Gameparks & Gorillas Group Overland Tour

Guide

Driver/guide included on this tour.

Meals

Eating well is a very important factor on our expeditions and good food is vital for everyone’s health and well-being so we always strive to prepare healthy, wholesome and plentiful meals. We will be cooking a lot of meals from our own kitchen on the truck. When we are camping we usually eat breakfast and the evening meal from the truck. For lunch we usually stop at a cheap local restaurant giving you a chance to taste the local fare too. Lunches are at your own expense. When we are staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels (usually in cities but no hotels are to be expected on this tour) it is often impractical to cook on the truck so we do not provide any meals at these times. When it comes to shopping and cooking we will divide ourselves up into groups of 3 or 4 people (depending on group size) who will shop for and prepare the day’s meals and clean up at the end. This will work out that you roughly get to cook once a week (depending on numbers). Fresh food is generally available daily so we try and eat meat and vegetables for every main evening meal. We do also cater for vegetarians but we cannot cater for fussiness. In these group situations everybody must appreciate we cannot cater for individual likes and dislikes. Don’t worry if you are not a gourmet cook as your crew are also always there to give advice. All our vehicles are equipped with a small fridge which is used for the cook groups food only. For personal food & drinks we have cooler boxes for everyone to use. Cleanliness plays an important role throughout this expedition and your crew will make sure an acceptable level of general hygiene is maintained throughout your journey to ensure the wellbeing of the group. Included: 2 meals per day while camping.

Others

Services of your expedition leader/driver Use of our own custom-built expedition vehicle and equipment Diesel, mechanics, shipping and any other costs relating to the vehicle Ferry tickets (when travelling as a group) An average of 2 meals a day while camping (usually breakfast and the evening meal) All accommodation costs (100% camping) National Park entry fees when we enter as a group with our vehicle Local transportation costs (if required)

Transport

We will be travelling in a purpose-built Madventure overland vehicle 100% of the time on this expedition. A standard bus simply wouldn’t be able to tackle many of the roads we travel on. The overland vehicle we use is a custom-built expedition truck which can accommodate up to 36 people although most of our expeditions travel with approximately 25 people. Comfort and safety is of course a big factor during expeditions of this length and nature so all our vehicles have high-backed coach seats with safety belts. The seating is on the upper level of the vehicle giving you an almost 360° view of the surrounding scenery. Our vehicles are designed to allow sufficient luggage storage and are also equipped with lockers to keep all your all your gear safe. Our long range diesel and water tanks ensure our self sufficiency in remote areas and the equipment we take with us is also of vital importance. In case of a breakdown we are equipped with a good selection of spare parts as well as a comprehensive tool kit to undertake any necessary repairs on our own as and when we need to. There may also be times when we get stuck in the sand or mud when travelling off road so all necessary recovery equipment such as sand mats, cables, ropes, shovels and pickaxes are also on board. We spend a lot of nights around the campfire so we take along good axes and saws for the times when we have to replenish our wood supply. We usually carry 500 litres of treated drinking water and we are equipped with a good kitchen which includes all cutlery, plates, cups, pots and pans, utensils, gas cooker, BBQ grate, etc. All our vehicles are equipped with a small fridge which is used for the cook groups food only. For personal food & drinks we have cooler boxes for everyone to use. Fold up chairs are provided for outdoor seating and we also have a large tarpaulin to keep us dry on those rainy days. Our vehicles are equipped with USB charging points only so try and bring all of your important electronic devices such as telephone, tablet & head-torch to charge from a USB socket. We do not have a 120V or 240V power supply on the vehicle but you will have the opportunity to charge your 120/240V electronic equipment when we stay at campsites. We carry solar showers and a toilet tent with us for those times when we are bush camping without amenities. We carry a comprehensive first aid kit for emergencies but we recommend you bring your own for general use.

Accommodation

You will spend 100% of your time on this expedition in your tent camping. There may be the occasional time when our only option is to stay in a local hotel, guest-house or hostel but this rarely happens. Quite often we will wild camp by ourselves out in the bush or in the desert and other times we will use designated campsites with amenities. The majority of our wild camp locations are usually very scenic and we always strive to find the perfect spot on the banks of a river, overlooking a canyon, behind a dune in the desert, etc. but sometimes we just have to camp wherever we can find a spot. From past experience on expeditions of this length and nature we have found that people prefer to supply their own tents as they are then not forced to share and they can pick a tent that suits their needs. As a general rule, try and choose a good quality lightweight and waterproof free-standing tent that is easy to erect, take down and carry. On the rare occasion when we are not camping (this could happen if we are in a city and no campground is available) we always try to use decent, clean budget hotels, guest houses and hostels, however, taking into consideration the sometimes unpredictable nature of this expedition and the remoteness of some of the areas we visit, please be aware that in some circumstances we just have to take what we can get – good or bad. When staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels you can expect to share your room with other expedition members of both sexes. In many of the places we stay at there are upgrade options available so should you prefer not to camp or you just want some time alone you can often rent yourself a private room at your own expense.

Flights

No flights included or expected during this tour.

Others

Personal travel insurance Personal spending money (£100 – £120 per week recommended) Visas & Letters of Invitation (approximately £260 depending on nationality) Lunches Meals if staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels Accommodation upgrades Entrance fees to optional sites and parks Any optional activities Any flights (no flights expected) Tent, roll mat, sleeping bag & pillow

Optional

Below is a list of the most popular optional excursions along with the most recent prices. Prices can of course change and are not controlled in any way by Madventure so please use the list below as an approximate guide only. Tanzania Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater 3 day jeep safari £600 Maasai Village tour £5 Burundi Bujumbura city tour £15 Rwanda Genocide memorial £10 Gorilla trek in Virunga Mountains £1250 Uganda Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest £620 White-water rafting on Nile £100 Source of the Nile sunset cruise £30 Kenya Elsamere £10 Hell’s Gate NP entrance fee & bicycle hire £35 Giraffe centre £7 Elephant orphanage £5

Insurance

It is compulsory that every person who travels with Madventure obtain travel insurance for the complete duration of the tour. Proof of travel insurance must be shown before joining a tour. You may be covered under your credit card’s travel insurance so it might be worth checking with your credit card provider first. There are various travel insurance companies to choose from and a Google search will bring up a vast selection but for a comprehensive reliable policy that includes Covid Cover and Medical Repatriation we recommend a London based company named Campbell Irvine, Telephone: +44 20 7938 1734, https://microsite.campbellirvinedirect.com/madventure/. They are familiar with what we do so if you mention Madventure and the tour you are travelling on they should be able to provide excellent cover for you. For people based in North America a company called Allianz offers good cover – Telephone: +1 866 884 3556, www.allianztravelinsurance.com If you choose to obtain your travel insurance through another company please ensure you read the small-print and make sure your policy includes Covid Cover and Medical Repatriation.