Africa: Across a Continent by Private Jet

Arrive in London and transfer to your accommodations at Four Seasons London at Ten Trinity Square, where you meet your tour leadership team and fellow guests over cocktails and dinner.

Arrive in Cairo and transfer to your luxurious hotel with unparalleled Nile River views. This evening, enjoy a traditional candlelit dinner accompanied by entertainment. The next day, set out to discover the Giza Plateau, site of the pyramids of Mycerinus and Chefren, as well as the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Built in the Fourth Dynasty (approximately 2690 BC), it is the only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Then, accompanied by an Egyptologist, go up close to the Great Sphinx, enjoying special private access to the paws of the enigmatic monument. This afternoon, select from the following Design Your Day activities: Explore the Grand Egyptian Museum (subject to opening), the world’s largest repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the entire collection of objects recovered from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Sharpen Your Bargaining Skills at Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, visiting workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from glassware and leather goods to perfumes and fabrics. Relax at Your Hotel and indulge in the many amenities on offer. The next day, fly to Luxor, home to the Valley of the Kings, where over 62 tombs belonging to the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom — including Tutankhamun — were laid to rest. Enjoy lunch and a talk by an archaeologist and then see the largest temple in Egypt, the Karnak Temple, with its massive hypostyle hall that contains 134 perfectly aligned columns. Fly back to Cairo and choose to dine at your choice of restaurants handpicked by our experts.

Arrive at Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport and continue to Musanze, your gateway to Volcanoes National Park, where you set out on your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter the mountain gorillas of the Parc Nationale des Volcanes, part of a worldwide population of just 600. This is one of the world’s truly memorable experiences — a look into these magnificent creatures’ eyes brings home the bond that exists between them and us. It also underscores the poignant fact that they are on the edge of extinction, and that your presence here contributes to their continued survival. Learn the ins and outs of gorilla conservation during a talk with a Gorilla Doctor. The following morning, choose a Design Your Day option: Trek to Spot Golden Monkeys, active and playful creatures who live in bamboo trees at the base of the volcanoes. Explore a Local Market to browse a variety of goods. Relax and Enjoy a Massage at your lodge. This afternoon, pay a visit to the research center established by anthropologist Dian Fossey in 1967 and attend a talk by a conservation expert. Later, enjoy a private visit to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Center for an in-depth immersion into traditional Rwandan culture.

From the towering volcanic peaks of Rwanda, your private jet takes you to the sweeping, hill-dotted plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park — true safari country. Serengeti is home to the Big Five (lions, leopards, Cape buffalo, rhinos and elephants), along with giraffes, gazelles, zebras and wildebeest. After a short charter flight into the heart of the Serengeti, arrive at your luxurious lodge for three days of unforgettable game drives. Observe the Serengeti’s priceless living bounty in the company of the continent’s best driver-guides, unwinding at the end of the day with a gourmet meal. Floating above the Serengeti for an exclusive balloon safari, with a Champagne breakfast waiting for you upon landing, more than justifies a pre-dawn wakeup call. Between game drives, experience the varied pleasures on offer in the Serengeti. You will also meet members of the local Maasai tribe, who stage a performance just for you, and learn from local conservation experts and lion researchers about efforts to help the people and wildlife in the Serengeti coexist and thrive.

Your journey now takes you to Botswana, whose abundant waters mirror the boundless African skies and provide life-giving sustenance to a variety of wildlife. Fly to the Moremi Game Reserve, widely acknowledged as the “predator capital of the world.” Game viewing in the Okavango Delta is nothing short of spectacular. Beyond predators, the delta draws large concentrations of elephants, buffalo, red lechwes, giraffes and impalas. Take advantage of game-viewing activities led by deeply experienced driver/guides, or choose to take in the views from your own private viewing deck. You also enjoy a mokoro (canoe) ride for a rare safari opportunity across deceptively quiet marshlands alive with crocodiles, bathing hippos, birds and tiny red reed frogs (subject to water levels). After your game viewing, return to your camp to relax, dine and enjoy its facilities. Then, fly northeast to Chobe National Park, passing over forests, floodplains and marshlands en route. In addition to elephants, the Chobe plain boasts buffalo, leopards, lions, giraffes, kudus and hippos, all of which you may come across during your guided game drives through Chobe National Park. During your stay, you have the option to visit Victoria Falls, the “Smoke that Thunders.” Your guides ensure the best photographic opportunities while providing fascinating facts and insights into this iconic natural wonder. Back at the lodge, take time to unwind with a dip in the split-level swimming pool, book a Vichy shower treatment at the spa or grab a book from the library. Cap the evening with a lazy cruise down the Chobe River, cocktail in hand.

South Africa presents a landscape more familiar, if equally beautiful, with modern cities and tended fields nestled alongside mountains and scrubland. Arrive in Cape Town and transfer to the elegant One&Only Cape Town for overnight and dinner at the restaurant of your choice from our recommended options. The following day, participate in your pre-selected Design Your Day activity: Explore Cape Peninsula with a Scenic Helicopter Flight, flying over Cape Point Nature Reserve and landing there to search for African penguins on a beach known only to locals. Continue on to the Cape of Good Hope for a gentle hike exploring secluded beaches, shipwrecks and this region’s unique wildlife. Tour the Famous Wine Regions of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, viewing vine-covered landscapes crowned with beautiful Cape Dutch manors. Enjoy wine tastings and lunch before returning to your hotel. Visit Robben Island, South Africa’s most notorious prison, where Nelson Mandela was confined, and then, weather permitting, ride a cable car to the top of Table Mountain for thrilling views of the Twelve Apostles range and Cape Point. Enjoy a Day at Leisure at your hotel, including a spa treatment of your choice. In the evening, join fellow guests for dinner paired with exquisite local wines.

Cross the heart of the African continent en route to Benin’s capital of Cotonou, where you are greeted with a rousing display of traditional drumming, singing and dancing. At Ouidah, one of the epicenters of African Vodoun, known in the West as Voodoo, tour the temple dedicated to the sacred python, which is believed to bestow vitality and protection. Delve deeper into the realm of Vodoun, a religion born in West Africa that migrated to the Americas with the slave trade. Attend an authentic Vodoun ceremony, and then roam through the Sacred Forest and Foundation Zinsou, a modern museum of contemporary art. Visit the historical Museum of Ouidah, located in an old Portuguese fort built in 1721, its exhibits frankly recounting Benin’s role in the Atlantic slave trade. Then explore Ganvie, a sensational village on water, commonly referred to as the Venice of West Africa. A band and a dance troupe welcome you as you arrive. Watch as vendors in dugout canoes piled high with wares transact commerce. Take some time to shop the floating market, and then settle in for a relaxing canoe ride on the waterways of this exotic 300-year-old village.

Arrive at Morocco’s Er Rachidia airport, where your A&K desert team is ready to escort you by four-wheel-drive vehicle through the city of Erfoud and into the desert for a drive across the dunes. Mount a camel for a ride up the famous Erg Znagui sand dunes to your private tented camp. Enjoy cocktails while watching a spectacular sunset over the dunes, and then enjoy an unforgettable night in the Sahara, complete with a traditional performance by Gnaoua tribesmen and stargazing in the vast desert skies. The next day, fly over the Atlas Mountains to Marrakech, arriving in time for lunch. Drive to Souk Smarine, a maze of stalls bursting with textiles and handcrafts, for a shopping extravaganza and a chance to take in the city sights. Your final day starts with a visit to the Ben Youssef madrasa and the Dar el-Bacha Museum, followed by bustling, lively Djemaa el-Fna square, a kaleidoscope of activity. Later, enjoy a carriage ride to the Majorelle Gardens, known for their vivid cobalt-blue buildings. For your final evening, gather at A&K’s exclusive Palm Grove camp for a lavish Berber feast, an unforgettable celebration of your African adventure. The next day, board your private jet for your flight to London, where you connect with your international departure flight.