Highlights
- Enjoy city tours and wine tastings in and around Cape Town
- Take a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River and marvel at Victoria Falls
- Spot Big Five game animals like lions and elephants on safari game drives
- Explore the unique ecosystem of the Okavango River Delta in Botswana
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Cape Town (South Africa), Traditional African Dinner | Cape Town |
| Day 2 | Cape Town Guided City Tour | Cape Town |
| Day 3 | Full-Day Winelands Tour | Cape Town |
| Day 4 | Free Day in Cape Town | Cape Town |
| Day 5 | Fly to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Sunset Cruise | Victoria Falls |
| Day 6 | Tour Victoria Falls National Park | Victoria Falls |
| Day 7 | Transfer to Chobe National Park (Botswana) | Chobe |
| Day 8 | Optional Activities in Chobe National Park | Chobe |
| Day 9 | Fly to the Okavango Delta, Afternoon Game Drive | Okavango Delta |
| Day 10 | Okavango Canoe Tour & Walking Safari | Okavango Delta |
| Day 11 | Okavango Game Drive, Fly to Johannesburg (South Africa) | Johannesburg |
| Day 12 | Fly to Kruger National Park, Sunset Safari | Kruger National Park |
| Day 13 | Full-Day Safari in Kruger National Park | Kruger National Park |
| Day 14 | Kruger Bush Walk, Transfer to Johannesburg, Depart |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Cape Town (South Africa), Traditional African Dinner
Welcome to Cape Town and South Africa! This beautiful nation at the end of the continent is home to a diverse population and was even christened "Rainbow Nation" by Archbishop Desmund Tutu. Roughly 80% of South Africans are of Bantu ancestry from various ethnic groups. The remainder comes from primarily European, Asian (Indian, Chinese, and others from the formerly enslaved/indentured population), and mixed-race ancestry. You'll both see and feel this diversity and complicated history on the streets of Cape Town.
Upon arrival at Cape Town's airport, a driver will meet you and take you to your hotel in the city. After settling in, you'll have the rest of the day free to explore. Perhaps head to the V&A Waterfront. This historic harbor is popular with both locals and visitors due to its wealth of restaurants, bars, shops, and cafés. It's a great place to relax and sip a cocktail or coffee amid epic waterfront views backed by the looming plateau of Table Mountain.
Later, sit down for a traditional African dining experience in which you'll enjoy a 14-dish tasting menu that spans the continent. But the food is only part of the experience. Each night on the restaurant's stage, African musicians and dancers perform for the guests. This is particularly fun for children—in addition to learning how to perform basic beats on a djembe (a type of traditional drum), they can hop on stage and dance along with the performers. They'll even get to enjoy traditional Mali puppetry.Day 2: Cape Town Guided City Tour
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 3: Full-Day Winelands Tour
Embark on one of the most popular activities in the region with a tasting tour through the Cape Winelands. This part of the Western Cape of South Africa is home to more than 500 wineries, and today you'll get to visit several of the best. A bonus is that Cape Town's wine country is incredibly beautiful, so the drives between estates will be scenic and unforgettable experiences in their own right.
The guide will pick you up in the morning, and then it will be up to you which of the six viticulture regions of Cape Winelands you'd like to visit (of course, there will be recommendations according to your specific tastes). At each estate, you'll taste incredible cabernets, syrahs, and other varietals and pair them with delicious tidbits like homemade goat cheese and artisanal chocolates. You'll return to Cape Town in the late afternoon.
Day 4: Free Day in Cape Town
Spend the day exploring Cape Town's most iconic and culturally significant landmarks. Head out on a stroll (or take a city bus) to the V&A Waterfront. From here, you can board a ferry for the 40-minute ride to Robben Island. Before being shut down in 1996, this notorious island housed Black South African political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 of his 27 imprisoned years here. Today, though, it's a museum and UNESCO World Heritage Site. On a tour, you can visit Mandela's former cell.
Back on the mainland, make time for a visit to the colorful Bo-Kaap. The brightly painted houses of this charming neighborhood on the slopes of Signal Hill belie a painful history. Back in the late 18th century, enslaved peoples from Malaysia and Indonesia were brought to South Africa and housed in this area. When they were finally granted the right to own property, they painted their formerly all-white houses bright colors as a symbolic expression of their new freedom.
Day 5: Fly to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Sunset Cruise
In the morning, you'll transfer to the airport in Cape Town to catch a three-hour flight north to Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls. Upon arrival at the airport, a driver will pick you up and transfer you to your accommodation. Later in the day, you'll hop in a boat for a safari cruise down the mighty Zambezi River as the African sun sets over the horizon. It's an unforgettable experience traveling down the same waterway that feeds Victoria Falls.
As you continue down the river, you'll be treated to the sight of giant crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks, families of hippos soaking in the water, and herds of elephants bathing in the river. And as wild zebras line up on the banks to enjoy their last sip of the day, keep an eye out for flycatchers and herons skimming the waterline. After sunset, you'll head to shore and return to your accommodation.
Day 6: Tour Victoria Falls National Park
No trip to southern Africa would be complete without witnessing the spectacle of Mother Nature that is Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall on earth. Here, 17,657 million cubic feet (500 million cubic m) of water cascade over the edge of sheer basalt cliffs every minute. Its cataracts vary in size, but the tallest is Rainbow Falls, which plunges 354 feet (108 m) into a river gorge below. There's a semi-permanent rainbow here, and during the rainy season, you can see the misty spray from 12 miles (20 km) away.
You'll witness all this grandeur and more on a 2.5-hour guided tour. It begins upon arrival at the rainforest entrance to Victoria Falls National Park. After spending time enjoying the falls and snapping plenty of photos, return to the park entrance, where you can browse a craft market. There's a large selection of high-quality items made by local artisans that make great souvenirs to take back home. To end the day, step back in time with a trip on the Bushtracks Express, where you'll enjoy a five-course gourmet dinner as you travel along the edge of the falls at sunset in a restored steam train.
Day 7: Transfer to Chobe National Park (Botswana)
Day 8: Optional Activities in Chobe National Park
For your second day in Chobe, you can choose from a number of optional activities. These include safari game drives, boat cruises down the Chobe River, fishing trips, and day trips to Victoria Falls. More specialized tours include sunset boat cruises, private boat hire, scenic flights over Victoria Falls, and Namibian village tours.
The park is divided into a series of unique ecosystems, including marshland, swamp, and dry savanna. One of the best areas to spot wildlife is along the Chobe riverfront, where you're likely to spot crocodiles and hippos in the water. Watch as plentiful herds of zebras, gazelles, and buffalo flock to the banks to drink, and keep an eye out for the predators who are never far behind.
Day 9: Fly to the Okavango Delta, Afternoon Game Drive
At the appropriate time, you'll check out of your accommodation and transfer to Kasane Airport, where you'll take a one-hour charter flight to the Okavango Delta. The remote Okavango is an inland river delta that, rather than emptying into an ocean, dissipates at an inland basin in northern Botswana. During the seasonal flooding, these grassy plains turn into wetlands that are a haven for exotic wildlife. In the morning, you'll embark on a safari that will put you up close to the endemic wildlife of the area.
It begins when you hop in a 4WD vehicle with your expert guide and head off into the delta wetlands. Go searching for Big Five safari animals like lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo as you scan the woodlands for antelope, giraffes, and zebras. Also, on the edges of the delta, you can marvel at herds of elephants bathing in the shallow channels. At the end of the excursion, you can return to your accommodation or continue on a nocturnal game drive to see more rare animals, like the armored pangolin.
Day 10: Okavango Canoe Tour & Walking Safari
On this excursion, you'll traverse Okavango's maze of clear channels and opaque lagoons on a traditional mokoro boat. Once carved out of ancient delta trees, today these vessels are made from environmentally friendly fiberglass. You'll sit mere inches above the water as you silently glide past the unsuspecting wildlife in this biodiversity hotspot. Encounter grazing herds of elephants and red lechwe antelope while crocodiles and hippos wade under the watchful eye of the stately African fish eagle.
Later, you'll eschew the 4WD vehicles in favor of joining an expert guide on a safari bush walk. As you follow the trails through the wetlands, your guide will reveal the fundamentals of animal tracking. In doing so, you'll learn to identify certain animals just by their footprint. You'll also get to observe the delta's magnificent birdlife. Spot the rare go-away bird, the iridescent lilac-breasted roller, the brown snake eagle, and the grey-headed kingfisher. After the walk, you'll return to your accommodation.
Day 11: Okavango Game Drive, Fly to Johannesburg (South Africa)
In the morning, you'll head out on an early half-day safari in the Okavango Delta. This is a great opportunity to try and spot some of the Big Five game animals you might have missed over the last few days. Afterward, you'll check out of your accommodation, transfer to the airport for the one-hour flight to Kasane, and then connect to Johannesburg. Upon arrival at the airport, a driver will transfer you to your hotel in the city.
Day 12: Fly to Kruger National Park, Sunset Safari
You're back on the move today with a transfer to the airport in Johannesburg for the one-hour flight to Kruger National Park. Upon arrival, a driver will pick you up and transfer you to the premier safari lodge in the area: Tremisana. Here, walkways pass between palm and bougainvillea-filled gardens to 15 chalets, each equipped with modern conveniences like en suite bathrooms and air-conditioning. After check-in, feel free to relax and perhaps take a refreshing dip in the pool.
At dusk, you'll board an open-topped 4WD vehicle and embark on a sunset safari to spot some of the park's plentiful wildlife, including rare black rhinos. After enjoying an African sunset over the savanna, your guide will lead you on a nocturnal wildlife tour. With powerful spotlights, you might spy animals like hyenas and lions out for their nightly hunt. Before returning to the lodge, you'll break for a traditional bush braai (South African barbecue) dinner.
Day 13: Full-Day Safari in Kruger National Park
Day 14: Kruger Bush Walk, Drive to Johannesburg & Depart
Wake up early and experience the wonders of Africa's exotic wildlife one last time on a safari bush walk. During this three to four-hour excursion led by certified safari rangers, you'll hike across Kruger's beautiful savanna grasslands in search of the Big Five. As you go, your expert guide will impart fascinating facts about the surrounding flora and fauna, including bush survival skills and tips on tracking animals.
Afterward, you'll leave the savanna behind as your driver picks you up for the ride to Johannesburg. Along the way, you'll stop at Blyde River Canyon. At 66,585 acres (26,946 ha), this is the third-largest canyon in the world. Its soaring cliffs rise as high as 2,625 feet (800 m), and much of it is blanketed in subtropical foliage. Besides its many impressive vistas, the canyon also offers breathtaking views of the Three Rondavels: colossal rock formations that resemble ancient stone beehive huts.
After some time snapping photos around Blyde, you'll get back on the road and should arrive in Johannesburg in the early evening. You'll transfer to the airport at the appropriate time to catch your departing flight. Safe travels!
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