Itinerary

An exploration of central Southern Africa. Marvel at the beauty of the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, before dropping down the escarpment into Mozambique and visit the rejuvenated Gorangosa National Park. Our journey takes to the beautiful beaches of Mozambique before moving inland through the dramtic landscape of the granite inselbergs of northern Mozambique. Our exploration ends of at the tranquil lake of stars – Lake Malawi.

THIS IS AN EXPEDITION TRIP
The concept of the Sunway expedition tours is quite simple; we visit unusual destinations as a small group of travelers. There is one Sunway expedition leader who is an experienced guide. He/She knows how to run the operations of the tour, how to get through the borders, do the meal planning, keep the vehicle moving etc.

However these are places that we seldom visit, and as such the expedition leader will not have detailed knowledge of every destination. Where bookings are required, we will make bookings in advance, but much of the itinerary will be flexible and final route will be at the discretion of the expedition leader and subject to road conditions.

All participants on Sunway expedition trips must understand this tour requires flexibility and an appreciation of the open style of travel. This is not a set tour, it is an exploration. It’s an adventure!

Day 1 - 2 CHIMANIMANI NATIONAL PARK  [camping Bx1Lx2Dx2] 
[B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner] 
Expedition starts at 06:30am in Harare. After a tour briefing, we head east from Harare. We travel through beautiful scenery as we make our way to an area of Zimbabwe known as the Eastern Highlands, and the Chimanimani National Park. The Eastern Highlands has a cool wet climate, a different weather condition to the underlying dryer and warmer areas. The Chimanimani National Park, is an incredible region running over 300 km’s from north to south forming a natural border with neighbouring Mozambique. The Chimanimani area is characterised by dramatic granite volcanic peaks that reach for the sky. Most of them can be conquered with little mountaineering skill and they are punctuated with hundreds of rivers, waterfalls and pools to entice bathers after a long day and who need to cool off. 
One of the highlights of the Eastern Highlands is the Bridal Falls of Chimanimani which is the second highest falls found in Africa. We spend our days exploring the region on foot.

Day 3 - 5 GORONGOSA NATIONAL PARK  [camping BLD] 
In years gone by Gorongosa National Park was the crown jewel of Mozambique’s National Parks. The park teemed with wildlife and was a much visited park by the local Mozambique population. Unfortunately during Mozambique’s civil war, the large wildlife population was decimated. Elephants were hunted for their ivory in order to buy arms, and the large herds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and many others were hunted extensively in order to feed the soldiers. 
Thankfully since 2004, there has been a concerted effort by the Mozambique Government and the US-based Carr foundation to restore the park to its former glory. Large sums have been spent to rebuild the parks infrastructure, restore is wildlife population and spur local economic development. Remember that our stay at Gorongosa means that we are directly participating in one of the greatest restoration projects in Southern Africa and see firsthand how rapidly and positively nature responds when given a bit of help and space from mankind.
We explore Gorongosa National Park on morning and afternoon game drives.

Day 6 - 12 QUELIMANE, ILHA de MOZAMBIQUE and PEMBA  [camping BLD] 
Over the next few days we make our way towards the northern coast of Mozambique. As we cross the Zambezi River, Arab influences in culture and architecture become more and more noticeable. 
Quelimane is our first port of call – it is the administrative capital of the Zambezia province and home to roughly one million people. Situated +/-20km from the ocean the town overlooks the 1.5-kilometre-wide Rios dos Boas Sinais, or 'River of Good Signs', named by Vasco da Gama when he sailed here in the late 1400s. Quelimane is surrounded by palm tree plantations and it is estimated that there are more than 1 million coconut palms in the vicinity!
After a detour inland the main road again brings us back to the coast and the World Heritage site of Ilha de Moçambique. This small island in the Indian Ocean off northeastern Mozambique was historically a strategic location and the Portuguese established a port and naval base in 1507, and built the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, in 1522, now considered the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere. The plan is to explore the island, the beaches and the town with its historic buildings.
The furthest we plan to travel north is Pemba, the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. In the centre of Pemba, there is a Souk (local market), where traders well arts, crafts and traditional silverware.
Located just north of Pemba is the Quirimbas National Park. This reserve, established in 2002, covers a area of approximately 7500 square kilometers and incorporates 11 islands. The whole area has many shallow coral reefs and massive drop-offs making for some phenomenal scuba diving and snorkeling. Although the traveling to reach Pemba is quite tough, we plan to spend 3 nights on the beach to soak up the island paradise atmosphere. Scuba diving is available as are other water activities including kayaking and snorkeling.

Please note that due to the distances and the road conditions, from day 6-12 we may camp wild en-route.

Day 13 - 15 CUAMBA INSELBERG  [camping BLD] 
Very few travelers explore the interior of northern Mozambique, and for those that make the effort they will be richly rewarded. As we move away from the coast of Mozambique, we make our way into an off shoot of the Great African Rift Valley. Here the mostly flat Mozambique landscape is dotted with massive Granite Inselbergs that rise dramatically from the surrounding flat landscape, and is testament to the volcanic forces that have shaped most of East Africa into what it looks like today. We travel through this landscape, stopping en-route to explore this interesting landscape on foot.

Please note: bring a medium size backpack and trekking boots because if opportunity presents itself we may hike up one of the inselbergs for a night camping away from the vehicle. We’ll carry food, water, sleeping bags and mats and a change of clothes.

Day 16 - 17 LAKE MALAWI  [camping BL -] 
LLake Malawi, also known as the “Lake of Stars” is the perfect destination to finish off our epic journey to some very remote places. Lake Malawi is the 3rd largest lake in Africa, and it makes up the southern most lake system formed by the Great African Rift Valley. We camp on the white sandy beaches just a stone’s throw from the waters edge, and sit back and enjoy the hospitality of the local people. We enjoy an excursion to the islands in Lake Malawi and snorkel with Several hundred different endemic species are found in the lake, many of which have become popular among aquarium owners due to their bright colors. 
There are many activities available including scuba diving, sailing, windsurfing and fishing.

Day 18 LILONGWE – TOUR ENDS  [- B - -] 
Leaving the shores of Lake Malawi behind us, we make our way to the capital of Malawi – Lilongwe, were the tour ends.

Please note: The distance and travel times quoted above are an estimate only, and subject to local road conditions and photo stops!