6 weeks July/August 2017 = dry winter season, the best time of the year for wildlife watching!

• Capetown, South Africa, 5 nights: taking in the sounds and sights of this cosmopolitan city and it’s surroundings.

• South Namibia, on the Orange River, 10 nights – “Oana Flora & Fauna”:  we’ll be tracking leopards, conducting flora and fauna studies and clearing the land of farming fences etc. while camping under the stars. The Namibian desert in winter promises to be chilly. (www.oana-ff.org)

• Botswana, south of Maun, 7 nights – “Natural Selection Safaris”: This is the luxury bit of the trip where we get some creature comforts but most importantly excellent game viewing! (www.naturalselection.travel)

• North Namibia, 3 hours north of Windhoek, 14 nights  – “Cheetah Conservation Fund”: This is where we get up close and learn more about animal conservation, specifically the fastest mammal on the planet, the cheetah! (www.cheetah.org)

More Background Info

“Oana Flora & Fauna”, a newly setup conservation programme to reclaim 45,000 hectares of former farm land to it’s natural state with a view to making it into a National Park. (45,000 hectares = 9 Bermudas!!!).

“Natural Selection Safaris” is a bunch of former hunting lodges now boutique camps operated by former game rangers. It is located half way between the Okavanga Delta and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. We’ll be staying at 3 different locations the last being an overnight perch above a waterhole.

“Cheetah Conservation Fund” is the leader in research and conservation dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. We will be volunteers at the facility mucking in with Chloë’s vet skills being put to use.

We’ll be filling in the blanks with pictures and stories as we go!