WorldWild Tours: Around Africa by Private Jet

For itineraries, brochures, and registration information for all WorldWild Tours call 619-685-3247, or contact us using our online form.

Itinerary

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 and 27
Depart your hometown independently on a commercial flight to Copenhagen, Denmark, and arrive the next day. Meet with fellow travelers and the expedition staff during dinner at our well-appointed Scandinavian-style hotel.

SUNDAY/MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 and MARCH 1: EGYPT
Explore Luxor, by the Nile River, where a treasure trove of monumental achievements has been admired the world over for thousands of years. Visit the Luxor Museum and see some of the sepulchral treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb. Sail on the Nile River in a felucca, a traditional sailboat, and spend time in the Valley of the Kings visiting the tombs of divine pharaohs. In the evening, enjoy an unforgettable gala welcome dinner at the Temple of Luxor.

TUESDAY, THURSDAY, MARCH 2–4: RWANDA
Hidden deep in the high slopes of this enchanting land are the endangered mountain gorillas, which the late Dian Fossey famously studied. At Volcanoes National Park, we set out in intimate groups of eight, hiking up through thick bamboo forests to encounter the gorillas in the wild. You may also spot some of Rwanda’s 650 bird species. In the evening, celebrate your extraordinary wildlife encounters over cocktails and visit a gallery of artwork depicting gorillas and day-to-day Rwandan life in gorilla country.

Travelers whose health conditions do not permit gorilla trekking and those who would prefer a more relaxing stay in Rwanda can instead spend more time in the capital city, Kigali. Meet with Rwandans who live at the SOS Children’s Village Kigali; then take an exciting helicopter ride over the ancient Nyungwe Rain Forest to view the source of the Nile, the jagged shoreline of Lake Kivu, and the countless hills of the Virunga Volcanoes, below which your fellow travelers may be trekking!

FRIDAY/SATURDAY, MARCH 5 and 6: TANZANIA
Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro, transfer by private local aircraft to one of two different areas of your choice: the Serengeti or the Ngorongoro Crater.

SUNDAY–TUESDAY, MARCH 7 and 8: MADAGASCAR
Continue southeast to Madagascar, a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean that is home to a colorful, multi-ethnic culture, curious geological formations, and a staggering array of unique animals and plants, where at least 80 percent of species are found nowhere else on Earth. Land in the capital, Antananarivo, where you can spend a leisurely evening, and then enjoy your choice of three ways to explore this remote island in the Indian Ocean.

WEDNESDAY–FRIDAY, MARCH 10–12: ZAMBIA and BOTSWANA
Fly to Livingstone, Zambia, where you can take a thrilling ride by helicopter over the breathtaking Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. See for yourself why the world’s largest curtain of water is also known in the local Kololo language as mosi-oa-tunya, "the smoke that thunders." Then visit Simonga Village, meet with community members, sample some traditional foods and spirits, and observe daily life for many in this country.

Spend the next two days as you choose by further exploring Zambia or by flying to Botswana to explore the Kalahari Desert or the Okavango Delta.

SATURDAY/SUNDAY, MARCH 13 and 14 SOUTH AFRICA
Our private jet takes us to Cape Town, South Africa’s first major European settlement and its most beautiful city. Set out on an excursion around the Cape of Good Hope by helicopter to the site where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, and marvel at the rare flora and fauna of this vast nature reserve including the exotic sugarbushes (proteas), the keystone species of the region. Or, instead of a helicopter tour of the Cape, ride a ferry to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other political leaders were imprisoned. After returning from the island, visit Cape Town’s District 6 Museum, a fascinating memorial to a vibrant inner-city community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, laborers, and immigrants that was destroyed in the name of racial purity.

Then explore Cape Town’s beloved landmark, Table Mountain, which soars more than 2/3 of a mile above sea level and can be seen by sailors 40 miles out in the waters around the Cape. Ride a cable car up to the top, and hike the wooden walkways to see the mountain ablaze with innumerable flowers and plants that are endemic to this area. Or, if you wish, browse the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a working port and shopping environment that is unequalled in Africa, where more than 400 shops and galleries offer handmade crafts from a variety of African cultures.

MONDAY/TUESDAY, MARCH 15 and 16: NAMIBIA
Wedged between the Kalahari Desert and the South Atlantic Ocean, Namibia is a spectacular land of swirling desert dunes, deep-red clay pans, dramatic seascapes, gentle bushwalking terrain, and limitless sunshine. Few other places can compare with the sheer magnitude and variety of this fascinating country. Our private jet lands in Walvis Bay. Take a thrilling flightseeing tour by local aircraft over Namibia’s legendary Skeleton Coast. Enjoy a bird’s-eye view of one of the most unusual and unforgettable spectacles on Earth—Namibia’s desert dunes, among the highest in the world; meet the roaring Atlantic surf, one of the most treacherous bodies of water in the world.

Then venture into the immense dunes of the Namib Desert with an expert guide and see the famous Welwitschia mirabilis, a rare and curious plant that has survived here for hundreds of years. With luck, we may see animals that gather along the linear oases of desert rivers that crisscross the Namib. Later in the day, you may enjoy hiking along the Swakopmund riverbed. Before departing for Mali, we cruise the avian paradise of Walvis Bay Lagoon to see flamingos, penguins, and pelicans. Look to the water as well for bottlenose and heaviside dolphins and Cape fur seals, which are known to cavort around boats.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, MARCH 17 and 18: MALI
Our private jet takes us over the Atlantic to Mopti, Mali. Board a traditional flat-bottomed pirogue and cruise the Niger to observe daily life on the river where Bambara, Fulani, and Bozo fishermen and merchants ply the waters in boats laden with fish, salt, and produce. Later, marvel at a “stilt dance” performed by colorfully-dressed Dogon dancers who move deftly on stilts up to 15 feet high. The next morning, choose to explore one of three remote and rarely-visited sites before departing for Morocco.

THURSDAY (CONTINUED)/FRIDAY, MARCH 18 and 19: MOROCCO
We land in Marrakech, located in an oasis of palm and olive groves and steeped in ancient Berber tradition. Enjoy your choice of two ways to explore Morocco.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20: DENMARK and HOME
This morning we board our private jet and fly to Copenhagen, where travelers connect with commercial flights home.

Please note: Itinerary may vary due to changes in air schedules, weather, and other local conditions.

We recommend travel insurance
While the San Diego Zoo provides emergency medical and evacuation insurance for all of its tour participants at no additional cost, we highly recommend that all of our travelers purchase additional insurance coverage. Additional insurance should include supplemental medical, lost luggage, and trip cancellation insurance.

It is important that you purchase insurance soon after making your deposit for a tour in order to waive preexisting conditions and to qualify for the "cancel for any reason" coverage.