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Sometimes you need to cover a lot of ground to experience the true essence of a place. That was the attitude of explorer and conservationist Mike Fay who, with the sponsorship of the National Geographic Society, embarked on a 15-month 2,000-mile walking expedition straight through the heart of Africa. The expedition, which became known as the Megatransect, collected data and pictures on the abundant wildlife and remote jungle communities along the way.
Now you, too, have a unique opportunity to cover a lot of ground, including some of the areas explored by the Megatransect expedition, and get to know Africa as few have done before on an expedition by private air from Cape Town to Casablanca. And, because the National Geographic Society’s name opens doors worldwide, this expedition provides special access to some of Africa’s most intriguing places, from a dugout boat trip along the banks of the Sangha River in the Central African Republic, to a meeting with scientists rehabilitating lowland gorillas in Gabon, to a Tuareg feast in the Sahara outside of Timbuktu.
December 29 and 30 U.S.A./Cape Town, South Africa
Board international flights to Cape Town, and upon arrival transfer to the hotel. This afternoon is free to explore on your own. Return to the hotel for dinner.
Table Bay Hotel
(D)
December 31 Cape Town
After breakfast, depart on a morning city tour, including a cable car trip to Table Mountain (weather permitting). After lunch, enjoy an afternoon at leisure. This evening, enjoy a welcome reception and celebrate New Year’s Eve with your travel companions.
(B,L,D)
January 1 Cape Town/Cape Peninsula
Today, explore the Cape Peninsula, home to African “jackass” penguins and Cape fur seals. After lunch at Cape Point, walk through Kirstenbosch, one of the great gardens of the world. Its immense landscape covers more than 1,300 acres, including flatlands and gorges, natural springs and streams, and rocky heights. The garden is devoted exclusively to the cultivation of South Africa’s indigenous Cape flora. Stroll through the gardens with their colorful variety of ericas, daisies, pincushions, and other proteas. Dinner this evening is on your own, at one of Cape Town’s many fine restaurants.
(B,L)
January 2 and 3 Walvis Bay/Etosha National Park, Namibia
Early this morning, board your private aircraft and fly to Walvis Bay on the coast of Namibia. Take a boat excursion to Pelican Point, where you’ll be entertained by a noisy colony of Cape fur seals. Schools of dolphins often swim alongside the boats, and shore birds can be spotted on the edge of the lagoon. Continue to Etosha National Park in northern Namibia, and check into Mokuti Lodge, surrounded by lush gardens and grazing antelope. Over the next two days, board four-wheel-drive vehicles with naturalist guides for game drives in the park. Etosha, “the place of dry water,” spans 8,000 square miles of semi-arid acacia savannas and a vast salt pan. Here shimmering landscapes are home to countless species such as lions, hyenas, elephants, buffaloes, black rhinos, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, blue wildebeests, elands, kudus, rare black-faced impalas, and a myriad of birds. On Tuesday evening, enjoy a barbecue dinner in the boma around an open fire.
Mokuti Lodge
(B,L,D)
January 4 Port-Gentil, Gabon
This morning, set out on a game drive through the park, then fly to Port-Gentil in Gabon. This evening, enjoy a relaxing French-style dinner.
Le Meridien, Port-Gentil
(B,L,D)
January 5, 6, and 7 Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest,Central African Republic
Today, transfer by light aircraft to the Congo Basin and the most pristine national park in Africa—Dzanga-Sangha Reserve. This afternoon, take pirogues, local dugout canoes, along the banks of the Sangha River in search of birds, gorillas, and forest elephants. Return to the lodge in time to relax as the sun sets over the Sangha River, and enjoy a candlelit dinner in the heart of the African rain forest.
Over the next three days, explore this lush rain forest with BaAka (pygmy) trackers. On Friday, visit several BaAka villages. Here hunters carrying hand-woven nets will lead you into the forest, singing and yodeling as they have done for centuries. This is a rare chance to encounter these extraordinary people. On Saturday, walk into the cool rain forest, through shallow streams and clouds of butterflies, reaching the top of an observation platform overlooking a natural salt lick or “saline.” These clearings are frequented by scores of forest elephants; sitatunga, bongo, and duiker antelopes; red forest buffaloes; giant forest hogs; mangabey monkeys; raucous hornbills; and flocks of African gray parrots. The elephants bathe in colored clay, emerging in shades of yellow, gray, and pink, and offering photographic opportunities not to be missed.
Dolicom Lodge
(B,L,D)
January 8, 9, and 10 Loango National Park, Gabon
This morning, fly by light aircraft to Port-Gentil, and on to the Loango National Park in Gabon, a new park rarely visited by tourists. On arrival, transfer to the Loango Lodge, which is perfectly positioned between Nkomi and Ndogo lagoons on 60 miles of uninhabited coastline and offers the rare opportunity to spot elephants, buffaloes, and hippos that sometimes roam the white sands. The lodge has uninterrupted views of the lagoons and river and offers comfortable bungalows with private terraces, air-conditioning, and en-suite bathrooms.
Over the next three days, explore diverse habitats of coastal plains, wetlands, and lagoons in search of gorillas and chimps, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, marine life, and countless species of birds. Varied activities include walking safaris and beachcombing, boat excursions, game drives in four-wheel-drive vehicles, and visits to local fishing villages. You will also have the opportunity to visit Evengue Island and meet scientists who are rehabilitating families of western lowland gorillas.
Loango Lodge
(B,L,D)
January 11 Accra, Ghana
After breakfast, transfer by light aircraft to Port-Gentil, where you will board our private aircraft for Accra, Ghana. This afternoon, depart for Teshi, a suburb of Accra, and visit the famous coffinmaker’s shop. Here Ga artisans create ornate coffins to reflect a person’s affiliation or persona. This evening, check into your beachside hotel and enjoy a tropical dinner.
Labadi Beach Hotel
(B,L,D)
January 12 The Gold Coast/Elmina/St George’s Castle/Kumasi
This morning, take a short scenic flight along the Gold Coast to Sekondi-Takoradi, where we board vehicles for a fascinating tour of Elmina, a traditional fishing village and harbor. Walk among the bustling markets and visit the imposing slave fortress of St George. After lunch at the beachside Coconut Grove Hotel, fly north to Kumasi, seat of the Asante Empire. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Miklin Kumasi Hotel
(B,L,D)
January 13 Kumasi/Asante Empire
Today, visit the Asante craft villages, beginning with Ahwiaa, the woodcarvers’ village. Continue to Ntonso, where they make hand-printed Adinkra cloths using dye from the bark of a tree. After lunch, depart for the historic center of Kumasi. Explore the legends of the Asantes, who are known for their Kente cloth with dazzling patterns that enhance the status of kings, queens, and nobles. Visit the Manhyia Palace Museum. The palace is the official residence of Asante kings, whose regal history dates back 300 years and is revealed through relics and artifacts. Return to the hotel for dinner.
(B,L,D)
January 14 Timbuktu, Mali
After breakfast, board our private aircraft and fly via Accra to the legendary oasis town of Timbuktu. Modern transportation does not diminish the mystery or isolation of this ancient stop on the caravan route. This afternoon, see the distinctive architecture of Sankore, where thousands of students once lived, and Djingareyber. The mosques in these areas date from the 14th and 15th centuries. Visit the small ethnological museum and walk past houses once enlivened by legendary explorers René Caillé, Gordon Laing, and Heinrich Barth. Continue by four-wheel-drive vehicles into the Sahara sand dunes to a Tuareg encampment. These “blue men of the desert” entertain us with folklore, sword dances, colorful robes, and camel rides. Sheltered by a banquet tent, enjoy a dinner by firelight while the moon rises.
Hendrina Khan Hotel
(B,L,D)
January 15 Dogon Country/Mopti, Mali
Today, take an early flight along the Niger River to Mopti. On arrival, board four-wheel-drive vehicles for a full day at the Bandiagara escarpment, home of the distinctive Dogon people. Oral tradition says the Dogon fled to this remote region in 1500 in an attempt to avoid conversion to Islam. Their mud villages and cliff-side dwellings are reminiscent of cliff dwellings of the American Southwest, but their culture and cosmology are entirely original. Aspects of this unique culture are revealed in the masked dances, which they perform for us with great gusto to the chanting of a griot, or storyteller, and village drummers. Return to Mopti for dinner.
Hotel Kanaga
(B,L,D)
January 16 Djénné, Mali
This morning, board several small coaches and drive to Djénné, the oldest city in West Africa. Many aspects of its adobe architecture remain unchanged, and a walk down narrow lanes reveals traditional markets and crafts such as weaving and cloth-making. The centerpiece of the town is its mosque, perhaps the largest mud building in the world and an excellent example of Sudanese architecture. On returning to Mopti this afternoon, you will have time to explore the markets on your own before dinner at the hotel.
(B,L,D)
January 17 and 18 Marrakech, Morocco
This morning, take a scenic flight over the vast sands of the Sahara and the striking snow-capped Atlas Mountains, before arriving in Marrakech. On arrival, check into the Jardins de la Koutoubia Hotel, a deluxe boutique hotel just yards from the old city and its suqs.
On Wednesday, enjoy a full day of exploring Marrakech. Visit the Koutoubia Mosque, the Saadian Tombs, and the Bahia Palace. In the afternoon, walk the labyrinth of suqs with their numerous tiny shops bustling with activity, and Djemaa el Fna square with its fascinating open-air entertainment. Alternatively, head out on a day excursion into the Ourika Valley and the imposing high Atlas Mountains. Witness beautiful landscapes crisscrossed by streams and dotted by traditional Berber villages with terraced gardens, and enjoy a traditional Berber tea and honey ceremony. This evening, celebrate your journey across Western Africa with a traditional Moroccan dinner in the hotel’s rooftop restaurant.
Jardins de la Koutoubia Hotel
(B,L,D)
January 19 Casablanca/U.S.A.
This morning, fly to Casablanca on our private aircraft and connect with international flights home.
(B)
| ABOUT THE PRIVATE AIRCRAFT |
Flying aboard private aircraft cuts out the long drives associated with many safaris, and adds a thrilling aerial perspective to this expedition. It provides a convenient and comfortable way of traveling to remote destinations in Western Africa, and allows you more time on the ground visiting local people, viewing game, and exploring. Sturdy propeller power and rugged landing gear allow access to regional runways and airstrips where jets cannot land, getting you close to each destination and minimizing road transfers. Inside the well-appointed cabin, comfortable two by-two seating offers an intimate flying experience, and experienced cabin attendants deliver first-class meals and refreshments in flight.
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