ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
"Healing
Matters" - Physicians on Safari Visit: Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, Okavango Delta, Bushman communities, and Moremi Highlights: all inclusive, exclusive tented camps and lodges, transfers by air, private specialist guide throughout, private guided tour of Victoria Falls, day and night wildlife viewing from open sided 4x4 vehicles, professionally guided walks, mekoro and boat excursions, excellent wildlife and birding, village overnight, traditional healing instruction, two days treatment of local bushman in remote communities, US $250 per person donation to local clinics For many physicians a trip to Africa is a dream...for many Africans adequate medical care is also a dream. At the request of local African villagers we have created our "Healing Matters" - Physicians on Safari program. This program will allow physicians (and dentists, optometrists, and other medical professionals) to visit Africa, learn traditional healing methods, treat local villagers and view Africa's incredible wildlife. If you are a physician you may wish to join our March 2004 scheduled departure to Botswana. This 9 day trip for up to 8 doctors (or 4 doctors and their spouses) will incorporate the Victoria Falls, the Okavango Delta, and Moremi.Traveling by light aircraft you will view the world's largest waterfall, partake in day and nighttime wildlife viewing drives and professionally guided walks in Botswana's Okavango Delta and Moremi, and spend two days treating local bushman in their communities while learning their traditional healing methods. A portion of the tour cost will be donated to the local clinics. Full itinerary and trip details below: MARCH 21 JOHANNESBURG You will arrive in Johannesburg this day. After clearing customs you will be met and transferred (private) to the Grace Hotel for 1 night. The hotel is situated in Rosebank - an affluent, sedate residential suburb of Johannesburg with a shopping center that includes exclusive boutiques, cinemas, art galleries and many restaurants set on indulging every palate and mood. The Grace perpetuates a proud family tradition of excellence. The ground floor sitting room has a pleasant ambience for meetings over a drink or, maybe, complimentary tea or coffee with pastries from the Café Complet. There is also a library where you can enjoy a good read. The decor is luxurious and elegant without pretension and the rooms are designed to provide a comfortable home. A swimming pool is available - a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. JOHANNESBURG, Grace Hotel, dinner, bed and breakfast MARCH 22 VICTORIA FALLS On day you will be transferred by road to the Johannesburg International Airport arriving in time to board your scheduled flight (not included) to Livingstone, Zambia. You will be met by your private specialist guide on arrival and transfer (private) by road to the River Club for 1 night. After freshening up you will enjoy a private guided tour of the world's largest waterfall. Known by the local name "Mosi Oa Tunya" or the smoke that thunders, the falls are a photographer's dream. The spray from the cascading water sustains a rainforest along the gorge's edge and late afternoon regularly produces rainbows around the falls. Shy bushbuck and monkeys may be seen foraging along the paths. In the evening you will return to the River Club. VICTORIA FALLS, The River Club, all inclusive MARCH 23, 24 OKAVANGO DELTA The morning of March 23 you will be transferred (private) by road and boat to the Kasane Airport and board your light aircraft flight (included) to Duba Plains Tented Camp for 2 nights. Duba Plains is one of the Okavango's most remote camps and has the distinction of having the highest density of lion of any area in Africa! The camp has been built on a tree shaded island surrounded by expansive plains which flood each year from about May to early October. Duba Plains accommodates 12 guests in six tented rooms with ceiling fans and en suite facilities, and private outdoor shower. Wildlife in the area includes large herds of buffalo (in the thousands), lion, hippo, elephant, lechwe, sable and numerous other plain's game species in addition to a tremendous variety of birds. Unlike many camps Duba Plains offers incredible wildlife year round - with peak wildlife viewing during the low water months October though April each year! As the camp is situated on a private concession professional guides are able to offer guests day and night wildlife viewing drives in open 4x4 vehicles, walks, and mekoro trips when water levels allow it (mekoro excursions are best between May and September). This camp has a small pool. OKAVANGO DELTA, Duba Plains Tented Camp, all inclusive MARCH 25 OKAVANGO DELTA / LOCAL VILLAGES After breakfast you will depart by light aircraft (included) to the area near Vumbura Tented Camp. There are 5 main villages in the area you will visit rendering medical assistance to the local rural population. As of 2001 the populations were as follows - Seronga (1,641 people), Gunitsoga (506 people), Eretsa (616 people), Beetsha (790 people) and Gudigwa (732 people). There are numerous smaller villages as well. You will focus on the on the 4 main villages to the east of Seronga as Seronga has a clinic.You must be prepared to see everything that you have seen in medical text books - but may have never have seen in real life. The local communities live under basic conditions with little opportunity to access decent medical care and less opportunity to get drugs that work. You need to bring everything possible. One of the doctors at the Seronga clinic noted the following common health concerns: dehydration (you should bring antibiotics including Metronidazole), malaria, deworming, STD's - generalized treatment (her clinic treats symptomatically), candida - everywhere, scabies, eczema, asthma, immunizations, bring vitamin A ampoules, bring vitamins including iron and folate, fungal infections. Late this afternoon you will be transferred to Vumbura Tented Camp where you will spend 1 night. Bordering the Moremi Reserve Vumbura area is home to both wetland and savanna species of wildlife - red lechwe, waterbuck, hippo, and crocodile along with sable, kudu, wildebeest, and tsessebe which roam the open plains. Herds of elephant and buffalo occur along with the predators - lion, leopard, wild dog, and cheetah. Birding is also spectacular. Guests are accommodated in 8 large walk in luxury tents with en suite toilet and shower facilities and private outdoor shower. There is a plunge pool. OKAVANGO DELTA, Vumbura Tented Camp, all inclusive MARCH 26 OKAVANGO DELTA / LOCAL VILLAGES After breakfast on March 26 you will visit several more villages in the area to render medical assistance. Late this afternoon you will depart by light aircraft (included) to Gudigwa for 1 night. Gudigwa Camp offers guests on safari the opportunity to experience the cultural richness of Botswana. Gudigwa village is a settlement of 800 "Bukakhwe" San Bushman or "people of the dry country". The Bukakhwe people are indigenous to the Okavango Delta, and though their physical attributes vary from the Bushman tribes of the Kalahari, their traditional ways of living off the land are very much the same. The Gudigwa experience highlights the intimate connection between the Bukakhwe people's cultural heritage and the natural environment. By sharing this linkage with their guests, they are reviving a dying culture and passing on intricate knowledge to the future generations within the village. Activities focus around various aspects of both traditional and modern life in Botswana. Walks will reveal the secrets of the bush and guests will learn about the medicinal uses of plants, discover where to find underground water, and will be given basic tips of how to survive off of nature's abundant resources. Villagers will perform traditional dances and songs, tell animated stories in their mother tongue - a language of "clicks" and guttural tones - and will cook local dishes for guests to sample. Guests stay in large, cozy grass huts made from local materials and modeled after traditional bushman shelters. Each of the 8 units has comfortable beds and linen, solar lighting and its own open air toilet and hot shower. This "camp" and its activities take place 5 kilometers from the Gudigwa community so as not to disturb the daily life of the people. Guests are welcome to take a quick tour of the village. As the largest remaining Bushman village in Botswana, the Gudigwa people are proud to be reviving their culture that is rapidly changing due to modernization, and to be promoting cross-cultural exchange with the rest of the world. OKAVANGO DELTA, Gudigwa Camp, all inclusive MARCH 27, 28 MOREMI On March 27 you will be transferred by light aircraft (included) to Mombo Camp for 2 nights. Situated on the northern tip of Chief's Island within the Moremi Reserve in the central Okavango, Mombo provides one of the highest quality wildlife viewing opportunities in Africa - if the not the best. Many travelers argue that a trip to southern Africa is not complete without visiting Mombo. Large concentrations of wildlife, including all of the large predators and white rhino, occur in this remote and isolated wilderness region. Birdlife is prolific as well. Numerous award winning wildlife documentaries have been filmed at Mombo (National Geographic, BBC and others have filmed here) making this Botswana's top wildlife documentary location. Guests at Mombo are accommodated 9 luxury tented rooms each with en suite facilities and an outdoor shower on the deck. There is a small plunge pool. Activities include daytime wildlife viewing drives in open 4x4 vehicles. Unlike many camps and lodges Mombo provides spectacular wildlife viewing throughout the year - an exclusive wildlife destination (especially for predators - leopard in particular) Mombo has a record unequalled in Africa. Adventurous guests may enjoy sleeping out on the private sala attached to each room. MOREMI RESERVE, Mombo Camp, all inclusive MARCH 29 EN ROUTE Today you will be transferred by light aircraft (included) to Maun arriving in time to board your onward flight.
Trip name: Healing Matters - Physicians on Safari Type of safari: Premier Collection - Top quality all inclusive lodge and tented camp group safari with light aircraft transfers and scheduled departure dates. This trip can also depart on request and the time of year, accommodations, activities, and total number of days can be altered to suit your needs. As an example we can arrange for a group of dentists to visit local clinics in Namibia...or optometrists to visit local clinics in Zambia... Trip length: 9 days Trip cost: US $3,995 + US $250 donation per person based on 8 physicians traveling together. US $4,295 + US $250 donation per person based on 6 physicians traveling together. US $4,595 + US $250 donation per person based on a minimum of 4 physicians traveling together. Price excludes international airfare, includes internal flights. Air tickets: Please contact our office for an airfare quote. Extensions:
Departures: This is a group safari with a set departure date and schedule. This trip can also depart on request and the time of year, accommodations, activities, and total number of days can be altered to suit your needs. As an example we can arrange for a group of dentists to visit local clinics in Namibia... Accommodations: The accommodations on this trip are all first class and very comfortable. All of the rooms have proper beds with mattresses and duvets, en suite toilets, basins and showers with hot and cold running water. Other amenities include mosquito netting, lamps, purified water in carafes, insect repellent, flashlights, wardrobes, and ethnic furnishings. Group size: The maximum group size per safari is 8 guests unless all guests agree to increase the group size. Spouses are welcome and are included in the maximum group size (as an example a full trip could consist of 4 doctors and their spouses totaling 8 guests). Guides: You will enjoy game drives and walks in the company of professionally licensed guides. Botswanan guides have had to endure many years of intense training, both academic and in the field. Your safety and comfort are their highest concerns. Luggage: As small aircraft are used for several of the transfers between lodges and camps baggage is strictly limited to 28 kilograms (62 pounds) packed in soft sided bags per person. Suitcases will not be permitted. Trip price includes: all airport meet and greets and transfers to and from camps, lodges, hotels and airports (including light aircraft transfers from Kasane to Duba Plains, Duba Plains to Vumbura, Vumbura to Gudigwa, Gudigwa to Mombo, and from Mombo to Maun), all inclusive stays at the River Club, Duba Plains, Vumbura, Gudigwa, and Mombo, dinner, bed and breakfast at the Grace Hotel, private specialist guide throughout, guided wildlife viewing (in open vehicles and on foot), private tour of Victoria Falls, Park's fees, most drinks, US $250 per person clinic donation, MARS (Medical Air Rescue) coverage in Botswana and Zambia, tips and gratuities, 14% South African VAT, 1% Satour Levy, 10% Botswana VAT, and current Zambian taxes. Trip price excludes: international and domestic flights (unless stated), airport taxes, entry visas, and all items of a personal nature i.e. extra activities at the Falls, trip insurance, some drinks, telephone calls. Visas: American passport holders traveling as tourists DO NOT require an entry visa for South Africa or Botswana. An entry visa IS REQUIRED for Zambia however the fee is waived for guests of the River Club. Reservations: Phone toll free 1 800 461 0682 within the United States and speak with one of our safari consultants or send us an email including the trip name, your full name, the number of people traveling, and proposed travel dates. Questions: If you would like to ask any questions send us an email or phone toll free within the United States on 1 800 461 0682 and speak with one of our safari consultants. Return to Ultimate Africa's Special Interest Safari Collection Links to other pages: ULTIMATE AFRICA
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