From
NZ $6,931

The Southern Safari

54 days
From Nairobi to Cape Town
4.6
8 traveler reviews
From
NZ $6,931
Find this price
+ $1,039 Local Payment
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Plan your adventure:
Overland Truck
Off-the-grid adventures with a rugged edge
Fully Guided
An experienced guide will be with you for the entire tour
Guided in English
Group Size 4 - 28
Age range 18 to 80
Image of a map showing the route of the tour

Highlights

  • Visit Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage
  • Explore Serengeti on guided game drives
  • Stay at Zanzibar's beach cottages
  • Cruise on Lake Kariba with game viewing
  • Experience Victoria Falls adventure sports

Itinerary

Expand All
  1. Introduction
  1. Day 1 KENYA
  2. Day 2-5 TANZANIA
  3. Day 6-12 TANZANIA
  4. Day 13-18 TANZANIA - MALAWI
  5. Day 19-24 ZAMBIA - ZIMBABWE
  6. Day 25-28 ZIMBABWE
  7. Day 29-31 ZIMBABWE
  8. Day 32-37 BOTSWANA
  9. Day 38-46 NAMIBIA
  10. Day 47-54 NAMIBIA - SOUTH AFRICA
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What's Included

Expand All
  • Accommodation
  • Guide
  • Meals
  • Additional Services
  • Transport
  • Free eSIM
    TourRadar offers the lead traveler (the person who booked) a free 1GB eSIM for the trip. The eSIM is redeemable only through the TourRadar app 72 hours before departure.

What's Not Included

  • Flights
  • Insurance
  • Optional
  • Additional Services

Customer Photos

Operated by

Absolute Africa

4.5
(181 reviews)

Number of tours

46

Age Range

18 to 80 years old

Response time

10 hours

Response rate

100%

With over thirty years of experience running safaris from London to Cape Town...

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Your Peace of Mind Options

Cancellation Policy

A transparent overview of applicable fees.

Travel Insurance

Be covered for any unforseen circumstances.

Customer Reviews

  • Overall Rating
    Excellent
    4.6
  • Itinerary
    Excellent
    4.5
  • Guide
    Excellent
    4.6
  • Transport
    Excellent
    4.5
  • Accommodation
    Excellent
    4.4
  • Food
    Excellent
    4.6
  • 4.5
  • Most Recent
  • Most Popular
  • Highest First
  • Lowest First
  • S
    · April 10th, 2025
    Hands down the best trip of my life. The tour was highlight after highlight, so many different experiences in some of the most insanely beautiful places on the planet, all sorts of wildlife and stunning landscapes. I was on the 54-day tour that joined the 77-day tour when they were about a month in. Loved everyone on the tour, and we had such a range of people from all over the world, and from all ages (had a representative from every decade from 1940s to 2000s!!). I could not recommend Absolute Africa highly enough. Researched quite a bit before booking and nailed the choice with Absolute - best price, variety, flexibility and experiences. Pre-tour all the information was explained clearly and any extra queries I had were answered quickly. On tour - these guys were incredible. Wycliffe, Joseph and Hezron to start with, and then switched to Peter, Steve and Emias. Absolute legends one and all. Looked out for us the whole way, went above and beyond on many occasions to keep us safe and entertained, always with a smile and a positive attitude. Most of the campsites were absolutely wicked - and even the ones that were a bit dated were still better than I thought they would be. The unfenced camping nights (especially in the Okavango) were so much fun and experiences I’ll remember forever. It’s an adventure, not a luxury tour, so there are some long and tiring days, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Budget a bit extra and plan to do as many optionals as possible - all totally worth it. Already planning my next Africa trip and will be with Absolute for sure, and got a few mates keen to tag along after my awesome experience. Thanks to all for the spectacular adventure.
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Hi Sean, thank you for your review. Great to hear what a good time you had on your Southern Safari and we will let your crew know too :) We look forward to helping you and your friends plan your next African adventure!
    The Southern Safari customer review photo 1The Southern Safari customer review photo 2The Southern Safari customer review photo 3The Southern Safari customer review photo 4The Southern Safari customer review photo 5The Southern Safari customer review photo 6
    Trip date: December 2024
  • QY
    · November 25th, 2018
    I did the 52 day Southern Safari trip with Absolute Africa traveling from Nairobi to Cape Town. Highlights include rafting along the Zambezi river, Spitzkoppe and of course all the amazing animals we saw on safari (Serengeti, endangered rhinos at Matopos, Etosha). Some driving days were long (we covered a lot of countries in 52 days), tent equipment was good quality and food was usually plentiful (unless people in your group want to eat breakfast before breakfast time and they don't save you enough food). For the first 10 days our tour leader Kip/Edmund was great, he had a positive attitude and he was really patient. Then we joined another group and had Martin as our tour leader. Whilst Martin was really informative in the beginning about the daily itinerary, with time i felt he became less informative. It was also clear to some people that Martin favoured certain individuals in the group. I understand that there will be people (even tour leaders) that get on with certain people more than others but as a professional i expected him to treat the group as a whole and listen to us as a whole, taking control of the group during more difficult situations when needed. There were certain situations where Martin acted quite childishly to certain members of the group, a few times he did not respect people's confidentiality by talking to certain members of the group about other people. One particular incident he publicly ridiculed someone in front of the whole group during dinner for not helping cook dinner one night because she was tired. You wouldn't expect this from someone who's been a tour leader for 20 years. Some of the optional activities i did i felt like it wasn't worth the money, for example we spent 3 days in the Okavango Delta and one day had 9 hours of free time where we had to stay in the bush camp or swim in a pond. Our tour leader didn't tell us this so some people didn't bring things like books etc. Absolute claim that they send you the most updated information (itinerary and optional activities list) however they included activities that haven't been running for years or they don't even run. We went to Antelope Park, Zimbabwe a private reserve home to a lion conservation programme with the aim of breeding lion cubs from captured lions in order to release them into the wild. Since 2005 they haven't released a single lion. I read articles by National Geographic and Africa Geographic that questioned the ethicacy of the programme and there was also speculation about whether the park involved itself in Africa's lion industry (look up Blood Lions for more info). Animal conservation should never involve animal-human interaction or breeding and these do/use to do both these things e.g. cub handling and lion walks. Correspondence with Absolute prior and throughout my trip was thorough and professional. After giving feedback about my experiences there was an obvious lack of accountability and ignorance. Overland tours are a great way of traveling to so many African countries and overall i really enjoyed most of the activities i did and the people i traveled with. However there are quite a few African overland tours and I am unlikely to use them again.
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for leaving your feedback. We are glad to hear that overall you had an enjoyable tour and got to see all the fantastic wildlife and more that you would hope to see in Africa. At the same time we are disappointed to read your assessment of... Show more
    Trip date: September 2018
  • BK
    · August 12th, 2017
    My wife and I spent wonderful time with Absolute Africa. All of crew and people were nice and kind. I shared every single moment of this trip on my SNS.
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for your review Byungjoon. Its good to hear you both had a great time on the safari with us, and would love to welcome you back again with Absolute Africa should you return to Africa.
    Trip date: June 2017
  • C
    · November 8th, 2016
    This trip was incredible from start to finish. I was worried about travelling alone, however there were plenty of other people on the tour who were all lovely and we became like a family during the tour and I have made life long friends from this. Our tour leader was incredible, very prepared, organised and made the trip unforgettable. Each country had a range of activities from safaris to skydives, and you just want to do it all. The price of the tour itself is very cheap in comparison, the optional extras can add up depending on what you decided to do. I took the opportunity and done pretty much every extra thing possible. Between the activities there were some quite long drive days, with the most beautiful countries to gaze at, and animals you can spot along the way the drive days weren't that bad at all. They go a lot quicker than you think! The meals were great as well as the camping, the best experience I've ever had!
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for your comments, Charlotte. It's great to hear that you have had such a fab time on your tour and made the most of being in this special continent :)
    Trip date: August 2016
  • The Southern Safari reviewer 5
    · February 25th, 2016
    This was the first African trip my wife and I have done, and what an incredible trip it was! The organisation of absolute africa was fantastic and we enjoyed every single day with no booking issues at all. An extremely exciting tour my favorite one of all so far, we got to see new and exciting things EVERY DAY. The tour guide and driver were first class, very helpful and supportive throughout the whole trip, and the whole group became like family by the end of the tour. I urge everyone to try it, is a life changing experience. And compared to the other companies out there that we crossed paths with, I was glad we choose absolute africa. 5 stars. Philip
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for your comments Philip, its great that you had such an enjoyable trip!
    Trip date: November 2015
  • The Southern Safari reviewer 6
    · December 22nd, 2015
    What an absolutely amazing trip I had with...
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for your comments Grainne and lovely to hear you had such a fantastic time on your trip.
    Trip date: September 2015
  • The Southern Safari reviewer 7
    · May 15th, 2015
    What an incredible trip! Highly recommend the...
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    Thank you for your kind words, we are so please to hear you enjoyed yourself!
    Trip date: March 2015
  • The Southern Safari reviewer 8
    · December 13th, 2014
    Our guide was our mentor and friend and always...
    Show more
    Absolute Africa commented on this review
    It's great to hear such kind words about our tour leader Vialet, we're glad she made your trip special!
    Trip date: November 2011

Dates & Availability

54 days
The Southern Safari
From Nairobi to Cape Town

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From
NZ $6,931
Find this price
+ $1,039 Local Payment
Save and compare this adventure
Payment plan $1,386 now + easy payments of $427 Learn More

Best price guarantee Learn More

Plan your adventure:

What our customers ask about this tour

The content in our FAQ section is subject to change.
All questions
  • D

    Dawn

    Asked on January 30th, 2025

    Are travelers required to obtain the island's insurance when traveling to Zanzibar?

    Travel Support
    Visa
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten January 2025

      As per the 1st October 2024 every tourist needs to get a mandatory travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Coorperation (ZIC) before traveling to Zanzibar. This is also the case if they already have travel insurance. Not having this extra insurance can result in them being denied entry to Zanzibar. The cost of this is U$44 per person.

  • L

    Lynne

    Asked on September 30th, 2024

    I have two kids age 15 & 17 at time of travel - is that ok? My wife is allergic to eating straight eggs - ( eggs used in baking is ok ) and is gluten intolerant. Is there a way to cater for her dietary needs.

    Age Range
    Meals
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten September 2024

      We do not take children on any of our longer tours I'm afraid. We can take children over 12 on a couple of short tours in Kenya only: A Week in Kenya and the Short Safari in Kenya. We do cater for various dietary requirements so this would not be a problem.

  • H

    Helen

    Asked on July 7th, 2024

    Magen it says optionals is that extra things i need to pay for?

    Price / Availability
    Tour Details
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten July 2024

      The optional activities are extra activities and excursions available during the tour that you can choose to do. These will come at extra cost. There is a list of these on the tour page. You can see which activities are included in the trip price in the inclusions section.

  • V

    Vicky

    Asked on April 11th, 2023

    How do the expedition vehicles, tents and sleeping mats look?

    Accommodation
    Transport
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten April 2023

      The vehicles are large overland trucks fitted with coach style seats with seat belts. The tents are three man dome tents in which we sleep just two people. The sleeping mats are high density foam sleeping mats.

  • E

    Edward

    Asked on January 28th, 2023

    Do we have to be afraid of our safety especially when camping at night? How are bath routines like showering and toilet handled on that trip? If I am booking this trip with my boyfriend, would it be possible to just have a tent for us two?

    Accommodation
    Travel Support
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten January 2023

      The areas we travel through are very safe and almost everywhere we stay at proper campsites with bathrooms and restaurant/lounge facilities. The only places where we camp out in unfenced areas are in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater which are designated camps just unfenced and in the Okavango delta which is a proper bush camp. As long as you listen to what the tour leader tells you in these places there is not really any danger as the animals tend to stay away from the camps. There are washing facilities pretty much every night of the tour. Sometimes the water is not hot and it may not have good pressure, but you can still wash every day in some way. If you are travelling together then you would automatically have a tent just for yourselves to share.

    • E

      Edward

      TravelerWritten January 2023

      As we are currently planning our trip we would appreciate if there was a list of hotels or accomdations that could be booked as an upgrade (for example the hotel on Zanzibar island).

    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten January 2023

      There are no options to book alternative accommodations such as campsites where we stay. But most of the campsites we stay do have the option to upgrade to a room along the way, however this will need to be arranged on the spot and is subject to availability., it cannot be prebooked. Prices range from U$10 to U$100 for a room per night depending on the accommodation. On Zanzibar we don't camp but stay at Sunset bungalows in Kendwa and All Season hotel in Stone Town, if you prefer to stay elsewhere then you can make your own arrangements and we can also just book the ferry only for you.

    • E

      Edward

      TravelerWritten February 2023

      What offers the 'Masai mara' add-on compared to the 'Southern safari'? We will see wildlife on our journey in the southern safari anyway right?

    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten February 2023

      The Masai Mara add on is a 6 day pre tour which allows you to see some of Kenya before the Southern Safari. This pre tour visits the Masai Mara National Park for two days of morning and afternoon game drives, as well as the elephant sanctuary and giraffe park in Nairobi, a hippo cruise on Lake Naivasha, and an overnight stay at Maasai run camp with bush walk. You will have the chance to see wildlife during the Southern Safari as there are the included game drives in South Luangwa and Etosha, and the rhino trek in Matopos, as well as the optional excursions to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and Okavango Delta, and optional game drives in Chobe and Matopos.

    • E
      4 more answers
  • K

    Kevin

    Asked on September 17th, 2022

    Why is it stated that it only covers for 43 nights accommodation? (37 nights camping and 6 nights dorm)

    Accommodation
    Tour Details
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten September 2022

      Out of the 53 nights of the tour, 37 nights are included camping, 6 nights in dorms and then the other 10 nights are where we have optional overnight excursions. If you opt to go on the overnight excursion your accommodation is then included in the excursion cost. If you opt not to do the excursion then you just pay camping direct to the campsite where the truck parks up and you will have use of your tent and mats as usual.

    • K

      Kevin

      TravelerWritten September 2022

      What's the exact starting point of this trip and is it possible to request transfers to and from the airport?

    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten September 2022

      We pick up from both The XO Heron Hotel and the Wildebeest Eco Camp on the morning of departure. We can book accommodation for you at either of these (depending on availability) and also organise an airport transfer to collect you from your flight. Both are payable out in Africa.

    • K
      2 more answers
  • S

    Scott

    Asked on September 7th, 2022

    How much is local payment for this tour?

    Payments
    Tour Details
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten September 2022

      The local payment for this tour is 625 USD payable in USD cash on day 1 of the trip to the tour leader.

  • J

    Jacqueline

    Asked on April 24th, 2022

    we are 53 and 47 years old would this be a problem

    Age Range
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten April 2022

      We don't have an age limit at all. Just note that the age range on our tours tends to be between mid twenties through to late thirties, whilst trip to trip the window is regularly very much wider and on every other trip there are travellers in their fifties on the trucks, and at times sixties and seventies, as well as the occasional teenager. So you should be fine travelling in your forties and fifties.

  • A

    Alyssa

    Asked on March 7th, 2019

    What if I have special dietary requirements?

    Meals
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten March 2019

      All of the meals include local foods to fully embrace your tour! Please notify your Travel Expert of any dietary requirements that you may have when booking your tour to ensure Absolute Africa can accommodate your request.

  • T

    Tina

    Asked on March 7th, 2019

    Is tipping included?

    Meals
    Other
    • Absolute AfricaOperatorWritten March 2019

      Tipping is not included in your tour cost as it is completely optional. If you feel your guide and crew went above and beyond to make your trip special, tipping would be greatly appreciated.

Can’t find the answer to your question?
Reach out to the experts at Absolute Africa with your enquiry, they usually respond within 10 hours.

Good to Know

Tour ID: 273

  • Currencies
    P
    Pula
    Botswana
    Sh
    Kenyan Shilling
    Kenya
    MK
    Malawi Kwacha
    Malawi
    $
    Namibia Dollar
    Namibia
    R
    Rand
    South Africa
    Sh
    Tanzanian Shilling
    Tanzania
    $
    US Dollar
  • Plugs & Adapters

    As a traveler from New Zealand you will need an adaptor for types D, M, G.

    Type D
    Botswana
    Type M
    Botswana
    Type G
    Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
  • Vaccines
    • These are only indications, so please visit your doctor before you travel to be 100% sure.
    • Typhoid - Recommended for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
    • Hepatitis A - Recommended for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
    • Tuberculosis - Recommended for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 3 months before travel.
    • Hepatitis B - Recommended for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 2 months before travel.
    • Rabies - Recommended for Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 1 month before travel.
    • Yellow fever - Certificate of vaccination required if arriving from an area with a risk of yellow fever transmission for Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Yellow fever - Recommended for Kenya. Ideally 10 days before travel.
    • Cholera - Recommended for Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
    • Meningococcal meningitis - Recommended for Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Ideally 3 weeks before travel.
  • Visa
    • Unfortunately we cannot offer you a visa application service. Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.
    • Here is an indication for which countries you might need a visa. Please contact the local embassy for help applying for visas to these places.
  • Payment information
    • For any tour departing before August 15th, 2025 a full payment is necessary. For tours departing after August 15th, 2025, a minimum payment of 20% is required to confirm your booking with Absolute Africa. The final payment will be automatically charged to your credit card on the designated due date. The final payment of the remaining balance is required at least 60 days prior to the departure date of your tour. TourRadar never charges you a booking fee and will charge you in the stated currency.
    • Some departure dates and prices may vary and Absolute Africa will contact you with any discrepancies before your booking is confirmed.
    • The following cards are accepted for "Absolute Africa" tours: Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, American Express or PayPal. TourRadar does NOT charge you an extra fee for using any of these payment methods.
  • Cancellation Policy
  • Accessibility
    Some tours are not suitable for mobility-restricted traveler, however, some operators may be able to accommodate special requests. For any enquiries, you can contact our customer support team, who are ready and waiting to help you.