Best of Southern Africa
per person
Overview
This is the way to truly understand Africa: a 17-day itinerary that begins at the continent’s “adventure capital,” Victoria Falls, and concludes with a complete road tour through Namibia’s most adventurous and enchanting places. In the meantime, you may enjoy the solitude, calm, and magnificence of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, one of the world’s great wildernesses.
The journey begins in Livingstone with a visit to the Victoria Falls, a gigantic sheet of thunderous spray on the Zambezi River. Sunset boat tours, exhilarating white-water rafting, and microlighting are all available on the Zambezi. You next cross the border into Botswana and take a small aircraft journey to the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. Water activities are a highlight once again: crossing the Delta by mekoro is a’must-do’ for any safari goer.
After you’ve had your fill of Botswana, it’s time to go to one of Africa’s top road trip locations. Outside of the few large towns, Namibia boasts an outstanding highway system, gorgeous landscape, and very little other traffic, making it ideal for enjoying your time behind the wheel. Windhoek, Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Damaraland, and the country’s showpiece wildlife reserve, Etosha National Park, will all be visited.
This journey offers the finest of three of Africa’s most diverse and captivating environments, making it ideal for a family holiday or even an adventurous honeymoon.
- Experience the excitement of Victoria Falls
- Drift along the Okavango in a mokoro
- Be awed by Sossusvlei
- Road trip through the best of Namibia
- Find the Big 5 in Etosha
- Namibia
- Swakopmund
- Windhoek
- Botswana
- Moremi Game Reserve
- Okavango Delta
- Etosha
- Victoria Falls
- Zimbabwe
- Sossusvlei
- BOTSWANA, MOREMI GAME RESERVE, OKAVANGO DELTA – Camp Xakanaxa (3 NIGHTS)
- VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE – Ilala Lodge (3 NIGHTS)
- NAMIBIA, WINDHOEK – Olive Grove Guesthouse (1 NIGHT)
- NAMIBIA, SOSSUSVLEI – Sossusvlei Lodge (2 NIGHTS)
- NAMIBIA, SWAKOPMUND – Swakopmund Guesthouse (1 NIGHT)
- DAMARALAND, NAMIBIA – Damaraland Camp (2 NIGHTS)
- ETOSHA, NAMIBIA – Ongava Tented Camp (3 NIGHTS)
- NAMIBIA, WINDHOEK – Olive Grove Guesthouse (1 NIGHT)
17 Days
- Destination
From our gallery
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Days 1-4: Experience the Delta | 3 Nights
BOTSWANA, OKAVANGO DELTA, MOREMI GAME RESERVE
Relax from the strains of everyday life by immersing yourself in the Okavango Delta's beauty. A small aeroplane will transport you from Maun, Botswana, to the airport, where a driver will meet you and drive you to Xakanaxa Camp on the Khwai River. The Moremi Game Reserve's Xakanaxa camp offers one of the most distinctive features of any Botswana camp: an in-tent'misting system' that cools you down in the midday heat. This is a fairly unusual luxury and is great if you would rather stay in your tent with a nice book than lounge by the pool.
Although Moremi is a tiny reserve by African standards, it is filled with breathtaking natural beauty and abundant wildlife, including endangered wild canines, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and several migratory bird species. Look for little frogs amid the reeds and appreciate the sight of lovely colourful waterlilies floating on the surface as you paddle around the glistening streams in a mokoro.
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Days 4-7: Have fun at Victoria Falls | 3 Nights
VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE
Following three days of high-octane safari in Moremi, you return to the airfield for the short flight to Kasane, where you will be transported across the border to Victoria Falls Town in Zimbabwe. This small but bustling town serves as the entryway to Victoria Falls, the tremendous drop of water on the Zambezi River known locally as Mosi-au-Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders."
Ilala Lodge, called for the towering palm trees that dot the region, will be your home here, and its location on a hilltop provides you a view of the Falls' white spray surging into the air - eat lunch or afternoon tea with this lovely panorama as a backdrop.
Ilala Lodge has an elegant laidback atmosphere that is ideal for adventurous types who want to be on the go with canoe trails or guided walks, but also provides enough peace and quiet for those who enjoy sunset cruises or following the antics of the local birds with a pair of binoculars (look out for lilac-breasted rollers, African fish eagles, and carmine bee-eaters). Stretch out by the pool in between activities or chill down with a few laps and a couple of iced beverages.
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Days 7-8: Off to Namibia | 1 Night
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
It's time to say goodbye to Africa's largest waterfall, which begins with a drive to Victoria Falls International Airport for the short flight to Windhoek, Namibia's capital. Despite their close proximity, the countries could not be more dissimilar: Zimbabwe has one of the world's biggest water sheets, and Namibia has the world's oldest desert. Nonetheless, everyone has the same sensation of infinite infinity, tranquilly, and serenity.
When you arrive at Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport, your rental 4x4 will be ready for you and your next adventure. Namibia boasts an excellent, well-maintained road network with low traffic - ideal circumstances for a road trip! Your first destination will be the Olive Grove guesthouse, which is located in a quiet, upmarket district just outside of the city centre. This is a really pleasant place to stay the night before heading out to Sossusvlei, with a warm, domestic feel.
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Days 8-10: The sands of Sossusvlei | 2 Nights
SOSSUSVLEI, NAMIBIA
The dunes of Sossusvlei, which rise hundreds of feet above the surface of Namib-Naukluft National Park, are among the most picturesque in the world. They are a favourite of travellers to this desert region, with deep tones of gold, ochre, and bronze according on the time of day. Dune 45 is a favourite morning climb, while Dead Vlei, a real old wetland that is now parched dry and dotted with desiccated tree stumps, is an unearthly sight that must be seen to be believed.
You'll have plenty of opportunity to explore this picturesque terrain if you stay at Sossusvlei Lodge for two nights, an air-conditioned refuge with a private beer garden, a swimming pool, and family-friendly accommodations.
The dunes are best seen from the air, either on a sunrise hot-air balloon flight or in a small aircraft, with the undulating ripples of sand stretching all the way to the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean. If you prefer to keep your feet on solid ground, you have several options: lace up your hiking boots for a guided nature walk to learn how the smallest of creatures survive this seemingly unforgiving landscape, or fire up your quad bike (ATV) for a thrilling ride over the sand led by an experienced guide.
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Days 10-11: Back in history | 1 Night
SWAKOPMUND, NAMIBIA
Swakopmund has to be one of Africa's most unusual cities. It is a treasure trove of Germanic architecture going back to the 1800s, when Namibia was invaded by Germany. It is located on the Atlantic coast and is regularly cocooned by fogs from the ocean. The town's heart is dominated by charming old buildings and stores painted in vintage hues, and it is not uncommon to find German food on the menus of Swakopmund's snug restaurants.
After your drive from Sossusvlei, you will be greeted by the personnel at the Swakopmund Guesthouse, where the breezy décor is inspired by the nearby beach.
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Days 11-13: Discover wild Damaraland | 2 Nights
DAMARALAND, NAMIBIA
You leave the city behind this morning and go to Damaraland, notably the spectacular Brandberg Mountains and the Huab River valley. Damaraland Camp, Namibia's most successful eco resort, will be your home for the next two days. The harsh environment may appear unfriendly to the naked eye, but your highly skilled guides and trackers will be able to seek for desert-adapted elephants, lions, and the country's most emblematic desert animal: the scimitar-horned oryx.
Damaraland offers some of the most intriguing and intricate rock art in the world, in addition to spectacular wildlife observations. Set off on a mountain bike to Twyfelfontein, where there is a vast concentration of San petroglyphs - or rock engravings - that might date back at least 6 000 years. Twyfelfontein is sufficiently distinctive that it was designated Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007.
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Days 13-16: The best for last | 3 Nights
ETOSHA, NAMIBIA
You've arrived in northern Namibia and are getting ready for 'the big one': Etosha National Park. Flat roads, abundant of wildlife, and the mystical Etosha Pan make this a self-driver's paradise. Your lodging, Ongava Tented Camp, is located in a private reserve close to the national park, giving you the best of both worlds. at day, you may go on traditional game drives in Etosha, and at night, you can go on night drives near Ongava. You may go on guided walking safaris in the private reserve, which are not authorised in the national park.
If you would rather to spend a day out of the truck, then retire onto a comfy seat with a cold drink at Ongava's popular waterhole, which is floodlit at night, for convenient 'armchair game viewing'. Despite the fact that you will be living in a tent, you will have running water, a flush toilet, and a ceiling fan - all of which are important amenities in the wilderness!
The region is considered to be a haven for predators, so keep an eye out for lions and cheetahs, which are pretty typical sightings.
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Days 16-17: Return to Windhoek | 1 Night
WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
After a week in Namibia and a further week discovering Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta, you will have explored some of Southern Africa’s most enticing, evocative and unforgettable landscapes. Today, you commit them to memory and drive back to Windhoek, the friendly staff at Olive Grove waiting to hear all about your journey through their incredible country.
Inclusions
- 11 Days Car Rental in Namibia
- Flight from Victoria Falls to Windhoek
- Shared light aircraft flights as specified in the itinerary
- Transfers as specified in the itinerary
- International flights
- Airport taxes
- All meals and drinks not specified
- Tips and gratuities
- Items of a personal nature
