South Africa and Botswana Safari

008896-W20

This suggested itinerary visits South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. From beautiful Cape Town, to the thundering waters of Victoria Falls, the wildlife safaris in the Linyanti Concession and Okavango Delta to the bright lights of Johannesburg – this tour has everything to make your adventure one to remember!

Highlights
Details
Itinerary
Included
Not Included
Tour Notes
Map
Highlights
  • Explore the beautiful city of Cape Town, with Table Mountain in the background
  • Witness the sheer power of Victoria Falls, as the Zambezi River thunders over the cliff into the gorge below
  • Experience safari camp life in the Linyanti Concession
  • Discover the richness of the animal and bird life in the Okavango Delta
  • Visit the Nelson Mandela Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg
Details

Group Size: Min. 2, max 12

Tour Code:
008896-W20

Itinerary
Open All
Day 1: Arrive Cape Town

Arrive in Capetown any time today. A transfer is provided to your centrally located hotel, the Radisson Red, located in the V&A Waterfront area. The hotel focuses on art, fashion and music to connect people. It features a rooftop sun terrace with views of the sea.

The balance of the day is free, allowing you to relax and rest up or explore on your own, as you wish. Resting at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean, sandwiched between the slopes of the iconic Table Mountain and the glistening sapphire waters of Table Bay, the exceptionally scenic city of Cape Town is in a class of its own. Some cities boast rich culture, vibrant nightlife, a cosmopolitan atmosphere and extraordinary architecture, while others boast breath-taking landscapes and extraordinary natural wonders. Cape Town is lucky enough to be blessed with all of these attractions and so much more. With its bustling harbour, world-class beaches, top-notch vineyards, and its mountainous surroundings brimming with diverse flora and fauna, Cape Town consistently captivates the hearts of all who visit.

Should you wish to arrive into Cape Town a day or two ahead of the group or visit another destination before flying to Cape Town please ask us to make the arrangements for you as an extension to your group tour.

Day 2, 3 & 4: Cape Town

While in Cape Town, you will experience a full day wine tour where you can taste and smell the wonderful flavours of this world-class wine country. You will also enjoy a full-day Peninsula tour that will take you along the coast all the way to the Cape of Good Hope.

Wine Tour
Depart the city for the Winelands in the nearby Boland Mountains for a leisurely exploration of historic towns, liquid delights, gastronomic wonders and home-grown hospitality. Wine estates visited will vary according to client preferences, but the tour generally includes the region’s major wine producing areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, and there are chances aplenty en route for tastings of world-renowned reds and whites, as well as Cap Classiques South Africa’s answer to Champagne. Lunch at one of the many classic, award-winning restaurants in the area. Natural and historic heritage abounds in this area and your tour may take in sights like the Afrikaans Language Monument with its panoramic Boland views. Idyllic Franschhoek, nestled in a valley settled by French Huguenots in 1688, is a delight for both antique lovers and gastronomes alike. Stellenbosch, South Africa’s second-oldest town, provides another glimpse of classic 17th century Cape style, with a chance to browse quaint Dorp Street and the many museums, galleries and shops of this lovely university town.

Peninsula Tour
We make our way along the Atlantic seaboard passing Sea Point, Bantry Bay and Clifton. Bakoven and Llandudno, with their ghostly shipwrecks, are also fantastic sights on the way to the fishing village of Hout Bay, where we board a boat to view the Cape fur seal colony on Duiker Island (weather dependent). From here we navigate the 114 curves of 600m high Chapmans Peak Drive. We enter the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park with its unique Cape fynbos vegetation and home to birds like African black oyster catchers and Cape sugar birds as well as to very special fauna including Cape mountain zebra, bontebok (both endemic) and the charismatic Cape baboon. Climb (or ride the worlds first environmentally friendly funicular) to the famous Cape Point Lighthouse to capture the magical vistas of False Bay. After lunch, we visit Boulders Beach to see the penguins, and then head home through the naval village of Simonstown and over scenic Boyes Drive, taking in the views of the fishing harbour at Kalk Bay and the seaside havens of St. James and Muizenberg. To round off your day you can take a stroll through Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on the slopes of Table Mountain.

Day 5: Cape Town – Victoria Falls

A private transfer from the hotel to the Cape Town Airport to catch our flights on to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. This flight is not included in the group price, but will be booked for you at the time you make your tour reservation. On arrival you are transferred to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, your accommodation for two nights.

Situated on a plateau just 4 km from the majestic Victoria Falls, the award-winning Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, surrounded by the wilds of Africa, offers an unforgettable experience. The sunset-facing 72-room property offers endless views of African bush stretching to the horizon, which includes a waterhole frequented by elephant, buffalo, kudu and other wildlife, as well as a rich variety of birds. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been voted the Best Safari Lodge/Resort Hotel in Zimbabwe for 22 consecutive years by the Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents.

Day 6,: Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls Zimbabwean Side
The Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. David Livingstone was the first European to visit the Falls, and named it after Queen Victoria. To the locals, it is known as Mosi-oa-Tunya The Smoke that Thunders an accurate description of what happens when the waters of the Zambezi River plunge over the 1700 metre wide and 100-metre deep chasm, creating a shower of spray and a deafening noise. From February to May each year, the Victoria Falls are in full flood and 500 million litres of water tumble over the edge into a series of gorges each minute! After a briefing and explanation of the Falls, your guide accompanies you along the 1.7 kilometre scenic pathways of the rainforest, stopping at numerous viewpoints to gaze at the Falls. The tour is approximately 1 ½ – 2 hour. Includes transfers to and from your hotel.

Day 7: Victoria Falls – Kasane-Savuti Camp

You will be transferred by road to the Kasane Airstrip to catch your circuit flight to Savuti Camp in the Linyanti Concession.

Savuti Camp is situated in the private Linyanti Concession along the Savute Channel. This channel is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. This intimate camp’s en-suite accommodation is in seven large raised tents. It has elevated wooden decks extending out over the channel with a small pool, fire pit and wonderful views along and across the channel.

Day 8 & 9: Savuti Camp

During your stay at Savuti Camp, you will enjoy morning and afternoon game drives every day to reveal the rich wildlife of the area where predators and elephant are often the highlight.

You can also choose to go on a walking safari to observe the many signs of the wild from tracks on the ground to the sounds of the wilderness around you as you explore your surroundings on foot with an experienced guide. Or, experience a whole new safari as you explore after dark for those animals that only come out at night.

Day 10: Savuti Camp - Seba Camp

Eight luxury tents include two designed for families, with interconnecting bedrooms and plunge pools. Access the bush by game drive, mokoro (a type of canoe) or on guided walks.

Day 11 & 12: Seba Camp

Seba Camp is set in a wildlife wonderland overlooking a perennial lagoon. Its riverine situation in a forest of majestic hardwood trees plays host to prolific birdlife, while on the concession a variety of land and water game-viewing activities ensure that Seba delivers a classic Okavango Delta safari experience.

While staying at Seba Camp, you will be taken on twice daily game drives and have the opportunity for night drives, walking safaris, mokoro safaris, or have a relaxing day by the pool.

Day 13: Seba Camp - Maun - Johannesburg

After a morning game drive at Seba Camp you will be transferred to Maun Airstrip and fly from there to Johannesburg. You will stay at a conveniently located airport hotel, the Protea Southern Sun or similar.

Johannesburg is one of Africa’s biggest and most vibrant cities. It is the economic capital of Africa and the gateway to Southern Africa. Although not as famous as other South African destinations, there is plenty to do in Johannesburg and nearby Pretoria. The old city is a multi-cultural mixture of traditional medicine shops, Chinese restaurants, taxi ranks and ultra modern skyscrapers. There are excellent museums, art galleries and organised tours of historical and political interest. The shopping is Southern Africa’s best and the many restaurants cater for all tastes. The nearby township of Soweto is Johannesburg’s most popular tourist attraction.

Day 14: Depart Johannesburg

Private Half Day Apartheid Museum & Soweto
This tour of approximately 5 hours provides a great opportunity to take a closer look at South Africa’s turbulent past; by combining a drive through Soweto with a visit to the Apartheid Museum, regarded as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th-century South Africa, at the heart of which is the story of apartheid. The Museum opened its doors in 2001. Here you will embark on a historical voyage of discovery, a personal exploration of the past that examines apartheid right up to the first democratic elections held in 1994. The tour of the museum lasts approximately two hours. We then continue to Soweto, a sprawling residential area that has become a “city within a city”. Soweto is home to approximately two million people, many of whom work in various parts of the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area. We follow a route that takes us past all the major points of interest, including the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Baragwanath taxi rank, Regina Mundi church, Hector Pieterson Memorial and Nelson Mandela’s former home. You are dropped off at your hotel following the tour.

At the conclusion of your tour you will be dropped off at the O. R. Tambo International Airport for your departing flight out of Johannesburg.

If you wish to extend your stay here or travel elsewhere in Africa or beyond, please ask us to make the arrangements for you as an extension to this group tour.

Included
  • Transfer from Cape Town Airport to central hotel on arrival
  • Four nights of accommodation in Cape Town at the Radisson Red or similar
  • Cape Town - Peninsula Tour
  • Cape Town - Wine Tour
  • Transfer from central hotel to Cape Town Airport on departure day
  • Transfer between Victoria Falls Airport and Victoria Falls accommodation
  • Two nights of accommodation in Victoria Falls at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, or similar
  • 2 themed dinners - MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant and The Boma Dinner and Drum Show
  • 1 themed lunch - Vulture Culture in the MaKuwa-Kuwa Restaurant
  • Transfer by road between Victoria Falls accommodation and Kasane airstrip
  • Circuit flight from Kasane airstrip to Savuti Camp, Linyanti Concession
  • Three nights of tented accommodation at Savuti Camp
  • Circuit flight from Savuti Camp to Seba Camp
  • Three nights of tented accommodation at Seba Camp
  • All meals, drinks (excluding premium, imported brands and champagne) and laundry services at camps
  • Game viewing at camps twice daily, including Park Fees
  • Services of camp guides and staff
  • One night of accommodation in Johannesburg, Protea Southern Sun or similar
  • Breakfast daily at hotels in Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Johannesburg
  • VAT and tourism levies, where applicable
Not Included
  • International flights to Cape Town and from Johannesburg
  • Airfare one-way from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, one-way Maun-Johannesburg
  • Taxes on airfares (some taxes may need to be paid locally in cash)
  • Meals not specified
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Drinks, park and entrance fees, porterage, extra tours/excursions and transfers not specified
  • Travel insurance
  • Passport and visa fees, as required
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Any new government taxes, levies, fuel surcharges or industry increases beyond our control
Tour Notes

Optional add-on tours, pre-booking required to guarantee space:

Victoria Falls:

Ra-Ikane Sunset Cruise
The Ra-Ikane, named after the guide who led David Livingstone to the Victoria Falls, was hand-built to resemble a turn-of-the-century riverboat, and is luxuriously finished with teak superstructure, brass fittings, a carpeted deck and club chairs and tables giving guests a taste of Victorian splendour in the heart of Africa. On arrival, you are welcomed with a cocktail and served tea and cakes whilst given a safety talk and a brief history of the river. The cruise takes you through a scenically beautiful area of the Zambezi. Large animals such as elephant, hippo and crocodiles are frequently seen, as well as a wide diversity of other game and bird life. Being a mono hull, the boat has a low profile in the water and you are comfortably seated closer to the water line than on the conventional pontoon cruise boats. The boat is staffed with a captain, guide, hostess and waiter to ensure that all your needs are met. A flat deck allows for plenty of room to get up and move around during the cruise and maximize the experience. Drinks from a fully stocked bar as well as a range of snacks are included.

Livingstone Island Lunch
When Livingstone travelled downstream in November 1855 with the local Tonga tribesmen, he camped for several days on an island to explore his discovery, the Victoria Falls, and its surrounds. Now protected by National Parks, and aptly named Livingstone Island, it has become one of the worlds most unusual picnic sites. The Island is located in the middle of the Zambezi River and is perched on the very lip of the Falls on the Zambian side. Accessed by boat, your personal waiter will serve you a sumptuous three-course picnic meal, including champagne only a few meters from the spray of the Falls, the widest curtain of water in the world. NB. This activity is water-level dependent. We cater for a maximum of 16 persons. Wine, beer and soft drinks are included as well as park entry fees. Swimming in the Devils Pool may be an option (bring your bathing suit and towel along), subject to timing on the excursion and water levels.

Flight of the Angels Helicopter Excursion
This ideal birds-eye aerial view of the Zambezi River, the Victoria Falls and the gorges can be viewed by light aircraft (fixed wing) or Bell helicopter (Jet Ranger 4 passengers, Long Ranger 6 passengers). View the Zambezi from the air in all its beauty as it flows to the Falls, where it throws up a cloud of spray that sometimes reaches 300 metres high. The excursion also gives you a better understanding of the zigzag gorge system and how it developed it also ideally complements a ground tour of the Falls and its surrounding rainforest. Helicopter flights are weather-permitting. No age restriction. specific weight or health requirements apply. Please note that each helicopter has a middle seat and there is no guarantee of a window seat – it is on a first come, first serve basis.

Disclaimer: We do our utmost to ensure that information posted on our website is correct at the time of publication, however trip details are subject to change without notice by the suppliers and operators involved. We update the information as soon as possible when changes are advised to us, however, we cannot assume responsibility for such changes made by the suppliers and operators.

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