An early start today, tasty breakfast and then time for vehicle handover and briefing. Please allow him 45 min to an hour to go through the vehicle and kit operation as well as do the paperwork for the 4x4 Rental and 3rd party Driver contract, (this is vital from a safety and legal perspective and so non-negotiable).

Paperwork out of the way, off you head for the 390km drive to Mana Pools National Park. Your 3rd party driver is familiar with the roue and handles all Fuel planning and Toll payments along the way. You will arrive at Mana Pools early afternoon and we ask you to assist your driver offloading supplies and groceries to the stand-alone kitchen as you get settled in

You will settle in to your Meru tents on the banks of the Zambezi river with en-suite bathrooms. Spend the afternoon spotting Hippos and Elephants in the water below. This is a semi-participation tour and you will be expected to help your driver prepare meals and clean up around camp.

First morning in Mana, time to familiarize yourself. You are free to explore Mana's limited road network by yourselves in the vehicle or let your driver drive you to get the lay of the land. Suggested route is up the river road, and back along Zebra Vlei road, stopping in at Long Pool for hippo and crocodile spotting. Lunch will be taken back in camp, resting up in the heat of the day

15:30 will be your first walk accompanied by an armed ranger. Walking at Mana is an immersive experience and you see so much more than you would driving. Bugs and birds and sounds and smells are not hidden behind automotive glass and Photographers/birders are unconstrained by the confines of a vehicle to compose their photos or identify their lifers.

Your driver will remain in camp to prepare your dinner on your return after a nice shower. The evening is spent absorbing the sights and sounds around you and making memories.

You should be starting to get into a routine now, early morning walk followed by a hearty breakfast. Mid-morning to early afternoon is spent cooking lunch, then lounging around camp in the shade whilst the Zambezi River flows past with the distant hills of Zambia as your backdrop. Late afternoon is reserved for sundowners, dinner and an early night to prepare for more paradise tomorrow.

Having gained some confidence on your walks now, it may be time to tackle a longer 8km walk around long pool with your guide. This can take up to 3 hours and should be attempted in the morning so you don't risk loosing the light. The circumnavigation of long pools takes you over a variety of habitats and should take in plenty of Elephant and plains game sightings with the chance of seeing lions at their most docile, resting after their busy night-shift. You should obey the instructions of your armed guide at all times.

After a long morning walk, we will use the afternoon slot to head up to Mana Mouth for sundowners rather than walk again today.

Another day in paradise, awakened by a caccophany of birdsong & hippo grunts after a night of lion roars and hyena howls. It's the symphony of the bush and you are starting to feel part of it. Bush walking is now a part of your daily routine and the days fly by as you spend quality time with your loved ones away from the tryrany of Wifi and smartphones. Your time is spent identifying birds and wondering at the wide assortment of life living around you. Mana always throws up a surprise and the days cannot be too tightly scripted because planned activities can always be interrupted by the appearance of wild dogs, or lions on a kill, or whatever Mana decides to suprise you with.

Break camp for the pleasant 3.5 hour trip through the bush to lake Kariba. Settle in at your chalet in the beautiful Lomagundi Lakeside cottages on the shores of the lake. Wild Zebra and Hippo walk through the camp to graze on the green grasses whilst you swim in the pool or sit a at the restaurant/bar on the premises.

Your driver will take you to see the Kariba Dam wall as well as the Kariba heights where there is a memorial to the scores of workers who lost their lives building what remains the worlds largest man-made freshwater reservoir by volume.

Arrive at Andora Harbour, Kariba before 09:30 to embark on the Kariba vehicle Ferry. The Ferry team will park the vehicle below-decks whilst you retire to the upper decks to survey the 360-degree panoramic views of this 300km-long lake, the largest man-made lake in the world by volume. The Ferry travels for 22 hours across the length of the lake with 3 meals included. You sleep in the deck or in the salon for the true Kariba houseboat experience in the style of the "African Queen". There are showers on board plus a bar and open deck.

Wake up on board the ferry after sailng through the night and enjoy breakfast on the approaches to the town of Mlibizi. Disembark the Ferry and proceed to Sarah And Russel's beautiful home on the lake shore where they have some lovely chalets overlooking the upper reaches f the dam. Sarah will feed you 3 wholesome meals and Russel can arrange speedboat/fishing charters as required (not included).