory under the control of Rhodes’ British South Africa Company. Botswana has been independent since 1966.
South Africa – Starts 3 February in Johannesburg; Ends 17 February in Cape Town
Botswana – Starts 18 February in Maun, Botswana; Ends 24 February in Johannesburg
Pricing
For pricing, please contact Adrian at: adrian@commendablerentals.com
South Africa –
- This includes all accommodation for 14 nights, flights from Johannesburg to Durban to Cape Town, breakfasts, road transport touring in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and in “the Cape”; all meals at the Esiweni Game Lodge
- NOT included are airport transfers in Johannesburg, all meals other than those mentioned, tips, drinks and wines, “personal expenses” at hotels, any activities not mentioned.
Botswana –
- This includes all accommodation for 6 nights, flights from Cape Town to Maun, Botswana and Maun to Johannesburg, breakfasts, all meals at the Lodges in Botswana, 2 game drives per day at the Game Lodges, and laundry at the Game Lodges
- NOT included are airport transfers in Johannesburg, all meals other than those mentioned, tips, drinks and wines, “personal expenses” at hotels, any activities not mentioned.