President’s Journey by Private Plane to Africa

After checking in to the hotel, we’ll have some time to relax and settle in to our rooms before our orientation meeting. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures and answer questions. This program is staffed with three Group Leaders, who will accompany us throughout the program and deal primarily with logistics. Local experts in each country on the itinerary will lecture, conduct field trips and serve as an information resource on program-related topics. Program-related ground transportation will be by private motorcoach unless otherwise specified. Game drives will be conducted in enclosed 4x4 safari vehicles with a roof pop-up. Meals will take place mainly in hotels and local restaurants with a few boxed lunches in certain circumstances. We will also have some lunches and dinners specially prepared for us on the private plane. Some field trips are in exotic locations. Dress appropriately according to the conditions and wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. Your local experts will be happy to offer suggestions, or you may wish to use these as periods of “downtime” at hotels among busy days of program activities and transfers. Program activities, schedules, personnel and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

In the hotel dining room.

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At the hotel.

At the hotel, we will hear a lecture on the British Museum and its Africa collection, highlighting the diversity of Africa and its cultures.

At the hotel.

We will head out on foot to take a field trip to the British Museum. The British Museum curates collections of material and visual culture relating to indigenous people across the African continent and to the cultures and societies of the diaspora. We will explore the diversity of the African continent in the Sainsbury African Galleries, which permanently display art and material culture from early history to the present. We’ll learn about the collaborative research projects of their curators and the pioneering exchange and skills-sharing programs with their partners in Africa. The Africa collections: Through historical and more recent objects, contemporary artworks and photographs, the British Museum collection highlights the diversity of Africa and its cultures, celebrating creativity and the continent's continued global connections and telling the story of Africa from the Palaeolithic to the present day. The Museum works in partnership with African colleagues to subvert existing stereotypes, reflect critically upon historical events and support established and emerging artists. Highlights from the collections include: silk textiles from Ghana, wooden sculpture from the Democratic Republic of Congo, brass plaques and sculptures from the Kingdom of Benin, Nigeria, secular and religious paintings from Ethiopia, Palaeolithic stone tools from Tanzania and striking works by contemporary artists from across the continent. Following our visit to the Africa section, you will have time to visit other sections of the museum at leisure. You may then return to the hotel which is based less than 5 minutes’ walk from the museum.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our first flight on our private plane tomorrow.

Boxed breakfast.

We will check out of the hotel, board a motorcoach, and transfer to Stansted Airport. After completing security procedures and having some time to relax and mingle with fellow Road Scholars in the private lounge, we’ll board our private plane for the flight to Marrakech, Morocco. PLEASE NOTE: Travel aboard the private plane is subject to the same security restrictions as commercial flights, so we will need to complete security procedures at each airport and adhere to standard carry-on luggage policies. At Stansted Airport, we will have a dedicated private security area; at all other airports, these procedures must be completed at public security areas.

Aboard the plane.

Upon arriving in Marrakech, we will meet our study group leaders and transfer by motorcoach to the hotel, where we will hear a lecture on Morocco’s cultural diversity.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

With our Group Leader, we will explore the old city of Marrakech, the imperial city known as the “Pearl of the South.” It boasts the Jewish quarter and the 19th-century Bahia Palace. The field trip will also include the 12th-century esplanade of the Koutoubia Mosque. This mosque is considered the most famous religious monument in Marrakech.

At a restaurant in the Old Medina.

The Red City is also home to several museums and gardens. We will visit the famous Benyoussef Medersa, built in 1565 as a Quranic school. This exceptional historical monument, one of the best preserved, is a marvel of Moorish architecture and a symbol of Muslim heritage. We will also visit Le Jardin Secret (Secret Garden), located inside the old city. Dating back to the 16th century and opened to the public in 2016 after an extensive restoration, this is composed of an orderly Islamic garden as well as a more exotic garden featuring plants from around the world. Later on, we’ll have some time at Jemaa el-Fna Square to explore independently. The largest traditional market in Morocco and one of the world’s busiest squares, it bustles with acrobats, storytellers, water-sellers, dancers and musicians. By night, food stalls open in the square, turning it into a huge, busy, open-air restaurant.

At a local restaurant.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to Namibia in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel and board a motorcoach to the airport, where we’ll check in and board our flight to Namibia.

Aboard the plane.

We will arrive in Walvis Bay, Namibia in the early evening, where we will clear Namibian immigration before being transferred to the hotel in Swakopmund for check-in.

At a local restaurant specializing in seafood.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to Sossusvlei tomorrow.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel prior to departing for the morning’s field trip. We will board our motorcoach for the drive to a Topnaar community southeast of Walvis Bay, near Rooibank. Here, we will be joined by a local specialist who will provide more information on the Topnaar. The Topnaar are an offshoot of the Khoi Khoi peoples who used to be found from the Western Cape in South Africa all the way up to Walvis Bay (they also used to be known as Strandlopers, or “beach walkers”), and are one of the rare communities that still maintain a unique way of life that is distinguishable from the neighboring populations. The community that we will visit lives along the Kuiseb River and makes a living harvesting the nara melons that grow there. Our visit with the Topnaar will be interactive, allowing us the opportunity to meet community members, learn about their cultural history as well as observe their traditional activities such as harvesting naras.

Light snacks and refreshments will be available on site at the Topnaar community.

Saying goodbye to the local community, we will be driven to the Walvis Bay airport for our small aircraft charter flight to Sossusvlei, near the Namib Naukluft Park. En route, we will enjoy a scenic flight over the Diamond Coast (weather permitting), where we can take in the stunning desert-meets-ocean scenery from above. Arriving in Sossusvlei late afternoon, we will be driven the short distance to the lodge, where we have time to settle into our rooms before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

Inside the park.

Rising before sunrise, we will head out for a field trip into Namib Naukluft National Park to view the Sossusvlei Dunes, some of the highest free-standing sand dunes in the world. Our Group Leader will discuss the formation of the Namib Desert and its flora and fauna that survive in extreme conditions as we see the stark contrasts between this sea of sand and the surrounding white clay pan. En route back to the lodge, we will stop at Sesriem Canyon. This is one of the very few places that contains water year round. After centuries of erosion by the Tsauchab River, the shaded depths of the canyon collect pools of water during the rainy season. Learn the meaning of “Sesriem” in Afrikaans and the importance of this vital resource to early explorers and settlers. We will return to the lodge early afternoon.

At the lodge.

We will have some time to rest after the early morning start. In the late afternoon following teatime, we will embark on a nature drive on the lodge’s reserve. Our local nature specialists will provide commentary on sites seen, as we seek out the fairy circles that mystify scientists as well as the multitude of desert-adapted flora and fauna in the area. We will return to the lodge after dusk, with time to freshen up before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to South Africa in the morning.

At the lodge.

We will have time to pack our bags before being driven a short distance by safari vehicle to the Sossusvlei airstrip, where we board our small aircraft flights directly to Walvis Bay Airport. Upon a late-morning arrival, we will clear Namibian immigration before reboarding our private plane for the flight to Cape Town.

Aboard the plane.

Midafternoon, we will arrive in Cape Town. After checking in at the hotel, we will have time to settle into our rooms before regrouping at the hotel with our local specialist for a lecture, the topic of which will be determined closer to the start of the program.

At the hotel’s restaurant.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will visit Kirstenbosch Gardens, one of the world's leading botanical gardens. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of its setting, against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich and diverse flora of southern Africa, and it was the first botanic garden in the world to be devoted to a country’s indigenous flora. On display in the gardens is a wide variety of the unique Cape Floristic Region plant life as well as plants from all the diverse regions of southern Africa. There are over 7,000 species in cultivation at Kirstenbosch, including many that are rare and threatened. In 2004, the Cape Floristic Region, including Kirstenbosch, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will walk around the garden in the company of our local specialist, who will talk about the different plants seen. In the late morning, we will transfer by motorcoach to the Winelands for our afternoon field trip.

We will enjoy lunch today at a wine estate near Stellenbosch. Our gourmet picnic will consist of dishes curated by the executive chef, made with seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms and artisanal suppliers.

We will spend the afternoon exploring the Cape Winelands. The wine-producing region around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek is not only the most important wine-growing region in South Africa, but Stellenbosch is also one of the oldest, most beautiful and well-preserved towns in South Africa. The vineyards form a patchwork in the fertile valleys and seem to be overshadowed by dramatic mountains. There is an almost European atmosphere with beautiful Cape Dutch architecture seen everywhere. We will partake in a wine tasting and hear a lecture on the area’s architecture, history and viniculture from our local specialist.

At a local restaurant.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

After breakfast, we will head to Table Mountain where a cable car ride up the steep granite slopes (weather permitting) will give us splendid views of the city and peninsula. It is perhaps one of the most magnificent views in the Southern Hemisphere. Afterwards, we will depart toward Cape Point via the coastal route, passing through South Africa’s famous beach resort town of Camps Bay, past the Twelve Apostle Range, through Hout Bay and along Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the most spectacular coastal roads to be found in Africa, finally arriving at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Cape Point, the southwestern-most point of the African continent, is one of the world’s most beautiful places – a stretch of rocky mountain jutting southward into the sea. We will board the Flying Dutchman funicular, which will bring us up to a viewpoint walkway on the peak, the lower station. The upper station, where the lighthouse is located, is accessible by stairs from here. At Cape Point, we will find myriad pristine beaches, sheltered bays and coves as well as a rich array of indigenous flora. The fynbos reserve (a unique vegetation type of the Cape Floral Kingdom) is home to a variety of wildlife and bird species. Whales (dependent on season), penguins and seals may be spotted from this point.

At a local restaurant specializing in seafood.

We will continue to Boulders Beach to view the resident African penguin colony. Our local specialist will lead us to the beach, which is nestled in a sheltered cove between Simon’s Town and Cape Point, and introduce us to the penguins. Boulders has become world famous for its thriving colony of African penguins and magnificent wind-sheltered beaches. Boulders is one of the few sites where this vulnerable bird (Spheniscus demersus) can be observed at close range, wandering freely in a protected environment. In the late afternoon, we will return to the hotel with time to freshen up before dinner.

At a local restaurant featuring traditional African dishes.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will explore prominent sites around the city via motorcoach with our local specialist. Sites visited include the Bo Kaap, a colorful and predominantly Muslim neighborhood, the Company Gardens, a lovely garden in the heart of city center that is surrounded by the Houses of Parliament, the Anglican Cathedral of South Africa where Desmond Tutu was bishop, Greenmarket Square, an historic and vibrant meeting place in the business district, the Castle of Good Hope, a former fort that is the oldest building in South Africa and District Six, which serves as a poignant reminder of the impact of apartheid. The District Six museum contains exhibits that invite a very visual and interactive understanding of what life was like in the area, and of apartheid’s impacts on the residents in the neighborhood.

On your own to enjoy local fare.

Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most in the city of Cape Town. Please refer to the list of Free-Time Opportunities. The Group Leader and local specialist will be happy to offer suggestions. There is a multitude of activities offered in the area, or you may wish to explore the hotel’s walking trails through their expansive gardens. Transportation will be provided to the V&A Waterfront for self-exploration.

On your own.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to Victoria Falls in the morning.

At the lodge.

We will board our minibus for the transfer to Cape Town airport, where we reboard our private plane for the flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Upon a late-morning arrival, we will be driven to the lodge by motorcoach for check-in and a chance to settle into our rooms.

At the lodge.

This afternoon, we will be transferred a short distance to the magnificent Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Here, our Group Leader will lead us on a walk to the falls, where we will see how through the millennia the forces of nature have created this marvelous spectacle, Africa’s greatest waterfall. We will view the falls today from the Zimbabwean side. After our visit, we will return to the lodge with time to freshen up before dinner.

At a nearby restaurant in Victoria Falls, we will have a meal featuring traditional Zimbabwean dishes. As we interact with our hosts, we’ll learn about local ingredients and cooking traditions in this part of Zimbabwe.

At leisure.

At the elephant encounter site.

Our two smaller groups will alternate activities – while one is with the elephants, the other will be visiting the Wildlife Trust, then we will swap activities. We will have an early start for the morning’s field trip. By motorcoach, we will be driven to a nearby location for our elephant interaction. Here, we will have an opportunity to learn more about the past, present and future of elephant conservation from local experts. We will also gain insight into these gentle giants through up close, personal time with the elephants that reside here. Upon conclusion of the encounter, we will enjoy breakfast on site. Following breakfast, we will reboard our motorcoach for a very short drive to the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, where we will learn about how the trust’s local conservation efforts are making a major impact in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). The trust has four main areas of operation: Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wildlife Research, Wildlife Disease and Forensics Laboratory and Community Outreach. In the company of a local expert, our hour-long visit will incorporate an overview of the Trust and its facilities, including the wildlife rehabilitation area. Then, we will transfer to visit two community projects in Victoria Falls. Here, we will have the chance to meet members of the community and see how they live. Visits to these projects are done on a non-commercialized, authentic and interactive basis with a view to a genuine and meaningful interaction. From the community visit, we will be driven to a local restaurant for lunch.

At a local restaurant with scenic views.

We will return to the lodge, where we will be joined by a noted local historian who will discuss the story of Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who first visited Victoria Falls over 150 years ago, and whose journeys laid the groundwork for the Colonial era that followed. In the late afternoon, we will board our motorcoach for a short transfer to the jetty, where we will board our boat for the sunset ride along the Zambezi River. We’ll find ourselves immersed in the unique environment, viewing numerous birds including sacred ibis, blue heron, goliath heron, saddle-billed storks, marabou storks and little egrets. Refreshments will be served on the boat as we watch one of Africa's stunning sunsets. After returning to the lodge, we will have time to freshen up before dinner.

We'll enjoy a special riverside, African-style barbecue.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to Tanzania in the morning.

At the lodge.

We will start the day early, returning to the Victoria Falls Airport by motorcoach to reboard our plane for our onward journey to Tanzania.

Aboard the plane.

Upon an early-afternoon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport near Arusha, we will divide into two groups; one group will fly to Serengeti National Park, while the other will fly to the Ngorongoro Crater. All activities described will be experienced by both groups. We will board our small aircraft flight to Lake Manyara airstrip, where we will be met by our local safari specialists and driven in enclosed 4x4 safari vehicles to our lodge, perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. We will have time to settle into our rooms before regrouping with our local specialist before dinner for a lecture, the topic of which will be decided as the program approaches.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

At the lodge.

We will depart the lodge in our safari vehicles, descending the road that snakes down the crater’s sides to the floor below. Once down at the bottom, we will embark on our extended game drive in the crater. Each safari vehicle will have its own local specialist, who will provide commentary on the animals and sites seen. The Ngorongoro Crater, one of the natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest intact caldera in the world. The crater’s floor is home to the largest permanent concentration of game in Africa, including elephant, black rhino, wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle, zebra, lion, leopard and hyena. Ecosystems found in the crater include open grasslands, forests, swamps, rivers and a large soda lake where flamingos and other water birds tend to congregate.

At one of the sites on the crater’s floor.

Our game drive in the crater will continue. Midafternoon, we will ascend the road back to the crater’s rim and the lodge, where we will have some time at leisure. Late afternoon, we will gather at a scenic location on the crater’s rim for a special sundowners set up in our honor. The views from the crater rim are breathtaking, looking out over the ten-mile wide floor and the forested walls rising roughly 1,950 feet. We will return to the lodge for dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the lodge.

Checking out of the lodge, we will board our safari vehicles for the drive to a local Maasai village. Here, we will have the chance to interact with members of this tribe, seeing a local homestead and learning how Maasai traditions have been adapted to modern living. From the village, we will continue on towards Serengeti National Park. Along the way, we will stop at Olduvai Gorge and visit the museum at this important archaeological site. In the steep sides of the gorge, layer upon layer of exposed rock and volcanic ash have produced numerous artifacts and fossil remains of human ancestors. Louis and Mary Leakey pioneered the archaeological digs in this area back in the 1950s, and excavation work continues to be carried out to this day. Important finds in the area include the remains of hominids “Nutcracker Man” and “Toolmaking Man,” which have led to the gorge being referred to as the Cradle of Mankind. A local expert will give us a brief overview of human evolution, and how the findings at Olduvai Gorge have advanced the evolution theories.

En route to Serengeti.

We will continue the drive to the Serengeti. Upon arrival at the lodge, we will settle into our rooms, then embark on a late-afternoon game drive in the Serengeti. We will board our safari vehicles to explore the Central Serengeti ecosystem, seeking out the Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, buffalo) as well as numerous species of antelope, including topi, reedbuck, eland and dik dik. Returning to the lodge at dusk, we will have time to freshen up before dinner.

At the lodge.

At leisure.

At the lodge.

We will depart on an early-morning game drive, exploring parts of the Serengeti we haven’t yet seen. Highlights we will search for include the Great Migration herds of wildebeest and zebra, and the predators that are never far behind. We will return to the lodge midmorning.

At the lodge.

The heat of the day will be free to rest, relax and enjoy the lodge’s amenities. Over afternoon tea, our local specialist will give a lecture on a topic that will be decided as the program approaches. Then, we will board our safari vehicles for a late-afternoon game drive, seeking out wildlife and birdlife not yet seen, returning to the lodge at dusk.

At the lodge.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to Egypt in the morning.

At the lodge.

We will check out of the lodge and board our safari vehicles for the game drive transfer to the local airstrip. From there, a small aircraft flight will take us back to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where we board our private plane for the flight to Egypt.

Aboard the plane.

On arrival into Luxor, we will transfer by motorcoach to the hotel. Once checked in and relaxed, we will enjoy an afternoon field trip to Luxor Temple. Luxor Temple, also known as “ipet-resyt” or “the southern sanctuary,” was the center of one of the most important religious festivals in ancient Egypt – the Opet Festival – during which the statues of Amun-Re, Mut and Khonsu were carried from Karnak to Luxor. Some scholars have also proposed that Luxor Temple differs from other temples in the region, as they argue it was centered not on the cult of a deity or deceased pharaoh, but on the cult of the current king on Earth. Academics even argue that Luxor Temple may have been the site where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned kings. We will then take the motorcoach back to the hotel.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will depart early by motorcoach to explore more of the iconic sites on the west bank of Luxor. Led by our local experts, we will discover the Valley of the Kings. This area of the west bank had been home to royal burials since 2100 BC, but it was the pharaohs of the New Kingdom period (1550-1069 BC) who began to construct elaborate tombs to reflect their newfound power and prosperity after the reunification of Egypt under Theban rule. The Valley of the Kings is home to 63 magnificent royal tombs, each unique in their own way. Before we depart the Valley of the Kings, we will enjoy a short visit to the famous Colossi of Memnon. These massive twin statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and stand in what was once the entrance to the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III. Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed by an earthquake shortly after its construction in 1200 BC, leaving only the famous statues behind. Stories claim that another earthquake in 27 BC damaged the foundation of the northern colossus, causing it to “sing” on various occasions – usually heard by travelers around dawn. Greek scholars and travelers quickly took to calling the statue the “colossus of Memnon” since the mythological hero of Memnon was a king in the region and said to be the son of Eos, the goddess of dawn. We will continue to Ramses III memorial temple of Medinat Habu and the Ramesseum, the temple dedicated to Ramses II. We will then return to the hotel.

At the hotel.

We will have a lecture from our local experts at the hotel on the importance of the area and continued historical finds. Later in the afternoon, we will transfer to the River Nile for dinner and sailing aboard a Dahabeya, a traditional sailboat.

Aboard the Dahabeya while taking in the beautiful scenery the Nile has to offer.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out, transfer and our flight to England tomorrow.

At the hotel.

We will set out by motorcoach with our local experts to spend the morning exploring the temples of Karnak and Luxor. These temples were the religious centers of the ancient city of Thebes, which is modern-day Luxor. Karnak, also known as “ipet-isut” or “the most sacred of places,” is the largest temple complex ever built by man and represents the combined achievements of thirteen centuries of builders. Among the gods venerated at this site were Amun-Re, his wife Mut and their son Montu.

At the hotel.

We will leave the hotel for Luxor Airport for our last flight on the private plane to Stansted in the United Kingdom. After landing at Stansted Airport, we’ll board a motorcoach and transfer to our final hotel at London Heathrow.

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during dinner.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel depending on flight times. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all of your journeys!