Itinerary
- Day 1
Johannesburg
You'll start in South Africa with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight. If you arrive early, the Apartheid Museum is worth visiting to get some context on South African history before meeting up with your group. After the meeting wraps, there's an optional group dinner where you can get to know everyone you'll be traveling with over the next couple weeks.
Optional Activities
- Visit Apartheid Museum
- Group dinner with fellow travelers
Landmarks/POIs Apartheid Museum - Day 2
Johannesburg to Khama Rhino Sanctuary
This morning you cross into Botswana and head to Khama Rhino Sanctuary on the Kalahari Desert's edge. The sanctuary protects black and white rhinos and you'll also see zebras, giraffes, leopards, ostriches and wildebeest around the property. By late afternoon, you'll join a dusk game drive when the rhinos tend to be more active.
Included Activities
- Khama Rhino Sanctuary - Sunset Game Drive Open Vehicle
Landmarks/POIs Khama Rhino Sanctuary Kalahari Desert - Day 3
Khama Rhino Sanctuary to Maun
You're driving to Maun, which serves as the gateway to the Okavango Delta. This 16,000 square km wetland maze is home to hippos, crocodiles, elephants and large cats. Once you arrive, you'll have time to grab any supplies you might need before exploring this unique ecosystem.
Landmarks/POIs Okavango Delta - Day 4
Okavango Delta
You'll board a traditional mokoro dugout canoe with local polers guiding you through the Okavango waterways. Along the way, you'll spot wildlife and birds throughout the day. You'll also get out and walk with experienced local guides through the lagoons, lakes and streams. By evening, you're camping on a remote island deep in the wilderness.
Included Activities
- Mokoro cruise on Okavango waterways
- Walking exploration with local guides
Landmarks/POIs Okavango Delta - Day 5
Okavango Delta
Early this morning there's a sunrise walk where elephants and Cape buffalo sometimes appear. After breakfast back at camp, the rest of the day is yours to relax. You can swim, rest during the hot afternoon, or take an optional mokoro trip if you want to soak in the peaceful river atmosphere.
Included Activities
- Okavango Delta - Sunrise Walk
Optional Activities
- Additional mokoro trip
Landmarks/POIs Okavango Delta - Day 6
Okavango Delta to Maun
You're breaking down camp and returning to the poler station by mokoro, then continuing to Maun by vehicle. Once there, you have the option to book a scenic helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta for a bird's eye view of the waterways and landscapes below.
Optional Activities
- Helicopter scenic flight over Okavango Delta - From USD250 - USD280
Landmarks/POIs Okavango Delta - Day 7
Maun to Nata
You'll leave early for Nata, a small town near the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, some of the largest on Earth. This afternoon, you're exploring these seemingly endless plains in an open-air vehicle through Nata Bird Sanctuary. The arid landscape can look eerie with heat mirages, but after rains it turns into grassland where migratory birds and animals come through.
Included Activities
- Nata - Makgadikgadi Salt Pans 4WD Excursion
Landmarks/POIs Makgadikgadi Salt Pans Nata Bird Sanctuary Kalahari Desert - Day 8
Nata to Chobe National Park
You're traveling to Chobe National Park, Botswana's first national park, known for having many elephants often seen swimming in the Chobe River. The river also attracts hippos, crocodiles, cheetahs, lions and diverse birds. After arrival, you'll enjoy a sunset cruise on the river.
Included Activities
- Chobe National Park - River Cruise
Optional Activities
- Chobe National Park - Open Safari Vehicle Morning Game Drive - BWP580
Landmarks/POIs Chobe National Park Chobe River - Day 9
Chobe National Park to Victoria Falls
There's an optional morning game drive in Chobe if you want to get out early, then you're heading to Victoria Falls and crossing into Zimbabwe. Lunch is on the Zambezi River banks, after which you have free time to experience the falls on your own. This water curtain is about 1.7 km wide and drops 108 m. Tonight, you're having dinner hosted by a women's cooperative that supports the local Victoria Falls community.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch on the banks of the Zambezi River), Dinner (Traditional Zimbabwe dinner hosted by a women's cooperative)
Included Activities
- Victoria Falls – Traditional Zimbabwe Dinner
Optional Activities
- Chobe National Park - Open Safari Vehicle Morning Game Drive - BWP580
Landmarks/POIs Victoria Falls Zambezi River - Day 10
Victoria Falls
You can check out the Zimbabwe side of the falls for the broadest view of this natural wonder. Helicopter flights are available through Zambezi Helicopter Company. Explore at your own pace but head back by 6 pm for a group meeting. After, you'll get to know your group better over drinks at a local brewery or on an optional river cruise to watch the sunset.
Optional Activities
- Explore Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls
- Helicopter flight (12 mins - excludes USD25 Fuel & National Park Fee) - USD150
- Helicopter flight (25 mins - excludes USD30 Fuel & National Park Fee) - USD284
- River cruise
- Local brewery visit
Landmarks/POIs Victoria Falls - Day 11
Victoria Falls to Hwange National Park
If you haven't seen Victoria Falls yet, this morning is your last chance. The falls open at 6 am (September to April) and 6:30 am (May to August), and sunrise light on the cascades is special with fewer people around. After, you're heading to Hwange National Park via the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust to learn about wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and anti-poaching work. You might meet rescued animals. The park has over 100 mammal species and nearly 400 birds, plus one of Africa's largest elephant populations. The afternoon is spent exploring in an open 4WD vehicle with local guides.
Included Activities
- Victoria Falls – Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust (The Intrepid Foundation partner) visit
- Hwange National Park - Guided 4x4 Game Drive
Landmarks/POIs Victoria Falls Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust Hwange National Park - Day 12
Hwange National Park to Bulawayo to Matobo National Park
You're heading to Matobo National Park this morning. Shortly after leaving Hwange, you'll stop at the Painted Dog Conservation Centre to learn about painted dogs threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Then you continue to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second-largest city, for lunch at a local spot. From there you'll head to your camp in Matobo National Park for the next two nights. The park has large populations of black and white rhinos that can be tracked on foot and holds great spiritual significance to local people.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at a local cafe or restaurant in Bulawayo)
Included Activities
- Hwange - Painted Dog Conservation visit
Landmarks/POIs Painted Dog Conservation Centre Bulawayo Matobo National Park - Day 13
Matobo National Park
This morning you're tracking white rhinos on foot with a local guide, a really unique experience in this diverse park. You'll look for other game like klipspringers, leopards, warthogs and springhares. The guide will point out local plants and trees including wild pear and paperbark. You can see San paintings and the distinctive rock formations throughout. After lunch, you'll visit a nearby village to meet local people and learn about their life in the hills, including meeting Chief Pondo.
Included Activities
- Matobo National Park - Rhino Tracking
- Matobo National Park - San Rock Paintings
Landmarks/POIs Matobo National Park - Day 14
Matobo National Park to Honnet Nature Reserve
You're leaving Zimbabwe behind and crossing the border into South Africa at what is a very busy border post. Arriving at your camping site on the edge of Honnet Nature Reserve in the late afternoon, you'll have access to good facilities including an indoor and outdoor pool, putt putt golf and nature trails.
Landmarks/POIs Honnet Nature Reserve - Day 15
Honnet Nature Reserve to Makushu
You're making your way to Makushu, a small village in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A local village guide will meet you and you'll stay with homestay host mothers in their family homes. With each day different for local villagers, you might participate in beading, dancing, beer tasting and cooking. Tonight you'll interact with villagers and learn traditional Venda ways.
Included Activities
- Makushu Homestay - Beading, Cooking or Dancing
Landmarks/POIs Makushu - Day 16
Makushu to Kruger National Park
After breakfast, you're heading toward Kruger National Park for an epic journey. Along the way, you'll visit the Black Mambas headquarters, the world's first all-female anti-poaching unit of 36 young African women. They find and destroy poacher snares, set up roadblocks and patrol park edges. You'll get an inside look at their operations room. Then you'll head to your campsite inside Kruger and fall asleep to the sounds of wildlife around you.
Included Activities
- Kruger - Visit to Black Mambas HQ
Landmarks/POIs Black Mambas HQ Kruger National Park - Day 17
Kruger National Park
You're doing a full-day 4WD safari in vast Kruger National Park, which is comparable in size to Belgium and Wales. The park is home to the Big Five: lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos. Watch for giraffes, zebras, hippos and the endangered African wild dog. You'll venture into prime wildlife zones where cheetahs, antelopes, elands and powerful rhinos roam across savannas and forests.
Included Activities
- Kruger National Park - Full Day 4x4 Game Drive
Landmarks/POIs Kruger National Park - Day 18
Kruger National Park to Johannesburg
You're heading to Johannesburg today, marking the end of your African safari adventure. Along the way, you'll stop at the 3 Rondavels viewpoint overlooking Blyde River Canyon and Bourke's Luck Potholes for beautiful vistas. You'll arrive in Johannesburg this evening. If you want to extend your stay, let your booking agent know ahead of time.
Included Activities
- Panorama Route - Bourke's Luck Potholes
Landmarks/POIs 3 Rondavels Blyde River Canyon Bourke's Luck Potholes
