25 Day South West Safari

Itinerary

Days 1-2 Johannesburg, South Africa to Kruger National Park.

Today we head to South Africa’s premier wildlife region, the Greater Kruger. Here we are able to gamedrive in the famous Kruger National Park, where we search for Africa’s ‘Big Five’ (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard), plus much more.

 

Day 3 Kruger National Park to Palapye, Botswana.

We make for the border crossing at Martin’s Drift and enter beautiful Botswana, where our first visit is to the town of Palapye.

 

Days 4-5 Palapye to Kasane.

Continuing north we pass through Francistown, Nata and Kasane. We also skirt Chobe National Park, a fascinating reserve blessed with a huge population of elephants.

 

Day 6 Kasane to Livingstone, Zambia.

Today we travel into Zambia, where Livingstone is our base to explore the exhilarating Victoria Falls region.

 

Day 7 Livingstone.

Livingstone is Africa’s ‘adventure capital’ and there’s time today to try white water rafting, bungee jumping, horse riding and gorge-swinging. But don’t forget to visit the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls.

 

Days 8-9 Livingstone to Chobe National Park, Botswana.

From Livingstone we return to Botswana and Chobe National Park, where the next day we enjoy an early morning game drive in search of elephant, buffalo and lion. We relax during the heat of the day before an afternoon cruise on the Chobe River to watch hippos wallow, kingfishers feed, and the brilliant African sun slip below the horizon.

 

Days 10-12 Chobe National Park to Okavango Delta.

Further south we reach Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. This is a vast and unique natural wetland habitat, and we explore the myriad waterways and swaying grasses on foot and by dugout canoe (mokoro), hopefully catching glimpses of hippo, crocodile, buffalo and elephant. We even camp for a night on river islands to enjoy the tranquillity!

 

Day 13 Okavango to Ghanzi.

We depart for Ghanzi in western Botswana, where we join the local Bushmen for a guided walk to see how the indigenous people live in the immense terrain of the Kalahari.

 

Day 14 Ghanzi to Windhoek, Namibia.

Our first overnight stop in Namibia is the pleasant capital Windhoek, a city steeped in German architecture and atmosphere. Why not take the opportunity to visit the local taverns?!

 

Days 15-16 Windhoek to Etosha National Park.

Next up is Etosha National Park, a vast reserve of over 20,000km2 surrounding a central salt pan. We spend two nights here mixing vehicle based game drives with static wildlife viewings. We even camp near a floodlit waterhole which offers exciting night viewing for the night owls amongst us!

 

Day 17 Etosha National Park to Spitzkoppe.

Today we head south to Damaraland and its eerily beautiful landscapes, before checking out the dramatic granite peaks of Spitzkoppe.

 

Days 18-19 Spitzkoppe to Swakopmund.

We reach the Atlantic coast and Namibia’s premier coastal resort, Swakopmund. Here we have time to relax and enjoy the local cafe culture, or try some adrenaline pumping optional activities such as quad-biking and sand-boarding.

 

Days 20-21 Swakopmund to Namib Naukluft Park.

Continuing south we reach the Namib Desert, home to the largest sand dunes on earth. Rising early we enter the Namib Naukluft Park, where we can climb one of them to watch an epic sunrise.

 

Day 22 Fish River Canyon.

Further south we visit another natural wonder of Africa – the immense Fish River Canyon, second largest in the world and a genuine rival to the Grand Canyon in terms of dramatic scenery.

 

Days 23-24 Gariep River, South Africa to Western Cape.

We cross into South Africa and after camping in the banks of the desolate but striking Gariep (Orange) River, we notice the desert scenery give way to the increasingly fertile Cape Province as we drive south.

 

Day 25 Cape Town.

Today we arrive into Cape Town, where we take a cultural visit to a local township and enjoy a traditional lunch before our African adventure concludes.